ANNIVERSARY: 1987 April 18 Mike Schmidt 500th Home Run

April 18th marks the 30th Anniversary of the day Mike Schmidt joined the 500 Home Run Club.

 

Not only was the Home Run a milestone number, it was also a high impact HR. Entering the 9th inning versus Pittsburgh on the road the Phillies trailed 6-5. Schmidt was scheduled to hit 5th that inning. Fortunately for the Phillies Milt Thompson singled and Von Hayes walked which allowed Mike Schmidt to come to the plate with two outs in the 9th.

 

It was then that Schmidt hit is 500th career Home Run. The Home Run came off of Pirates Pitcher Don Robinson. Former Pirate Kent Tekulve came in for the save and the Phillies went home with a 6-5 victory.  

 

For video of the HR click here.  

 

 

2005 UD #CM-MS Mike Schmidt

 

In 2005 Upper Deck honored the event with a card in their Classic Moments Insert.

 

Nice looking card with the 70s era Phillies Logo I remember from my childhood. The photo does hit one of those minor things that drives me crazy. This game-dated card notes an event that happened in Pittsburgh, however Schmidt is clearly wearing the Phillies Home uniform.  

 

The Classic Moments set consisted of 20 cards three of which are dedicated to Phillies. The two other Philadelphia Reps are Lenny Dykstra and Steve Carlton. The base set for 2005 UD Classics is also noteworthy for having a Ryne Sandberg Phillies Card.  

   

 

2005 UD #CM-MS Mike Schmidt (b-side

 

The blurb on the reverse gives a mini summary of the Home Run with the date of the game nicely ghosted behind the text.

 

As the card states Schmidt was the 15th player to reach the milestone, Thirty years later the 500 club has nearly doubled now containing 27 members. Albert Pujols is the only active player in the club with Miguel Cabrera (448) and Adrian Beltre looming (445) 

  

Phun Phact

After hitting the Home Run Mike Schmidt returned to the field as a SHORTSTOP. Due to a series of late game moves by Manager John Felske both Luis Aquayo and Steve Jeltz were out of the game for the Phillies.  Schmidt filled the vacancy and Rick Schu came into play 3rd Base. Neither player fielde a chance in the 9th inning as Tekulve induced three fly outs.    

 

Sources and Links

Mike Schmidt Index

Game Dated Cards Index

MLB

Upper Deck

Baseball-Ref

Anniversary: 45 Years ago Harmon Killebrew Joins 500 HR Club.

August 10th marks the 45th Anniversary of Harmon Killebrew's 500th Homer. The milestone occurred in the first inning of a Twins 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles

2015 Topps #H-74 Harmon Killebrew 500 Home Runs.

 

The event was honored in Topps 2015 Highlight of the Year insert.

 

2015 Topps #H-74 Harmon Killebrew 500 Home Runs. (b-side)

A brief synopsis on the back of the card also notes that the hit was part of a pretty big day for Killebrew in which he had a pair of Home Runs, both lead changers, and 3 RBIs.


Sources and Links
Phungo Harmon Killebrew HoF Page
Baseball-ref

 

ANNIVERSARY: 75 Years Ago - Joe DiMaggio Hitting streak reaches 45 Games

This card showed up in 2015 Stadium Club. It's a great image and I just had to find out more information.

2015 Topps Stadium Club #279 Joe DiMaggio

On July 2nd 1941 during a Yankees 8-4 Victory over the Red Sox Joe DiMaggio's Hitting Streak reached 45 games which broke Wee Willie Keeler's 1897 record of 44 games.  The record breaking hit was a 5th inning Home Run off starting pitcher Dick Newsone. It should be noted that Keeler's record was set at the beginning of the season and he had also hit safely in the final game of 1896, so his cross season Hit Streak was a total of 45 games.

I had originally thought the photo on the above card was taken to note the consecutive hit streak record. However, I found the matching Getty Image and their information dates the photo a few years earlier (1937), when DiMaggio hit 46 Home Runs.

However there is a similar image which is Dated 1941, albeit July 1st.

I am inclined the date on the latter photo is closer to the truth. There are a couple of reasons for this 1) DiMaggio hit HR #45 on the road in DC in 1937, The Photo above shows him in The Yankee Home Pinstripes.
2) 45 Home Runs while a big number and a somewhat round number, it is not as significant as the Record Breaking 45 of the Hit Streak. Also DiMaggio reached game 45 in the hit streak at Yankee Stadium. 

