Here's another card that leaves you asking "Why?!": Topps 1978 Roric Harrison (#536).
Take a look:
Just like the Rudy Meoli card I focused on last week, Topps decided
to go ahead and give a card slot to a guy who last appeared in a Major
League game in 1975, and on top of that never even appeared on the team
he's airbrushed as being a member of, the
Detroit Tigers.
He did play for Evansville in the Tiger's Minor League system in
1977, having a decent year for them, posting a record of 9-5 with 11
saves and a 3.29 earned run average.
However I don't know why THAT performance got him a card in the 1978 set.
The last Major League action he had leading up to this card was a
split season in '75 for the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians, where
he went 10-11 with a 4.78 E.R.A. over the course of 34 games, in which
26 were starts.
After two seasons of Minor League ball in 1976 and 1977, he did
make it back to the Majors in 1978, but NOT for the Tigers, but the
Minnesota Twins, and for only nine games and 12 innings, sporting an 0-1
record with a 7.50 E.R.A.
Seems after the Tigers signed him in April of 1977, he was released
in March of '78, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates a week later, got
released a week after that, and hooked up with the Twins by the end of
April.
Those nine games he'd see in 1978 would be the last of his career,
as would the 27 games he'd see in the Minors that year as well.
He was out of baseball for good after that season, but not before
leaving us with one of those "huh?" cards I like to focus on from time
to time.
Seems the 1978 Topps set had a few of these guys showing up among
the 726 cards, and I know I have a couple more I'll take a look at in
the future.
Keep an eye out for the next one...
