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Daniel Bernard Coombs
Houston Astros
Pitcher
Born: March 23, 1942, Lincoln, ME
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams: Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1969;
San Diego Padres 1970-1971
Major League Teams: Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964; Houston Astros 1965-1969;
San Diego Padres 1970-1971
Jack Hoyle McClure
Houston Astros
Infield
Born: December 13, 1945, Asher, OK
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Kelly Eugene Ratliff
Houston Astros
Outfield
Born: September 28, 1945, Macon, GA
Signed: Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams: Houston Astros 1965
Danny Coombs appeared in nine seasons with the Colt. 45s/Astros and Padres. His first regular big league action came in 1965 when he appeared in 26 games for the Astros. He'd bounce back and forth between the minors and majors the next two years, before sticking with the club for all of 1968 as the club's most frequently used lefty out of the bullpen. Coombs was 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 40 games that season. His career year came during his penultimate season of 1970 after the Padres had converted him to a starting pitcher. Combs was 10-14 that season with a 3.30 ERA in 188 1/3 innings pitched. In 144 career games, Combs had a 19-27 record with a 4.08 ERA and he accumulated 249 strikeouts over 393 innings pitched.
Infielder Jack McClure played three seasons in the Colt .45s/Astros system for their Single-A and Double-A teams. He never played in the majors. McClure appeared in 176 minor league games between 1964 and 1966, batting .252 with three home runs and 65 RBIs.
Gene Ratliff played four seasons professionally in the Colt .45s/Astros and Braves organizations between 1964 and 1967. He seemingly had two stints with the Astros during the 1965 season, receiving four at-bats, all as a pinch-hitter, and striking out all four times. He was dealt to the Braves following the 1966 season as part of a six-player trade and he retired after playing 34 games for the Braves' Single-A team in West Palm Beach in 1967.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #472
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Astros Team Set
This is the first card in the set, and therefore the first ever Topps flagship card, to feature Astros players with the actual Astros logo on their hats. For the set's seventh and final series, Topps must have realized it needed to squeeze a bunch more players onto its Rookie Stars cards but it was quickly running out of room within the checklist. This is one of six cards in the high series featuring three players on one Rookie Stars card. There are also five Rookie Stars cards featuring four players in the set's seventh and final series.
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #472
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Rookie Stars card which was less than $4 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Astros Team Set
This is the first card in the set, and therefore the first ever Topps flagship card, to feature Astros players with the actual Astros logo on their hats. For the set's seventh and final series, Topps must have realized it needed to squeeze a bunch more players onto its Rookie Stars cards but it was quickly running out of room within the checklist. This is one of six cards in the high series featuring three players on one Rookie Stars card. There are also five Rookie Stars cards featuring four players in the set's seventh and final series.
While Coombs would go on to appear on five more Topps flagship cards, this is the first and last appearance in a Topps set for McClure and Ratliff.
1965 Season - Coombs
Coombs was 0-2 with a 4.79 ERA in 47 innings pitched for the Astros, his first full season in the majors. He made three starts throughout the season, accounting for his 0-2 record, and his ERA as a starter was an even 9.00.
1965 Season - Coombs
Coombs was 0-2 with a 4.79 ERA in 47 innings pitched for the Astros, his first full season in the majors. He made three starts throughout the season, accounting for his 0-2 record, and his ERA as a starter was an even 9.00.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Coombs
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1965-1969, 1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DCO
21 - Coombs non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - Coombs:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - McClure
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
2 - McClure non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - McClure:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Ratliff
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
2 - Ratliff non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - Ratliff:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card: #552 Julio Gotay - Los Angeles Angels
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1965-1969, 1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DCO
21 - Coombs non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - Coombs:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
1965 Season - McClure
McClure played for both the Single-A Durham Bulls in the Carolina League and the Double-A Amarillo Sonics in the Texas League. In 100 games at both levels, he batted .267 with a pair of home runs and 42 RBIs. He'd play just ten more games professionally in 1966 before retiring from baseball at the age of 20.
McClure played for both the Single-A Durham Bulls in the Carolina League and the Double-A Amarillo Sonics in the Texas League. In 100 games at both levels, he batted .267 with a pair of home runs and 42 RBIs. He'd play just ten more games professionally in 1966 before retiring from baseball at the age of 20.
1965 Season - Ratliff
Ratliff's 1965 season puzzles me. His four pinch-hit at-bats, with two appearances in May and another two in August, are his only statistics listed for the entire season. What did he do the rest of the year? He appeared in 37 games for the Rookie Level Colts in 1964, and then in 35 games for the Single-A Salisbury Astors in 1966. But in 1965 he had just the four games, striking out in four pinch-hitting appearances.
For the record, the four pitchers striking out Ratliff were the Giants' Bobby Bolin (#341), and then Wade Blasingame (#44), Tony Cloninger (#520) and Billy O'Dell (#476) from the Braves.
Ratliff's 1965 season puzzles me. His four pinch-hit at-bats, with two appearances in May and another two in August, are his only statistics listed for the entire season. What did he do the rest of the year? He appeared in 37 games for the Rookie Level Colts in 1964, and then in 35 games for the Single-A Salisbury Astors in 1966. But in 1965 he had just the four games, striking out in four pinch-hitting appearances.
For the record, the four pitchers striking out Ratliff were the Giants' Bobby Bolin (#341), and then Wade Blasingame (#44), Tony Cloninger (#520) and Billy O'Dell (#476) from the Braves.
Other Notable Baseball Cards - McClure
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
2 - McClure non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - McClure:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Ratliff
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #553
2 - Ratliff non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.
Sources - Ratliff:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Next Card: #554 Chico Ruiz - Cincinnati Reds
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