Came
across the original image airbrushed and used by Topps for former
set-up man Danny Frisella’s 1975 card, another beaut from the era:
The paint-job reflected the righty’s move from the Atlanta Braves, where
he pitched the previous two years, to the San Diego Padres, for whom
he’d spent the 1975 season with.
Funny how they did a pretty good job with the jersey, getting shadows
and folds in there, yet decided to just ignore that little bit of cap
showing up top. Stuff like that kills me!
Frisella had a very nice 10-year career in the Majors, establishing
himself as a reliable guy out of the bullpen, before tragically dying in
a dune-buggy accident on New Years day, 1977 in Arizona.
His 1971 season was arguably his best as a Big Leaguer, when he posted a
record of 8-5 with a sparkling 1.99 earned run average with 12 saves
for the New York Mets, appearing in 53 games and throwing 90.2 innings.
But aside from the ERA, the numbers were somewhat consistent for him
throughout his career, and when his career sadly cut short, his final
numbers were: 34-40 record, 3.32 ERA and 57 saves over 351 appearances.