#577 A.L. Rookie Stars - Darold Knowles / Richie Schienblum / Don Buschhorn

Darold Duane Knowles
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 9, 1941, Brunswick, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, February 9, 1961
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1965; Philadelphia Phillies 1966; Washington Senators 1968-1971; Oakland Athletics 1971-1974; Chicago Cubs 1975-1976; Texas Rangers 1977; Montreal Expos 1978; St. Louis Cardinals 1979-1980

Richard Alan Scheinblum
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  November 5, 1942, New York, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1965, 1967-1969; Washington Senators 1971; Kansas City Royals 1972; Cincinnati Reds 1973; California Angels 1973-1974; Kansas City Royals 1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1974
Died:  May 10, 2021, Palm Harbor, FL (age 78)

Donald Lee Buschhorn
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  April 29, 1946, Independence, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1965

1989 Tastykake Phillies #3

Darold Knowles was a veteran of 16 big league seasons, with all but eight of his 765 career appearances coming in relief.  His best personal seasons came with the Senators in 1969, when he was named to the American League All-Star team, and in 1970, when he lost 14 games, but had a 2.04 ERA in a career-high 71 games and 119 1/3 innings pitched for the 92-loss club managed by Ted Williams.  Knowles saved a career-high 27 games that season, finishing third in the league.  Knowles was a key member of the Athletics' bullpen in the early 1970s and had a 1.37 in 54 games for the club in 1972.  He pitched in all seven games in the 1973 World Series against the Mets, not giving up an earned run in 6 1/3 innings pitched.  Knowles retired  following the 1980 season and began his second career as a pitching coach.  He's worked since the early 1980s mostly in the minor leagues, but did work in the majors with the Cardinals (briefly in 1983) and Phillies (1989-1990).  Knowles had a lifetime record of 66-74 with a 3.12 ERA, and his 143 saves are currently 96th on the all-time list.

Richie Scheinblum toiled with the Indians for parts of four big league seasons as a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter, before enjoying his best seasons in 1971 and 1972.  He was named the 1971 American Association MVP after batting .388 to lead the league, to go along with 25 home runs and 108 RBIs for the Denver Bears, then the Senators' top farm team.  Sold to the Royals following the season, Scheinblum would craft an All-Star season in 1972 as the team's regular right fielder.  In 134 games, he batted .300 with eight home runs and 66 RBIs.  He'd play the next two seasons with four different clubs, and then depart to Japan for two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.  Scheinblum batted .263 in 462 big league games, with 13 home runs and 127 RBIs.

As a bonus baby signing in 1964, the Athletics were required to keep pitcher Don Buschhorn on their roster for the entire 1965 season.  He'd appear in 12 games, making three starts, and was 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in 31 innings pitched.  He made his big league debut on May 15th, just a few weeks following his 19th birthday.  He'd pitch four more seasons in the Athletics' system following that 1965 season, but he'd never return to the majors.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #478
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for a little bit longer as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show.  I was fairly ambitious documenting these purchases and I was able to compose posts for five cards a week, meaning I'll be completely caught up by the end of May.  The ongoing MLB owner's lockout and the lack of any spring training games has given me a little more spare time than usual in February and March.  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 over $5 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 / Orioles Team Set / Indians Team Set / Athletics Team Set
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, and it's one of two such cards featuring players from multiple teams.  Its National League counterpart features future Hall of Famer Tony Perez (#581).

Knowles appeared on his first Rookie Stars card in the 1964 Topps set, along with Les Narum (#86).  He'd appear on his third Rookie Stars card in 1966 with Andy Etchebarren.  Scheinblum appeared on a second Rookie Stars card himself, three years later in 1968.  This is Buschhorn's first and last appearance in a Topps flagship set.

1965 Season - Knowles
Knowles made his major league debut with the Orioles on April 18th, pitched again on May 1st, and then was sent down to the minors.  He'd return to the Orioles as a September call-up, and appeared in five games overall with an 0-1 record and a 9.20 ERA in 14 2/3 innings pitched.  With the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, he was 11-5 with a 2.53 ERA in 32 games overall and 18 starts.

Phillies Career - Knowles
On December 6, 1965, Knowles and Jackie Brandt (#33) were traded to the Phillies for Jack Baldschun (#555).  (Baldschun was almost immediately flipped to the Reds as part of the package that netted the Orioles Frank Robinson - #120.)  Knowles would assume the closer's role for the club, appearing in a team best 69 games and recording 13 saves.  Knowles was 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 100 1/3 innings pitched.  With manager Gene Mauch (#489) apparently not confident Knowles could repeat the success he had found in 1966, the Phillies traded him on November 30, 1966 with cash to the Senators for outfielder Don Lock (#445).  Knowles would return to the Phillies organization 23 years later as the pitching coach for new manager Nick Leyva.  He was reassigned as a minor league instructor following the 1990 season and he spent ten seasons working with young pitchers throughout the Phillies organization.

1964 Topps #418

1970 Topps #106

1973 Topps #274

1976 Topps #617

1980 Topps #286

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Knowles
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #418
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1964-1968, 1970-1980
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Senators Final Season Autographs #WSFS-DK

83 - Knowles non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/8/22.

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

Wikipedia

1965 Season - Scheinblum
Scheinblum spent the season with the Single-A Salinas Indians, batting .318 with eight home runs and 71 RBIs and earning a September call-up.  Making his major league debut on September 1st, Scheinblum appeared in four games, all as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter, and was 0-1 in his lone at-bat.  His pinch-running status was a bit surprising as Scheinblum didn't record any stolen bases in his entire big league career.

1965 Season - Buschhorn
As mentioned above, Buschhorn spent the entire 1965 season with the Athletics, but appeared in only 12 games all season.  His longest outing was his first, when he went five innings in his big league debut in a start against the eventual American League pennant-winning Twins.

1968 Topps #16

1970 Topps #161

1972 Topps #468

1973 Topps #78

1974 Topps #323

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Scheinblum
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #577
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1968-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 BBM Carp Legends #59

35 - Scheinblum non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/8/22.

Sources - Scheinblum:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Buschhorn
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #577
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #577

2 - Buschhorn non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/8/22.

Sources - Buschhorn:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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