#315 Frank Malzone - Boston Red Sox

Frank James Malzone
Boston Red Sox
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 28, 1930, Bronx, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1955-1965; California Angels 1966
Died:  December 29, 2015, Needham, MA (age 85)

Frank Malzone manned the hot corner for the Red Sox for over a decade, and in total spent nearly six decades in various roles with the club.  Malzone first got the chance to play regularly in 1957, and he'd reward manager Pinky Higgins with the first of eight All-Star Game selections and by finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to the Yankees' Tony Kubek (#65).  Malzone also won the first of his three Gold Gloves that season and drove in a career-high 103 runs.  On the way to that first Gold Glove, he became the first player to lead the American League in every defensive category (games, putouts, assists, double plays turned, fielding percentage) as well as errors.  Dependable at the plate, Malzone hit .276 with the Red Sox over 11 seasons.  He left the club briefly following the 1965 season, finishing up his playing career with the Angels.

For his career, Malzone batted .274 with 1,486 hits, 133 home runs and 728 RBIs.  He re-joined the Red Sox as a scout in 1966 and he'd serve as a scout and instructor until the early 1990s when he joined the team's front office.  He was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #501

This is the 17th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Malzone card was $3 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Malzone appears to be posing during spring training as there's a few Red Sox teammates mulling about in the background.  His home run in the 1959 All-Star Game receives the cartoon highlight treatment.  This would have been one of the years there were two All-Star Games, and Malzone started at third base in the second game.  He played the entire game, going 1 for 4 with a solo home run coming off Don Drysdale (#260) in the second inning.

1965 Season
Malzone appeared in 106 games for a Red Sox team that would lose 100 times.  He made 85 starts at third base, and as the season progressed he steadily lost playing time to the younger Dalton Jones (#178).  Malzone batted .239 with just three home runs and 34 RBIs in his final season in Boston, and the club released him following the season.

1955 Bowman #302

1958 Topps #260

1959 Topps #558

1962 Topps #225

1966 Topps #152

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FM

95 - Malzone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/30/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #314 Sterling Slaughter - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #316 Cincinnati Reds Team Card

#309 Steve Hamilton - New York Yankees

Steven Absher Hamilton
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 30, 1934, Columbia, KY
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent, April 3, 1958
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1961; Washington Senators 1962-1963; New York Yankees 1963-1970; Chicago White Sox 1970; San Francisco Giants 1971; Chicago Cubs 1972
Died:  December 2, 1997, Morehead, KY (age 63)

Steve Hamilton established several basketball records while attending Morehead State, and was later a power forward/center for the Minneapolis Lakers.  After playing for the Lakers in the 1959 NBA Finals, during which his team was swept by the Celtics, Hamilton left the basketball court and set his sights on the baseball diamond.  He'd establish himself as a reliable lefty reliever during his 12-year big league career, playing primarily for the Yankees.  He appeared in the 1963 and 1964 World Series for the Yankees, although his team lost to the Dodgers and then the Cardinals.  Hamilton earned a save in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series, recording the final two outs of the game after Jim Bouton (#30) had pitched 8 1/3 innings.  He's one of only two people, along with Gene Conley, to have played in a World Series and in the NBA Finals.

Hamilton's best season came in 1965 when he was 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA in 46 appearances, pitching 58 1/3 innings as one of the Yankees' best relievers.  He briefly served as the Yankees' closer in 1968, recording 11 saves.  Late in his career, Hamilton developed an eephus-style pitch dubbed the "folly-floater."  He retired after the 1972 season with a career record of 40-31 in 421 games, a 3.05 ERA in 663 innings pitched and 42 saves.  Hamilton was the Tigers' pitching coach in 1975.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #500
Milestone card #500!

This is the 16th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Hamilton card was $4 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
That's most likely Tony Kubek (#65), wearing #10, standing behind Hamilton in this photo.  His 1964 Topps card uses a photo from the same session and there's a clearer view of Kubek found there.  The famous Yankee Stadium facade makes a cameo appearance in the upper right-hand corner.  The cartoon on the back highlights Hamilton's three World Series appearances for the Yankees - one in 1963, and two in 1964.  Topps couldn't pass up the chance to refer to him as one of the game's "tall men" and "lanky."  His offseason coaching work at Morehead is also noted.

1965 Season
As mentioned above, this was Hamilton's career year.  He was the most frequently used lefty out of the Yankees bullpen and he was part of a quartet of strong relievers that year for Yankees along with closer Pedro Ramos (#13), Hal Reniff (#413) and Pete Mikkelsen (#177).

