#200 Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals

Robert Gibson
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  189
Born:  November 9, 1935, Omaha, NE
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1959-75

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1964, 1967-68
Died:  October 2, 2020, Omaha, NE (age 84)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1981

One of the best, most feared and most competitive pitchers of his generation, Bob Gibson was a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series winner (1964 and 1967), a two-time Cy Young Award winner (1968 and 1970) and the second pitcher in history to reach the 3,000 strikeout plateau.  Along with his 1968 Cy Young Award, he also took home that season's MVP award as he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, 28 complete games, 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts in one of the most dominant seasons of pitching in baseball history.  Gibson won 20 or more games five times.  If that wasn't enough, he also won nine Gold Gloves for his fielding and was a lifetime .206 batter with 24 home runs.  He retired after 17 seasons with 251 wins, 56 shutouts and 3,117 strikeouts and the Cardinals retired his #45 in September 1975.

Gibson was a first ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame in 1981, the same year he returned to baseball as a Mets coach on the staff of former teammate and Mets manager Joe Torre (#460).  He moved with Torre to the Braves in 1982 where he stayed through 1984.  He coached one last time for Torre with the Cardinals in 1995.  Gibson passed away on October 2, 2020, 52 years after his dominant performance in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series in which he pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 17 Tigers batters.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #636

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's my fourth stop of the show.  This is the second of those six cards and it cost about $36 after a discount.  This was one of four cards I spent more than $30 on at the show, along with Bobby Cox (#237), Harmon Killebrew (#375) and Rod Carew (#510).

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

I feel this is one of the more iconic Gibson cards, as it captures him following his incredible 1968 season.  He's all over the 1969 Topps set, and this is one seven cards of Gibson in the set.  He's on three League Leaders cards (#8, #10, #12), the 2nd Series Checklist (#107), the World Series Game #1 card (#162), this base card and an All-Star card (#432).  The back of the card justifiably focuses on his prior season.

Gibson's 1959 and 1968 Topps cards have been reprinted by Topps a ton over the years, and I was surprised to see this card has never been reprinted, at least as far as I can tell.

Accuracy Index:  Gibson's card easily earns a +5.

Inserts:  Gibson is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
There was really nowhere to go but down after Gibson's all-time great season in 1968, but he still led the league with a 10.4 bWAR and 28 complete games.  From his SABR biography, written by Terry Sloope: 

Things went downhill for the Cardinals after 1968, although Gibson still had some productive seasons ahead of him. [Orlando] Cepeda (#385), their clubhouse cheerleader, was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre before the 1969 season.  As the players union threatened to delay the start of the 1969 season with a strike, owner [August] Busch publicly blasted his team in spring training for being complacent and too concerned with monetary matters, further lowering club morale.  Although Gibson went 20-13 with a 2.18 ERA, the Cardinals dropped to fourth place in the National League’s new Eastern Division.

1959 Topps #514

1965 Topps #320

1968 Topps #100

1971 Topps #450

1975 Topps #150

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #514
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1959-75, 1988
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Archives #297
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2,253 in the Beckett online database as of 2/15/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#199 Jim French - Washington Senators / #201 Russ Snyder - Cleveland Indians

#545 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates

Wilver Dornel Stargell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1958
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-82

World Series Appearances:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1971, 1979
Died:  April 9, 2001, Wilmington, NC (age 61)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1988

Willie Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, and was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation.  As the club's regular left fielder throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Stargell made his first of seven All-Star teams in 1964.  In 1971, he helped lead the Pirates to a World Championship title over the Orioles, batting .295 during the season with a league leading 48 home runs and 125 RBIs.  He'd continue to slug home runs throughout the 1970s, with his tally of 296 home runs leading all players during the decade.  His blasts were often moonshots, and he holds the distinction of hitting the longest home run in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium history.  In 1973, he crossed the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth and final time, leading the league with 119 RBIs, and also leading the league in home runs (44), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.646).

Moving to first base in the mid-1970s, he emerged as a veteran team leader, earning his affectionate nickname of "Pops."  In 1979, he again won the league's MVP award, to go along with NLCS MVP and World Series MVP honors as his Pirates again defeated the Orioles in the World Series.  He retired following the 1982 season with a career average of .282, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBIs.  The Pirates had retired his #8 a month before his final game, and Stargell was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1988.

