#20 Jim Bunning - Philadelphia Phillies

James Paul David Bunning
Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  October 23, 1931, Southgate, KY
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers before the 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1955-1963; Philadelphia Phillies 1964-1967; Pittsburgh Pirates 1968-1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1969; Philadelphia Phillies 1970-1971
Died:  May 26, 2017, Edgewood, KY (age 85)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1996

Jim Bunning endeared himself to Phillies fans when he pitched the franchise's first perfect game on Father's Day 1964, providing a much-needed and rare highlight for Phillies fans of that era.  Bunning was a nine-time All-Star, a 20-game winner in 1957 and he pitched a no-hitter with the Tigers in 1958.  He's one of five pitchers to have thrown a no-hitter in both leagues, and he was the first pitcher to accomplish that feat while winning 100 games and striking out 1,000 batters in both leagues.  He never pitched in the postseason, coming the closest in 1964 before the Phillies' epic and historic collapse in the final few weeks of the season.

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Over 17 seasons, Bunning went 224-184 with a 3.27 ERA, 151 complete games and 40 shutouts.  He led the league three times in strikeouts (1959, 1960 and 1967) and his 2,855 career strikeouts were second only to Walter Johnson when he retired following the 1971 season.  Bunning finished in the top ten in ERA seven times during his career.  He was also a great fielder, having four seasons in which he didn't commit a single error.  Following his playing days, Bunning returned to his native Kentucky and entered politics, serving between 1987 and 1999 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later in the U.S. Senate between 1999 and 2011.  He was elected to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1984, the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee in 1996, and had his #14 retired by the Phillies in 2001. 

Building the Set
December 26, 2020 from Wenonah, NJ - Card #213
My Mom needed a few additional Christmas presents for her oldest grandson Doug, and I gladly offered to help with five star cards purchased from Gar Miller Cards in Wenonah, New Jersey.  I had recently learned that not only was Mr. Miller a hobby legend, but that he was still actively selling cards from my neck of the woods in South Jersey.  We exchanged e-mail pleasantries, and I'm looking forward to buying more cards from our set from him in the future.  Doug was more excited about the video games he had received from his Mimi for Christmas, but to his credit he recognized the players on each of the five cards she had gifted him.  I'll feature the next four cards in upcoming posts.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Bunning received his first Phillies Topps card in the 1964 set, but this is his first Topps card with him actually wearing a Phillies jersey.  The back of the card highlights his 1964 perfect game and Topps appropriately labels him as the Phillies "ace."

This card was reprinted and included in the 2002 Topps Archives, 2002 Topps Archives Reserve and 2002 Topps Archives Autographs sets, with Bunning signing copies of the latter card.  Bunning, at card #17, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Phillies in the set.  He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.

1965 Season
The Phillies came back down to Earth following the heartbreaking end to the 1964 season, finishing in sixth place with an 85-76 record.  Bunning and Chris Short formed a strong top of the rotation for the club, with Bunning making 39 starts and going 19-9 with a 2.60 ERA (5th in the league).  Short made 40 starts and went 18-11 with a 2.82 ERA.  Bunning's strikeout total of 268 was 4th best in the league and his 7 shutouts were 3rd best in the league.

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Bunning with Gus Triandos (#248) from the Tigers on December 5, 1963 for Don Demeter (#429) and Jack Hamilton (#288).  The deal definitely worked out in the Phillies favor.  During his first stint with the club, Bunning made two All-Star teams and went 74-46 with a 2.48 ERA over 163 games.  The Phillies traded him to the Pirates on December 15, 1967 for prospects Harold Clem, Woodie Fryman, Bill Laxton and Don Money.

Bunning was reuninted with the Phillies a few years later, signing as a free agent with the club following the 1969 season.  He appeared in 63 games in 1970 and 1971, going 15-27 with a 4.57 ERA.  He started and won the first game ever played at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium on April 10, 1971.  Retiring following the 1971 season, Bunning began the next phase of his career as a manager in the Phillies minor league system, hoping to one day return to Philadelphia at the club's helm.  That day never came, and following stops all the way up the ladder of the Phillies minor league system, he was let go following the 1976 season.

