Here’s
a career-capping 1971 card for Joe Sparma, who finished a nice
seven-year Major League tenure with his only season outside of Detroit, a
nine-game stint with the Montreal Expos:
Sparma appeared in nine games with the Expos during the 1970 season,
posting a record of 0-4 with a bloated 7.04 earned run average in 29.1
innings of work.
In the six seasons prior to that, he was a solid arm both out of the
‘pen and as a starter for the Detroit Tigers, the team he came up with
in 1964.
His finest season in the big leagues is easily 1967 when he posted a
record of 16-9 with a 3.76 earned run average over 37 starts and 217.2
innings pitched along with five shutouts.
The following season he was a full-time starter on the eventual World
Champs, appearing in one game during the World Series in relief.