1980s CAREER-CAPPERS: 1980 JIM "CATFISH" HUNTER

Today on the blog, from my recent and wildly popular "1980s Career-Cappers" set, my 1980 capper for Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who prematurely retired after suffering arm troubles a couple of season earlier:

Over his 15-year career, which wrapped up in 1979, Hunter racked up 224 wins, a 3.26 earned run average, 42 shutouts and 2012 strikeouts.

He took home the Cy Young Award in 1974 in his last season with the A's, came in second for the award the following year in his first year as a landmark Free-Agent with the Yankees, and threw a perfect game back in 1968 at the young age of 22.

A big-game pitcher, Hunter was a member of no less than five World Champion teams: 1972-74 Oakland A's, and the "Bronx Zoo" Yankee teams of 1977-78.

Did you know that Hunter is the last pitcher in the Major Leagues to complete 30 or more games in a season? 

In 1975 he completed 30 of his 39 starts, on his way to a 23-14 record with seven shutouts and a 2.58 E.R.A.

Between 1971 and 1975 he won 20 or more games each year, a great five year run which saw him win 111 games.

As a matter of fact, Hunter was the first pitcher since the all-time great Walter Johnson to win 200 games before the age of 31! And the only other guys at that time to also do it? Christy Mathewson and Cy Young. Incredible.

Sadly arm troubles and diabetes started to affect his career, forcing him to retire in 1979 at the age of only 33.

The final feather in his baseball cap would be a Hall of Fame induction in 1987 along with Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams, giving him a solid place in baseball history, if he didn't have one already...

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1975 RUDY MAY

On the blog today, a long overdue redo for Rudy May and his 1975 card, since he put in about half a season with them in 1974 yet Topps had a hilarious airbrushed card for him the following year:

For those who don't remember the original, oh please, allow me:

 

Ha! Just LOOK at that "NY" on his cap!

Wow. Not even close! That "N" is actually hilarious to look at!

May made his Major League debut in 1965 as a 20-year-old, appearing in 30 games and tossing 124 innings, certainly good enough for a card in the 1966 set.

He posted a record of 4-9 with a 3.92 earned run average, striking out 76 batters while throwing a shutout.

All told, he posted a 152-159 career record, with a 3.46 earned run average, 24 shutouts, 12 saves and 1760 strikeouts between 1965 and 1983.

His finest year was easily 1980, when he led the American League in E.R.A. with a nice 2.46 mark, WHIP at 1.044 and strikeouts-to-walks with a 3.41 number as a member of the New York Yankees.

 

WTHBALLS NEWEST SET AVAILABLE NOW: 1981 DRAKES "BIG PITCHERS"

Hello Everyone!

Hope all is well!

It's that time again, the newest WTHBALLS set is available for purchase, 1981 Drakes "Big Pitchers", a 21-card set featuring the game's top pitchers to compliment the wildly popular Drakes "Big Hitters" set, including a header card with QR code that links to the WTHBALLS printed blog:

 

The cards have full printed stat backs and come packaged in acetate clear box with die cut sticker, all housed in a double-sided printed stand-up zip-lock pouch.

I was really psyched to find a place that prints up the pouches at an affordable price! New packaging for the WTHBALLS brand!

Everyone from Seaver, Carlton, Palmer, Ryan etc are here, including some future HOF relievers like Sutter, Gossage and Eckersley.

Sets are $15 each plus a one-time $4.50 shipping charge, no matter how many sets you purchase.

Usual Paypal address: slogun23@gmail.com

Again, thank you all so much for the interest and support!

Take Care

Gio/wthballs

SPECIAL REQUEST: "UPDATE SERIES" 1985 VIDA BLUE

Up on the blog today, we have a special request creation, a 1985 "Update Series" Vida Blue card, celebrating his return to the majors after a year:

Blue made it back to a Major League mound in 1985 with another stint with the San Francisco Giants, for whom he previously played for from 1978 through 1981.

He would do well for them in his return, going 8-8 over 33 games, 20 of those starts, pitching to a 4.47 ERA over 131 innings with 103 strikeouts and a complete game.

In 1983 Blue appeared in only 19 games for the Kansas City Royals, going 0-5 with a 6.01 ERA at the relatively young age of 33.

The following year he'd be out of baseball completely before coming back with the Giants, where he'd put in two seasons before retiring for good after 1986.

Of course, we all know that Vida Blue absolutely exploded onto the Major League scene in 1971, on his way to capturing both the Cy Young and MVP awards by season's end.

All he did in this epic season was post a record of 24-8, with a league-leading 1.82 earned run average, striking out 301 batters and tossing eight shutouts.

Oh yeah, he was only 21 years of age!