1963 Topps #171

1964 Topps #206

1968 Topps #496

1970 Topps #349

1972 Topps #766

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #171
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1963-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #766

45 - Hamilton non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #308 Mets Rookie Stars

Next Card:  #310 Johnny Callison - Philadelphia Phillies

#308 Mets Rookie Stars - Cleon Jones / Tom Parsons

Cleon Joseph Jones
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  August 4, 1942, Plateau, AL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1963, 1965-1975; Chicago White Sox 1976

Thomas Anthony Parsons
New York Mets
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'7"  Weight:  210
Born:  September 13, 1939, Lakeville, CT
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1963; New York Mets 1964-1965

Cleon Jones spent parts of 13 seasons in the majors, but his All-Star season of 1969 was by far his most memorable.  Jones first received regular playing time in 1966 as the team's everyday center fielder, and he finished fourth in the league's Rookie of the Year voting after batting .275 with 57 RBIs.  After a move to left field to accommodate the newly acquired Tommie Agee (#166), Jones had a career year in 1969.  He was named to the All-Star team and batted a career-high .340 (third in the league) with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs.  An offensive catalyst for the Amazing Mets, Jones caught the final out of the 1969 World Series, in which the Mets defeated the highly-favored Orioles in five games.  The Mets returned to the World Series in 1973, with Jones batting .286 with a pair of doubles and a home run against the victorious Athletics.

He played with the Mets through mid-1975, and attempted a comeback with the White Sox in 1976.  Jones  collected 1,196 hits overall in 1,213 games, batting .281 with 93 home runs and 524 RBIs.  He's currently fourth on the Mets' all-time franchise leaderboard with 1,188 hits, and he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 1991.

1962 Topps #326

Tom Parsons pitched professionally for 13 seasons in the Pirates, Colt .45s/Astros, Mets and Red Sox systems.  He was with the Pirates organization for 7 1/2 years, but pitched in only one game for the club, a start on September 5, 1963, in which he went 4 1/3 innings and was the losing pitcher.  Parsons was a September call-up for the Mets in 1964, and spent the entire 1965 season with the club, appearing in 35 games.  He'd pitch four more seasons in the minor leagues, retiring following the 1969 campaign.  In 40 big league games, Parsons was 2-13 with a 4.72 ERA in 114 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #499
This is the 15th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Rookie Stars card was $4 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Mets Team Set
This is Jones' rookie card and he'd appear on a Rookie Stars card again in the 1966 Topps set, this time with pitcher Dick Selma.  Parsons' rookie card appeared back in the 1962 Topps set (a solo card), and he's wearing a Pirates jersey on this Rookie Stars card.

1965 Season - Jones
After spending all of 1964 in the minors, Jones made the Mets' opening day roster in 1965, but was demoted in early May after beginning the season with a .156 average.  He received a September call-up and played mostly as a pinch-hitter or late-inning defensive replacement.  In 30 total games with the Mets, Jones batted .149 (11 for 74) with a home run and nine RBIs.  His first big league home run came on September 22nd off the Pirates' Bob Friend (#392).

With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Jones appeared in 123 games, batting .269 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.  He almost won the team's home run title, but first baseman William Haas finished the year with 18.

1965 Season - Parsons
Parsons also made the Mets' opening day roster and was with the team the entire season, witnessing all 112 losses.  He appeared in 35 games, making 11 starts, and was 1-10 with a 4.67 ERA in 90 2/3 innings pitched.  Parsons threw a complete game shutout against the Cubs on July 5th, allowing six hits and striking out three.

1967 Topps #165

1969 Topps #512

1972 Topps #31

1973 Topps #540

1975 Topps #43

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Jones
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #308
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1965-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Miracle of '69 #MO69-CJ

119 - Jones non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

Sources - Jones:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Parsons
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #326
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1962, 1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2011 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TP

4 - Parsons non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

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

Previous Card:  #307 Barry Latman - Los Angeles Angels

Next Card:  #309 Steve Hamilton - New York Yankees

#285 Ron Hunt - New York Mets

Ronald Kenneth Hunt
New York Mets
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  186
Born:  February 23, 1941, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1963-1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1967; San Francisco Giants 1968-1970; Montreal Expos 1971-1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1974

Known for getting hit by pitches more than any other player from his era, Ron Hunt played in 12 big league seasons, primarily with the Mets and Expos.  Hunt made his debut in April 1963, and settled in as the everyday second baseman for the relatively new Mets franchise.  Batting .272 that season with ten home runs and 42 RBIs, Hunt finished as National League Rookie of the Year runner-up to Pete Rose (#207).  He was the first position player to start an All-Star Game for the Mets, batting eighth and playing at second in the 1964 game held in his home ballpark, Shea Stadium.  Hunt was named to his second All-Star team in 1966.  In 1968, now with the Giants, Hunt began a seven-year streak that saw him lead the league in being hit by a pitch.  He'd set a single-season record in 1971 with 50 times being plunked.

