1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: RON GUIDRY

Up on the blog today, a spotlight on my 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" custom for my favorite childhood pitcher, Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees, from my set released late last year:

"Louisiana Lightning" was a God in Brooklyn in the late 1970's into the 1980's, and rightly so, given his electric pitching and helping the Yankees to back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978.

His 1978 season was the stuff of legend, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and nine shutouts, with 248 strikeouts, just ridiculous numbers while taking home the Cy Young Award, though getting robbed of the MVP (at least to me anyway).

Beyond his great career, he was, and still is, a great man. One of those guys that everyone seemed to respect no matter what.

On the mound, all he did was win a Cy Young in 1978, get ripped off an MVP that very same year (sorry Jim Rice), get named to four all-star teams, win five Gold Gloves, lead the league in wins twice, ERA twice, shutouts once, WHIP twice, and of course post that awesome 18-strikeout game against the Angels in 1978 during his magical 25-3 season which also saw him post 248 K's.

For his 14-year career he went 170-91, good for a .651 winning percentage, along with a 3.29 ERA, 26 shutouts and 1778 strikeouts.

He'd also go 5-2 in postseason play, with a 3.02 ERA and 51 K's in 62.2 innings, and was part of two World Champion teams (1977/78).

 

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. STRIKEOUTS

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, as we near the end of this long-running thread of "expanded league leaders", we get the the top three American league strikeout pitchers of 1978, displayed on a 1979 expanded leader card:

Of course, if we're talking strikeouts in the American League during the 1970s we're most likely talking about all-time great Nolan Ryan, who prevented the New York Yankees Ron Guidry from a pitching triple crown by striking out 260 batters to Guidry's 248.

For Ryan, it was his sixth strikeout title in seven years, incredibly with another five to come, four of those during the late-80's/early-90's!

The man was not human, as he would go on to whiff 5714 batters over 27 seasons, with 15 seasons of 200+ K's under his belt. Just bonkers.

In second place with the aforementioned 248 K's, the Yankees Ron Guidry, who had a season for the ages in 1978, winning 25 games (against only 3 losses), with nine shutouts and a microscopic 1.74 earned run average.

Not only did he take home the Cy Young that year, but finished second behind Hall of Famer Jim Rice for the league MVP Award, which some may argue he should have won anyway.

In third place with 183 strikeouts, Kansas City Royals ace Dennis Leonard, who put in another great year for the American League West champs.

Leonard posted a career best 21 wins that season, completing half of his 40 starts while posting 294.2 innings of work, tossing four shutouts and posting an ERA of 3.33.

Three aces of the era led by one of the all-time greats in Nolan Ryan. Not too shabby!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. E.R.A.

Up on the blog today, we have a 1979 "expanded league leader" card celebrating the top three ERA men in the American League for 1978:

Of course we begin with the pitching apex of 1978 in Major League baseball, New York Yankees great Ron Guidry.

Guidry was unstoppable that season, cruising to an incredible 25-3 record, helping the Yankees win their second straight championship while setting a new MLB record .893 winning percentage for 20+ win seasons, which still stands today.

Along with his 25 wins, “Louisiana Lightning” led the league with his nine shutouts and 1.74 earned run average, while finishing second with 248 K’s, a new Yankee record that stood until last season when Gerrit Cole topped the mark.

That all resulted in a Cy Young Award while coming in second for the MVP, which arguably should have been his. Just a legendary season for the whip-it from Lafayette, Louisiana.

Lost in the Ron Guidry performance in 1978, the wonderful season the second place finisher in ERA had in his first year with the Texas Rangers, former N.L. Rookie of the Year Jon Matlack, who posted an excellent 2.27 ERA while going 15-13 over 35 appearances, completing 18 starts while striking out 157 batters.

Matlack, who spent the first seven years of his Big League career with the New York Mets, was as solid as they came between 1972 and 1980, regularly putting in 200+ innings of work a year with double digit wins for some pretty bad teams.

By the time he hung them up he finished with 125 wins and 1516 K's, with 30 shutouts  and a very nice 3.18 ERA.

