 |
 |
Peter Gerald Richert
Washington Senators
Pitcher
Born: October 29, 1939, Floral Park, NY
Signed: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1962-1964; Washington Senators 1965-1967; Baltimore Orioles 1967-1971; Los Angeles Dodgers 1972-1973; St. Louis Cardinals 1974; Philadelphia Phillies 1974
Pete Richert began his big league career by setting a record when he struck out the first six batters he faced on April 12, 1962 against the Reds. His second victim, Gordy Coleman (#289), reached first on a passed ball, and Richert remains the only pitcher to strike out four batters in an inning in his debut. Dealt to the Senators following the 1964 season, Richert enjoyed the best two seasons of his career in 1965 and 1966, making the All-Star team both seasons. He went 15-12 with a 2.60 ERA in 1965, following that up with a 14-14 record in 1966 with a 3.37 ERA. Richert joined the Orioles in 1967, converting to a full-time reliever. He pitched in three World Series for the Orioles between 1969 and 1971, winning a ring with the club in 1970 and recording a one out save in that series in Game 1. Richert returned to the Dodgers in 1972 and enjoyed two more seasons as a reliable lefty reliever, before splitting the 1974 season between the Cardinals and Phillies in his final year. He retired following that 1974 season when a blood clot was discovered in his pitching arm.
 |
| 1974 Phillies Photo Cards |
Building the Set
July 31, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #342
By late July, we were down to needing 18 more cards to complete our set's third series, including three big star cards - Pete Rose (#207), Billy Williams (#220) and Willie Mays (#250). We had spent an enjoyable day on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, staying at the condo my in-laws rent once a summer during the last week of July. After a dinner of Mike's Seafood and ice cream from A La Mode, we settled in to watch that night's Phillies game, and as has been the case for a lot of games this past season, it was not an enjoyable game. In fact, the Braves blew them out 15-3 and infielder Ronald Torreyes was called upon to finish out the game for the Phillies on the mound. The Phillies poor play gave me some extra time to browse eBay, searching specifically for some of the remaining cards needed for the third series.
July 31, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #342
By late July, we were down to needing 18 more cards to complete our set's third series, including three big star cards - Pete Rose (#207), Billy Williams (#220) and Willie Mays (#250). We had spent an enjoyable day on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, staying at the condo my in-laws rent once a summer during the last week of July. After a dinner of Mike's Seafood and ice cream from A La Mode, we settled in to watch that night's Phillies game, and as has been the case for a lot of games this past season, it was not an enjoyable game. In fact, the Braves blew them out 15-3 and infielder Ronald Torreyes was called upon to finish out the game for the Phillies on the mound. The Phillies poor play gave me some extra time to browse eBay, searching specifically for some of the remaining cards needed for the third series.
First, I won an auction for the Williams card and then I bid on a bunch (20 or so) of cards up for auction from Greg Morris Cards, winning only three of them. This Richert card was one of the three cards won with a winning bid of $1.45. We wouldn't add any cards to our set during the month of August, and the day following the arrival of the three cards from Los Angeles, we departed for a much-needed vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth.
The Card / Senators Team Set
Richert is wearing a Dodgers jersey here. On December 4, 1964, the Dodgers traded Richert, Frank Howard (#40), Ken McMullen (#319), Phil Ortega (#152) and Dick Nen (#466) to the Senators for John Kennedy (#119), Claude Osteen (#570) and cash. He'd appear in an actual Senators uniform on his 1966 Topps card. On the back, both highlights referenced cover his record-setting performance in his major league debut.
1965 Season
As mentioned above, this was perhaps Richert's best season. He was the ace of the Senators staff, going 15-12 with a 2.60 ERA over 34 appearances, including 29 starts. Richert led the staff in innings pitched (194) and strikeouts (161) along with almost all other major pitching categories. In the 1965 All-Star Game, in which the National League prevailed 6-5, Richert pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out Willie Mays (#250) and Willie Stargell (#377).
The Cardinals sold Richert to the Phillies on June 21, 1974, and he worked out of their bullpen for the remainder of the season. He was reunited with his old Dodgers' minor league manager, Danny Ozark, who now managed the Phillies. Richert made 21 appearances, going 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA over 20 1/3 innings pitched. He made his final appearance on September 2nd in the second game of a double header, allowing an RBI double to the Pirates' Stargell before immediately being relieved by Eddie Watt. That would be the final appearance of Richert's baseball career as he retired following his release by the Phillies on October 25th.
|
|
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #131
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1962-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #48
82 - Richert non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/27/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #251 Billy Herman MG - Boston Red Sox
Previous Card: #251 Billy Herman MG - Boston Red Sox
Next Card: #253 Danny Cater - Chicago White Sox
No comments:
Post a Comment