The 1967 Giants

After finishing 93-68 (and in 2nd place) in 1966, the Giants compiled a 91-71 record in 1967 - still good enough for 2nd place, but 10 1/2 games behind the eventual World Champion Cardinals.


These are the Giants' top 4 starters (in order of games started and innings). Gaylord Perry started 37 of his 39 games, for 293 innings. He compiled a 15-17 record while striking out 230 batters. Mike McCormick was acquired before the season for pitcher Bob Priddy and outfielder Cap Peterson. All he did was lead the NL with 22 wins, and collected 150 strikeouts. Juan Marichal at #3? After pulling a hamstring on August 4th, Juan was done for the season (except for an unwise return on 8/25, when he reinjured himself). He finished at 14-10 in only 26 starts. Ray Sadecki went 12-6 in his first full season with the Giants, starting 24 of his 35 games.


Here are the bullpenners and spot starters (in order of games played). Frank Linzy is the only one of the top 6 to appear strictly in relief. He led the entire staff in games (57) and ERA (1.51), and collected 17 saves. Ron Herbel, Bob Bolin, and (to a lesser extent) Joe Gibbon were spot starters but primarily relievers. Lindy McDaniel appeared in 41 games, all but 3 in relief. 39-year-old lefty Bill Henry was the oldest player on the roster, beating Willie Mays by 3 years. He appeared in 28 games, but only for 21 innings. Ron Bryant and Rich Robertson each pitched 1 game in relief.


These are the Giants' starting eight. Tom Haller had been the regular catcher since 1962, and 1967 would be his last season with the Giants. Willie McCovey cracked 31 homers to go with his 91 RBI. Despite what the cards say, Tito Fuentes was the regular 2nd baseman (then spent all of '68 and most of '69 in the minors) while Hal Lanier held down the shortstop job.

Jim Ray Hart split his time between 3rd base and left field, and matched McCovey's power numbers (29 HR, 99 RBI). Jesus Alou split the left field chores evenly with Hart, and also started 43 games in right field. Willie Mays started his downhill slide in 1967. His home run total (22) dipped below 30 for the first time since 1960, although he was selected to the all-star team for the 14th consecutive season (and would play in 6 more). Ollie Brown was the primary right fielder.


Here are the bench players, in order of plate appearances. 10-year veteran Jim Davenport was the primary backup at 3B and SS. Switch-hitting Ken Henderson was the team's 5th outfielder (Hart was #4). Jack Hiatt was primarily the backup 1st baseman, although he also caught 3 games. Rookie Dick Dietz started 34 games (to Haller's 120) and would take over the job the following year.

Ty Cline was purchased from the Braves on May 31st, and served as a lefthanded pinch-hitter and 6th outfielder. Like Dietz, Bobby Etheridge would nab one of the Topps all-rookie spots. Unlike Dietz, his career would be short: 40 games in '67 and 56 games in '69. Dick Groat was purchased from the Phillies in late June, and appeared in 34 games for the Giants in the final season of his 14-year career. Veteran Norm Siebern was acquired in December 1966, played in 46 games (mostly as a pinch-hitter) and was shipped off to the Red Sox in July.

Bob Barton, Frank Johnson, Don Mason, and Dave Marshall each played less than 10 games. 2nd baseman Bob Schroeder (62 games) and SS Cesar Gutierrez (18) were two other rookies seeing some playing time with the 1967 Giants.


Two Giants' legends (although McCovey and Hart were the main power sources in 1967). Herman Franks managed the Giants from 1965 to 1968, then returned with the Cubs from 1977-79. Bob Priddy spent the entire season with the Senators, while Ozzie Virgil was in the minors for all of 1967 and 1968.


Topps has Dietz as an outfielder on this card. He was primarily a catcher in the minors (1961-62, 65-66), but played outfield for 2 seasons to make room for Randy Hundley (1963) and Bob Barton (1964). He didn't play outfield in the majors. Bill Sorrell was selected from the Phillies in the November 1966 Rule 5 draft, played in 18 games, and was returned to the Phillies in June.