2015 Topps Stadium Club #279 Joe DiMaggio (b-side)

The back of the 2015 TSC card features a color photo and career numbers for the Hall of Fame centerfielder.

Joe DiMaggio HoF Index
2012 Topps Golden Greats #GG-22 (1936 06 24: 2 HR Inning 80th Anniversary)
2012 Topps Archives #138 (1980T Retro/Paul Simon Birthday)

Sources and Links
Baseball-Ref
Getty Images
Baseball Almanac

ANNIVERSARY: Don Sutton 300 Wins - June 18 1986

30 Years ago on June 18th 1986 Don Sutton and the California Angels defeated the Texas Rangers 5-1.

It was also the 300th career Victory for the Future Hall of Famer.

1986 Donruss Highlights Don Sutton 300th Career Win

At the time Sutton was in the middle of a mediocre 1986 season. Other than a Shutout of the White Sox a few weeks earlier the win over the Rangers was probably his best pitching performance of the season. In the stellar outing Sutton went the distance allowing only 3 hits and pitching to two over the minimum.

The only blemish on the gem was a 2 out Home Run to rookie DH and future Phillies Outfielder Pete Incaviglia. One of the Rangers pitchers that day was another Rookie and Inky's 1993 Phillies Teammate Mitch Williams.

There was a Phillies tie on the Angels side as well. Don Sutton's Battery Mate for the game was Bob Boone and the Teams manger was Gene Mauch. Other Notable players that supported Sutton were Jayson Werth's Uncle Dick Schofield, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

1986 Donruss Highlights Don Sutton 300th Career Win (b-side)

The back of the card gives a nice career and game summary. It was only Sutton's 7th W with the Angels but he would stay there long enough to win 21 more and make California his second longest tenured team.

The doomed 1986 Angels won the AL West but sadly lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox in a series that included the Donnie Moore game. Sutton did not pitch in that game but he did make a relief appearance in the final game of the series which was his final playoff appearance.

Sutton reached the postseason five times with three different teams (Dodgers, Brewers) and pitched in four World Series but never won  a ring.

Sources and Links
Phungo Don Sutton HoF Index
Baseball-ref

ANNIVERSARY: George Brett Sets Record for Consecutive 3-Hit Games

Forty years ago George Brett set a bit of an odd record. He logged 3 or more hits in six consecutive games.

1977 Topps #231 Record Breaker George Brett 

I am a little amazed that in the pre-BigData era that anyone (probably Elias in this case) was able to research this record. The Streak began on May 8 1976 in Baltimore where Brett recorded 3 hits in the last two games of a three game set. The Royals then returned home to face the Twins, Brett collected 3 hits in each of the three games of that series and then he was able to repeat the feat for one game versus the White Sox.

During the six games Brett went 18 for 26 and added a pair of Walks for an average of .692 and an OBP of .714. His long hits were a Double and a Homer for a slugging number of .846.

The Royals went 5-1 during the streak.

Brett's Victims
May 8 vs Orioles - Ken Holtzmanman (2), Doyle Alexander (3rd Hit in 8th inning),
May 9 vs Orioles - F Jim Palmer (2), Ross Grimsley,
May 10 vs Twins - HoF Bert Blyleven (3, Double, 3rd Hit in 8th, but batted in 9th),
May 11 vs Twins - Jim Hughes (2), Tom Burgmeier
May 12 vs Twins - Joe Decker (2), Vic Albury
May 13 vs White Sox - Bart Johnson (2, HR), Francisco Barrios (3rd Hit in 8th Inning

During the streak Brett saw his average rise from .277 to .396. Pretty good for mid May.

 1977 Topps #231 Record Breaker George Brett (b-side)

According to Baseball-Ref the record still stood as of 2009. Although B-Ref also mentions a streak by Dodgers second baseman Ted Sizemore in 1970 that is overlooked by Topps. 

1976 All-Star Game
We ran a column on George Brett and the 1976 ASG previously, just wanted to take this opportunity to post a couple of screenshots and addendums to that post:

George Brett introduced himself as "Ken Brett's baby Brother"

During his first At Bat ABC put up his stats and it is easy to see why Brett made the All-Star game.

Brett tailed off a bit but still ended up leading the league in batting with a BA of only .333. He also led the league in Hits, Triples, Total Bases and Offensive WAR. For a more detailed discussion of the 1976 AL MVP voting check the post from last month. 