Stargell briefly served as the first base coach for the Braves (1986-88) following his retirement, and he'd also later work in the Pirates front office.  Two days before he passed away, the Pirates unveiled a statute of Stargell at their new PNC Park.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #634

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the 12th of those 12, and the 75th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  The card was marked at $10, but I paid a little over $7 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo for this card was likely taken at the same time as the photo used for Stargell's 1968 Topps card.  The back of the card notes his 33 home runs in 1966, setting a club record for left handers.  The cartoon depicts the three home runs Stargell hit on June 24, 1965, victimizing the Dodgers' Don Drysdale (#400) twice and reliever John Purdin (#161) once.

Accuracy Index:  Pops scores a +5.

1969 Season
Again as the everyday left fielder, Stargell enjoyed his best season to date with the Pirates, batting .307 in 145 games with 29 home runs and 92 RBIs.  His average was 8th best in the league, and his .382 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage were 9th and 4th best respectively.  Stargell was also solid on defense, with his .968 fielding percentage ranking second among all National League left fielders.

1963 Topps #553

1971 Topps #230

1975 Topps #100

1979 Topps #55

1982 Topps #715

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1963-82
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Relics #AGR-WST
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  1,391 in the Beckett online database as of 2/14/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#544 Tigers Rookie Stars / #546 Jim Nash - Oakland Athletics

#456 Bud Harrelson - New York Mets

Derrel McKinley Harrelson
New York Mets
Shortstop

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  160
Born:  June 6, 1944, Niles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent, June 7, 1963
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-77; Philadelphia Phillies 1978-79; Texas Rangers 1980

World Series Appearances:  New York Mets 1969, 1973
As a Manager:  New York Mets 1990-91
Died:  January 10, 2024, East Northport, NY (age 79)

Mets legend Bud Harrelson is the only person to have played a part in both Mets' World Series titles - in 1969 as their starting shortstop, and in 1986 as a coach.  Harrelson played in 16 big league seasons, 13 of those seasons with the Mets.  He was their everyday shortstop for most of the 1970s, and was selected to be an All-Star in 1970 and 1971.  Harrelson's career year came in 1971 when he won a Gold Glove while batting .252 with 16 doubles and 28 stolen bases.  He famously invoked the ire of the Reds' Pete Rose (#120) during the 1973 NLCS, when Harrelson compared the Big Red Machine's hitting prowess to his own.  Rose took exception and his hard slide into Harrelson during Game 3 sparked a bench-clearing brawl.  Harrelson and Rose would become teammates in 1979 with the Phillies, burying the hatchet.  Harrelson wrapped up his lengthy career with a stint with the Rangers in 1980 as a back-up infielder.  In 1,533 career games, he batted .234 with 123 doubles, six home runs, 242 RBIs and 115 stolen bases.

From the 1978 Phillies Yearbook

Harrelson coached in the Mets' minor and major league system between 1982 and 1990.  He replaced Davey Johnson (#203) as the club's manager a little over a month into the 1990 season upon Johnson's dismissal.  Harrelson found some success in 1990, but a second half Mets collapse in 1991 cost him his job.  Harrelson's record at the helm was 145-129.  He'd become part-owner of the Long Island Ducks in 2000, managing the team in its inaugural season.  Harrelson was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1986.

Building the Set / Card #632

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.

I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the tenth of those 12, and the 73rd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  I paid less than a dollar for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied. 

The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The write-up on the back of the card using the adjectives "hustling" and "flashy" to describe Harrelson.  He apparently taught himself how to switch-hit in 1966 while at Triple-A Jacksonville.  That's pretty impressive to learn how to switch-hit at the age of 22!

Accuracy Index:  Harrelson's card holds steady with a +5.

1969 Season
From his SABR biography, written by Eric Aron: 

Harrelson arrived in St. Petersburg in 1969 having spent the winter lifting weights and quitting smoking.  He came in weighing 165 pounds and ceded the lightest-Met prize to 157-pound Amos Otis (#31).  Gil Hodges (#564) favored platoons for his club at the corners in the outfield and infield, plus second base.  Catcher, center field, and shortstop were too important to Hodges to tinker with, even though Jerry Grote (#55) was no great shakes with the bat and Tommie Agee (#364) in center had a lower 1968 batting average than Harrelson (.217). 

