On the blog today we have a "not so missing" 1974 card for pitcher Andy Hassler, who was still struggling to hang on to what ended up being a nice 14-year career that ended after the 1985 season:
Hassler
appeared in seven games in his second season at the Big League level,
going 0-4 for the Angels with a 3.69 earned run average over 31.2
innings of work.
The following season would see him a regular
starter for the Angels, appearing in 23 games while tossing 10 complete
games and two shutouts, posting a record of 7-11 with a very nice 2.61
ERA over 162 innings.
He'd have a rough 1975 season that saw
him go 3-12 with a bloated 5.94 ERA over 30 games, 18 of them starts,
and he'd find himself sent over to the Kansas City Roylas in 1976 after
an 0-6 start, finishing the season at 5-12 with a 3.61 ERA over 33
games.
He would end up generally a relief pitcher starting
with the 1978 season, pitching through to 1985 and finishing up with a
record of 44-71, with an ERA at 3.88 over 387 appearances and 1123.1
innings, with five shutouts and 29 saves along the way.
I
remember him as this "veteran" pitcher and am only now seeing that when
he retired he was still only 33 years of age! Incredible.
