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Clayton Errol Dalrymple
Philadelphia Phillies
Catcher
Born: December 3, 1936, Chico, CA
Acquired: Obtained by the Milwaukee Braves from the Sacramento Solons (PCL) as part of a minor league working agreement
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1968; Baltimore Orioles 1969-1971
Clay Dalrymple was the regular catcher for the Phillies throughout much of the 1960s, earning the job due to his handling of the pitching staff and his above average defensive skills. Dalrymple led all catchers in assists and runners caught stealing in three different seasons (1961, 1963 and 1965). He peaked offensively with the Phillies in 1962, hitting career highs with a .276 average, 11 home runs and 54 RBIs. Dalrymple led the league with eight sacrifice flies in 1964, and had a front row seat for the team's collapse in September. He was behind the plate on September 21, 1964 when Chico Ruiz (#554) stole home to give the Reds a 1-0 victory and begin the Phillies' 10-game losing streak.
Dalrymple saw his playing time decrease during his last few years with the Phillies, sharing catching duties with Pat Corrales (#107), Bob Uecker (#519), Gene Oliver (#106) and finally Mike Ryan (#573). A target of the Phillies' fans ire, Dalrymple requested a trade and was accommodated when the team sent him to the Orioles before the 1969 season. Having come so close to the postseason in 1964, Dalrymple finally saw October action when the Orioles won the A.L. East pennant in 1969. He was 2 for 2 with a pair of pinch-hit singles in the Series as the Orioles fell to the Mets in five games. A broken ankle hobbled Dalrymple his final two years in the majors, and he retired following the 1971 season.
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| April 30, 2022 - Inside a mostly empty Music Pier |
Building the Set
May 3, 2022 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Cards) - Card #588
Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards. When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th, I admittedly got giddy. We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set. We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.
The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did. There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight. It was a little depressing. Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet.
All of this is meant as a prelude to how this Dalrymple card ended up in my collection. My budgeted show money burning a hole in my pocket, I navigated over to Gar Miller Cards' online store when we got home and held my own virtual baseball card show. I added four cards to our Diamond Cards set, crossed off three more cards for our 1965 Topps set and threw in a few cool cards to add to the 1969 Topps pile I've started.
The Card / Phillies Team Set
With many of Dalrymple's baseball cards, including this one, there's no mistaking the player featured is a catcher. The back of the card mentions his boxing prowess, and Dalrymple was 11-1 at Chico State, becoming heavyweight champion of the Far Western Conference. This card completes our Phillies team set, marking it the second time I've put together a complete Phillies team set of 30 cards, with the first instance in my 1960s Phillies baseball card binder.
1965 Season
Dalrymple was back as the Phillies' regular catcher in 1965 following the September 1964 collapse. He made 85 starts behind the plate, sharing playing time with Corrales and Gus Triandos (#248). In 103 games overall, he batted .213 with just 14 extra base hits, including four home runs.
Phillies Career
Dalrymple played in the Braves' organization for the 1959 season, and was left unprotected in that offseason's rule 5 draft. Selected by the Phillies in the draft on November 30, 1959, Dalrymple began the 1960 season as back-up to regular catcher Jimmie Coker (#192). He'd take over the position full-time in 1961, making the first of five opening day starts behind the plate, with his streak broken in 1966 by Uecker. As mentioned above, he assumed a part-time role with the club beginning in 1966, and was dealt to the Orioles on January 20, 1969 for outfielder Ron Stone. In 1,006 games with the Phillies over nine seasons, Dalrymple batted .234, collecting 674 hits.
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First Mainstream Card: 1960 Leaf #143
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1960-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CD
71 - Dalrymple non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/18/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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