#48 Claude Raymond - Houston Astros

Jean Claude Marc Raymond
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 7, 1937, St. Jean, Canada
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1955 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1959; Milwaukee Braves 1961-1963; Houston Colt .45s 1964; Houston Astros 1965-1967; Atlanta Braves 1967-1969; Montreal Expos 1969-1971

Claude Raymond earned the distinction of becoming the first major league player born in Quebec to be selected to the All-Star Game, a feat he accomplished in 1966 with the Astros.  An effective reliever for most of his career, Raymond recorded 82 career saves, hitting his career best 23 in 1970 with the Expos.  Over 12 seasons, Raymond went 46-53 with a 3.66 ERA over 449 games, all but 7 of those games in relief.

2004 Montreal Expos
Postcards

Following his retirement, Raymond stayed with the Expos as their French language radio analyst (1973-1984) and later television analyst (1985-2001).  He was a coach for the team during its final three years in Montreal from 2002 to 2004.  Raymond was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #14
We were up to 11 cards for our 1965 Topps set, and I honestly had it in mind I wanted to purchase one fairly major "star" card during our remaining time at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show inside the Valley Forge Casino.  The showroom floor was packed as we were now into the early afternoon and autograph guests were showing up every 15 minutes or so.  The PA announcer would call out ticket numbers in groups of 10 all while imploring collectors to back away from the entrance that led into the autograph signing area.

That was the backdrop when we came upon the table for MJW Collectibles out of Somerdale, NJ.  This dealer had a bunch of 1960s Topps binders spread out, and the sign on the 1965 Topps binder caught my eye - ALL CARDS $1.  And with Doug's help, I dug in.

I first determined I'd buy 10 cards, and then that went up to 15.  My only criteria was that the cards needed to be a good shape with four sharp corners.  Doug helped me pick the cards in best shape, especially when there were several of the same card to a page.  This Raymond card was one of the 15 commons we added from MJW Collectibles.  Some were fairly random additions, and others had some meaning to me and I'll feature each of the cards acquired in upcoming posts.

The Card
Raymond is still sporting the .45s logo on his cap, as the name change to the Astros had just gone into effect prior to the 1965 season.  The special draft referenced on the back of his card was a supplemental draft held following the 1963 season to bolster the weak rosters of the expansion Mets and Colt .45s.  And at some point along the way, Raymond lost one of the saves he was credited with in 1962 as his Baseball Reference page gives him 10 saves in 1962 and not the 11 per the back of this card.

1965 Season
Only the Mets kept the Astros out of the National League basement in 1965, but Raymond was one of the club's top relievers.  In 33 games (7 starts - the only 7 starts of his career), Raymond went 7-4 with a 2.90 ERA and five saves.  He earned a complete game victory over the Dodgers on July 4th, allowing six hits.

1963 Topps #519

1964 Topps #504

1967 Topps #364

1969 Topps #446

1971 Topps #536

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #519
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1963-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA 1959 White Sox #39

43 - Raymond non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Prior Card:  #47 Tommy Harper - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card:  #49 Orioles Rookie Stars