Sources and Links
1976 All-Star Game Index
1977 Topps Record Breakers Index
George Brett HoF Index
Baseball-Ref
YouTube - 1976 ASG
Baseball Almanac

ANNIVERSARY: April 17 1976 Mike Schmidt 4 Home Run Game

Missed a Phillies anniversary yesterday and wanted to correct that error today. Special thanks to @HighHeatStats for mentioning the event last night or else I would have completely bypassed the occasion.

2008 UD Baseball Heroes #138 Mike Schmidt 

On April 17th of 1976 Mike Schmidt became the first NL player to hit four consecutive Home Runs in a game. The feat was commemorated on the above card in the 2008 UD Baseball Heroes set.

2008 UD Baseball Heroes #138 Mike Schmidt (b-side)

The back has a capsule summary of the wild game which the Phillies eventually won 18-16.  Schmidt's final Home Run of the four broke a 15-15 tie in the 9th inning.

Upper Dreck
Just gotta mention one of those things that will always bug me, Schmidt's four homer game came at Wrigley field but the UD card captures him in a Home uni - slackers.

Sources and Links
Phungo Mike Schmidt HoF Index
High Heat Stats Twitter
Baseball-Ref 

40th ANNIVERSARY: April 1 1976 - Apple Incorporated

The first day of April marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Apple - well the incorporating of Apple anyway.

2015 Topps Baseball History #9A Apple Founded

Interesting that Topps chose to have Steve Wozniak for the Apple photo rather than Steve Jobs. It appears that Jobs was actually cropped out of a larger photo. It should also be noted that the photo was from an event on April 24 1984 when a new generation Apple IIc was released. A third Apple exec John Scully stands between Wozniak and Jobs in the original photo. A power struggle between Scutlly and Jobs would lead to Jobs leaving Apple later in 1984.

Regardless I am happy with Wozniak getting top billing here, partially because he is often seen as the sidekick and partially because he just seems like a cooler dude.

2015 Topps Baseball History #9A Apple Founded (b-side)

Wozniak may be on the front of the card, but Topps leads off with Jobs on the back. In addition to mentioning the 1976 incorporation of Apple Topps also notes the 1984 MacIntosh release, perhaps a nod to the photo on the front.

April 2 1976
In 1976 I am pretty sure nobody in Silicon Valley or the Bay Area noticed the founding of Apple. If they did they likely had their attention diverted a day later when Reggie Jackson was traded by the Oakland A's to the Baltimore Orioles. The trade is the subject of the Baseball History #9B card which is related to the Apple Card. It is one of the few cards to feature the Hall of Fame slugger as an Oriole.  

Sources and Links
Cardboard Connection
Check out My Cards
New York Daily News

NPR

25TH ANNIVERSARY: George Brett Wins Batting title in 3rd different decade

Twenty-Five George Brett picked up his 3rd batting title.

1991 Topps #2 Record Breaker George Brett - Batting Titles in 3 Decades

All three titles were in different decades which had not been done prior. Topps honored the achievement with teh #2 card in the 1991 set.

1991 Topps #2 Record Breaker George Brett - Batting Titles in 3 Decades (b-side)

On the final day of the season Brett singled during a 5-2 loss to the Indians in front of a massive Municipal stadium crowd of 5,196. The hit came off of journeyman reliever Mauro Gozzo. George Brett's .329 average bested fellow Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson by four points. Rickey never won a batting title, his .325 in 1990 was a career high as was his 2nd place finish. Henderson did however lead the league in OBP (.439) in 1990 and won the AL MVP Award. Advanced analysis now also reveal that Henderson led the league in WAR (9.9)

Score

1991 Score #769 HL George Brett Batting Champion

Another card that noted Brett's Batting title was 1991 Score #769.

1991 Score #769 HL George Brett Batting Champion (b-side)

Score tells us a bit more about the course of Brett's 1990 campaign. His final .329 season average only came about because of an impressive second half where he batted .388.

I like the shot on the back of the card. Brett carries three Bats on his shoulder likely symbolizing his three titles - each of the bats carries his uniform #5 on the knob.

Sources and Links
Phungo George Brett HoF Index
Baseball-ref

ANNIVERSARY 1990 08 26 Bo Jackson Hits last of 4 Consecutive Home Runs

It took over a month to do it but on August 26th Bo Jackson tied the Major League Record for Home Runs on consecutive At Bats.