Harrelson was sorely missed when he had to serve his military obligation starting in July.  Al Weis (#269) filled in at shortstop and - true to form for the Mets that year - hit both of his home runs for the season in a huge series at Wrigley Field.  Harrelson started just one game in a five-week span because of his obligation, and his batting average, which had surpassed .290 at the beginning of June, got over .250 only a couple of times the rest of the season; he finished at .248.  His .341 on-base percentage was crucial since he usually batted second against right-handers and slid down to eighth against southpaws.  But on a team with the pitching the '69 Mets had, his glove was more important than what he generated with his bat.  Harrelson committed just 19 errors in 119 games at shortstop; his best remembered play of that season was grabbing Joe Torre's (#460) grounder and starting the double play that clinched the first Eastern Division title in National League history and set off a riot at Shea Stadium on September 24.  Harrelson’s game-winning single the night before against Bob Gibson (#200) had set the party in motion by assuring the Mets of at least a tie for the division title. 

Harrelson was practically flawless in the field in the miraculous postseason.  His only error in 44 chances came with one out and no one on in the seventh inning of New York's 11-6 win over the Braves in Game Two of the National League Championship Series.  Though he was only 2-for-11 in the NLCS, he drove in three runs and both his hits went for extra bases - giving Harrelson, who would have a lifetime .288 slugging percentage, a stunning .455 slugging mark in the Mets' three-game sweep.  He batted .176 in the World Series against the Orioles, but he had three singles and three walks to give him a .300 on-base percentage.

Phillies Career
With Tim Foli handed the Mets' shortstop job for the 1978 season, Harrelson was dealt to the Phillies on March 24, 1978, towards the end of spring training, for Fred Andrews and cash.  He was reunited with his former teammate Tug McGraw (#601), and expected to fill in behind a solid infield of Ted Sizemore (#552) at second base and Larry Bowa at shortstop.  Harrelson played in 71 games in 1978, hitting .214 and making 22 starts all season.  Manny Trillo took over for Sizemore at second in 1979, and Harrelson appeared in only 53 games.  He did bat .282 and have an OBP of .395, both high marks for his career, but he made one less start than the year before with 21.  He was released following spring training in 1980, with the team opting to go with Luis Aguayo and Ramon Aviles as their back-up infielders.  In 124 total games with the Phillies, Harrelson batted .241 with seven doubles and 16 RBIs.

1967 Topps #306

1971 Topps #355

1975 Topps #395

1981 Topps #694

1991 Topps #261

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #306
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1967-81, 1990-91
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Topps x ESPN 30-for-30: "Once Upon a Time in Queens" #33
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  152 in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#455 Sonny Siebert - Cleveland Indians / #457 Dalton Jones - Boston Red Sox

#602 Cubs Rookie Stars - Alec Distaso / Don Young / Jim Qualls

Alec John Distaso
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  December 23, 1948, Los Angeles, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1967 amateur draft, January 28, 1967
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1969

Died: July 13, 2009, Macomb, IL (age 60)

Donald Wayne Young
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  October 18, 1945, Houston, TX
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 4, 1963
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1965, 1969

Died:  November 21, 2024, Mesa, AZ (age 79)

James Robert Qualls
Chicago Cubs
Infield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  158
Born:  October 9, 1946, Exeter, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 6, 1964
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1969; Montreal Expos 1970; Chicago White Sox 1972

Taken with the first overall pick in the January 1967 amateur player draft, Alec Distaso rose quickly through the Cubs minor league system, earning a spot on the team's opening day roster in 1969.  He'd appear in just two games, allowing a pair of earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched, before getting sent back down to the minors.  Elbow troubles curtailed the rest of his career, and Distaso would attempt to pitch through the pain in 1970, only to retire following the season.

Don Young played in 11 games for the Cubs in 1965, spent the next three full seasons back in the minors, and then spent the entire 1969 season as the most frequently used center fielder by manager Leo Durocher (#147).  Young appeared in 101 games overall, and made 98 starts in center, including on opening day.  He batted .239 with 12 doubles, six home runs and 27 RBIs, and a few defensive lapses late in the season contributed to the Cubs' collapse down the stretch.  Young never made it back to the majors following the 1969 season, playing parts of two more seasons in the minors before retiring.

Jim Qualls made the Cubs' opening day roster out of spring training in 1969, but spent the bulk of the first half of that season back in the minor leagues or serving in the National Guard.  He'd end up playing in 43 games in the majors that year, his most in parts of three big league seasons, batting .250 with five doubles and nine RBIs.  Qualls' biggest hit of the season was a one-out single in the top of the ninth off the Mets' Tom Seaver (#480) on July 9th, breaking up Seaver's perfect game.  Qualls would play in nine games with the Expos in 1970 and 11 games with the White Sox in 1972 before heading to Japan for the 1972 and 1973 seasons.  With the Kinetsu Buffaloes, Qualls played in 162 games, batting .252 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs.  In the majors, he appeared in 63 games, batting .223.