His WHIP of 0.952 and strikeouts-per-nine-innings of 8.7 also led the league, and he completed 24 of his 39 starts, putting in 312 innings of work for the upstart Oakland A's, who were about to go on the three-peat championship run between 1972 and 1974.

Blue would go on to post 209 career victories in the Majors, having some successful seasons with the San Francisco Giants, even starting the 1978 All-Star game for the National League, while finishing up his 17-year career in 1986.
It’s amazing for me to remember that when Blue started that NL All-Star game in 1978, he wasn’t even 30 years old, yet to me he already seemed to be an aging veteran by then.

FANTASY CARD: 1972 "TRADED" NOLAN RYAN

Hot on the heels of my re-done base 1972 card for the "Ryan Express", I now post up a "Traded" late-series 1972 card I had printed up for one of my recent printed sets, which would have made that 1972 set even more of a beast:

Would have been a great card to add to that cool 1972 sub-set!

What really needs to be said about a guy who has become more myth than baseball legend?

300+ wins, 5700+ strikeouts, 60+ shutouts, and oh yeah SEVEN no-hitters, two of which came when he was well into his 40’s while with the Texas Rangers!

I love thinking about the fact that he did most of his damage in the American League with the designated hitter. Now imagine how many strikeouts he could have had in his prime pitching in the National League where the pitcher batted?!

Would it be safe to say you could add 20-30 strikeouts a season to his total? More?

Hey, you never know…

Nevertheless, the man became a baseball God, eventually finding his place in the Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility as an absolute no-brainer.

I just thank the skies above that I got to see him pitch in-person!

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1972 NOLAN RYAN

I never realized that I failed to post here on the blog the 1972 "do-over" Nolan Ryan card I had printed up for one of my recent "Series" sets from about a year ago, that of him with a New York Mets version:

I thought it'd be fun to have a Mets version, followed by a late-series "Traded" version which I also included in the set.

As we all know, Ryan was traded to the Angels along with three other players for Jim Fregosi, star shortstop.
And as we ALSO know, this goes down as one of the worst trades in baseball history, as Ryan IMMEDIATELY became THE fire-balling pitcher of his day.
I know I don't have to state the obvious here, but we're talking: 300+ wins, 5000+ strikeouts, seven no-hitters, 11 strikeout titles with six of them being 300+ seasons, two E.R.A. crowns and an almost unanimous Hall of Fame induction.
You can see why people can forget that Fregosi was a legitimate star the Mets were trading for, while Ryan was still trying to prove himself on the Major League level.
I got to see Ryan pitch a few times before he hung them up, and he was STILL throwing high-heat (with a loud GRUNT with every delivery) well into his LATE-40's!
It was truly something to behold...

 

1960s ALL-DECADE ALL-STARS: RELIEVER HOYT WILHELM

Good day all!

Here's another card I had printed up for a recent WTHBALLS set that never made it to the blog for some reason, my 1970 "All-Decade" 1960s card for the reliever of the decade, Hoyt Wilhelm, Hall of Fame knuckleballer:

Just a beautiful photo of the man with the New York Giants early in his career, a Big League tenure that would begin late, run years beyond most other careers, and lead right to the Hall of Fame, as it should have.

Who knows what he could have done if he remained a starter. Who knows what his career numbers would have been if he began his career in his early 20's instead of at the ripe "old" age of 29!
Think about this for a second: the man started his career at 29 and he STILL pitched in 21 seasons. He still ended up setting what was then the all-time record for appearances by a pitcher with 1070.
Throw in seven seasons of sub-2.00 E.R.A.'s, 227 saves, and on top of all of that, TWO E.R.A. crowns in the ONLY two years he even threw enough innings to qualify, and you definitely have a Hall of Fame career when it's all said and done.
Take a look at Wilhelm's rookie season. In 1952 he shows up in New York, pitching for the Giants, and all he does is go 15-3 in 159.1 innings, with a league-leading 2.43 E.R.A. and 11 saves. And this was ALL in relief! He appeared in 71 games without a single start. Just awesome.
He also managed to hit a home run in his first Major League at bat on April 23, 1952, never to hit another one in his career. Go figure.
It would then be another seven years before he would pitch more than 154 innings, this time topping out with a career high 226 with the Baltimore Orioles in 1959 mainly as a starter.
His other numbers that year were good enough to have him selected as an All-Star: 15-11, league-leading 2.19 E.R.A., and 13 complete games with three shut outs.
Whether you had him starting or coming in as a reliever, he was up for the challenge.
Wilhelm finally called it a career after the 1972 season where he appeared in only 16 games for the L.A. Dodgers.
Over the course of his last five seasons (all post-45 years of age), he bounced around a bit and pitched for five teams: White Sox, Angels, Braves, Dodgers and Cubs, going 17-18 with 43 saves.
Nevertheless, Wilhelm was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985, generally considered the first relief pitcher to have this honor bestowed upon him.

