Tom Dukes (#223)

Tom Dukes had a 6-year career (1967-72) with the Astros, Padres, Orioles, and Angels. He had baseball cards in 1968 (Astros Rookies), 1969, and 1971. Most of his playing time came in ’68 (Astros) and ’70 (Padres).

Tom was signed by the Yankees in 1962, and by mid-1965 was traded to the Milwaukee Braves for pitcher Bobby Tiefenauer. After the 1966 season he was traded to the Astros with pitcher Dan Schneider and 2nd baseman Lee Bales for 3 minor-leaguers.

Tom made his major-league debut with the Astros in August 1967, and pitched 17 games in relief that season.

In 1968, despite spending all of May in the minors he pitched in 43 games for the Astros (all in relief) and was 8th among Astros pitchers in innings pitched.

Dukes was selected by the Padres in the expansion draft. Although he initially made the team in 1969, his ERA was 13.50 after just one appearance so he spent most of the year in double-A before returning to the Padres in September.

He fared much better in 1970, pitching 53 games (all in relief) for San Diego.

After the season he accompanied pitcher Pat Dobson to the Orioles in exchange for pitcher Tom Phoebus and 3 others. Dukes appeared in 28 games for the Orioles in 1971, and pitched in games 3 and 5 of the World Series.

In late-May 1972 he was traded to the Angels, and although he pitched in 7 games for California, he spent most of his final season with the Orioles’ and Angels’ AAA teams.

First Look - San Diego Padres

Here's the fourth in a 5-part series where we get the first look at a new team's uniforms.

Four teams were added in the 1969 expansion, and although the players for these teams appeared capless or airbrushed in the early series, by mid-summer we started to see players in their new uniforms.

Today - the San Diego Padres

The Padres had the fewest number of veterans' cards in their new uniforms of any of the 4 new teams, but made up for it with three rookie cards. (Plus, we have "Podres with the Padres", so there's that!)

Final Card: Bobby Klaus

This is the final card for Bobby Klaus (#387). He has a card in this set, even though his last major-league appearance was in 1965.

Klaus was signed by the Reds in 1959, and played in their minor-league system for 5 seasons, the last two with the Reds' triple-A San Diego Padres.

Bobby made his major-league debut in April 1964 with the Reds, but was traded to the Mets in late July. He played for the Mets through the end of the 1965 season. Those 2 years (64-65) were to be his only time in the big leagues.

In February 1966, Klaus and catcher Jimmie Schaffer were traded to the Phillies for 1st baseman Dick Stuart. After 2 seasons in the bigs, Bobby was back with the triple-A San Diego Padres, now part of Philadelphia's farm system. He would remain there through the 1968 season.

After the fall 1968 expansion draft, the (major-league) San Diego Padres selected him in the Rule 5 draft (explaining why he has this card). Before the '69 season started, he was traded to the Pirates with outfielder Ron Davis for pitcher Tommie Sisk and catcher Chris Cannizarro. Klaus played that season with the Pirates' AAA team in Columbus before retiring.

Bobby's brother Billy was an infielder with the Red Sox, Orioles, Senators, and Phillies from 1956-63.

Final Card: Ron Davis

This is the 3rd and final card for outfielder Ron Davis (#553). Never on a Rookie Stars card, Davis had solo cards as a Houston Astro in the '67 and '68 sets.

Davis was signed by the Houston Colt .45s in 1961, and played minor league ball from 1961-66. Although he had a 6-game cup of coffee in early August 1962, he didn't make the majors to stay until August 1966.  Then, he started 47 of the final 54 games in center field while filling in for the injured Jim Wynn.
 

Davis moved over to left field in 1967, starting 59 games there while sharing the position with rookie Norm Miller.

In 1968, he started 52 of the first 58 games in center field (with Wynn moving to left), until he was traded to (escaped to?) the defending World Champion Cardinals. With Lou Brock in left, Curt Flood in center, and Roger Maris and Bob Tolan sharing right field, Davis was relegated to bench duty for the remainder of the season.