Transactions from the end of the 1966 season to the end of 1967:

10/07/66 - Released pitcher Billy Hoeft.

10/14/66 - Released Bill Henry.

11/28/66 - Drafted Bill Sorrell from the Phillies in the 1966 rule 5 draft.

12/13/66 - Traded outfielder Cap Peterson and Bob Priddy to the Senators for Mike McCormick.

12/14/66 - Traded outfielder Len Gabrielson to the Angels for Norm Siebern.

03/29/67 - Signed Bill Henry as a free agent.

04/03/67 - Traded catcher Dick Bertell to the Cubs for catcher Don Bryant.

05/31/67 - Purchased Ty Cline from the Braves. Drafted (but did not sign) Davey Lopes in the 8th round of the 1967 amateur draft.

06/22/67 - Purchased Dick Groat from the Phillies. Returned Bill Sorrell to the Phillies.

07/15/67 - Sold Norm Siebern to the Red Sox.


Next team review: Boston Red Sox
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Gaylord Perry (#320)

Gaylord Perry pitched for 22 seasons, accumulated 314 wins and 3534 strikeouts, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

He spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Giants, and although he won 20 games twice there, he usually pitched in the shadow of Juan Marichal:

1966: Perry goes 21-8 with 201 strikeouts, but teammate Marichal was 25-6 with 222 Ks.

1967: Perry wins 15 while Marichal slumps to 14-10, but wait, newcomer Mike McCormick leads the NL with 22 wins!

1968: Perry wins 16, with 173 Ks, but Marichal rebounds to 26-9 with 218 Ks. Teammate Ray Sadecki also strikes out 203.

1969: Perry goes 19-14, but still trails Marichal's 21-11. He does top Marichal in strikeouts though (233 to 205).

1970: Finally! Perry: 23-13, Marichal: 12-10.

1971: Oh well, Perry: 16-12, Marichal: 18-11.



After the 1971 season, Perry was traded to the Indians for strikeout artist Sam McDowell. In 1972, Gaylord led the AL in wins (24) and complete games (29), and won the Cy Young award. He pitched 2 more full seasons in Cleveland, winning 19 and 21 games. He was teammates with his brother Jim during 1974 and early 1975.

In June 1975, Perry was traded to the Rangers for pitcher Jim Bibby and others. He pitched 2 1/2 seasons for Texas.

Before the 1978 season, Gaylord was traded to the Padres. His first season in San Diego was a carbon copy of his first in Cleveland: He led the league in wins (21) and won the Cy Young award. Perry pitched one more season in San Diego before spending the last 4 seasons of his career bouncing from team to team.

Rico Carty (#35)

Rico Carty was the Braves' regular left fielder in the mid-to-late 1960s. I remember him most as the first player to get a starting all-star berth as a write-in candidate.

Carty was signed by the Braves in October 1959, and played 4 seasons in the minors before making his major-league debut in September 1963. During his first 3 seasons in the minors, he was exclusively a catcher. In 1963, he played both catcher and outfield.



During his rookie season in 1964, Rico compiled a .330 batting average (2nd behind Roberto Clemente). He also finished 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Richie Allen.

Carty hit over .300 during the 1965 and 1966 seasons, while his defensive shortcomings were nicely hid as the left fielder. He also started 14 games behind the plate in 1966, despite regular catcher Joe Torre being in the lineup at 1st base (I can't figure that one out!)

After an off-year in 1967, Rico missed the entire 1968 season due to tuberculosis, but roared back with batting averages of .342 in 1969 and a league-leading .366 in 1970. That season he also hit 25 home runs, collected 101 RBI, and was in the starting all-star lineup despite not being on the ballot.

Carty missed another entire season (1971) with a knee injury, and was never the same after that. Following the 1972 season, he was traded to the Rangers, and spent the remainder of his career bouncing around to several teams (primarily the Rangers, Indians, Blue Jays) as a DH and some-time outfielder.

