#505 Ray Culp - Philadelphia Phillies

Raymond Leonard Culp
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  200
Born:  August 6, 1941, Elgin, TX
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, June 6, 1959
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1963-1966; Chicago Cubs 1967; Boston Red Sox 1968-1973

Ray Culp enjoyed a solid first few seasons of his career with the Phillies before settling in as one of the top Red Sox starters in the late 1960s/early 1970s.  Culp was named to the National League All-Star team in his rookie season of 1963 and at the end of that season his 14-11 record and 2.97 ERA earned him Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors from The Sporting News.  After a few seasons with the Phillies and pitching in the shadow of Jim Bunning (#20), Chris Short and Larry Jackson (#420), Culp requested a trade and was dealt to the Cubs before the 1967 season.  After a season with the Cubs, Culp joined the Red Sox and he'd win at least 14 games for four seasons in a row between 1968 and 1971.  His 17 wins in 1969 led the club and resulted in his second All-Star Game appearance.  He matched his 17 win tally in 1970, again leading the Red Sox.

Culp battled elbow injuries over the next few years and was released by Boston following the 1973 season.  In 322 career games, his record was 122-101 with a 3.58 ERA and 1,411 strikeouts.  Culp finished in the top ten in the league for strikeouts four times and his 22 career shutouts is currently 216th on the all-time list.

Building the Set
April 3, 2021 from Roaring Spring, PA - Card #247
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Culp card came from eBay seller Mom and Pop Card Shop from Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania for a winning bid of $4.99.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Culp's rookie card can be found in 1960 Leaf set, issued three years before his big league debut.  He had signed with the Phillies in 1959 for a $100,000 bonus and Leaf decided to feature the high school pitching star in its set.  This 1965 Topps card is Culp's third in a Topps flagship set, and the back references his big bonus.  In the cartoon, the Quaker who is handing over the money bags to Culp appears to be distraught about the pitcher's 8-7 record in 1964.

1965 Season
After battling elbow injuries in 1964, along with a charge from manager Gene Mauch (#489) that Culp "doesn't want the ball," the pitcher bounced back somewhat in 1965.  Making 30 starts, Culp went 14-10 with a 3.22 ERA over 204 1/3 innings pitched with 134 strikeouts.  He was a steady number three starter on a staff that boasted Short and Bunning at the top.

Phillies Career
Expectations for Culp were high given his $100,000 signing bonus, and while he had a pair of 14-win seasons and an All-Star Game appearance while with the club he never quite lived up the expectations set for him.  In four seasons in Philadelphia, Culp pitched in 131 games and went 43-32 with a 3.64 ERA and 506 strikeouts.  On December 7, 1966, the club traded him (with cash) to the Cubs for pitcher Dick Ellsworth (#165).

1960 Leaf #75

1963 Topps #29

1964 Topps #412

1970 Topps #144

1972 Topps #2

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Leaf #75
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #197

60 - Culp non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/13/21.

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #504 Jerry Grote - Houston Astros

Next Card:  #506 Sam Mele MG - Minnesota Twins

#154 Bob Humphreys - St. Louis Cardinals

Robert William Humphreys
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  August 18, 1935, Covington, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1962; St. Louis Cardinals 1963-1964; Chicago Cubs 1965; Washington Senators 1966-1970; Milwaukee Brewers 1970

A member of the 1964 World Champion Cardinals, Bob Humphreys pitched in parts of nine big league seasons as a middle reliever and spent the bulk of his career with the Senators between 1966 and 1970.  Humphreys was sold by the Tigers to the Cardinals on March 15, 1963 and he'd appear in 28 games for the eventual World Champions in 1964.  He pitched a scoreless inning in Game 6 of the World Series,  striking out opposing pitcher Jim Bouton (#30).  His best seasons came while a member of the Senators.  In 1966, Humphreys went 7-3 with a 2.82 ERA and three saves over 58 apperances.  In 1970, his final season in the majors, he was a member of the original Milwaukee Brewers, appearing in 23 games.  For his big league career, Humphreys appeared in 319 games and had a record of 27-21 with a 3.36 ERA and 20 saves.

He stayed in baseball after retiring as a player, serving as the head baseball coach at Virginia Tech University between 1974 and 1978.  He joined the Blue Jays' organization in 1979 and managed their Triple-A team in Syracuse in 1981.  Between 1984 and 2004, Humphreys worked as a minor league pitching coach within the Orioles, Brewers and Cardinals organizations.