1957 Topps #338

1962 Topps #460

1964 Topps #265

1967 Topps #560

1971 Topps #574

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #338
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1957-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Update Decades' Best #DB-8

450 - Bunning non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/5/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #19 Gates Brown - Detroit Tigers

Next Card:  #21 Don Blasingame - Washington Senators

#78 Dal Maxvill - St. Louis Cardinals

Charles Dallan Maxvill
St. Louis Cardinals
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  157
Born:  February 18, 1939, Granite City, IL
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1962-1972; Oakland Athletics 1972-1973; Pittsburgh Pirates 1973-1974; Oakland Athletics 1974-1975

Dal Maxvill was a light-hitting middle infielder who played 14 years in the majors and collected four World Series rings along the way.  Known more for his glove than his bat, Maxvill finished four seasons in the top ten for assists among National League shortstops, and three seasons in the top ten for putouts.  His .973 career fielding percentage as a shortstop is currently 71st all-time.  Maxvill won a Gold Glove in 1968, a year in which he batted a career high .253 and also collected some postseason MVP votes.  He appeared in five World Series, hitting just .115 (7 for 61) but handling 88 chances without an error.  For his career, Maxvill appeared in 1,423 games and was a lifetime .217 hitter.

Maxvill served as a coach with the Athletics (1975), Yankees (1978), Cardinals (1979-1980) and Braves (1983-1984) before joining the front office of the Cardinals following the 1984 season as the team's general manager.  He helped construct teams that would win National League pennants in 1985 and 1987, but was unable to spend on free agents as the Cardinals' ownership group tightened the team's budget.  He was dismissed following the 1994 player's strike, and while he briefly scouted for the Yankees after that, he's been absent from baseball ever since.

Building the SetDecember 25, 2020 from Cincinnati, OH - Card #212
This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  This was the final card needed to complete the set's first series, and for some reason I had a tough time adding it.  A few weeks before Christmas, there were no active auctions for this card, in good shape at a reasonable price.  Determined to complete the first season with one last Christmas haul, I resorted to the ever-dependable Dean's Cards and purchased the card for $7.25.  For a light-hitting middle infielder that seemed like $6.25 too much, but again determination overrode patience here.  I'm going to try to show some more restraint going forward.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
I could be completely wrong here, but I think that's pitcher Barney Schultz (#28) making a cameo appearance behind Maxvill's left shoulder.  Flipping to the back, his SABR biography notes he earned his electrical engineering degree in 1960 from Washington University in St. Louis.  The Cardinals' regular infielders are also name checked here, as Maxvill filled in for third baseman Ken Boyer (#100), shortstop Dick Groat (#275) and second baseman Julian Javier (#447) during the Cardinals' 1964 World Championship season.  It's interesting that Boyer is included here as Maxvill played only one game at third in 1964, entering in the fifth inning on August 16th in a game it appears Boyer departed with an injury.

1965 Season
This was the last season Maxvill wouldn't have a regular job in the Cardinals' infield, as he appeared in 68 games but made only 21 starts.  He batted a dreadful .135, the worst of his career.

1963 Topps #49

1968 Topps #141

1971 Topps #476

1973 Topps #483

1974 Topps #358

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1963-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #75

59 - Maxvill non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #77 Doug Camilli - Los Angeles Dodgers

Next Card:  #79 1st Series Checklist 1-88

#79 1st Series Checklist 1-88

This is the fourth checklist I've added to our set and for some reason it was rather difficult to find at a reasonable price.  We're approaching a full year of lockdown due to the worldwide pandemic, and I'm convinced now quite a few one-time and new collectors have entered the hobby over the past year as a welcome distraction from reality.  I've noticed card prices have gone up, especially for vintage cards, and I'm finding even newer Phillies cards in auctions where I would have been the sole bidder a few years ago are going for prices higher than what I'm willing to spend.  I don't view this as a bad thing.  New or returning collectors have helped bolster the hobby at different points over the decades and I don't see the 2020 surge as anything but a net positive.