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION-1976 CHRIS ARNOLD

Good day all!

On the blog today, we revisit a ten-year-old post featuring my 1976 "Missing in Action" card for former San Francisco Giant infielder Chris Arnold, which was part of my "1976 Project" for my buddy Jim:

Arnold played in 29 games during the 1975 season after coming off a half-season of play the previous year, easily the most of his six-year career.

While playing both in the infield and outfields, Arnold chipped in with a .267 batting average based on his eight hits in 41 at-bats, all of those hits being singles.

His 1976 season would end up being the last of his career, which was spent entirely in 'frisco, finishing with a .237 career average with 103 hits in 435 at-bats over 273 games.

1988 CAREER-CAPPER: REGGIE JACKSON

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we feature my 1988 "Career-Capper" for all-world sports icon Reggie Jackson, who wrapped up a memorable Major League career in 1987 as a member of the Oakland A's, from my recent "1980s Career-Cappers" set:

Truly one of the eternal icons of the game, the man was just destined for baseball greatness since his days at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania.
Recruited by pro teams and colleges alike, he went on to Arizona State where he was actually on a football scholarship.
Of course we all know the story of the 1966 amateur draft, where the New York Mets held the #1 pick, and opted for high school catcher Steve Chilcott instead of who many considered the true #1 overall amateur, Jackson.
With the second pick, the Kansas City Athletics (later Oakland) picked the slugger and the rest is history, as he would eventually lead the organization to three straight championships between 1972-1974 before being traded in a blockbuster to the Baltimore Orioles where he’d play for one season in 1976.
As a highly coveted free agent before the 1977 season, Jackson signed with the New York Yankees, and with Reggie in NYC, the legend exploded as he helped the Yankees to two championships in 1977-78.
With his larger than life persona, New York ate it up and before you knew it, he was known around the world, even getting his own candy-bar by the end of the decade.
For a kid like me growing up in Brooklyn in the ‘70’s, Reggie was like a God, larger than life, and before he finished up his career in 1987, putting in 21 seasons, he would put together a Hall of Fame career with 563 homers, 1702 runs batted in, an MVP Award in 1973, and five championships.
Add to that 14 all-star nods, four home run titles, a legendary homer in the 1971 All-Star Game against Dock Ellis, his 1977 World Series performance, and you can see why he goes down as one of the most well-known baseball personalities the game has ever seen!

 

OPC VARIATIONS: 1977 SAM EWING

On the blog today, we have the 1977 OPC card issued for Toronto Blue Jay designated hitter Sam Ewing, who was left out of the Topps 1977 counterpart:

Ewing appeared in 11 games for Chicago during the 1973 season, batting .150 with three hits over 20 at-bats, while playing first base.
He’d be stuck in the minors the next couple of seasons, putting up nice numbers before getting called up again in 1976 after hitting a very nice .351 for the White Sox Triple-A team Iowa Oaks.
In November of 1976, he’d be selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 57th pick of the expansion draft, and he’d have a nice year for the new organization, batting .287 with 34 runs batted in over 97 games in their first year as a Major League club.
However, after hitting only .179 in 1978, he’d find himself in the Minors again, before playing in Japan during the 1979 season for the Nippon Ham Fighters, hitting 15 homers while batting .286.
That production got him back with the White Sox organization in 1980 playing for Iowa, but he never got the chance to appear in another Major League game, finishing up with a .255 batting average with 92 hits over 361 at-bats in 167 games.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: WARREN SPAHN

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1960 "Stars of the Game" card of legend Warren Spahn, from my custom Gelatin set released back in 2018:

Anyone who has followed this blog long enough knows by now that any time I can create a card for the mighty lefty, I will take it!

The man was amazing, flat out, and by the time he retired in 1965 he posted a 363-245 record, with a 3.09 ERA, 63 shutouts, 28 saves and 2583 strikeouts over 750 appearances, 665 of which were starts.

Oh yeah, he also hit 35 career home runs along with 189 runs batted in with (coincidentally) 363 hits!

And remember he didn’t win his first game until he was 25 years of age, as he served in the military from 1943 to 1945.

His first 20-game season was 1947 (at the age of 26), and he kept right on rolling until his final 20-game season in 1963!

In between, he ended up posting 13 such campaigns, leading the league eight times (with five of those coming consecutively from 1957 to 1961).

