The Philadelphia Inquirer
January 12th, 1960
Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn's playing career with the Philadelphia Phillies came to an end on this day 65 years ago when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in for third baseman Alvin Dark, pitcher John Buzhardt, and minor league prospect Jim Woods.
Richie Ashburn batted .291 and led the National League in walks (116) and OBP (.415) in his first season with the Cubs. Collectively, he put up a slash line of .279/.400/.327 in his two seasons in Chicago before moving on to play his final season as the leadoff batter for the expansion '62 Mets. He returned to the Phillies in 1963 as a color commentator which he continued until he passed away in 1997.
The most accomplished of the three players that went to Philadelphia in the deal also spent the shortest amount of time with the team. Alvin Dark won Rookie Of The Year and finished third in the votes for National League MVP in 1948. He was also a three time All Star who won a World Series with the '54 New York Giants. Unfortunately, he was in what would be the final season of his playing career and his best days were past him. Dark stayed in town just long enough to log his 2,000th career hit in a Phillies uniform before they traded him to the Milwaukee Braves after just 55 games.
John Buzhardt ended up being the most impactful player that the Phillies received in the deal. The right hander pitched over 400 innings with 56 starts and 11 complete games in two seasons with the club. He put up decent numbers with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP during his time in Philadelphia, but poor run support gave him a less than stellar record of 11-34 as a member of the Fightins. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox after the 1961 season.
Finally, the prospect that the Phillies received in the deal was minor league third baseman Jim Woods. He had technically already appeared in the big leagues prior to the trade, but his service time was limited to two appearances as a pinch runner for the Cubs in 1957. His first game with the Phillies, and his first plate appearance in the big leagues, occurred on September 13th, 1960 in which he went 0-5 with four strikeouts across both games of a double header. He appeared in 34 games across two seasons with the Phillies before his contract was sold to the Cincinnati Reds on May 14th, 1963.
Needless to say, this trade didn't work out too well. The Phillies finished dead last in the National League in '60 with a record of 59-95, and again in '61 with an even more horrendous record of 47-107, and no one that the team acquired in the trade remained with the club after 1961. They might as well have just kept the face of the franchise in Philadelphia for his entire career.