Speaking of net positives . . . We inaugurated a new President in January with my friends, family and the vast majority of the country breathing a collective sigh of relief.  The outgoing President decided to help instigate an attempted coup in early January and we watched in horror as the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol unfolded on our TVs and through social media.  There's a lot of work to be done, but it feels as if we're getting closer to the end of this pandemic as vaccinations are slowly being administered throughout the country.  All in all, I can sense relief, hope and even the occasional calm which had been missing from so many of our lives over the past year and since the former President came in to power in 2016.

I'm grateful I decided to collect this set when I did, as it's provided me with hours of distraction during a historically bad year.  I'm also grateful I have the means to collect this set when so many others are suffering financially.  That's not lost on me and my wife and we have continued to give back and teach our sons the importance of helping others whenever we can.  Life's just a big unmarked checklist, and you don't want to get to the end without the good stuff checked off.  (That's probably the most profound, or corny, thing you'll ever read on a blog about the 1965 Topps baseball card set.)

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #211

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  This was one of the last two cards we needed for a complete first series, and I found this card from eBay seller OLDBBCARDS Vintage Sports Cards, located in Valley Cottage, New York.  This checklist cost me $7, but it was one of the cheaper options for the card available on eBay before the holidays.  Needing just this and the Dal Maxvill (#78) card to complete the first series, I swapped patience for convenience.

The Card / Checklists
I'm going to do a first series summary post soon, similar to what I did for the 1956 Topps set over on that blog this past year.  Topps still wasn't sure what the Colt .45s would be changing their name to, so we get Houston Rookies (#16) instead of Astros Rookies on the front of the checklist.  On the back, and given the placement of the card's number, Topps couldn't even fit a "C." in front  of Cannizzarro (#61).

Previous Card:  #78 Dal Maxvill - St. Louis Cardinals

Next Card:  #80 Turk Farrell - Houston Astros

#111 Lee Thomas - Boston Red Sox

James Leroy Thomas
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  February 5, 1936, Peoria, IL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1961; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1964; Boston Red Sox 1964-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966; Chicago Cubs 1966-1967; Houston Astros 1968

One of the first stars in the expansion Angels' organization, Lee Thomas was an All-Star in 1962, a year in which he finished 11th in the league's MVP voting and hit his personal triple crown career highs by batting .290 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs.  His big early years with the Angels came after toiling seven years in the Yankees' minor league system, unable to crack their already stacked line-up.  The Yankees traded him to the Angels on May 8, 1961, after Thomas had played only two games with the club.  He cleared the 20-home run plateau in three seasons (1961, 1962 and 1965), but never appeared in the postseason as a player.  Towards the end of his playing career, Thomas spent three seasons in the National League used primarily as a pinch-hitter, and then played the 1969 season in Japan with the Nankai Hawks.

Thomas joined the Cardinals' coaching staff in 1970 as a bullpen coach and spent close to two decades in the Cardinals' organization as a minor league manager, in their front office and as their director of player development.  He helped the franchise win four pennants in the 1980s, including the 1982 World Championship.  Thomas took over as the Phillies' general manager in 1988 and was the architect of the improbable Phillies team that won the 1993 National League pennant with his old Angels' teammate Jim Fregosi (#210) at the helm.  After leaving the Phillies in 1998, he served as a special assistant to the Red Sox general manager until 2003.  Thomas worked as a pro scout for the Astros and Brewers before joining the Orioles' front office from 2011 to 2018.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #210

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This Thomas card was $1.50 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
I originally thought my version of this card was wildly off-center, but that's only an illusion given that Topps positioned Thomas' head too far to the left.  He's wearing an Angels' jersey here, and the back of the card explains that Thomas was traded to the Red Sox on June 4, 1964 for Lou Clinton (#229).  The clever cartoon shows the Angel heading south to Boston.  There's not room for anything else given Thomas' lengthy minor league career statistics.