1991 Score #420 Highlight Four Straight Homers

On July 17th Bo Jackson Hit Home Runs in each of his first Three At Bats off of Yankees starting pitcher Andy Hawkins. The third Homer came in the fifth inning and it appeared the crowd at Yankee Stadium woud have an opportunity to see an historic night.

But in the bottom of the 6th inning that chance evaporated.

Bo Jackson was not the only 2 sport Center Fielder in the game, The Yankees Leadoff hitter that night was Deion Sanders. In his fourth At Bat Sanders hit a ball to right center that Bo Jackson dove for and missed. The play led to an In-the-Park Home Run for Sanders and also resulted in an injured shoulder for Jackson.

Jaskson's three Homers and 7 RBIs were key in the Royals 10-7 victory over the Yankees. 

Flip

1991 Score #420 Highlight Four Straight Homers (b-side)

It would take Bo Jackson nearly six weeks to return, but when he did on August 26th, the Home Run streak was still in tact.

That day in the second inning of a Royals home game versus the Seattle Marines Bo Jackson Homered off of Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. The Streak ended an inning later as the Big Unit retired Jackson on a fly out. Jackson went 3-4 in the game as the Royals won 8-2.

Year of the No-Hitter 
All four of the Home Runs were hit off of pitchers we have covered during our Year of the No-Hitter series. The first three were off of Andy Hawkins while the final one was off of Randy Johnson.

For another 4 Consecutive Homer notable over multiple games check out our recent Birthday Profile of Detroit Tiger and Temple Alum Bobby Higginson.

Sources and Links
New York Times
Baseball-ref

ANNIVERSARY: Nolan Ryan 300 Wins

25 years ago Nolan Ryan won his 300th game, a 11-3 decision over the Milwaukee Brewers. Ryan went 7 2/3 innings in the victory giving up all 3 runs (1 earned) while recording 8 Ks. The 1 and 2 hitters for the Brewcrew that day were future Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount.

1991 Score #417 Nolan Ryan HL 300 Career Victories

Score honored the accomplishment with a card in their Highlights subset. The Front Shot shows Ryan acknowledging the fans.

1991 Score #417 Nolan Ryan HL 300 Career Victories (b-side)

The flip of the card contains an action shot and game summary. Note the 146 pitches thrown by Ryan in the victory. The 55,097 attendance was the 3rd largest Brewers crowd of the 1990 season, and the #1 draw for a weeknight game.

This is not a no-hitter card, but Ryan is obviously the most prominent member of the Year of Clan and we will be adding this card to the extras in our 1990YotNH index. 

Sources and Links
Nolan Ryan HoF Index
1990 Year of the No-Hitter Index
baseball-ref

ANNIVERSARY July 6 1980: Steve Carlton Sets Lefty Srikeout mark.

Steve Carlton is celebrating a bit of a milestone anniversary this week. 35 years ago he became the All-Time leader in strikeouts among Left-Handed Pitchers.

1981 Topps #202 Record Breaker Steve Carlton (career K's lefthander)

While facing his former team, the St Louis Cardinals, on July 6th 1980, Steve 'Lefty' Carlton set the Career Strikeout Record for southpaws.

In the bottom of the fourth inning he struck out Ken Reitz and Tony Scott in consecutive At Bats to tie and set the record that was previously held by Mickey Lolich

The feat made the Record Breaker subset for 1981 Topps. 

Flip

1981 Topps #202 Record Breaker Steve Carlton (b-side)

The b-side of the 1981 Record Breaker cards sort of slack a little by placing all the achievements on the season end date of October 5th, a date which Carlton didn't even pitch. Also notice the by-line for the article is from Philadelphia - Which is incorrect for either date as the Phillies were on the road for both the Record Breaking game in St Louis and the final game of the season in Montreal.

Perhaps the article cites Philadelphia because the Photo of Lefty shows him in a home uniform, and what is with the batting helmet? - notice it is an old school helmet - no earflaps.

Intermittently in the 1980s Carlton held/shared the K record for all pitchers with Nolan Ryan. Topps produced a card in 1984 marking that accomplishment.  

In 1976 Topps issued a similar card for Mickey Lolich who broke the Strikeout record which was previously held by Warren Spahn. Since 1981 both Lolich and Carlton have been passed by Randy Johnson who took over the southpaw K Record in 2004. Carlton still ranks 4th overall in Punchouts and 2nd among Leftys.