Carty retired after the 1979 season.

Final Card: Johnny Lewis

Johnny Lewis (#91) played four seasons in the mid-1960s, mostly for the Mets. His only season as a regular was in 1965, when he manned the Mets' right field post. After that season, Cleon Jones joined the team and it was goodbye Johnny.



Lewis was signed by the Tigers in 1959, but was traded to the Cardinals in the same year. He played in the Cardinals' farm system until making his major-league debut with St. Louis in April 1964. He split the '64 season between the Cardinals and their AAA team in Jacksonville. After the season, he was traded to the Mets for pitcher Tracy Stallard.

Johnny was the Mets' everyday right fielder in 1965, playing 100 games there and another 40 games in center field. He also socked 15 home runs, but only bat .245.

In 1966 the Mets acquired veteran outfielder Al Luplow from the Indians, who, along with Larry Elliot took most of the playing time in right field. With Ron Swoboda a fixture in left field, and rookie Cleon Jones in center, Lewis was relegated to the bench as a 5th outfielder and pinch-hitter. He also played 71 games down in Jacksonville.

The Mets obtained left fielder Tommy Davis from the Dodgers before the 1967 season, so Lewis was toast. Johnny played most of the season in Jacksonville, and only 13 games with New York, the last coming on June 11th. He wrapped up his professional career with the Phillies' AAA team in San Diego.

Final Card: Nick Willhite

This is the 4th and final card for Nick Willhite (249). He also appeared on a Dodgers Rookies card in 1964, in the 1965 set as a Senator, and in the 1966 set as a Dodger.

Nick was signed by the Dodgers in the Fall of 1959. He played in the minors every season from 1960 to 1970, and in the majors every season from 1963 to 1967. Only in '65 and '67 would he spend more of his time up top.



Willhite made his major-league debut with the Dodgers on June 16, 1963. During his first stint with LA (1963-64) he was a starting pitcher, but was #6 on the depth chart for both seasons.

After the 1964 season, he was purchased by the Senators, who sold him back to the Dodgers in mid-May the following season. Besides playing for both teams in '65, he also spent some time with the Dodgers' AAA team in Spokane, Washington. Willhite played most of the 1966 season in the minors, and a few games with the Dodgers.

After the 1966 season, Nick was traded to the Angels for reliever Bob Lee (a steal for the Dodgers, considering that Lee was the ace of the Angels' bullpen that season, and Willhite was pretty much minor-league filler for the Dodgers). Nick appeared in 10 games (7 starts) for the Angels in 1967 before he was sent over to the Mets on June 10th for pitcher Jack Hamilton.

Willhite's stay in New York only lasted about 5 weeks. After 4 appearances (his last on June 23rd), he spent the rest of the season with the Tulsa Oilers (the Cardinals' AAA team). The 1968-70 seasons saw him bouncing around the minor-league organizations of the Mets, Cubs, Twins, and Royals.

The 1967 Orioles

Here are the 1967 Baltimore Orioles. The team swept the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series, but would have two off-years before returning to form and winning their division 5 times between 1969 and 1974, including 3 consecutive trips to the World Series (1969-71).


Here is the starting rotation (in order of innings pitched). Why did the Orioles falter in 1967? Instead of the 1966 rotation of Jim Palmer (15-10), Dave McNally (13-6), Steve Barber (10-5), and Wally Bunker (10-6), they had Tom Phoebus (14-9), Pete Richert (7-10), a 7-7 version of McNally, and rookie Jim Hardin (8-3). (Oh, Frank Robinson also missed 6 weeks with injuries and double vision.)


Other starting pitchers included Steve Barber, Gene Brabender, rookie Bill Dillman, and Wally Bunker. Barber was in the rotation for the first half of the season, until his July 4th trade to the Yankees. Bunker also began the season in the rotation, but by May 1st was relegated to the bullpen, with only occasional starts for the rest of the season. The others did their best to fill in.