1965 Season
Thomas had a strong season with the Red Sox as their regular first baseman, and was one of the team's more reliable offensive forces along with Carl Yastrzemski (#385) and Tony Conigliaro (#55).  In 151 games, Thomas batted .271 with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs.  After their 100-loss season in 1965, the Red Sox entered a rebuilding mode with Thomas one of the veterans to depart the club.  He was traded to the Braves on December 15th with Jay Ritchie (#494) and Arnold Earley for Dan Osinski (#223) and Bob Sadowski (#156).

Phillies Connection
I had to go direct to the Blog Rules Committee to determine if Thomas should receive a Phillies Alumni tag for his role as the team's general manager.  Ultimately, after intense debate, it was decided only those players, coaches or managers who wore a Phillies uniform during their careers should receive the coveted Phillies Alumni tag and Thomas instead would be relegated to the lower tier "Phillies Connection" designation.

Thomas was hired by the Phillies in June 1988, replacing short-timer Woody Woodward (#487) who had held the position for less than nine months.  In 1989, Thomas pulled off three blockbuster trades, acquiring John Kruk, Terry Mulholland and Lenny Dykstra - players who would form the nucleus of the 1993 pennant-winning team.  He later added Tommy Greene, Dave Hollins, Mitch Williams, Curt Schilling, Larry Andersen, Danny Jackson, Milt Thompson, Pete Incaviglia, Jim Eisenreich and Mariano Duncan, with 20 of the 25 players on the team's 1993 postseason roster arriving via trades or free agency.  The Phillies' finish in 1993 earned Thomas Executive of the Year honors from The Sporting News.

The Phillies were never quite the same after that 1993 season, with injuries and the 1994 player's strike contributing to their swift downfall.  Thomas was fired in December 1997 and replaced by his assistant, Ed Wade.

1961 Topps #464

1962 Topps #154

1964 Topps #255

1967 Topps #458

1968 Topps #438

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #464
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1961-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-LT

54 - Thomas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/2/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #110 Ron Santo - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #112 Derrell Griffith - Los Angeles Dodgers

#175 Bob Aspromonte - Houston Astros

Robert Thomas Aspromonte
Houston Astros
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 19, 1938, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, June 20, 1956
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1956; Los Angeles Dodgers 1960-1961; Houston Colt .45s 1962-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1968; Atlanta Braves 1969-1970; New York Mets 1971

A strong defensive third baseman, Bob Aspromonte's claims to fame include being the first ever third baseman for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and for being the last Brooklyn Dodgers player to be active in the major leagues.  Aspromonte appeared in one game for the 1956 Dodgers as a September call-up and then wouldn't return to the majors until making the club's opening day roster in 1960.  Left unprotected in the 1961 expansion draft, Aspromonte was the third pick by the Colt .45s and he'd serve as the regular third baseman for the team until 1968.  He enjoyed his best season in 1964, batting .280 with career highs in both home runs (12) and RBIs (69).

Traded to the Braves before the 1969 season, Aspromonte saw his lone postseason play that year, going 0 for 3 against the Mets in the NLCS.  He retired with 1,103 hits, 60 home runs, 457 RBIs and a .252 average.  He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Astros game on April 10, 2012, marking the club's 50th anniversary and he was in the inaugural class of inductees into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.  Aspromonte's older brother Ken appeared in seven big league seasons between 1957 and 1963 with the Red Sox, Senators, Indians (twice), Angels, Braves and Cubs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #209

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This Aspromonte card was $1.25 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Astros Team Set
Due to the team's name and logo change for the 1965 season, Aspromonte is shown hatless like most of his teammates in the 1965 Topps set.  His fielding skills are highlighted on the back.  Aspromonte played 1,094 games at third base during his career which has him within the top 100 all-time (89th) among all third baseman.  He led the league twice in fielding percentage (1964, 1966) and his .960 fielding percentage for third baseman is currently 74th all-time.  Aspromonte, at card #61, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of three Astros in the set.  He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.