 

A REDO OF ONE OF MY OWN: 1970 DON DRYSDALE CAREER CAPPER

On the blog today, I never realized that I forgot to post here my redone 1970 Career Capper for "Double-D" Don Drysdale, for my Series 11 set released back in October of 2022:

This image made much more sense than the one I used when I first created such a card back in 2014, with this image a nice posed shot of the feared slinger at the end of his career.

Though retiring at such a young age, Drysdale still collected 209 wins along with a 2.95 earned run average and 2486 strikeouts.
Imagine if he were able to pitch another three or four years. Would we be looking at a 300-win guy? Most assuredly a 3000 strikeout pitcher for sure.
Nevertheless, his accomplishments in such a short time were good enough for the BBWAA to elect him into the Hall of Fame in 1984, joining old teammate Sandy Koufax and eventually joined by Don Sutton.
Drysdale took home the Cy Young in 1962 while pacing the Senior Circuit in wins, starts, innings and strikeouts, while also posting one of his NINE sub-3.00 ERA campaigns.
Tough as nails when on the mound, he was named to eight All-Star Games, and of course had that magical run in 1968 when he threw 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including six straight shutouts.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: SATCHEL PAIGE

Time to add the one and only Satchel Paige to my long-running WTHBALLS custom "Classic Baseball" set, always a fun player to have in any checklist:

The stories of Paige in his prime are endless, and while most are embellished beyond any scope of reality, the man was an incredible pitcher that many Major League stars who opposed him during his prime went out of their way to say so.

On the Major League level, Paige made his debut in 1948 with Cleveland at the ripe old age of 41, going 6-1 with a 2.48 earned run average over 21 games, seven of which were starts.

The following season he went 4-7 with a 3.04 E.R.A., but ended up missing all of 1950 before coming back to pitch three more years with the St. Louis Browns, going a combined 18-23 with a couple of shutouts and 26 saves over 126 games, 13 of which were starts.

We're talking about a man who was 46 years old at the end of that run!

Move ahead twelve years, in 1965, and Paige took the mound at the age of 58 as a promotional stunt with the Kansas City A's, yet still managed to pitch three innings, giving up a sole hit with no walks, with a strikeout thrown in for good measure! Hilarious!

In those six truncated seasons in the Majors, Paige went a combined 28-31 with a 3.29 earned run average, 288 strikeouts and two shutouts over 179 games and 476 innings.

But it was his legendary status in the Negro Leagues that made him a baseball immortal within the halls of Cooperstown.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1987 CAREER-CAPPER FOR JACK PERCONTE

By special request, here's a 1987 career-capper for former infielder Jack Perconte, one of the more interesting that had one excellent year in the Big Leagues, surrounded by partial years in their career:

Originally up with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980 for only 14 games, Perconte would play parts of five years between 1980 and 1986, surrounding two seasons in 1984 and 1985 where he was a full-timer with the Seattle Mariners.

His 1984 season was very solid for the light-hitting middle infielder, when he set career bests across the board, scoring 93 runs, collecting 180 hits, hitting .294 over 689 plate appearances for Seattle.

He never came close to those numbers again, though the following year he did appear in 125 games for the Mariners, hitting .264 with 128 hits and 60 runs scored, and a career best 31 stolen bases.

By the time he wrapped up his career with 24 games as a Chicago White Sox in 1986, he finished with a very decent .270 career batting average, with 389 hits in 1441 at-bats, with 191 runs scored and 78 stolen bases.

 

REVISITING MY "THEN & NOW" 1972 CARD FOR MUDCAT GRANT

Let's have some fun today and revisit my ten-year-old 1972 "Then and Now" card for Jim "Mudcat" Grant, one of Baseball's "Black Aces":

Though he did have a card in the 1972 Topps set, he was already done with his Major League days, finishing up with the Oakland A's at the end of the 1971 season after starting it with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Between 1958 and 1966 he was primarily a starter, putting in his finest big league season in 1965 while a member of the American League champion Minnesota Twins, going 21-7 with a 3.30 earned run average, six shutouts and 142 strikeouts over 270.1 innings and 41 games, 39 of which were starts.

By the time he retired, Grant posted a 145-119 record with a 3.63 ERA, 18 shutouts and 54 saves over 571 games and 2442 innings playing for the Indians, Twins, Dodgers, Expos, Cardinals, A's and Pirates.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 GRAIG NETTLES

Good day all! On the blog today, a fun card to add to the WTHBALLS checklist, a "not so missing" 1968 card for all-star third baseman Graig Nettles, who made his Major League debut in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins:

Nettles appeared in only three games for the Twins that year, going 1-for-3 at the plate, that hit being a double.

He'd appear in 22 games the following season, hitting .224 with 17 hits over 76 at-bats, including the first five home runs of his career along with eight RBIs.