Hunt retired following the 1974 season after playing in 12 games for his hometown Cardinals.  In 1,483 games, Hunt batted .273 with 1,429 hits, 39 home runs and 370 RBIs.  His modern era record 243 times being hit by a pitch was broken in 1987 by Don Baylor (267) and it's been subsequently surpassed by Craig Biggio (285) and Jason Kendall (254).

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #498
This is the 14th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Hunt card was $2 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Mets Team Set
That appears to be back-up catcher Chris Cannizzaro (#61) and his uniform #8 making a cameo appearance behind Hunt at the batting cage.  Hunt's six stolen bases are highlighted in cartoon form on the back of the card, and Hunt tied for the team lead in that category with Joe Christopher (#495) and Dick Smith (#579).  (Maury Wills led the league with 53 stolen bases.)  The narrative on the back calls Hunt a fan favorite, and notes he won the Mets' team batting title in 1963 (.272) and 1964 (.303).

1965 Season
I'm assuming Hunt's playing time was limited by injury in 1965, as he appeared in only 57 Mets games, missing significant time between mid-May and early August.  In his absence, Chuck Hiller (#531) and Bobby Klaus (#227) split time at second base.  Hunt batted .240 in his limited playing time, with 47 hits, a home run and ten RBIs.

1963 Topps #558

1967 Topps #525

1969 Topps #664

1972 Topps #275

1975 Topps #610

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #558
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1963-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 SP Legendary Cuts #52

94 - Hunt non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #284 Nick Willhite - Washington Senators

Next Card:  #286 Athletics Rookie Stars

#583 Wes Covington - Philadelphia Phillies

John Wesley Covington
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  205
Born:  March 27, 1932, Laurinburg, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1952 season
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1956-1961; Chicago White Sox 1961; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Philadelphia Phillies 1961-1965; Chicago Cubs 1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1966
Died:  July 4, 2011, Edmonton, Canada (age 79)

Finally given a chance with regular playing time with the Braves, Wes Covington's second half of the 1957 season helped propel the team to the World Series.  In just 96 games, Covington batted .284 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs, sharing a Braves outfield with Bill Bruton and Henry Aaron (#170).  He batted only .208 during the World Series against the Yankees, but made dazzling catches in left in Game 2 and Game 5 to preserve victories, as the Braves ultimately won in seven games.  His best season came in 1958 when he batted .330 with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs - all career highs, and all accomplished in only 90 games.  Covington batted .269 in the 1958 World Series, although the Braves fell to the Yankees in the rematch.

1950-1969 Phillies Photo Cards

Covington bounced around following the 1960 season, playing for four different teams in 1961.  He'd settle in as the regular left fielder for the Phillies, driving in at least 40 runs in four seasons in a row, as the first African American player to serve as an everyday player for the club.  His best season in Philadelphia came in 1963 when he batted .303 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Hampered by bad knees, Covington retired following the 1966 season.  His final at-bat came during Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, where as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning he struck out against Orioles pitcher Moe Drabowsky (#439).

For his career, Covington was a .279 batter with 832 hits, 131 home runs and 499 RBIs.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime - Fair Lawn, NJ) - Card #497
This is the 13th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  This Covington card was a little over $4 and was one of 13 cards purchased from the dealer America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  I specifically jumped ahead in the dealer's binder, looking for Phillies cards, as I noticed his late series cards were priced a little higher than I'd be willing to pay.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up by mid-October.  So get used to seeing this passage on the blog!  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Perhaps due to it being the final Phillies card in the set, this Covington card proved elusive to me over the past few years.  I've unsuccessfully tried to win the card through various eBay auctions since we started collecting this set, and it's not an easy card to find in the wild given the popularity of Phillies baseball cards in our area.  I was happy to find this card in the back of the Amercia's Pasttime dealer's binder at The Philly Show.  The back of the card highlights Covington's heroics during the 1958 World Series.

1965 Season
Covington was the opening day left fielder for the Phillies, and he'd make only 60 starts at that position throughout the season, losing playing time to Alex Johnson (#352) and Tony Gonzalez (#72).  His SABR biography notes he spent the 1964 offseason grumbling about the team's epic collapse the prior season, and then showed up for spring training two weeks late.  In 101 total games, he batted .247 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs, and following the season he requested his release.  The Phillies ended up trading Covington to the Cubs on January 10, 1966 for outfielder Doug Clemens.

Phillies Career
On July 2, 1961, the Phillies acquired Covington from the Athletics for outfielder Bobby Del Greco, and it was Covington's fourth franchise in three months.  The first sentence of Covington's entry in The Phillies Encyclopedia sums up the player much better than I could:  "Wes Covington lasted 11 years in the major leagues because of a bat that made a lot of noise and in spite of a mouth that did likewise."  He frequently supplied quotes to the media criticizing his teammates or manager Gene Mauch (#489).  Slow on the base paths and questionable defensively, Covington made his mark with his offense.  In parts of five seasons with the Phillies, he batted .284 with 61 home runs and 237 RBIs and was the team's most regularly used left fielder in 1963 and 1964.

