1961 Topps #377 Ruben Gomez

Former Phillies pitcher Ruben Gomez is featured today over at my 1956 Topps blog.  My new blog, which will cover each of the 342 cards from that iconic set, is chugging along slowly but surely and we're up to Gomez's card #9 today. The card featured here is his third of four Phillies Topps cards, found within the 1961 Topps set.

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The Phillies acquired Gomez and Valmy Thomas from the Giants on December 3, 1958 for Jack Sanford.  Gomez would appear in 42 games for the Phillies in 1959 and 1960, getting the starting nod in 13 of those games.  He'd go 3-11 with a 5.78 ERA in 124 2/3 innings pitched.  He was hampered by a knee injury suffered early in the 1959 season and he'd spend part of the 1960 season pitching for the Phillies Triple-A team in Buffalo and on loan to the Orioles' Triple-A team in Miami.

He appeared in just 19 games for Buffalo in 1961 and was sold to the Indians minor league team in Jacksonville following the season.  Gomez would make it back to Philadelphia in 1967 following three seasons in the Mexican League.  He appeared in seven early season games for the 1967 Phillies, earning him his final Topps card in the 1967 Topps set.

Gomez has Phillies cards in the 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1967 Topps sets.  He also has a card in the 1959 Jay Publishing Phillies photo card set.