Building the Set / Card #622
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4. 

I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop.  This was the 28th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 63rd of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $4 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Cubs Team Set

Distaso Accuracy Index +5 / Young Accuracy Index +5 / Qualls Accuracy Index +5
This is one of 11 Rookie Stars cards, out of the 59 Rookie Stars cards in the set, to feature a trio of players.  All three had made the Cubs' opening day roster, so they were good choices for a late series card.  It's the rookie card for Distaso and Qualls, but Young had previously appeared in the 1966 Topps set.  It's also the last card for Distaso.

Accuracy Index:  A solid showing all around as all three rookie stars earn a +5.

1969 Season - Distaso
From his SABR biography, written by Rory Costello: 

Wearing number 45, Distaso made his big-league debut on April 20 in the second game of a doubleheader at old Jarry Park in Montreal.  Relieving Joe Niekro (#43), who took the loss, Al retired six of the seven Expos to face him, allowing just one walk.  His only other appearance came two days later, at another park of yesteryear, Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.  Bill Hands (#115) got knocked out in the second inning, and Distaso allowed two inherited runners to score before retiring the side.  He then gave up two runs of his own in the fourth before leaving for a pinch-hitter. 

On May 10, the Cubs promoted catcher Bill Heath from Tacoma and sent Distaso down to San Antonio in the Texas League (Double A). The team went with just nine pitchers; "it was decided that this number would suffice with the team encountering seven off days in the next four weeks, and with the batsmen currently suffering."

With the Double-A San Antonio Missions, Distaso was 4-8 with a 4.21 ERA in 21 games, including 20 starts.  He struck out 47 and walked 39 in 124 innings pitched.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Distaso
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Distaso:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Young
From his Wikipedia entry:  In the ninth inning of a game against the New York Mets on July 8, 1969 playing centerfield Young failed to catch balls hit by Ken Boswell (#402) and Donn Clendenon (#208).  Both were ruled doubles. Young had the Clendenon ball in his mitt before crashing into the wall; with Boswell stopping at third thinking the ball was caught.  A Cleon Jones (#512) double followed that tied the game.  After an intentional walk to Art Shamsky (#221) a single by Ed Kranepool (#381) plated Jones with the winning run.  The line score in the 9th was 3 runs on 4 hits with two left on with no errors.

After the game manager Leo Durocher blamed Young for the loss.  Among other things, Durocher said, "My 3-year-old could have caught those balls."  Teammate Ron Santo (#570) also loudly criticized Young in the clubhouse accusing him of letting his concern about hitting influence his fielding.  The next day Santo apologized to Young and called a press conference to make a public apology.  The Cubs, who had a nine-game lead as late as Aug. 16, went on to lose the pennant by eight games to the Mets. Don Young was blamed by many for the Cubs collapse.

1969 Season - Qualls
From his SABR biography, written by Rory Costello:  . . . His best day in the majors came shortly after his return, on July 2.  At Montreal’s old Jarry Park, he went 3 for 4, with a double and triple off Bill Stoneman (#67), plus another double against Gary Waslewski (#438).  He has no memory of that day, though - 'it’s probably in my old scrapbooks, but I don’t really look at those no more.'

Six days later, the Cubs were in Shea Stadium for a three-game series. Don Young lost the opener with two ninth-inning misplays. Durocher and in particular third baseman Ron Santo had caustic remarks for Young; the next night Qualls was in the lineup.

In front of 59,083 fans - the biggest baseball crowd that Shea would ever host - Tom Seaver was overpowering. He mowed through the Chicago order, although Santo did hit two deep fly balls that Tommie Agee hauled in.  Seaver threw out Randy Hundley (#347) on an attempted bunt to open the ninth.  Then Qualls (who had also hit the ball hard previously) stepped up.  Batting left against the righty, he swung at the first pitch - a sinker that didn’t sink.

The ball was outside, and Qualls took it the other way.  Some accounts describe the hit as a “looper” or “flare” - which suggests that it was a cheapie.  It was nothing of the sort, simply a clean sharp single, as Mets announcer Bob Murphy described it:

"And it’s hit hard to left field . . . It's going to be a base hit . . . A base hit by Jimmy Qualls and it breaks up the perfect game . . . Now the applause for Tom Seaver . . . Eight and one-third innings of perfect baseball by Seaver.”

