Cubs Team (#354)

Here's a card featuring the entire Cubs' team. Oddly, in a few years, Topps would issue the Cubs Team with a series of floating heads instead of a group picture. (All other teams would get the traditional group picture.)

I was going to post the Dodgers' team card tonight, but the sheer number of pitchers listed on the back of this card (20) jumped out at me. (The NL champion Dodgers only had 9 pitchers listed on their card.)

The Cubs finished in last place in 1966, losing 103 games. (That tends to inflate the number of pitchers used.) The big loser was Dick Ellsworth at 8-22. What to do with him? Ship him to the Phillies! After all, they just took Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson off your hands.

Twelve of these pitchers wouldn't be back for the 1967 season, including veteran Robin Roberts, who ended his career going 2-3 for the Cubs.

In 1967 they jumped up to 3rd place, and would repeat that finish in 1968.