Sources and Links
Phungo HoF Index - Steve Carlton
Baseball-ref

Performance for the Planet: Earth Day 1990

I have been to numerous festivals throughout my years of concert going. Many of these shows have been to raise awareness for various causes (with varying degrees of merit). 25 years ago on April 21 1990 I went to one to celebrate Earth Day. 

1991 ProSet Super Stars Bruce Hornsby

1990 Marked the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day. Which seemed like a pretty noteworthy accomplishment at the time. Today in 2015 we mark the 45th earth day,

This means we are now five years further removed from the 20th anniversary than that milestone was from the events inception. 

The 20th Anniversary Concert held at Columbia MDs Merriweather Post Pavillion featured at least a dozen acts including Bruce Hornsby who appears on the above trading card.

Year of the No-Hitter
A few weeks ago we mentioned Mark Langston starting a no-hitter (that was completed by teammate Mike Witt). While I was reading up on Langston I cam across an interesting piece of celebrity networking gossip. Langston and Bruce Hornsby are close friends. They met after a Range concert in Seattle.

When he was a free agent prior to the 1990 season Mark Langston checked in with Bruce Hornsby while scouting the Dodgers and Angels. The first phone call Langston got after pitching his no-hitter was from Bruce Hornsby.

Bruce Hornsby and the Range were not the only act involved in the Earth Day Concert.

1990 04 21 Performance for the Planet Lineup

The Earth Day show had to be one of the first that I had been to that had a program. Twenty-Five years later it makes for a fun read. Notable bands included Michelle Schocked, Billy Bragg, Baltimore Mainstay Crack The Sky, The Indigo Girls, Fabulous Thurnderbirds (featuring Steve Ray Vaughn's brother Jimmie, KRS-One, Ziggy Marley and 10,000 Maniacs

Sources and Links
Vittles Tunes - index of our Music related posts
1990: Year of the No-Hitter

LA Times
SI Between Lines 
Encyclopedia Britannica

ANNIVERSARY: 10 Years of the Washington Nationals. 2005 Topps Washington Nationals Inaugural Lineup

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Washington Nationals Inaugural season.

2005 Topps Update Nationals Inaugural Lineup #NI-TEAM

Topps marked the move of the Expos to DC and becoming the Nationals with a 10 Card insert set that was part of 2005T Update.

There was a card produced for each player in the Nats opening day lineup plus the above team card. The batting order for that game is presented on the bottom center of the card.

Can anyone tell why I love this card?

Check the main image on the card, now look at the cover image for the Phungo Blog above.

Yes both pictures were taken at roughly the same time at different angles. Notice the distance between Charlie Manuel and Jimmy Rollins in both pix.   
 
The Nationals started their history versus the Phillies on the Road, This is not uncommon, it gives the club extra time to work out the kinks of their new Headquarters before having a Home Opener. Team Phungo was enjoying the Phillies Home Opener on that day 10 years ago and as a bonus we got to see the First ever game of the Washington Nationals.

Of course the card is far from perfect.

The 2nd photo on the card is from the Nats Home Opener - note the different uniforms, the RFK stadium wall, and the players standing in a different batting order (Nick Johnson is in the 2 hole behind Brad Wilkerson rather than Christian Guzman)  

Another Quibble with the card is that it is dated April 2nd. The game took place April 4th 2005, which can be seen in the box score.

Flip

2005 Topps Update Nationals Inaugural Lineup #NI-TEAM (b-side)

The B-Side of the card contains a close up of the Nats lineup for that first game and a brief description of the comings and goings of DC teams.

First Pitch
As part of their 10th anniversary the Nationals have a series of events planned. One of their promotions is a bobblehead of their first ever starting pitcher Livan Hernandez. The giveaway is scheduled for May 4th versus the Marlins - No Phillies tie-in.

I do find it amusing that the Nationals have a bobblehead promotion related to a game that was hosted by the Phillies.


Phungo Games

2005 04 04 Game Ticket - Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies

The Nationals Team Card is going to go into one of my favorite Binders, the Phungo Games Collection of cards related to games that we were fortunate enough to attend. Above we have the ticket to that game another nice piece of memorabilia buried in the Phungo Museum.

Update 2019 0219
For a brief posting regarding this card and the great Frank Robinson click here.
For the SABR Games Project description of this game click here.