It wasn’t until he got some full-time action with the Cleveland Indians in 1970 that he put up some nice numbers, becoming a productive third baseman for three years before finding himself in the Bronx after a six-player trade that left the Indians organization scratching their heads.
All Nettles would do is go on to slug 20+ homers seven straight years, leading the American League with 32 in 1976, and then topping that with 37 the following season while being an integral part of the “Bronx Zoo” championship teams of 1977 and 1978.
His incredible defensive work during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers put him in exclusive company as a Fall Classic icon alongside the likes of Brooks Robinson and HIS defensive work in the 1970 classic against the Cincinnati Reds.
By the time Nettles was done after 22-years in the big leagues, he finished with 390 home runs, 2225 hits and 1314 runs batted in, with six all-star game nods and two Gold Gloves.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: SPARKY ANDERSON

We move onto the Managers for the two teams in that classic of all Midsummer Classics, the 1971 All-Star game played in the "Motor City", Detroit, Michigan, and today it's the National League skipper Sparky Anderson:

Arguably leading the team of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds, Anderson was at the helm of a team that featured many of the top players of the era.

In 1975 the Reds were arguably one of the best teams in baseball history, steamrolling to 108 victories before eventually beating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

In 1976, more of the same as the team would win 102 games before sweeping the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Throw in the fact that they were also in the World Series in both 1970 and 1972, and it really looked like the team, stacked with guys like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and George Foster, would be keeping our attention for quite some time.

But alas, according to Sparky, it was the trading of one of their OTHER stars, Tony Perez, that took the heart and soul out of the team, and shockingly the "Big Red Machine" would not bring home another championship, and the franchise would have to wait until 1990 before experiencing it again.

For Anderson however, the man would go down as one of the greatest managers in Major League history, moving on to the Detroit Tigers in 1979, where he would go on to manage 17 years, giving him a combined 26 years of Big League managing, even taking home another title with that great 1984 Tiger team that was in first "wire-to-wire", winning 104 games before beating the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

All told the man won 2194 games as a manager, finishing with a .545 winning percentage, three titles, 5 pennants, and of course a Hall of Fame induction in 2000.

Legend, and perpetually looking like an "old man" even when he was in his 30's!

1988 CAREER-CAPPER: STEVE GARVEY

On the blog today, a 1988 "Career-Capper" for a man I will always state should be in the Hall of Fame, Steve Garvey, "new-fangled analytics" be damned:

Garvey appeared in only 27 games for the San Diego Padres in 1987, hitting .211 with 16 hits in 76 at-bats with a homer and nine RBIs.

Garvey made his Major League debut in 1969 as a 20-year-old, appearing in three games, going 1-for-3 at the plate.

Of course, we all know that the man would go on to be a perennial All-Star first baseman, and for ME, a lock for the Hall of Fame.

The fact that he was the premier first baseman in the National League from the mid-70’s through the mid-80’s, an All-Star year in and year out doesn't seem to matter to most however.
Modern metrics be damned, the man topped 200-hits six times, took home the NL MVP in 1974, won four Gold Gloves and strung together a run of 1207 consecutive games played, which is still the NL record.
The anchor of the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the era, they took over from Cincinnati as the preeminent team in the Senior Circuit in the late-70s, reaching the World Series three times over five seasons between 1977 and 1981, winning it all that final year, beating the New York Yankees and exacting some sweet revenge for their two losses in 77/78.
I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a few hundred times: the fact that this man is NOT in the Hall of Fame, representing his era of Major League baseball, is a joke. Flat out nonsense. Beyond the numbers, the personality, the leader of a team that was shattering attendance records, helping popularize the game further, the man was an All-Star year in-year out.
In my book, seeing that the most support he ever received was 42.6%, which was in his second-year of eligibility in 1994, is nothing short of a mark on what the Hall of Fame is.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 EDDIE BANE

Good day everyone.

Thought it'd be fun to go back 10 years this week and revisit my "missing in action" card for former pitching phenom Eddie Bane of the Minnesota Twins:

Bane didn't play much during the 1975 season, but this being my friend Jim's project I created the card at his request.

For the '75 season Bane appeared in four games, all starts, and posted a 3-1 record with a 2.86 earned run average and 14 strikeouts in 28.1 innings of work.

As we all know, Bane, who starred on his college team at Arizona State was named to the All-America team, was drafted 11th overall in the 1973 amateur draft and went right to the Majors without any Minor League time.

It didn't help much, as the young arm posted a 0-5 record with a 4.92 ERA over 23 games, six of which were starts.

