REVISITING: "MISSING IN ACTION" 1975 JACK AKER

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from just about ten years ago featuring my "missing" 1975 card for former reliever Jack Aker, who wrapped up a very nice MLB career in 1974:

For the 1974 season, his last as a Major League player, Aker appeared in 41 games for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

He posted a record of 2-2 with a couple of saves and a 3.57 earned run average, all out of the pen.

As a matter of fact, in his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: "CHIEF" JACK AKER

On the blog today, a 1973 "Nicknames of the 1970's" card former reliever Jack Aker, who at one point held the record with 32 saves in a season in 1966 while with the Kansas City Athletics:

Since his nickname was rooted in his ancestry, I used the symbol of the Anishinaabe people, of which Aker's descendants are from, more specifically the Potawatomi tribe.

"Anishinaabe" means "Original people", and is a group of tribes that also includes the Algonquin, Ojibway, Ottawa, Mississauga, Nipissing, Saulteaux and Oji-Cree tribes.

As for Aker's playing career, over his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Interestingly, Aker picked up the save in the Seattle Pilots very first game and win in franchise history, before getting traded to the New York Yankees later in the year.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1970 JACK AKER

On the blog today, a "do-over" of the very first 1970 Topps card I ever owned, bought as a ten year old in 1980 at an Antique Store in Brooklyn, featuring former New York Yankees reliever Jack Aker:

As issued by Topps

As you can see from the original image, Topps was in the middle of a battle with MLBPA regarding licensing rights so they were recycling tons of photos of many players in the late-60's/early-70's.

The issued image shows Aker clearly as a member of the Kansas City/Oakland A's, where he played between 1964 and 1968.

He did appear in 38 games for the Yankees in 1969 after coming over from the Seattle Pilots, performing very well by posting a record of 8-4 with a 2.06 ERA and eleven saves.

In his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.

RANDOM QUICKIE: 1970 TOPPS JACK AKER

Here's a quick one for a Saturday afternoon: I just posted my "missing" 1975 card for former reliever Jack Akers the other day. Today I ask: does anyone know how old the photo on Aker's 1970 Topps card is?

Take a look:

NOTICE THE UNI: BLACK SLEEVES WITH THE RED TRIM

Now, Akers played most of the 1969 season with the Yankees, and to top it off he played the other part of the year with the expansion Seattle Pilots.

Before that, he did play with Kansas City Athletics, for whom he came up with in 1964 and played for through the 1968 season (after their move to Oakland).

My questions is, the uniform he has on seems to be a Kansas City A's uni, and from even earlier than 1967 or so.

Any help on this one?

I know Topps didn't take photos for a couple of years in the late-60's, but this seems even more drastic than other cases. This photos seems about five years old! No?

I see uniforms resembling the airbrushed job on Aker's card in the 1965 set, as well as the 1963 Fleer set (see below). Can this photo be that old?

 

1963 FLEER NORM SIEBERN

1965 TOPPS LEW KRAUSSE (THOUGH ACTUALLY NOT KRAUSSE!)

 

MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 JACK AKER

Let's go and give longtime relief pitcher Jack Aker a "missing" card in the 1975 set.

Take a look at the card I created:

For the 1974 season, his last as a Major League player, Aker appeared in 41 games for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

He posted a record of 2-2 with a couple of saves and a 3.57 earned run average, all out of the 'pen.

As a matter of fact, in his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.