Sources and Links
Phungo Games
Frank Robinson Memorial
Frank Robinson HOF Index
SABR Games Project (Steven C Weiner)  
Cardboard Connection
Baseball-ref
Washington Post

Updates 
2019 0809 added Frank Robinson related content, added link to SABR Games Project.  

Happy Anniversary Bob Gibson 3000 Ks: 1975 Topps #3

Busy here Phungo HQ, but I wanted to put up this quick posting.

Thursday July 17th marks the 40th anniversary of the ngiht Bob Gibson recorded his 3000th Strike out.

 

 1975 Topps #3 '74 Highlights Bob Gibson Throws 3000th Strikeout 

Topps honored the event with the #3 card of their 1975 Set,

 1975 Topps #3 '74 Highlights Bob Gibson Throws 3000th Strikeout (b-side)

Sources & Links
Phungo Bob Gibson HoF Index
Game Dated Cards Index

Babe Ruth Debut 100th anniversary: 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Great ones #GO2

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Great ones #GO2 Babe Ruth

100 Years ago on July 11 1914 Babe Ruth made his Major League Debut earning the W in a 4-3 Red Sox victory over the Cleveland Naps (now Indians). Ruth was of course a Pitcher back then. He went 7 innnings giving up 8 hits and 3 Runs (2 earned). He struck out 1 while walking none. Notable players he faced in that game included Nap Lajoie, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Ray Chapman. Ruth's Teammates included Tris Speaker.

Ruth batted 9th in the game went 0 for 2 including a strike out versus LHP Willie Mitchell. Mithell was a mediocre pitcher for the era (caree ERA+ 103) who was in the middle of a 10 year career in which he poated and 83-92 record - I say mediocre, but among the comps that show up in his later career Sim Scores is Tommy John.

After his 7 innings Ruth was removed for a pinch hitter Duffy Lewis a career .284 hitter who tallied 38 Home Runs - Those 38 Home Runs were pretty solid for the era. Lewis finished in the AL top 10 in Homers four times, but never hit more than 8 in a season.

2011 Gypsy Queen Great Ones
Typically Babe Ruth represents the Yankees. This GQ card gives a nod to the games history showing Ruth with the Red Sox. The card also show the legendary southpaw pitching, which of course was his position with the Sox. 

Sources
baseball-ref
SABR Bio Duffy Lewis

Happy Anniversary Jim Bunning 1965 Topps #20

This weekend will mark the 50th anniversary of Jim Bunning's Perfect Game.

1965 Topps #20 Jim Bunning

On Father's Day, Sunday June 21, 1964 the Philllies beat the Mets 6-0 at Shea Stadium. The Future Hall of Famer struck out 10 Mets in the contest finishing out with a pair of K's versus Pinch Hitters George Altman and John Stephenson. It was the first Perfect Game pitched since Don Larsen tossed one in the 1956 World Series and the first NL perfect game pitched since 1880.  

The perfect game was Bunning's second no-hitter. As a Tiger he had no-hit Ted Williams and the Boston Red Sox in 1958.

After his playing career Jim Bunning went on to represent the State of Kentucky in the US Senate. He likely got his taste for politics when as a player he was involved in the development of the players union.

Phun Phact
Jim Bunning appeared on the Ed Sullivan show following his perfect game. 
 
2014 Heritage
Earlier this year we ran off a bunch of postings related to 2014 Heritage and the related original 1965 Topps. As the second half of this feature I intended to take a closer look at Heritage, but still haven't gotten that started. I will mention here that Heritage likes to give a nod to the earlier set by sharing card numbers with similar players. Jim Bunning's modern day partner on card #20 is Cliff Lee. That is a solid match Cliff Lee is on the shelf right now, but either he or Cole Hamels would have to be considered the team's ace.

Jim Bunning HoF Index 
1964 Topps #265
1970 Topps #403
2010 Phungo BFI (with Robin Roberts)
   
1964 Philies Series 
1964 Topps #135 Johnny Callison  

Other Voices
The Great 1965 Topps Project

Sources
The Year of the Blue Snow
Baseball-ref
Baseball Hall of Fame

Shea Stadium Opening 1964 04 17 - 50 Years Ago Today

Team Phungo isn't going to make a habit of Mets milestones, but I thought today we would put together a quick posting regarding the 50th anniversary of Shea Stadium

  

1964 04 17 Shea Stadium Opening Day Tix and Program

The Mets musuem/HoF whichis located in the new Citifield had some neat items including the above 1964 Opening ticket.  You can click on the photo to enlarge it, A field level box that day went for $3.50. 