After playing in the Minors the entire 1974 season, he made those aforementioned four starts in 1975 before putting in the most time in any one season in 1976, appearing in 17 games, 15 of which were starts, logging 79.1 innings pitched.

He'd finish the year at 4-7 with a 5.11 ERA, but it would mark the last action he'd see on a Major League mound, as he'd go on to pitch in the Minor Leagues another four years before retiring as a player for good in 1980.

All told, Bane finished his Big League career with a 7-13 record, with a 4.66 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 44 games and 168 innings pitched.

MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 MIKE MARSHALL

Good day all!

At long last! After 12 years of creating cards for this blog, I have finally found an image good "enough" to create a "missing" 1978 card for reliever extraordinaire Mike Marshall:

Granted, it took a ton of work to make this card actually usable for this card, but dammit, it has been way too long and I wanted to put this card behind me.

Marshall split the 1977 season between the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, where he went a combined 3-2 over 16 games, four of them starts, picking up a save and pitching to an ERA of 4.75.

But the man was FAR from finished in the Big Leagues, as evidenced by his comeback 1978 campaign with the Minnesota Twins.

He'd finish that season with a record of 10-12 over 54 games, all out of the bullpen, saving 21 games while posting a very nice 2.45 ERA over 99 innings.

Mike Marshall is about as interesting a character in Major League baseball during the 1970's as any other. And considering some of the characters we've looked at in the past, that is saying something.
How else can you describe a guy who seriously considered retiring from the sport so he could focus on his P.H.D. studies before his record setting 1974 season?
If you've ever read Jim Bouton's hilarious and landmark book "Ball Four" you read about Marshall's legendary battles with his then-manager Jim Schultz while both were members of the ill-fated single-season organization Seattle Pilots.
This guy was something else. And his arm was undoubtedly something else as well. In no less than three seasons, Marshall appeared in 90 or more games, including his record-setting mark of 106 in 1974 that still stands today.
And UNLIKE today with specialty pitchers who come in and face a batter or two, when Marshall came into a game, he pitched.
In 1974, purely a relief role, Marshall threw an astounding 208.1 innings, going 15-12 with a 2.42 E.R.A. and a league-leading 21 saves. Amazing by any standard, any era.
This easily got him a Cy Young award that year, beating out fellow teammate Andy Messersmith, while also finishing third in M.V.P. voting as well.
When it came to baseball cards, Marshall was equally as "unique". Rumor has it that he was a bit of a headache for Topps, refusing to "pose" for pictures. Because of this, his cards featured action shots between 1974 through 1977.
Then, after his '77 card, he disappeared altogether. Why I have no idea. But even though Marshall played through the rest of the decade, there were no cards for him in the 1978 and 1979 set.
The 1979 season was another amazing year for Marshall. He appeared in an A.L. record 90 games, closing out 84 of them, good enough for a 10-15 record with a league-leading 32 saves. Those numbers got him a fifth-place finish in the Cy Young voting that year, which marked the fifth time he was in the running for the award in his career.
He even finished in 11th place for M.V.P. as well, which was the fourth time he garnered serious attention as "Most Valuable Player" during his playing days.
But because of what I understand as "problems" between Topps and Marshall, he was not included in the set that year, leaving a gaping hole for a guy who was as good as any coming into a game as a reliever.
It must have been frustrating for fans of the Twins, and more specifically Marshall, to rip open packs during the late '70's only to find that one of your best pitchers wasn't even depicted on a card.
Then again, from everything I've read online, he's about as tough an autograph to get as anyone else out there, long refusing to sign his name for fans, so perhaps they weren't really missing him too much after all.

 

BY SPECIAL REQUEST: "GIMMIE A DO-OVER" 1978 TERRY FORSTER

A special request has come in to the blog to re-do Terry Forster's 1978 card, which originally had him airbrushed into a Los Angeles Dodgers uni after signing with them as a Free Agent in November of 1977.

Here, I have created a 1978 card showing him as a Pittsburgh Pirate, for whom he suited up in 1977 in his lone season there:

Forster was already a proven Big League reliever after six seasons with the Chicago White Sox, even leading the league with 24 save in 1974.

In December 1976 he was traded to the Pirates along with Rich Gossage (ouch!), for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez.

Forster did well as a set-up man, appearing in 33 games, with six of those games starts, collecting one save and going 6-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 87.1 innings.

He would go on to play five years with the Dodgers, helping them to two World Series, winning it all in 1981, before moving on to the Atlanta Braves between 1983 and 1985, then one final year in 1986 as a member of the California Angels.

All told, he appeared in 614 games between 1971 and 1986, picking up 127 saves to go along with a record of 54-65, with a nnice 3.23 ERA over 1105.2 innings.

