Even though it's only six cards, we get a couple Hall of Famers.
#410 - Al Kaline The face of the world champion Detroit Tigers. He hit .379 with two home runs in the '68 World Series. His best years were behind him, but he was still a career .300 hitter. After hitting only 10 homers in 1968, he rebounded with 21 in 1969
#411 - Larry Dierker This card gives us a look at the word "Astros" after a few years of it missing from Topps cards. As a 22 year-old in 1969, Larry Dierker had thte best season of his 14 year career. He posted his only 20 win season, going 20-13 with a 2.33 ERA. That was good for 5th in the league in wins and 6th in ERA and strikeouts.
#412 - 5th Series Checklist This would be one of two Mickey Mantle cards in the 1969 set, the last of his cards as an active player. The top of the checklist shows the second half of the All Star cards, the ones I'll feature on Friday.
#413 - Roland Sheldon He spent part of 1968 with the PCL Seattle team, so maybe the Pilots thought there might be something left in his arm. There wasn't. His last year in the major leagues was 1966, when he went a combined 5-13 for the A's and the Red Sox. He never did make it back to the majors.
#414 - Duke Sims He's got a name that sounds like a baseball player....Duke Sims. He showed some power in 1969 by hitting 18 home runs, but he could never hit for average, as his .236 would show.
#415 - Ray Washburn He had the best season of his career in 1968, recovering from shoulder surgery and going 14-8. The highlight of the season was a no-hitter he tossed against the Giants on September 18. This was the day after Gaylord Perry and the Giants no-hit the Cardinals. No-hitters two straight days. I would guess the shoulder problem returned in 1969 as Washburn fell to 3-8.
Overall Set Totals (player cards only)
Hall of Famers - 27
Hatless - 99
Airbrush - 88
Cubs (includes past, present, or future) - 59
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