April 1, 2021 - Phillies Opening Day

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #246
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Humphreys card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a winning bid of $2.50.  It was the ninth and final card from the group I won from that seller.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
This is Humpheys' rookie card and he would have been a member of the Cubs by the time this card was released.  On the back, reference is made to his "unusual and successful side-saddle windup," and I found this write-up explaining Humphreys would pump "two or three times with both hands to one side of his body" prior to his wind-up.

1965 Season
On April 7th, Humphreys was traded to the Cubs for pitcher Hal Gilson and infielder Bobby Pfeil.  He spent the entire season in the Cubs' bullpen, appearing in 41 games for a team that lost 90 and finished in eighth place.  Humphreys went 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA over 65 2/3 innings pitched.  With Ted Abernathy (#332) and Lindy McDaniel (#244) doing the heavy lifting for the Cubs relievers, Humphreys was used exclusively in middle relief and didn't record any saves.  That coupled with his desire to play less day games led to an offseason trade request.  The Cubs obliged by sending Humphreys to the Senators on April 2, 1966, for outfielder Ken Hunt.

1966 Topps #342

1967 Topps #478

1969 Topps #84

1970 Topps #538

1971 Topps #236

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #154
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1965-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #236

30 - Humphreys non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/13/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #153 Norm Cash - Detroit Tigers

Next Card:  #155 Roger Maris - New York Yankees

#564 Mel Nelson - Minnesota Twins

Melvin Frederick Nelson
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  May 30, 1936, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1960; Los Angeles Angels 1963; Minnesota Twins 1965, 1967; St. Louis Cardinals 1968-1969

Mel Nelson was a left-handed relief pitcher who appeared in parts of six seasons with the Cardinals, Angels and Twins.  He set a career high in appearances with 36 for the 1963 Angels, and two years later contributed to the 1965 pennant-winning Twins.  His best season however came with the eventual National League Champion Cardinals in 1968.  In 18 games, including four starts, Nelson went 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA over 52 2/3 innings pitched.  He pitched a scoreless inning in the 1968 World Series in a mop-up role in Game 6, won by the Tigers, 13-1.  In 93 career games, Nelson was 4-10 with a 4.40 ERA and five saves.

After his playing days, Nelson was a long-time scout between 1973 and 2005 with the Indians, Dodgers, White Sox, Athletics, Cardinals, Rockies, Yankees and Astros.

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #245
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Nelson card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a winning bid of $3.25.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Twins Team Set
I really didn't plan it this way, but Nelson shared a floating head Rookie Stars card in the 1963 Topps set with Jim Roland (#171), and I just wrote about Roland's 1965 Topps card in my previous post.  What are the chances I'd purchase both the Nelson and Roland cards together?  For his 1965 Topps card, Nelson is shown in an Angels jersey as the Twins had purchased him from Los Angeles on May 25, 1964.  On the back, his .296 average while an outfielder for the Class C Fresno Cardinals in 1955 is highlighted.

1965 Season
Nelson was with the Twins for the entire season, appearing in 28 games and going 0-4 with a 4.12 ERA over 54 2/3 innings pitched.  He made three starts for the club.  As a member of the Twins' first pennant-winning team, he got to witness the greatness of future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (#400) up close.  Nelson later told his SABR biographer that Killebrew "represented nothing but the best," and it "was fun to have Harmon as a teammate."  Nelson also recalls his joy at reuniting with some of his teammates in 2005 during the 40th anniversary celebration of the team.

1963 Topps #522

1964 Topps #273

1966 Topps #367

1969 Topps #181

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #522
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1963-1966, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #346

17 - Nelson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/12/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #563 Julio Navarro - Detroit Tigers

Next Card:  #565 Ernie Broglio - Chicago Cubs

#171 Jim Roland - Minnesota Twins

James Ivan Roland
Minnesota Twins
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  175
Born:  December 14, 1942, Franklin, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1962-1964, 1966-1968; Oakland Athletics 1969-1972; New York Yankees 1972; Texas Rangers 1972
Died:  March 6, 2010, Shelby, NC (age 67)

For parts of ten seasons, Jim Roland served as a lefty long-man out of the bullpen, enjoying his best years with the Athletics in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Originally a starting pitcher, Roland pitched perhaps the best game of his career on May 19, 1964, earning the win in a 12-inning effort against the Yankees.  His best season came in 1969 in Oakland, when he set career highs in wins (five), ERA (2.19), appearances (39), innings pitched (86 1/3) and strikeouts (48).  Nagging injuries hampered him towards the end of his career and after spending the 1972 season with the Athletics, Yankees and Rangers, he retired at the age of 29.  Roland went 19-17 over 216 games during his career, pitching to a 3.22 ERA with nine saves and 272 strikeouts.

