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Beginning in 1956 and going all the way through to 1981, with a one year absence in 1969, Topps included team cards in its flagship sets.
Building the SetDecember 26, 2019 from Cincinnati, OH - Card #32
Doug had asked his grandmother for 9-pocket pages for Christmas as he had run out at some point over the summer and had a backlog of cards to add to pages and binders. His Mimi obliged with a box of 100 9-pocket pages, and on the first page on top of the box were several "surprise" cards for our 1965 Topps set. A Phillies Rookie Stars card (#107) and this Phillies team card were two of the cards. Mimi also gave Doug cards of Bobby Wine (#36) and Dallas Green (#203), which we had previously added to the set, and those will be added to our trade pile. (We'll also work to get my Mom an updated checklist in case the mood strikes her again to purchase additional cards in the future.)
Mom's baseball card dealer of choice is Dean's Cards, located in Cincinnati. She came across Dean's through eBay purchases over the years. Their website is easy to use and their sales people have always been helpful and friendly to her. In total, we added six cards to our set purchased from Dean's Cards.
The Card
I found the actual source for the photo used, and I've included it here to show the players, coaches and batboys featured. Chris Short sneaks his way into the 1965 Topps set, despite not having a contract with the company, as he's all the way to the right in the back row. The card's bottom banner, "2nd Place - National League" doesn't do the collapse of the 1964 Phillies justice. The late season swoon scarred a generation of Phillies fans and they'd have to wait until 1980 for a World Series appearance.
Topps re-used this same team photo for its 1966 set. The back features every Phillies pitcher with a decision during the 1964 season, omitting Bobby Locke (#324), Gary Kroll (#449), Ryne Duren (#339), Morrie Steevens (#521) and Dave Bennett (#521), who all pitched for the Phillies but went 0-0.
Phillies Team Set
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The Phillies fell to sixth place in the league, 11 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, with a record of 85-76. Jim Bunning (#20) went 19-9 with a 2.60 ERA and seven shutouts to lead the pitching staff with Short turning in another fine year at 18-11 with a 2.82 ERA. Gary Wagner and Jack Baldschun (#555) were the top relievers for the team. The offense was led by Dick Allen (#460) who hit .302 with 20 home runs and 85 RBIs, and Johnny Callison (#310) with a .262 average, 32 home runs and 101 RBIs.
Offseason acquisition Bo Belinsky (#225) struggled and clashed with manager Gene Mauch (#489). First baseman Frank Thomas (#123) was released on July 3rd, the same day in which he hit a game-winning home run, as a result of a clubhouse skirmish with Allen. Thomas was sold to the Astros a week later. And 22-year-old Fergie Jenkins made his big league debut on September 10th.
Update Cards
For each team card featured, I'll be building a checklist of cards that could have been included in a 1965 Topps update set for that team.
- Chris Short - Wishful thinking here, as Short wouldn't sign his Topps contract for a few more years and he'd eventually appear in the 1967 Topps set.
- Adolfo Phillips - Phillips has his rookie card in the 1966 Topps set, but he would have been a welcome addition in a 1965 Topps Update set. He appeared in 41 games for the Phillies.
- Gary Wagner - Like Phillips, Wagner received a card in the 1966 Topps set, but his 59 appearances and team-leading seven saves would have earned him a spot in an update set.
- Pat Corrales - As the primary back-up catcher, I'd give Corrales his own card after he appeared with Costen Shockley on a Rookie Stars card (#107).
- Lew Burdette - Burdette (#64) appeared in 19 games (9 starts) after being purchased from the Cubs on May 30th.
- Fergie Jenkins - And this is a stretch, but Jenkins would be a cool addition as well.
Baseball Reference
The Phillies Room
Prior Card: #337 Mike Cuellar - St. Louis Cardinals
Next Card: #339 Ryne Duren - Cincinnati Reds
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