Today on the blog, we add one of my favorite players, Harmon Killebrew, to my 1969 Nabisco "Team Flakes" cereal box extension set, a custom set I plan on releasing in the coming months, adding eight more superstars who were "missing" when Nabisco released their original set way back when:
Killebrew was about to put in an MVP 1969 season when this card would have seen the light of day, matching his career-best with 49 home runs while setting a new best with his 140 runs batted in, 145 walks and .427 on-base-pct, all numbers that led the American League.
After
a second-place finish for the MVP in 1967, a third-place finish in
1962, and two fourth-place finishes in 1963 and 1966, he finally brought
home the hardware, finishing ahead of the Orioles Boog Powell, 294
points to 227.
The man was amazing!
He was an absolute BEAST at the plate, crushing 573 lifetime homers,
MOST of them during the pitching-era of the 1960's into the '70's.
Eight 40+ home run seasons, nine 100+ runs batted in seasons, seven 100+ base-on-balls seasons, an M.V.P. in 1969 (with five top-5 finishes in M.V.P. voting as well), and a Hall of Fame induction in 1984.
A
favorite player of mine "before my time" since I first discovered him
when I flipped over his 1973 card, not believing the numbers I was
seeing as a 10-year-old in 1979 at my cousin's house.Eight 40+ home run seasons, nine 100+ runs batted in seasons, seven 100+ base-on-balls seasons, an M.V.P. in 1969 (with five top-5 finishes in M.V.P. voting as well), and a Hall of Fame induction in 1984.