 

Happy Anniversary Hank Aaron: 1975 Topps #1

Forty years ago today on April 8 1974 Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career Home Run Record.

 

1975 Topps #1 Hank Aaron '74 Highlights

To honor the event Topps made Aaron the first card of the 1975 Set. The first 7 cards of 1975T are dedicated to highlights of the 1974 season, with a newsprint style synopsis of each event on the reverse: 

1975 Topps #1 Hank Aaron '74 Highlights

For a very enjoyable trip down memory lane check out archive.org which has a couple of radio calls of Aaron's historic homer including a tremendous one by Vin Scully. The Hall of Fame broadcaster's call starts at the 52 second mark of the audio, and for me is the best of the three.  
.
Topps had put together Baseball Highlight subsets previously, but I think 1975 is the first time they were dedicated to the previous season. Just a few weeks ago we talked about an Aaron card from a similar 1959 Topps subset.

Brewers
The Phillies are hosting Milwaukee this week making this a good time to feature Hank Aaron's other 1975 Topps card:

1975 Topps #660 Hank Aaron

That is one loved card right there.

After Aaron hit his record breaking Home Run he finished out the 1974 season with the Braves and was traded to the Brewers during the Off Season. The trade returned Aaron to Milwaukee where he started in Major League career before the Braves moved to Atlanta. 

Phun Phact
Hank Aaron was on the first and last card of 1975 Topps,  similar to Ted Williams who served as the bookends for the 1954 Set.

More Hank
Phungo HoF Index

Sources & Links
Topps #1 Club
Baseball Card Database
Dean's Blog
Archive.org
Baseball Hall of Fame

Happy 100th Birthday Danny Kaye

Today would of been Entertainer Danny Kaye's 100th birthday. Kaye is from at least a generation before myself likely two - indeed he would have been a contemporary of my Grandparents. And I cannot tell you one think about him as an actor, singer or dancer.  But, when I looked into his bio I found out something interesting.

 

Danny Kaye (pix swiped from Getting Blanked)

Turns out Kaye was an owner for the Seattle Mariners. Kaye co-owned the team from their inception until 1981.  During those early expansion years the M's finished no better then 6th in a 7 team division. Their top players in that era included Rupert Jones, Leon Roberts, Tom Paciorek, and Floyd Bannister. Mario Mendoza was another illustrious member of those early Mariners teams. 

Those might not of been great teams, but it is pretty cool that Danny Kaye was an early owner of a Major League Baseball team.

Happy 100th Birthday Danny Kaye. 

 

Phillies @ Dodgers Game 4 and 1993 NLCS clincher 15th Anniversary!

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the greatest game I ever saw - October 13th 1993 - NLCS game 6 Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils had taken a 3-2 series lead by winning two very tight games in Atlanta. They were returning home for game 6, which was one of the games I drew as a season ticket holder.


The Phils took a 4-1 lead in the 5th on a Dave Hollins Homer, Mickey Morandini tripled the following inning to stretch the lead to 6-1. Tommy Greene, who was at the end of his best season of his brief career, gave the Phils seven strong innings and left with a 6-3 lead.

1994 Fleer Flair #412 Tommy Greene
Mitch Williams pitched an improbable 1-2-3 Ninth for the save clinching the 1993 National League crown for the Phils.

Amazingly the pitcher that Tommy Greene out-dueled that night is now, 15 years later, a member of the team the Phils are facing in the 2008 NLCS - Greg Maddux.


1994 Fleer Ultra #446 Greg Maddux

The only proper way to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the greatest game I ever saw would be with another playoff victory. Hopefully the baseball fates agree with me.

Note 1 - You can't tell in the scan, but the price of the Phils NLCS ticket in 1993 was $30 - that was for a ticket in the last row of the old Vet. I am not sure what upper level tickets are going for this year but the lowers carry a face value of $120.

Note 2 - The Tommy Greene card is from 1994 Fleer Flair, one of my favorite sets. The dual photos on the front of these cards are usually very good and there is even a 3rd photo on the back. I particularly like the in action pitching shots like this one. The card stock is also very strong - it really gives you the feeling your holding a premium card.

Go Phils!