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Richard Joseph Farrell
Houston Astros
Pitcher
Born: April 8, 1934, Boston, MA
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1956-1961; Los Angeles Dodgers 1961; Houston Colt .45s 1962-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1967; Philadelphia Phillies 1967-1969
Died: June 10, 1977, Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom (age 43)
His SABR biography refers to Dick "Turk" Farrell as a "fierce competitor; prankster; beloved teammate" in quick succession and later uses the adjective "fun-loving" to sum him up. In 14 Major League seasons, mostly with the Phillies and the Colt .45s/Astros, Farrell was a five-time All-Star and found success as both a starter and a relief pitcher. As a rookie closer with the Phillies in 1957, he went 10-2 with a 2.38 ERA and a team-leading 10 saves. He was one of the team's most reliable relievers between 1957 and 1960 before hitting a mid-career slump in 1961. He was swapped to the Dodgers that season on May 4th, with the Dodgers hoping he'd be a suitable replacement for their injured closer Ed Roebuck (#52). He wasn't, and after a tough season in Los Angeles, Farrell was left unprotected in the expansion draft and selected by the Colt .45s.
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| 1950-1969 Phillies Postcards |
While working in England as a safety supervisor on offshore oil rigs, Farrell was tragically killed in an auto accident in 1977.
Building the Set
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #145
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards. We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show. The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6. I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series. With the exception of the cards for Dick Howser (#92) and manager Birdie Tebbets (#301), along with the few former Phillies in the lot, most of the players featured on these cards are unknown to me. In the coming weeks, I'll go through each of these new cards for our set in detail, and we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the complete set. We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at a low prices is a great day. This Farrell card was only $1.
The Card / Astros Team Set
Like the other Astros in the first series of the set, Farrell is pictured wearing a Colt .45s hat and the team designation on the front of the card is "Houston" with a generic Texas logo. His solid outing in the 1958 All-Star Game is highlighted on the back of the card. Farrell pitched the final two innings of the game for the N.L., striking out four of the seven batters he faced - Jackie Jensen, Bill Skowron (#70), Frank Malzone (#315) and Ted Williams.
1965 Season
This was Farrell's fourth and final year appearing at the All-Star Game. He was one of three Astros pitchers to make at least 20 starts, along with Bob Bruce (#240) and Don Nottebart (#469). Farrell went 11-11 with a 3.50 ERA over 33 appearances (29 starts) with 8 complete games and 3 shutouts. In the All-Star Game, Farrell relieved Sandy Koufax (#300) and pitched a scoreless eighth inning in a game the N.L. would win, 6-5.
Farrell, along with fellow relievers Jim Owens (#451) and Jack Meyer, were members of a partying group of players dubbed the Dalton Gang, as they were known during their time with the Phillies to enjoy the post-game nightlife. He first left the organization on May 4, 1961, traded to the Dodgers with Joe Koppe for Don Demeter (#429) and Charley Smith (#22). After a successful stint with the Astros as a starter, he returned to the Phillies in 1967. Over nine seasons with the Phillies, Farrell appeared in 359 games, making only 2 starts, and going 47-41 with a 3.25 ERA. He accumulated 65 saves with the Phillies, which puts him 10th all-time among the franchise's save leaders. Possessing an above-average fastball, Farrell struck out 403 batters in 600 2/3 innings pitched with the club.
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First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #76
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1958-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #256
82 - Farrell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #79 1st Series Checklist 1-88
Next Card: #81 Don Buford - Chicago White Sox
It's very strange that Topps used capless photos on Farrell's '68 and '69 cards, when they were able to get new photos of Dick Hall in 67 and 68 following his December 1966 acquisition. (They could have used old photos from Farrell's earlier years with the Phils.)
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