Sunday, November 7, 2021

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1979 KEN BOYER

The next manager to get a dedicated card is former National League MVP Ken Boyer, who ended up managing his old team for a few years, hence this 1979 edition:

 
Boyer managed parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, his only managerial experience at the Big League level.
In 1978 he finished up the season as manager for the Cardinals, the third manager of the year for the team, going 62-81, good for a fifth place finish in the East.
In 1979 he'd get a full season in, going 86-76, giving the Cardinals a third place finish and a decent improvement over the previous year.
In 1980, he'd only get 51 games into the year before being let go, going 18-33, with the team mired in fourth place.
He was about to return to managing in the Minors after his dismissal, but sadly he developed lung cancer, which took his life just two years later in 1982, passing away at only 51 years of age.
As a player, Boyer put in a career that saw him top a .300 batting average five times, drive in 100 or more runs twice and score 100+ three times while collecting over 2000 hits, slam 282 homers and drive in over 1100 runs.
He was also named to seven all-star teams while taking home five Gold Gloves for his fielding at third base, while taking home the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award after leading the team to a World Series win over the New York Yankees.