Time
to go and give the Yankees captain, Thurman “Tugboat” Munson, a
“Nicknames of the 1970’s” card, using the 1977 format since he was
coming off of arguably his best Major League season:
Munson was just coming off of an MVP season in 1976, batting .302 while
driving in over 100 runs for the second straight season while leading
the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 1964. He also
burned on the base paths, stealing a career-high 14 bases!
What amazes me is that over 616 at-bats and 665 plate appearances the man struck out only 38 times. Just incredible.
His stretch between 1975 and 1978 is also incredible since he averaged
about 185 hits over the four-year span, something I believe hasn’t been
matched by any other MLB catcher before him, and only Ivan Rodriguez
since.
Such a great career cut short by tragedy, though as I recall, Munson was
seriously considering retirement by the end of the decade because of
nagging injuries and missing his family because of the grind of a
full-season.
Nevertheless, a Rookie of the Year in 1970, an MVP in 1976, and two
straight championships in 1977 and 1978. A wonderful career for the New
York Yankees legend.