SPOTLIGHT: UNISSUED 1977 GARY MATTHEWS PROOF CARD

On the blog today, we take a closer look at an unissued 1977 proof card for former outfielder Gary Matthews, who signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves after starting his career with the San Francisco Giants:

 

The former N.L. Rookie of the Year signed with Atlanta on November 17th of 1976, in time for Topps to airbrush him into a Braves Uni for the 1977 set.

n 1973, he would really make his mark, hitting an even .300 with 162 hits over 540 at-bats, with 74 runs scored and 58 runs batted in during the 1973 season.

Those numbers would be good enough to take home the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award, easily finishing ahead of the Montreal Expos Steve Rogers for top freshman honors.

It would pretty much be steady straight from there, as he’d go on to consistently put similar numbers up through his tenures with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs until he’d retire after a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1987.
By the time he left the game as an active player, he racked up a lifetime .281 average, with 2011 hits and 234 home runs to go with his 1083 runs scored and 978 RBI’s.
He’d also put in some excellent postseason performances, as he’d hit .323 over 19 games with seven home runs and 15 RBIs, including an MVP performance in the NL Championship series while with the Phillies when he hit three homers and drove in eight runs in only four games against the Dodgers, helping the “Wheez Kids” make it to the World Series.

DEDICATED ROOKIE- 1973 GARY MATTHEWS

Thought it'd be a good time to add a 1973 "dedicated rookie" for "Sarge", Gary Matthews, to the WTHBALLS stable, so here goes:

 

Matthews was coming off his major League debut of 1972, when he appeared in 20 games for the San Francisco Giants, hitting a very nice .290 with 18 hits over 62 at-bats with four homers and 14 runs batted in.

In 1973, he would really make his mark, hitting an even .300 with 162 hits over 540 at-bats, with 74 runs scored and 58 runs batted in during the 1973 season.

Those numbers would be good enough to take home the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award, easily finishing ahead of the Montreal Expos Steve Rogers for top freshman honors.

It would pretty much be steady straight from there, as he’d go on to consistently put similar numbers up through his tenures with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs until he’d retire after a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1987.
By the time he left the game as an active player, he racked up a lifetime .281 average, with 2011 hits and 234 home runs to go with his 1083 runs scored and 978 RBI’s.
He’d also put in some excellent postseason performances, as he’d hit .323 over 19 games with seven home runs and 15 RBIs, including an MVP performance in the NL Championship series while with the Phillies when he hit three homers and drove in eight runs in only four games against the Dodgers, helping the “Wheez Kids” make it to the World Series.

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970S- "SARGE" GARY MATTHEWS

Time to go and add Gary Matthews, aka “Sarge” to the long-line of “Nicknames of the 1970s” list, with a 1978 edition for the 16-year Major League veteran:

Matthews just finished his first season with the Atlanta Braves when this card would have come out, after playing the first five years of his Major League career with the San Francisco Giants, for whom he brought home a 1973 NL Rookie of the Year Award.
He would go on to play through the 1987 season playing pretty much equally for the Giants, Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, with a short 45-game stint in Seattle at the very end, hitting a very nice .281 over his career with 234 homers and just under 1000 runs batted in.
In 1983 while with the “Wheez Kids” of Philly, he would help them reach the World Series with an MVP performance in the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers when he slammed three homers in four games with eight RBIs.
In 1984 he’d finish fifth in the NL MVP race when he led the league in both walks and on-base-percentage, helping the Cubs reach the post-season for the first time since 1945 before losing to the San Diego padres in the Championship Series.

A MISSING ROOKIE CUP- 1974 GARY MATTHEWS

Next up in the “Missing Rookie Cup” brigade through the 1970’s is none other than 1973 National League Rookie of the Year, Gary Matthews, aka “Sarge”, who had himself a very nice start to an excellent 16-year Major League career:

Matthews broke into the Big League scene with the San Francisco Giants, and hit an even .300 with 162 hits over 540 at-bats, with 74 runs scored and 58 runs batted in during the 1973 season.
It would pretty much be steady straight from there, as he’d go on to consistently put similar numbers up through his tenures with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs until he’d retire after a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1987.
By the time he left the game as an active player, he racked up a lifetime .281 average, with 2011 hits and 234 home runs to go with his 1083 runs scored and 978 RBI’s.
He’d also put in some excellent postseason performances, as he’d hit .323 over 19 games with seven home runs and 15 RBIs, including an MVP performance in the NL Championship series while with the Phillies when he hit three homers and drove in eight runs in only four games against the Dodgers, helping the “Wheez Kids” make it to the World Series.
Seems I gotta make up a “Sarge” nickname card soon for my “Nicknames of the 1970’s”!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD- 1974 SUB-SET

Next up in the “Awards” thread I’ve been running for a while is a 1974 “Rookie of the Year” card for the 1973 winners, Gary Mathews and Al Bumbry, two guys who’d go on to have long productive careers in the Major Leagues:

In the National League, Mathews would have a really solid year for the San Francisco Giants, batting an even .300 with 22 doubles, 10 triples and 12 home runs with 74 runs scored and 58 runs batted in.
He played in 148 games and collected 162 hits over 540 at-bats, and even had 17 stolen bases thrown into the mix. Very nice first full season that led to an award.
He would go on to play 16 seasons in the Majors, retiring after 1987 with over 2000 hits with a very nice .281 batting average and 234 home runs
Over in the American League, Alonzo (Al) Bumbry only played in 110 games for the Baltimore Orioles, but he made the most of the opportunity as he led the American League with 11 triples while batting a hefty .337 with 120 hits over 356 at-bats.
He would go on to have a very nice 14-year career in the Big Leagues, all but his final season (with the San Diego Padres) spent in Baltimore, even becoming the first Orioles player to collect 200 or more hits in a season during the 1980 campaign when he collected 205 hits on his way to his only All-Star game nod.
By the time he hung them up after the 1985 season, he too retired with a batting average of .281, with 1422 hits over 5053 at-bats along with 254 stolen bases and 778 runs scored.
Two very good players who definitely left their mark on the game.