In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, my collection is going to be the subject of this year-long series.
Shortly after starting my obsession in 1971, the goal was to have at least one Topps card from every year.
Although the 1952 set is considered to be the first released by Topps, the company issued two series that was a part of the game a year earlier.
The 1967 world champion St. Louis Cardinals are one of my favorite teams to collect. Perhaps the most important pitchers on the staff that season for the Cardinals were Bob Gibson and Dick Hughes.
Gibson was named the Most Valuable Player of the Fall Classic as the Cardinals claimed the title in seven contests. Gibson won games one, four and seven as he led the Cardinals to the victory.
While there appeared to be not much doubt in Gibson’s dominance, the biggest question of that summer for the Cardinals was how they would survive as their ace missed nearly two months of the season.
Against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15, Gibson suffered a broken right leg as he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente. St. Louis lost that contest 6-4, but they still led the National League by four games over the Chicago Cubs.
By July 22, the two teams were tied for the top spot. They were tied in the standings again two days later, but from that point the Cardinals took flight on their way to the pennant.
At the time of his injury, Gibson was 10-6 with an ERA of 3.52. He returned to the mound in Shea Stadium against the New York Mets as he won he first three starts. The last of those three clinched the pennant as he beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 with a complete game three-hitter in Connie Mack Stadium. He would finish the season at 13-7 with a 2.98 ERA.
Gibson would play for the Cardinals from 1959 to 1975 as he would win 251 games and finish with 3,117 strikeouts.
After helping the Cardinals to the World Series title in 1964 as the MVP, Gibson won the MVP and Cy Young Award in 1968 as he dominated the league 22-9 mark with an ERA of 1.12 with 13 shutouts. He won his second Cy Young Award in 1970 as he posted a 23-7 record.
A five-time 20-game winner and a nine-time all-star, he tossed a no-hitter against the Pirates in 1971. The winner of nine Gold Gloves, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.
The Rookie
Hughes was signed by the Cardinals in 1958, he finally worked his way to the Cardinals in 1966. He was in six games and was 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA.
At 29 the following year, Hughes would lead the Cardinals in wins with a 16-6 record as he finished second in the NL Rookie-of-the-Year balloting to Tom Seaver. He had 12 complete games with three shutouts.
Hughes made two starts during the 1967 World Series. He lost the second game and then didn’t get a decision in the sixth contest as the Boston Red Sox forced a seventh affair. He also appeared in one game when the Cardinals lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series.
The 1968 season was the last in the big leagues for Hughes. He was 2-2 in 25 games for St. Louis as he battled shoulder issues during the year.
The Other Rookie
Jim Cosman shared the 1967 rookie card with Hughes.
In 1967, Cosman was 1-0 and appeared in 10 games for the Cardinals with an ERA of 3.16. He made his big league debut on the final day of the 1966 season on Oct. 2.
Cosman tossed a two-hit shutout against the Cubs with five strikeouts. He was out the majors in 1968 and 1969 before returning for one game with the Cubs in 1970.