On the blog today, a fun card to create for a fun 1970's personality, a 1971 "dedicated rookie" for the "Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky, who made his Big League debut in 1970 with 16 appearances:
Hrabosky
went 2-1 in those games, which included what turned out to be his only
start over his 13-year career, posting a ERA of 4.74 over 19 innings as a
20-year-old.
It wouldn't be until 1973 that Hrabosky would become a solid
man out of the pen, appearing in 44 games and posting a sparkling 2.09
earned run average with five saves and 57 K's in 56 innings.
His next two seasons of 1974 and 1975 would be the best of his
13-year career, as he went a combined 21-9 with 35 saves, posting
E.R.A.'s of 2.95 and 1.66 over 130 games.
He would finish a very nice 64-35, with a 3.10 ERA and 97 saves over 545
appearances and 722 innings pitched between 1970 and 1982, finishing in
the Top-5 in NL Cy Young voting in both 1974 and 1975.
Of course, the mark he really left on the game were his insane antics,
psyching himself up on the mound like a madman with his back to the
batter before he spun around in an apparent rage.
The "Mad Hungarian"!