1965 Season
Aspromonte enjoyed another steady season as the regular third baseman for the Astros, batting .263 with 5 home runs and 52 RBIs.  On April 24, 1965, he became the first Astros player to hit a home run in the newly opened Astrodome, hitting a two-run home run off Pirates' pitcher Vern Law (#515) in the sixth inning.  His infield mates in 1965 included Walt Bond (#109) at first base, Joe Morgan (#16) at second base and Bob Lillis at shortstop.  The Astros finished in 9th place with a  record of 65-97.

1960 Topps #547

1963 Topps #45

1967 Topps #274

1970 Topps #529

1972 Topps #659

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #547
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1960-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #659

94 - Aspromonte non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/1/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #174 Joe Jay - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card:  #176 Willie McCovey - San Francisco Giants

#72 Tony Gonzalez - Philadelphia Phillies

Andres Antonio Gonzalez
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170
Born:  August 28, 1936, Central Cunagua, Cuba
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Cincinnati Redlegs before the 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1960; Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Atlanta Braves 1969-1970; California Angels 1970-1971

Tony Gonzalez established himself as the regular center fielder for the Phillies throughout the 1960s, playing in over 1,000 games with the club while providing steady defense and consistently batting near or over .300.  He enjoyed a career-year in 1967, batting .339 to finish second in the league behind Roberto Clemente (#160).  His career high in home runs came in 1962 when he had 20, and he drove in over 60 runs three times in his career.  Gonzalez finished in the top ten in the league in triples in three different seasons.

1950-1969 Phillies Photo Cards

A fine fielder, he led the league three times for fielding percentage among outfielders, going errorless for the entire 1962 season.  He was also prone to being hit by pitches, finishing in the top ten in that category in eight different seasons.  His proclivity for getting plunked led to him being the first player in the majors to wear a new batting helmet with a premolded earflap.  Following his years with the Phillies, Gonzalez played with the Padres, Braves and Angels, seeing his only postseason play in 1969 with the Braves.  He batted .357 (5 for 14) in the 1969 NLCS in a losing effort against the Mets.   Gonzalez played 19 games in Japan along with 24 games in Mexico in 1972 and attempted a comeback with the Reading Phillies in 1973 before retiring as a player.  He'd serve as a coach in the Phillies minor league system through 1976.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #208

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  This Gonzalez card was the final Phillies card needed from the first series, and for some reason it was more difficult to track down than I would have thought.  I found it for sale for $1 from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois, and not wanting it to travel alone (and since I have an issue with paying more in shipping than for the card itself) I added 10 other cards to my cart before purchasing.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Topps used a photo from this same session for Gonzalez's 1966 card, and in that card #22 John Herrnstein (#534) can be seen stepping into the Phillies dugout behind Gonzalez.  #22 was actually the first number Gonzalez wore with the Phillies between 1960 and 1962 before switching to the #25 seen here.  He's wearing a road uniform here (gray with no pinstripes) and we also get a blurry look at some of the home team's fans getting ready for the game.  On the back, Gonzalez's 24 home runs in 1957 are highlighted with 22 of them coming with the Hornell Redlegs.  His impressive errorless fielding feat from 1962 is also highlighted.

1965 Season
Gonzalez was the Phillies' opening day center fielder, but he bounced between left and center field as the season progressed, with no true regular position.  Wes Covington (#583) and Alex Johnson (#352) had more starts in left, with Johnny Briggs (#163), Cookie Rojas (#474) and Gonzalez sharing center field duties.  In 108 games, Gonzalez batted .295 with 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 41 RBIs.

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Gonzalez from the Reds with Lee Walls on June 15, 1960 for Harry Anderson, Wally Post and Fred Hopke.  He'd be a mainstay with the club until left unprotected and selected by the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft, prior to the start of the 1969 season.  Among all Phillies players throughout the decade of the 1960s, Gonzalez ranks third in games played (1,118) behind Johnny Callison (#310) with 1,432 and Tony Taylor (#296) with 1,342.  He ranks third in hits (1,110) behind that duo and third in home runs (77) and RBIs (438) behind Callison and Dick Allen (#460).