1966 Topps #139

1970 Topps #117

1970 Topps #192

1971 Topps #731

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Young
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #139
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1966, 1969-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #117
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  8 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Young:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Qualls
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #602
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1969-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #731
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  10 in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/26.

Sources - Qualls:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#601 Tug McGraw - New York Mets / #603 Joe Keough - Kansas City Royals

#402 Ken Boswell - New York Mets

Kenneth George Boswell
New York Mets
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  February 23, 1946, Austin, TX
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Mets i the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1967-74; Houston Astros 1975-77

World Series Appearances:  New York Mets 1969, 1973

Ken Boswell spent 11 seasons in the majors, seeing World Series action twice with the Mets in 1969 and 1973.  Boswell was a September call-up in 1967, never to return to the minor leagues, and one of his best season statistically was his rookie campaign of 1968.  In 75 games, Boswell batted .261 with four home runs and 11 RBIs while getting the majority of playing time at second base.  He was a member of the 1969 Amazin' Mets team that won the World Series, and his five RBIs in the NLCS against the Braves led the team.  Strong seasons followed in 1970 and 1971, with Boswell driving in a career-high 44 runs in 1970 and hitting a career-best 20 doubles in 1971.  Consistently working on his infield defense, Boswell put together an 85-game errorless streak in 1970.

He settled into a pinch-hitting role with the Mets in 1973, and was 3 for 3 in that year's World Series as a pinch-hitter against the Athletics.  Dealt to the Astros following the 1974 season, Boswell would play three seasons in Houston before retiring.  In 930 big league games, Boswell batted .248 with 91 doubles, 31 home runs and 244 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #620
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Vintage Sports)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  My second stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4. 

I found 28 commons needed before moving on to my third stop.  This was the 26th of 28 total cards bought from Vintage Sports, and the 61st of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day.  Sleeved, this card cost less than $2 after a dealer discount.

The Card / Mets Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Boswell's rookie card, and his Topps 1968 All-Star Rookie trophy is front and center.  Topps was high on the prospect given his success in the minor leagues and during his rookie season, as evidenced by the write-up and cartoon on the back of the card.  The cartoon has an uncorrected error, as Boswell's home run at Dodger Stadium came on September 30, 1967, not during the 1966 season.  Boswell connected off Don Drysdale (#400) for his first big league home run.

Accuracy Index:  Boswell's card earns a +5.  It's a great looking card, even if it's a Mets card.

1969 Season
Boswell played in 102 games overall with the Mets, making 91 starts at second base.  He batted .279 with three home runs and 32 RBIs, but was hot for the Mets down the stretch.  From his SABR biography, written by Mike Bender: 

He hit .407 over his last 29 games, with 12 multi-hit efforts, including six in a row from September 9 through September 18 . . . Boswell had arguably the biggest hit in Mets history, up to that time, on September 10.  His 12th-inning, two-out single scored the winning run in the first game of a doubleheader against the Expos - a win that put the Mets into first place for the first time in team history . . .

The Atlanta Braves, the Mets' opponent in the inaugural National League Championship Series, were scheduled to start three right-handed pitchers in the series.  Boswell and the rest of Gil Hodges's (#564) left-handed platoon would start each of the games.  It was a quick series.  After going hitless and making an error in the first game, Boswell hit two-run homers (his first since mid-July) in Game Two and Game Three, driving in four runs, as the Mets completed an unexpected three-game sweep.  He finished the series with a .333 average and a team-high five RBIs. 

On the field one last time in '69, Boswell started against Jim Palmer (#573) at Shea Stadium in Game Three, the first World Series game in New York since 1964 and the first ever-Series game at Shea Stadium.  Batting fifth, he had a single and run scored in three at-bats, as the Mets shut out the Orioles in a game best remembered for Tommie Agee’s (#364) acrobatics in the outfield.  Boswell did not play in either of the final two games of the Series, both wins in the team’s final at-bat . . . The 1969 season was Boswell’s finest year. He set career highs in runs (48), triples (7), batting average (.279), and slugging percentage (.381), and tied his career high for stolen bases with seven.

1970 Topps #214

1971 Topps #492

1972 Topps #306

1974 Topps #645

1977 Topps #429

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #402
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1969-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Upper Deck Legends of New York #71
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  59 in the Beckett online database as of 1/25/26.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#401 Jake Gibbs - New York Yankees / #403 Bob Miller - Minnesota Twins