In third place, the man who had the misfortune of having his best Big League season in 1978, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Caldwell, who along with his 22 wins and six shutouts, posted an ERA of 2.36 over 293.1 innings.

Incredibly Caldwell completed 23 of his 34 starts, the top mark in the A.L. that year, even picking up a save as he also made three relief appearances over the course of the season.

That year would begin a six-year run for him that saw double-digit wins and 200+ innings every year except the strike-year of 1981, when he still tossed 144.1 over 23 starts.

Three great starters right here!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. VICTORIES

On the blog today, we move on to the American League’s top winning pitchers for 1978 on an “expanded league leader” card, showcasing the top three players in each statistical category instead of the two top league leaders as Topps issued for a few years during the decade:

Of course, we begin with Mister “All-World” as far as pitchers go for 1978, the New York Yankees Ron Guidry, who put in an all-time year on the mound, leading Major League ball with his 25 wins.

Guidry was unstoppable that season, cruising to an incredible 25-3 record, helping the Yankees win their second straight championship while setting a new MLB record .893 winning percentage for 20+ win seasons, which still stands today.

Along with his 25 wins, “Louisiana Lightning” led the league with his nine shutouts and 1.74 earned run average, while finishing second with 248 K’s, a new Yankee record that stood until last season when Gerrit Cole topped the mark.

Of course, all of this led to Guidry taking home the league’s Cy Young Award, while finishing second in the MVP race to Jim Rice, who put in an equally superb year from the offensive side of the game.

In second place with 22 wins is a guy who happened to have his best MLB season at the wrong time, as he would have easily taken home the Cy any other year, Mike Caldwell of the Milwaukee Brewers, who went 22-9 with a brilliant 2.36 ERA and six shutouts, completing 23 of his 34 starts.

A solid starter between 1978 and 1983, the man had it all working in his first full year with the Brewers, tossing 293.1 innings and even picking up a save over his 37 appearances.

Originally somewhat of a journeyman pitcher in the National league between 1971 and 1977, he found his home in Milwaukee, playing the last eight years of his 14-year career there, even leading them to a World Series appearance in 1982 as well as a playoff in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.

Tied for third with 21 wins apiece, Kansas City Royals pitcher Dennis Leonard and Baltimore Orioles legend Jim Palmer, who each put in solid years for their respective teams.

For Leonard, it was his second straight 20-win season for the A.L. West juggernaut Royals, posting a record of 21-17 over 40 starts, with an ERA of 3.33 over 294.2 innings of work, with 20 complete games and four shutouts.

After a 14-win season in 1979 he’d be back in the 20-win circle again in 1980, going 20-11, making it three times in four years the ace reached the elite level, as well as a 13-win season in 1981, just one off the league lead because of the strike.

For Palmer, it was “business as usual” for the Orioles Hall of Famer, posting his eighth 20-win season in nine years with a wonderful 2.46 ERA and six shutouts over 38 starts, just missing the 300-inning mark with 296, which broke his string of three such seasons between 1975 and 1977.

The man was top-three as far as pitchers are concerned for the 1970’s, in my book only behind Tom Seaver, but with Steve Carlton elbowing his way in the conversation.

A great group of hurlers here!

 

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2015: 1976 RON GUIDRY "DEDICATED ROOKIE"

Thought it would be fun today to revisit a blog post from May of 2015, my 1976 "Dedicated Rookie" of my favorite childhood pitcher, Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees:

"Louisiana Lightning" was a God in Brooklyn in the late 1970's into the 1980's, and rightly so, given his electric pitching and helping the Yankees to back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978.

His 1978 season was the stuff of legend, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and nine shutouts, with 248 strikeouts, just ridiculous numbers while taking home the Cy Young Award, though getting robbed of the MVP (at least to me anyway).

Here's my original blog write-up for that post all those years ago:

"Beyond his great career, he was, and still is, a great man. One of those guys that everyone seemed to respect no matter what.

On the mound, all he did was win a Cy Young in 1978, get ripped off an MVP that very same year (sorry Jim Rice), get named to four all-star teams, win five Gold Gloves, lead the league in wins twice, ERA twice, shutouts once, WHIP twice, and of course post that awesome 18-strikeout game against the Angels in 1978 during his magical 25-3 season which also saw him post 248 K's.