The O's bullpen was headed up by World Series hero Moe Drabowsky, young Eddie Watt, 40-year-old Stu Miller, and knuckleballer Eddie Fisher.


Other pitchers spending some time with Baltimore in 1967 (in playing-time order): Jim Palmer came down with a sore arm, and would spend much of '67 and '68 in the minors. Frank Bertaina was sent to the Senators in the Mike Epstein trade in late May. Marcelino Lopez was acquired from the Angels in mid-June for infielder Woody Held, but pitched only 4 times the rest of the way. Dave Leonhard made his major-league debut in late September.

John Buzhardt had a 1-month stay with the Orioles on his way from the White Sox to the Astros. Mike Adamson and John Miller played briefly in 1967, Roger Freed did not. Hank Bauer was the Orioles' manager since 1964. He piloted the team to a championship in '66, but the Orioles' sudden fall would cost him his job by mid-1968. He would be replaced by Earl Weaver.


The same 8 regulars returned from the '66 championship team. Andy Etchebarren returns behind the plate, while Boog Powell was their #2 power source behind Frank Robinson. Dave Johnson was the top rookie 2nd baseman in '66. Why does perennial all-star shortstop Luis Aparicio have "INFIELD" listed on his card? Only Topps knows.

Here we see Brooks Robinson in his trademark sawed-off batting helmet. Curt Blefary played his last season as the Orioles' left fielder in 1967. Paul Blair was a defensive wizard, and Frank Robinson garnered the AL Triple Crown and MVP awards in 1966. Not a bad group!


Here are the subs, in playing-time order. Russ Snyder had been an Oriole since 1961, and was the 4th outfielder in 1967, backing up all 3 spots. Mark Belanger started 33 games at shortstop and 10 at 2nd base, and would take over the shortstop job in 1968. Rookie Larry Haney started 45 games behind the plate as the #2 catcher. Sam Bowens was a pinch-hitter and corner outfield reserve.

Third-string catcher Vic Roznovsky started 22 games, rarely on consecutive days. Dave May and Curt Motton were corner outfield reserves, both spending most of the season in triple-A. Veteran utilityman Woody Held was traded to the Angels in June for pitcher Marcelino Lopez.


These guys also made token appearances for the Birds. Rookie Mike Epstein held out, demanded a trade, and was accommodated at the end of May - going to the Senators for pitcher Pete Richert. Charlie Lau was only used as a pinch-hitter in his final 2 seasons (1966-67). Utilityman Bob Johnson was sold to the Mets in early May.

Hmmm... I would have picked Powell and Frank Robinson as "Bird Bombers", but Robinson was already on "The Champs" card, so ok.


Topps did a good job with their rookie selections. Epstein and Phoebus made major contributions in 1967 (although Epstein's was with the Nats). Ed Barnowski did not play for the Orioles in 1967, but the others contributed in backup roles.


To the victors go the spoils (of additional cards in the next year's set)!


Transactions from the end of the 1966 season to the end of 1967:

12/15/66 - Traded pitcher Dick Hall to the Phillies for pitcher John Morris.

05/10/67 - Sold Bob Johnson and John Miller to the Mets.

05/29/67 - Traded Frank Bertaina and Mike Epstein to the Senators for Pete Richert.

05/31/67 - Sold Charlie Lau to the Braves.

06/15/67 - Traded Woodie Held to the Angels for Marcelino Lopez.

07/04/67 - Traded Steve Barber to the Yankees for 1st baseman Ray Barker.

08/21/67 - Purchased John Buzhardt from the White Sox.

09/25/67 - Sold John Buzhardt to the Astros.

11/28/67 - Sold Sam Bowens to the Senators.

11/28/67 - Traded Eddie Fisher to the Indians for pitcher John O'Donoghue.

11/29/67 - Traded Luis Aparicio and Russ Snyder to the White Sox for 3B-OF Don Buford and pitchers Bruce Howard and Roger Nelson.


Next team review: San Francisco Giants
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