Not too shabby!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1979 TIM STODDARD

On the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1979 card for former reliever Tim Stoddard of the Baltimore Orioles:

Stoddard appeared in only eight games for the Orioles in 1978, going 0-1 with a 6.00 earned run average over 18 innings, his first action on a Big League mound other than one singular inning for the Chicago White Sox in 1975.

In 1979 he would have himself a very good year for the eventual American league champs, appearing in 29 games, saving three and pitching to a stellar 1.71 ERA over 58 innings.

He would go on to put in 13 seasons under the Major League sun, appearing in 485 games and compiling a final record of 41-35 with a 3.95 ERA in 729.2 innings of work.

I remember his time with the New York Yankees in the late-80s, where he performed well, going 6-5 with eleven saves in 85 games in 1987-1988.

Look for a "not so missing" 1975 card for him in the near future here on the blog!

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BILL FREEHAN

Quick: name a Major League catcher you feel should be a member of the Hall of Fame. For me, I go with Bill Freehan of the Detroit Tigers, who was the best backstop in the Junior Circuit through the 1960s until guys like Munson and Fisk came along.

With that being said, here is my card for the all-star catcher from my "Classic Baseball" custom WTHBALLS set:

With all the superstars on the filed during the decade of the '60s, it's easy to forget that Freehan was an eleven-time all-star, five-time Gold Glover, and finished in the top-ten in M.V.P. voting three times, with a second place finish in 1968 behind teammate Denny McLain.
1964, his first full year in the Majors, was arguably his finest season, as he hit .300 for the only time in his career along with 18 homers and 80 R.B.I.'s.
But for the rest of the decade Freehan put up comparable numbers year after year, while taking are of a Detroit pitching staff that featured guys like McLain, Mickey Lolich and Earl Wilson.
He really was ahead of the rest of the pack as far as A.L. catchers during the decade.

A solid player through and through, he'd retire after the 1976 season with a .262 lifetime average, 200 homers and 758 runs batted in over 1774 games and 6073 at-bats.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 BOBBY JONES

Today on the blog, we gibe former outfielder Bob Jones another "not so missing" card to go with his 1978 edition, this time a 1976 card after playing in a handful of games with the Texas Rangers in 1975:

 

Jones appeared in only nine games in 1975, putting in time at all three outfield spots while collecting one hit over 11 at-bats, for an .091 average for those wondering.

He'd have somewhat of a break-through season in 1976 when he appeared in 78 games, collecting 187 plate-appearances, even if he hit only .211 with 35 hits over 166 official at-bats for the Angels.
In 1978 he had an excellent season in the Minor Leagues, hitting .307 with 14 homers and 102 RBIs, but never got a call up to the Big leagues, prompting him to go to Japan where he played for the Chunichi Dragons before coming back and suiting up for the Texas Rangers in 1981 when he played in 10 games.
He’d spend all of 1982 in the Minor Leagues again, but in 1983 made it back, where he’d play out his career through the 1986 seasons.
By the time he left the Majors in 1986, he finished with a career .221 batting average, with 133 hits over 603 at-bats in 314 games, with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs.
After his playing days, he pretty much made himself a baseball lifer, becoming a coach and Minor League manager in the Texas organization, eventually becoming the franchise’s all-time winning Minor League manager with 1285 career wins.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: RON HANSEN

The next custom card from my 2018 "1960 Stars of the Game" set to get the spotlight is my card for A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1960, Ron Hansen of the Baltimore Orioles:

 

In 1960 he was Rookie of the Year after hitting 22 homers while driving in 86 runs for the Baltimore Orioles, also finishing fifth in the MVP race at season's end.

He was a solid shortstop, getting some MVP attention in 1964, 1965 and 1967 while playing with the Chicago White Sox, but never having a season again like he did in 1960.

All told, by the time he retired, Hansen finished with a career .234 average, with 1007 hits and 106 homers over 1384 games and 4311 at-bats, getting named to one All-Star  team.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1973 GRAIG NETTLES

On the blog today, I recently spoke about having to re-do the 1973 card for Graig Nettles since I always hated the airbrush job, and wanted a version that showed him with the Cleveland Indians since that's who he suited up for in 1972, so here you are:

Luckily there are some good images out there of "Puff" during his tenure with the Indians, so I was able to find this nice posed shot of the third baseman.

