1973 SPECIAL: THE KNUCKLING CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Found another great image from the 1970’s and had to create a 1973 special for it: Chicago White Sox pitching coach Johnny Sain posing with pitchers Wilbur Wood and Eddie Fisher and their knuckle-ball grips:

Just an awesome shot of the legendary Sain, former pitching star of the 1940’s and 1950’s, along with an effective reliever in Fisher from the 1960’s, and Wood, who was doing some incredible things in the mid-70’s.
While Fisher was wrapping up a very nice 15-year Major League career as a relief pitcher, Wood was in the middle of a ridiculous run where he’d post four-straight 20-win seasons, with over 300 innings pitched each time, with an astronomical 376.2 thrown in 1972, good for top-5 finishes for the Cy Young Award three straight years between 1971 and 1973.
It’s also worth noting that just a few years earlier, in 1968., Wood also had one of the great RELIEF pitching seasons of all-time when he appeared in 88 games, going 13-12 with a sparkling 1.87 ERA over 159 innings pitched along with 16 saves.
Nevertheless, just a great photo of pretty much three eras of the game represented in one shot!
I love creating these “specials”. Just too much fun...

THEN AND NOW: EDDIE FISHER 1960-1973

Here’s a card celebrating the solid Major League career of relief pitcher Eddie Fisher, who put in 15 years between 1959 and 1973:

Fisher had some excellent seasons in the mid-1960’s with the Chicago White Sox, with his best in 1965 when he made the all-star team and went 15-7 with 24 saves, all in relief, with a 2.40 earned run average.
He continued to be an arm out of the ‘pen until his last season when he returned to the White Sox and they tried him out as a starter for half of his appearances, going 8-8 as a 36-year old.
Overall he finished with an 85-70 record with a 3.41 ERA along with 82 saves for no less than six organizations, leading the American League in appearances in both 1965 and 1966.

MISSING IN ACTION/CAREER CAPPER- 1974 EDDIE FISHER

Let's go and give longtime Major League relief pitcher Eddie Fisher a 1974 card. You can either consider it a "missing" card or a "career capper".

Take a look:

Fisher finished off a nice 15-year Major League career after the 1973 season when he pitched six games for St. Louis after coming over from the Chicago White Sox late in the season.

All told he pitched in 32 games that year, good for an 8-8 record with a 4.67 earned run average and 58 strikeouts over 117.2 innings of work.

Among his 32 games he started 16 of them, the most of his career! 

As a matter of fact, the last time Fisher even started more than five games was way back in 1963 when he started 15 for the White Sox in his fifth year as a pro.

His finest season was easily 1965 when he went 15-7 with a 2.40 E.R.A., 24 saves and a league-best 0.974 WHIP across 165.1 innings, all in relief! He led the A.L. In games pitched that season with 82, something he would do again the following year split between the White Sox and the Orioles.

By the time he retired, Fisher posted an 85-70 record, with a 3.41 E.R.A., 81 saves, two shutouts and 812 strikeouts over 690 games, 63 of which were starts.

Not a bad career at all…