Granted, 1971 was NOT a banner year for the popular Cuban pitcher, but he did appear in 21 games for a total of 72 innings in his first season with the Red Sox. So leaving him out altogether is a bit odd, especially when you remember how many sub-sets and "filler" cards the '72 set had!
As it turned out, 1972 would end up being a great comeback year and one of his better seasons, going 15-6 with a sterling 1.91 E.R.A., which lead the American League.
Throw in 6 shutouts in 19 starts and you have a season worthy of a baseball card. No?
So here we have a card that was definitely "missing in action", a 1972 Luis Tiant Topps card I designed recently.
Side note: I scoured the web for a good image of him from around 1972, and to be quite honest I'm not sure this one fits the bill. Anyone out there know for sure please let me know. It wasn't the easiest search to be honest...
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| Tiant finished 6th in Cy Young and 8th in MVP in 1972. |