Nettles originally came up with the Minnesota Twins in the late-60’s, but it wasn’t until he got some full-time action with the Cleveland Indians did he put up some nice numbers in 1970, becoming a productive third baseman for three years before finding himself in the Bronx after a six-player trade that left the Indians organization scratching their heads.
All Nettles would do is go on to slug 20+ homers seven straight years, leading the American League with 32 in 1976, and then topping that with 37 the following season while being an integral part of the “Bronx Zoo” championship teams of 1977 and 1978.
His incredible defensive work during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers put him in exclusive company as a Fall Classic icon alongside the likes of Brooks Robinson and HIS defensive work in the 1970 classic against the Cincinnati Reds.
By the time Nettles was done after 22-years in the big leagues, he finished with 390 home runs, 2225 hits and 1314 runs batted in, with six all-star game nods and two Gold Gloves.

 

REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1974 CARD FOR GARY ROSS

On the blog today, we revisit my 10-year-old post of a "missing" 1974 card for former pitcher Gary Ross of the San Diego Padres:

For the 1973 season Ross appeared in 59 games for the Padres, finishing 29 of them with a total of 76.1 innings pitched.

He fashioned a 4-4 record with a 5.42 earned run average and 44 strikeouts.

I always remember him towards the end of his career when with the California Angels, for whom he pitched between 1975 and 1977.

Overall he played for the Chicago Cubs, Padres and Angels between 1968 and 1977, finishing with a 25-47 career record, with a 3.92 ERA and 378 K's over 283 games and 713.2 innings pitched.

For what it's worth, over the years I also created a 1975 and 1976 set of "missing" cards to help us "complete" our collections!

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: "CORRECTED" 2024 HERITAGE SHOHEI OHTANI (ORIGINAL VERSION BY TOPPS)

As I did earlier with a "corrected" 2025 Topps Heritage card for Juan Soto, showing him with the Yankees and having an All-Star on his card, I went ahead and dug up the ORIGINAL 2024 Heritage card for all-world Shohei Ohtani, from the design Topps was originally going to put out there had he not signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the initial advertising for the set:

 

Topps simply took this image, airbrushed the correct uniform, and TOOK AWAY the All-Star designation to create their as-issued Dodgers version.

This of course pissed off those of us who want the FULL all-star teams designated on their base-cards to build out sets (just like the Soto dilemma a year later).

I do remember Topps' first advertising for the 2024 Heritage set showed this Ohtani Angels version, then quickly changed once he signed with the Dodgers.

Since he was the American League All-Star DH in the 2023 game, he should have had this card with the All-Star designation, them maybe an update Dodger version (harking back to the Hank Aaron treatment in 1975).

So I hope this helps clear up the "missing" A.L. All-Star in the Heritage set!

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: RON SANTO

On the blog today, we give Hall of Famer third baseman Ron Santo a card in my custom WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the great game's rich history:

Ron Santo was no slouch at the hot corner: nine All-Star games, five Gold Gloves, 342 lifetime homers and 1331 runs batted in in a somewhat short 15-year career, mainly for the North Side Chicago Cubs (he played his last year for the South Side Chicago White Sox) in 1974.

Just take a look at his career, and see the solid numbers year after year, about as consistent a player you could ever ask for.

Between 1963 and 1973 Santo was selected for nine All-Star games, received five Gold Gloves for his defensive work, and four-time finished Top-10 in the National League MVP race, with a high of fourth in 1967.
Post-playing career, Santo moved on to broadcasting, where he was a beloved color commentator over the years, working with guys like Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman and Steve Stone.

He was about as beloved a Cub as there ever was, and finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Veteran's Committee selection, even though tragically it was two years after he passed away.

 

REVISITING MY "NOT REALLY MISSING" 1971 RAY OYLER FROM 10 YEARS AGO

Good day all!

On the blog today, revisiting a post from 10 years ago, my "not really missing" 1971 card for Ray Oyler of the California Angels:

I recently came across this nice usable image for former shortstop Ray Oyler as a California Angel, and since he didn't have a card in the 1971 set I figured I'd whip one up, even though it's a bit of a stretch considering the minimal time he played in 1970.

The 1970 would end up being the last in Oyler's six-year career.

It wasn't much of a showing, as he collected two scant hits over 24 at-bats, good for a .083 batting average in the 24 games he got into that season.

But when you look at his career, Oyler was all glove and no bat, almost literally.

By the time he hung up his cleats after 1970, he retired with a .175 batting average, based on his 221 hits over 1265 at-bats.

Between 1965 and 1970, he topped .200 once, when he hit .207 in 1967 for the Detroit Tigers.

However, on a positive note, during the Tiger's World Series run in 1968 Oyler played in 111 games for the champs, arguably the high point of his career before being selected by the expansion Seattle Pilots for the 1969 season.

Quite a few teammates reflected on Oyler's defensive prowess, some even stating that no matter what the batting average was, having Oyler as their shortstop helped their team.

Talk about the epitome of "good field, no hit"!