On the blog today, a "not so missing" 1979 card for former Chicago White Sox pitcher Rich Wortham, who made his MLB debut in 1978 with eight appearances at the age of 24:
Wortham had
a nice showing over those eight appearances, going 3-2 with a 3.05
earned run average in 59 innings of work, including two complete games.
The
following year he would be a full time starter, posting a record of
14-14 over 34 appearances, all but one of those starts, with a 4.90 ERA
in 204 innings, with five complete games and 119 strikeouts.
However
in 1980 he took a big step back, as he was moved to the bullpen,
appearing in 41 games, with only 10 starts, going 4-7 with a bloated
5.97 ERA over 92 innings pitched, saving one game along the way.
He
would spend both of 1981 and 1982 in the Minor Leagues for a few
organizations before making it all the way back to the Big Leagues in
1983 with the Oakland A's, appearing in only one games and allowing
three hits and a run without retiring a batter, which would be the last
action of his professional career let alone Majors.
All told,
he finished with a record of 21-23 over 84 games, with an ERA of 4.89 in
355 innings, with seven complete games and a save.
