NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 JIM MINSHALL

Here’s a “not so missing” 1975 card for former Pirates pitcher Jim Minshall, for whom I also produced a 1976 card a while back:

Minshall appeared in five games for Pittsburgh in 1974, the first appearances of his Big League career, going 0-1 and not allowing a run over 4.1 innings of work, including three strikeouts.
But he would start the following year in the Minors, only getting into a single game for the Pirates in 1975, the last MLB appearance of his career.
He’d spend the entirety of 1976 in Pittsburgh’s Triple-A level, before retiring as a player after the season.
It’s interesting to see that he played eleven seasons in Pro ball, all of them with the Pirates. You’d think if he was around that long they’d have used him more than the sum total of six games in that time.
Nevertheless, in his six appearances and 5.1 innings pitched he never allowed a run, while striking out five and giving up just one hit. Pretty nice showing, albeit brief, for his abbreviated career.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1976 JIM MINSHALL

Love producing cards for guys like this!
Here’s a “not so missing” 1976 card for former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jim Minshall, who played the last of his six Major League games in 1975:

Minshall appeared in one single game for Pittsburgh in 1975, on September 11th, throwing a scoreless inning in relief where he walked two and struck out two.
He didn’t factor in a decision, and when added to the five appearances he had when he first had a taste of big league ball in 1974, he’d finish his brief career with a record of 0-1 over those six appearances, with five K’s over 5.1 innings pitched.
I couldn’t help but notice his year in the Minors in 1972 when pitching for the Salem Pirates in A-Ball, as he posted a record of 16-1 with 12 complete games in 26 starts along with an earned run average of 3.38.
Sadly, that would be the only season in his 11-year pro career that he would top 10+ wins, finishing up with a record of 59-53 between 1966 and 1976.