Friday, January 19, 2018

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION-1977 JAY KLEVEN

Always fun to add to one of my favorite sets, 1977, and today’s entry is a doozy, a “not so missing” card for two-game Major League catcher Jay Kleven of the New York Mets:


Kleven’s Big League career began with an appearance on June 20th of 1976, with his next appearance being his last, on June 27th, with the sum total being a 1-for-5 tally with two runs batted in while taking on duties behind the plate.
Signed as an amateur free agent before the 1972 season, Kleven spent the bulk of his pro career in the Mets Minor League system before his taste of the big time, generally as a part-time backstop.
After his Big League debut, he’d go on to split the 1977 season in both the Mets and Cincinnati Reds systems, then seemingly retiring from the game after 34 games at Triple-A.
Couldn’t really find much else on him, though I did read that he sadly passed away at the age of 59 following hip surgery in 2009.
R.I.P.

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