Now, the twist is that Kopacz did in fact appear on a multi-player rookie card in the 1971 set, but as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he’d never actually play.
So, finding this image of him in the Pirates uni made for a “corrected” 1971 card representing his final season as a Big League ballplayer.
Originally up to the Majors in 1966 as a member of the Atlanta Braves, he played in six games in his first MLB action, going hitless in nine at-bats with a run scored.
After three-plus seasons in the Minors, he made it all the way back to the Big Leagues with 10 games in 1970 with the Pirates, going 3-for-sixteen at the plate, good for a .188 average.
Turns out that would be it for his career, as he would go on to play another three years in the Minor Leagues before retiring for good after the 1973 season.
All told his Big League career ended with a .120 batting average, with three hits over 25 at-bats in 16 games, along with two runs scored.