April 3, 2021 - Back at Citizens Bank Park

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #244
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Roland card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a winning bid of $3.33.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Twins Team Set
This is Roland's third appearance in a Topps flagship set, and his second solo appearance since appearing on a floating heads Rookie Stars card in 1963.  After this, he'd be absent from Topps' sets in 1966 and 1967.  On the back, his first start is referenced and that came on April 21, 1963.  Roland pitched a three-hitter against the White Sox, striking out seven but walking nine.  His large signing bonus is also reference on the back, and the amount was reported to be $50,000.

1965 Season
Roland spent the entire 1965 season pitching for the Denver Bears in the Pacific Coast League after ankle, elbow and thigh injuries contributed to a rough spring training.  He further damaged his chances of returning to the Twins when he injured his knee while jumping in protest of an umpire's call.  And Roland had a habit of walking off the mound before Bears' manager Cal Ermer had officially relieved him.  When not injured, Roland appeared in 29 games, making 25 starts and earning an 8-6 record and a 3.81 ERA over 187 innings pitched.  Only Jim Merritt, with 190 innings pitched, pitched more innings for the Bears.

1963 Topps #522

1964 Topps #341

1968 Topps #276

1970 Topps #719

1972 Topps #464

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #522
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1963-1965, 1968-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #464

31 - Roland non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #170 Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Braves

Next Card:  #172 Jim Piersall - Los Angeles Angels

#194 Angels Rookie Stars - Bill Kelso / Rick Reichardt

William Eugene Kelso
Los Angeles Angels
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215
Born:  February 19, 1940, Kansas City, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1964; California Angels 1966-1967; Cincinnati Reds 1968
Died:  May 11, 2009, Kansas City, MO (age 69)

Frederic Carl Reichardt
Los Angeles Angels
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  210
Born:  March 16, 1943, Madison, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent, June 24, 1964
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1964-1965; California Angels 1966-1970; Washington Senators 1970; Chicago White Sox 1971-1973; Kansas City Royals 1973-1974

Bill Kelso pitched in parts of four seasons with the Angels and Reds, appearing in 119 games and accumulating a record of 12-5 with a 3.13 ERA.  His best season came in 1967 when he pitched in 69 games for the Angels (all but one in relief) and was second on the team in appearances behind Minnie Rojas.  Kelso went 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA that season.  Following the 1968 season, in which he appeared in 35 games for the Reds, Kelso played four more years in the minors in the Royals, Twins, Athletics, Cubs and Expos organizations.  He later served as a long-time scout for the Angels, Phillies and Astros, and is credited with finding Bob Dernier, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, among others.  He also served as a coach in the Astros minor league system in the early 1990s.

Rick Reichardt was the regular left fielder for the Angels between 1967 and 1969, and for the White Sox in 1971.  He enjoyed a career year in 1968, batting .255 while attaining career highs in both home runs (21) and RBIs (73).  Reichardt, who was a college baseball and football star at the University of Wisconsin, sparked a bidding war for his services and his $200,000 signing bonus from the Angels was a record at the time.  The bidding war for Reichardt led to Major League Baseball instituting an amateur player draft, with Rick Monday becoming the first ever player selected (by the Athletics).  Reichardt's career was hampered after the removal of a kidney in 1966, and while he peaked a few years later his decline was swift.  He retired in 1974 at the age of 31 after one at-bat (an infield single) with the Royals.  In 997 career games, Reichardt hit .261 with 116 home runs and 445 RBIs.

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #243
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Angels Rookie Stars card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a somewhat pricey winning bid of $3.99.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Angels Team Set
This is both Kelso's and Reichardt's rookie card.  The back of the card notes Kelso's time as a catcher in the minor leagues between 1959 and 1962.  Reichardt's record bonus is also referenced, and I'm assuming this was a highly coveted rookie card for savvy baseball fans in 1965.

Topps momentarily forgot the Angels' color scheme for its 1965 Topps cards, using a green background here instead of the usual light blue found with all other Angels cards.

1965 Season - Kelso
Kelso never reached the majors in 1965, spending the entire season honing his pitching skills with the El Paso Sun Kings in the Texas League.  In 29 games and 11 starts, Kelso went 4-9 with a 6.50 ERA over 108 innings pitched.  He wouldn't get back to the majors until the Angels added him as a September call-up in 1966.