Shortly after the expansion draft, Davis was traded to the Padres (with 3rd baseman Ed Spiezio) for pitcher Dave Giusti. In spring training, the Padres flipped him and infielder Bobby Klaus (who we will see here 2 posts after this one) to the Pirates for catcher Chris Cannizzaro and pitcher Tommie Sisk.

After backing up all 3 outfield positions in 1969, Davis played the next 2 seasons for the Pirates' triple-A team before retiring.

He passed away on 9/5/1992 at age 50.

Roberto Pena (#184)

Here's journeyman Roberto Pena, airbrushed out of his Pirates uniform. Pena was selected from the Phillies in the expansion draft following the 1968 season.  This is his first Topps card since 1966, and his first card I had. (A few years ago, I got his 1970 card.)

He had unexpectedly spent the '68 season as the Phillies' regular shortstop. The Phillies had high hopes for their shortstop prospect Don Money that season, but after a handful of games, it was clear that he wasn't ready for the big time, so weak-hitting veteran Bobby Wine took over, Money was sent down, and Pena was recalled from their triple-A team (in San Diego, no less). A few weeks later, Wine injured his back and was lost for the season, thrusting Pena (who had spent all of 1967 in the minors) into the starting role.

(No respect! After 138 games as the Phillies' starting shortstop, and now on a team starting from scratch, Topps still saddles him with a utility position)

Pena was signed by the Pirates in 1960. After 5 seasons as a minor-league shortstop, he was traded to the Cubs for infielder Andre Rodgers in December 1964. Roberto made his major-league debut in April 1965, and played 51 games with the Cubs as Don Kessinger's backup at shortstop. He also played 80+ games in the minors that season, as well as the bulk of the '66 season.

The Phillies drafted him in November 1966, and he spent the '67 season stashed at the Phillies' halfway house for ex-big leaguers (a/k/a the AAA San Diego Padres), where he was the PCL all-star shortstop.

As mentioned above, after a season as the Phillies' #1 shortstop,  he (along with the Phillies' other two shortstops Bobby Wine and Gary Sutherland) was lost in the expansion draft. Pena split the shortstop job with Tommy Dean in the Padres' inaugural season, then it was on to the Athletics in a March 1970 trade for 1st baseman Ramon Webster.

Two months later he was shipped out to the Brewers for 2nd baseman John Donaldson. Pena shared the shortstop job with Ted Kubiak (wow, lots of ex-Athletics orbiting around Roberto Pena!) in 1970, and moved over to 1st base in 1971 (with some playing time at SS and 3B). His last game was in September 1971.

Roberto played in Mexico from 1972-74 before hanging up his spikes. He died in July 1982 at age 45.

Final Card: Johnny Podres

Podres on the Padres? That beats Jose Cardenal on the Cardinals!

This is Johnny Podres' final card (#659). After a long career with the Dodgers, and 2 years with the Tigers, he retired after the 1967 season. Now he's back for 1 last season with the expansion Padres. Whatever for?

Podres was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951, and spent 2 seasons in the minors as a starter, the last with the triple-A Montreal Royals, where his teammates included future luminaries such as Jim Gilliam, Don Hoak, Tommy Lasorda, and Ed Roebuck.



Johnny made the Dodgers in 1953, and was in Brooklyn's rotation from 1953-57, except for missing the 1956 season for military service. Podres pitched in the 1953 World Series as a rookie, but he is probably best remembered for shutting out the Yankees in game 7 of the 1955 World Series, giving Brooklyn their only world championship, while he picked up the World Series MVP award.

After the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, Pods continued as one of the Dodgers top starters from 1958-63, and 1965 along with Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and "the other guy" (which at various times was Stan Williams, Bob Miller, or Claude Osteen). In May 1966, the Dodgers dealt him to the Tigers, where he pitched until the end of the 1967 season. He retired after the season, but came back with the expansion Padres in 1969. His final game for the Padres was on June 21st of that year.

After retirement, Johnny was a pitching coach for several teams through the '70s, '80s, and '90s, finishing up with the Phillies during Jim Fregosi's tenure as manager.