Here's a "missing" 1973 card for a guy who spent nine years on the
Major League level, though in only two seasons did he really see "full
time" action: catcher Jerry McNertney.
Check it out:
In actuality McNertney was closing out his career in 1973, appearing in only nine games with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But in 1972 he did play in 39 games for St. Louis, mainly as a
pinch-hitter and back-up to a young up and coming stud behind the plate,
Ted Simmons.
McNertney's numbers for the 1972 season were: 10 hits in 48 at-bats
(a .208 average), with three doubles and a triple among his "knocks".
So I figured why not give him a card in the 1973 set since I came across a nice photo of him in a Cardinals uniform, so here you go.
He came up rather late at the age of 27 in 1964 with the Chicago
White Sox, appearing in 73 games, and stayed with the Sox until 1969
where he found himself suiting up for the Seattle Pilots in their only
year of existence.
That season would have McNertney see the most playing time, appearing in 128 games, good for 449 plate appearances.
The following season, as the organization moved to Milwaukee and
renamed the "Brewers", McNertney's playing time was diminished a bit,
appearing in 111 games with 330 plate appearances.
The next two years saw him as a backup in St. Louis, playing in
only 95 games combined before moving on to Pittsburgh, as I mentioned
earlier, for his last hurrah in the big leagues.
