Good day all!
On the blog today, we spotlight my 1960
"Stars of the Game" custom card for former pitcher Ernie Broglio, from
my set released back in 2018 inside printed WTHBALLS gelatin set:
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Broglio
was coming off a rookie 1959 season that saw him go 7-12 for the St.
Louis Cardinals, pitching to a 4.72 ERA over 181.1 innings with three
shutouts.
In 1960 he had himself a fantastic year, leading the
National League with 21 wins, posting a record of 21-9 with a nice 2.74
ERA over 226.1 innings, appearing in 52 games while starting 24.
Those numbers got him a third-place finish in the Cy Young race, as well as a ninth-place finish for N.L. MVP.
He'd
struggle a bit in 1961, going 9-12 over 29 appearances with a 4.12 ERA,
but bounced back with two good years in 1962 and 1963, going 12-9 and
18-8 respectively, with nine shutouts and a 2.99 ERA overall.
Now,
with those numbers, the Chicago Cubs made what was eventually seen as
one of the worst trades ever, sending their young speedster outfielder
Lou Brock to the Cardinals for the young pitcher, a move that would bite
them in the ass.
While Brock would blossom into a
record-breaking Hall of Fame outfielder over the next two decades,
Broglio struggles mightily over the next two and a half seasons,
managing only a combined record of 7-19 between 1964 and 1966, with an
ERA North of 6.00 during his tenure with Chicago.
By the end
of 1966, his career was over, leaving the Cubs with an all-time
"what-if", imagining their 1960's teams anchored by guys like Santo,
Williams, Jenkins AS WELL as Lou Brock.
Instead the Cardinals
would go on to arguably be the second best team of the decade in the
National League behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, taking home two World
Series titles while appearing in another.