1957 Topps #283

1959 Topps #290

1962 Topps #157

1964 Topps #208

1966 Topps #484

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #283
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1957-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #37

52 - Covington non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #582 Bob Schmidt - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #584 Harry Bright - Chicago Cubs

#521 Phillies Rookie Stars - Dave Bennett / Morrie Steevens

David Hans Bennett
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  195
Born:  November 7, 1945, Berkeley, CA
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, May 31, 1963
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1964

Morris Dale Steevens
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  October 7, 1940, Salem, IL
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs, June 2, 1958
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1962; Philadelphia Phillies 1964-1965

The younger brother of Dennis Bennett (#147), who himself enjoyed seven years in the majors, Dave Bennett pitched in one inning for the Phillies on June 12, 1964, as an 18-year-old, facing five batters.  Bennett spent seven seasons in the Phillies' minor league system, never again getting called back up after his one-inning appearance in 1964.  He was dealt to the Pirates with Michael Everett for catcher Del Bates on January 28, 1970, and he'd play five more seasons in the Pirates' system before retiring.  In 12 minor league seasons, Bennett appeared in 270 games and was 92-68 with a 3.41 ERA in 1,400 innings pitched.  His son, Erik Bennett, pitched in 25 games for the Angels (1995) and Twins (1996).

1964 Topps #561

Morrie Steevens had a decent first stint in the majors with the Cubs in 1962, appearing in 12 games and pitching to a 2.40 ERA over 15 innings of work.  He'd appear in just ten more big league games, all with the Phillies, in 1964 and 1965.  As a September call-up for the then first place Phillies in 1964, Steevens witnessed the team's historic collapse first-hand.  In his Phillies debut on September 19th, Steevens entered the 16th inning of a 3-3 tie game with the Dodgers.  Before he could throw a pitch, Tommy Davis (#370) stole home to give the Dodgers the win.  After a brief stint back with the Phillies in 1965, Steevens spent all of 1966 and 1967 in the minor leagues before retiring.  In 22 major league games, he was 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 1/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime - Fair Lawn, NJ) - Card #496
This is the 12th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  This Rookie Stars card was a little over $4 and was one of 13 cards purchased from the dealer America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  I specifically jumped ahead in the dealer's binder, looking for Phillies cards, as I noticed his late series cards were priced a little higher than I'd be willing to pay.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up by mid-October.  So get used to seeing this passage on the blog!  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Bennett had previously appeared in the 1964 Topps set, sharing a Rookie Stars card with fellow Phillies pitching prospect Rick Wise (#322).  This is Steevens' only mainstream baseball card release, although he can also be found in the 1978 TCMA The 1960s set.  Steevens is most likely wearing a Cubs jersey here, explaining his hatless-ness and the close crop.

1965 Season - Bennett
Bennett appeared in 25 minor league games - five with the Triple-A Arkansas Travelers and 20 with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.  Between the two levels, he was a combined 6-9 with a 4.44 ERA, pitching five complete games and one shutout.

Phillies Career - Bennett
Bennett's Phillies career began and ended on June 12, 1964, pitching the ninth inning in a mop-up role in game in which his older brother Dennis was the losing pitcher.  The game was ultimately won by the Mets, 11-3.  Bennett allowed a lead-off triple to Joe Christopher (#495), and Christopher would score on a wild pitch.  His lone big league strikeout victim was Charley Smith (#22).

1965 Season - Steevens
Steevens won a relief job on the Phillies opening day roster, but didn't get many chances to pitch in April.  After five appearances, and sporting a 13.50 ERA, Steevens was demoted to Triple-A Arkansas, where he'd spend the rest of the season until a September call-up.  With the Travelers, Steevens was 7-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 32 games, including 13 starts.  He threw four complete games and one shutout.  His last appearance in the majors came on September 18th.  He faced one batter in the ninth inning, walking the Pirates' Donn Clendenon (#325), with Clendenon ultimately scoring the winning run and saddling Steevens with the loss.

Phillies Career - Steevens
The Phillies acquired Steevens from the Cubs prior to the 1964 season for pitcher Robert Baillargeon.  Over two seasons, Steevens appeared in ten games for the Phillies, all in relief, going 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Bennett
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1964-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #521

3 - Bennett non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Steevens
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #521
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #175

3 - Steevens non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/22.

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

Previous Card:  #520 Tony Cloninger - Milwaukee Braves

Next Card:  #522 Hank Aguirre - Detroit Tigers