Phillies Connection - Kelso
Kelso was responsible for the Phillies drafting my all-time favorite player, Dernier.  The 1983 Phillies Media Guide entry for Dernier notes that Kelso signed the speedy outfielder on August 5, 1977.  And while Kelso is listed as a scout in the team's 1977 media guide, he's not pictured within the pages of the team's 1977 yearbook.

1965 Season - Reichardt
Reichardt appeared in 20 games for the Angels, as a September call-up.  Taking over as the regular left fielder for Willie Smith (#85) and Jim Piersall (#172), Reichardt batted .267 with a home run and six RBIs.  

Before his September call-up, Reichardt was one of the top hitters for the Seattle Angels. In 131 games, he batted .280 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs as one of the club's regular outfielders along with Dick Simpson (#374) and Ed Kirkpatrick (#393).  He returned to the Angels in 1966 as the club's opening day left fielder.

1967 Topps #367

1968 Topps #511

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kelso
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #194
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1965, 1967-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Fleer ProCards #1371

12 - Kelso non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Reichardt
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #194
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1965-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #337

54 - Reichardt non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

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

1966 Topps #321

1967 Topps #40

1969 Topps #205

1970 Topps #720

1971 Topps #643

Previous Card:  #193 Gaylord Perry - San Francisco Giants

Next Card:  #195 Bob Veale - Pittsburgh Pirates

#212 Ron Brand - Houston Astros

Ronald George Brand
Houston Astros
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'7"  Weight:  167
Born:  January 13, 1940, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1963; Houston Astros 1965-1968; Montreal Expos 1969-1971

Ron Brand played in parts of eight seasons with the Pirates, Astros and Expos primarily as a back-up catcher to John Bateman (#433), as the two were teammates between 1965 and 1971.  Selected by Houston in the rule 5 draft prior to the 1965 season, Brand served as Bateman's back-up before taking over the position full-time in mid-May.  He resumed his back-up role for the next three seasons with the Astros before being selected 58th by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft.  Bateman had previously been selected with the Expos' third pick.  While Bateman was the first catcher in Expos history, Brand ended up starting more games than Bateman in 1969 with 79 to Bateman's 64.  The arrangement lasted a few more seasons, with Brand also spending time in the infield and outfield, before he was released by the Expos following the 1972 season.  Brand would later serve as a player/manager for the Class A Bakersfield Dodgers in 1975.

In 568 career games, Brand batted .239 with three home runs and 106 RBIs.  And while he appeared in 349 games behind the plate, he also made a significant amount of appearances at shortstop (41 games), third base (26 games) and in the outfield (21 games).

Building the Set
April 2, 2021 from Manchester, MO - Card #242
It's a strange time.  Spring has arrived, we finally attended a Phillies game in person and it seems as if with the arrival of the vaccine the pandemic could soon be behind us.  But I still find myself anxious, occasionally having trouble sleeping at night, and I know many of my friends and family feel the same way.  I went the entire month of March without adding to our 1965 Topps set, and as the month came to a close I decided to start off April with the purchase of a group of commons.  In search specifically for series two cards, I veered into the higher series when I found sellers on eBay auctioning off batches of cards from recent set breaks.  Over the course of a few days, I ended up winning 16 cards for $48 for an average of $3 per card.  

This Brand card came from eBay seller ace64cards from Manchester, Missouri for a winning bid of $3.50.  With the weather getting warmer, having enjoyed a beer at a few Phillies games and 16 new cards in our collection, the month is starting off on the right foot.

The Card / Astros Team Set
Brand is wearing a Pirates uniform here and he had spent the entire 1964 season with he Pirates' top farm team, the Columbus Jets.  This is his second Topps flagship appearance, as his rookie card appears in the 1964 Topps set.  His Little League and High School days are highlighted on the back of the card.

1965 Season
As Topps also mentioned on the back, Brand did in fact see "lots of duty with the Astros in '65."  He appeared in 117 games, batting .235 with two home runs and 37 RBIs on an Astros team that lost 97 games.  Brand started 94 games at catcher for Houston, with Bateman receiving 38 starts.  His 17 passed balls were second most in the National League behind only the Cardinals' Tim McCarver (#294) who had 18.

1964 Topps #326

1966 Topps #394

1969 Topps #549

1970 Topps #221

1972 Topps #773

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #326
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1964-1966, 1968-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #41

36 - Brand non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/10/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #211 Steve Ridzik - Washington Senators

Next Card:  #213 Jim Davenport - San Francisco Giants