Sunday, July 7, 2024

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: WILLIE STARGELL

I've been told I haven't created enough Willie Stargell cards for the blog over the years by my friend, and while it is true, it certainly is NOT done on purpose.

So today I post up my Stargell "mini" card, from my Gum Pack set released a while back, in honor of "Pops":




Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.
He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).
Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.
His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.
Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!
Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.
So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.
One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

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Everything baseball: cards, events, history and more.