1960 Topps #518

1962 Topps #534

1966 Topps #478

1968 Topps #245

1971 Topps #256

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #518
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1960-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #256

72 - Gonzalez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/31/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #71 John O'Donoghue - Kansas City Athletics

Next Card:  #73 Dennis Ribant - New York Mets

#186 Billy Cowan - Chicago Cubs

Billy Rolland Cowan
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  August 28, 1938, Calhoun City, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, January 12, 1961
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1963-1964; New York Mets 1965; Milwaukee Braves 1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1967; New York Yankees 1969; California Angels 1969-1972

The regular center fielder for the Cubs in 1964, Billy Cowan then spent four seasons bouncing around before finding a home with the Angels from 1969 to 1972.  His best season in professional baseball came in 1963 when he was named the MVP of the Pacific Coast League after batting .315 with 25 home runs and 120 RBIs for the Salt Lake City Bees.  The opening day center fielder for the Cubs in 1964, Cowan struggled throughout the season, batting .241 with 128 strikeouts (second in the National League) while leading all center fielders with 10 errors.  The Cubs traded him to the Mets in January 1965, beginning a five-team, four-year odyssey before he landed with the Angels in July 1969.

In four seasons with California, Cowan batted .278 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs serving as a pinch-hitter and fourth outfielder.  In 493 career games, Cowan hit .236 with 40 home runs and 125 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 25, 2020 from Belvedere, IL - Card #207

This is one of 32 cards (mostly commons) I received from Jenna and our sons on Christmas morning, as I was asked to do some surrogate shopping on their behalf and I gladly obliged.  I generally went hunting for first series cards, but this is one of several later series cards that snuck into my eBay cart.  This Cowan card was only $1 and it's one of 11 cards I added from eBay seller mavmil from Belvedere, Illinois.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
Cowan first appeared in the 1964 Topps set, sharing a Rookie Stars card with John Boccabella, and by the time this card was issued he had already been traded to the Mets.  The back of the card highlights his team-leading 12 stolen bases in 1964, which was better than the 10 bases all swiped by Billy Williams (#220), Jimmy Stewart (#298) and Lou Brock (#540).  The dramatic home run referenced came on September 18, 1963 when Cowan hit a two-run home run off Pirates' pitcher Joe Gibbon (#54) in the top of the 9th inning in an eventual 2-1 Cubs win.

1965 Season
Cowan was traded to the Mets on January 15th for George Altman (#528), and he was the club's opening day center fielder.  He appeared in 82 games with the Mets, batting .179 and was traded to the Braves on August 5th for a player to be named later.  (The Braves sent Ernie Bowman to the Mets on September 25th.)  With the Braves, Cowan appeared in 19 games, batting .185.  In 12 of his 19 appearances with the Braves he was used as either a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.

Phillies Career
On April 28, 1966, Cowan was briefly traded back to the Cubs from the Braves for Bobby Cox and cash.  The Cubs then flipped him to the Phillies on June 22, 1966 for Norm Gigon.  Cowan spent the rest of the 1966 season playing for the San Diego Padres - then the Phillies' top farm team.  He got his shot back in the majors when he was recalled by the Phillies in late June 1967.  Appearing in 34 games, and making 13 starts in left field and 3 starts in right field, Cowan batted .153 (9 for 59).  He'd spend the entire 1968 season back with the Padres where he batted .280 while leading the team in both home runs (19) and RBIs (73).  Left unprotected that offseason, the Yankees selected Cowan from the Phillies in the annual rule 5 draft.  Cowan has no Phillies baseball cards to mark his short time with the club.

1964 Topps #192

1969 Topps #643

1971 Topps #614

1972 Topps #19

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #192
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1964-1965, 1969, 1971-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #282

18 - Cowan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/26/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #185 Max Alvis - Cleveland Indians

Next Card:  #187 Casey Stengel MG - New York Mets