For his 14-year career he went 170-91, good for a .651 winning percentage, along with a 3.29 ERA, 26 shutouts and 1778 strikeouts.

He'd also go 5-2 in postseason play, with a 3.02 ERA and 51 K's in 62.2 innings, and was part of two World Champion teams (1977/78)."

CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS- 1979 SUB-SET

We’ve made it to the last season of the decade in my Awards thread, and today we have the Cy Young winners of 1978 for the 1st card in the 1979 sub-set:

In the National League, we had a 39-year old Gaylord Perry of the San Diego Padres showing that he certainly was not done as a pitcher, posting a record of 21-6 with a 2.73 earned run average, taking home his second such award while becoming the first to win one in each league after also winning in 1972 while with the Indians.
It’s especially interesting to note that the Texas Rangers felt Perry was “over-the-hill” when they traded him to San Diego for Dave Tomlin and $125,000.
He’d go on to pitch another five years, until his age-44 season, before retiring with 314 wins, 3534 strikeouts and an excellent 3.11 ERA over 22 seasons and 777 appearances, on his way to a Hall of Fame induction in 1991.
Over in the American League, we had the New York Yankees “Louisiana Lightning” Ron Guidry putting in a season for the ages, going 25-3, setting the record that still stands for winning percentage among 20-game winners with a brilliant .893, while also setting team records for shutouts with nine and strikeouts with 248, while leading the Majors with his microscopic 1.74 earned run average.
It’s easy to forget how Guidry was already 27 years of age then, only his second full season in the Majors, which would explain why he’d only pitch 14 seasons yet retire at the age of 37 in 1988.
Nevertheless, Guidry would go on to post three 20-win seasons, take home two ERA crowns, and two World Championships while forever being a fan favorite in the Bronx to this day.
I personally never got over him getting ripped off the MVP in 1978, losing out to an equally deserving Jim Rice. But then in 1986 the tables were turned, once again against the Yankees favor when Don Mattingly was ripped off MVP when it was given this time to a pitcher, the Red Sox Roger Clemens.
Some things never die with me...

FUTURE STAR- RON GUIDRY

I know I’ve been a bit heavy on the Yankee players for this thread so far, but it really was an accident as I find great pre-MLB images to use for this idea.
That being said, today’s “Future Star” is none other than my favorite pitcher growing up, Yankee lefty, “Louisiana Lightning” Ron Guidry, who had a season for the ages in 1978:

Guidry’s breakout Cy Young season of 1978 was something else, posting a 25-3 record with a winning percentage of .893 (still the Major League high-water mark for a 20-win season), along with a league-leading 1.74 earned run average to go with nine shutouts and 248 strikeouts.
Easily the Cy Young winner, he missed out on the American League MVP Award, which was given to Jim Rice for HIS awesome year for the Boston Red Sox.
A model of consistency, Guidry would anchor the Yankees pitching staff until 1988, retiring with a career record of 170-91, good for a winning percentage of .651, along with a 3.28 ERA and 1778 strikeouts and 26 shutouts over 368 appearances, 323 of which were starts.
He was named to four all-star teams and took home five straight Gold Gloves between 1982-1986, along with three 20+ win seasons and two ERA crowns.

MISSING IN ACTION REVISITED- 1976 RON GUIDRY: "1976 PROJECT"

Thanks to "Reader Jim", I was directed to a much better image of my favorite childhood pitcher: Ron Guidry. So I wanted to redesign my original "Dedicated Rookie".

Here you go, a rehashed Ron Guidry 1976 rookie card:

Obviously a photo of Guidry during his first call-up to the "big show", it makes for a more accurate representation of "Louisiana Lightning" before he'd light-up the baseball world a few years later.

I absolutely loved the guy, and still do!

Beyond his great career, he was, and still is, a great man. One of those guys that everyone seemed to respect no matter what.

On the mound, all he did was win a Cy Young in 1978, get ripped off an MVP that very same year (sorry Jim Rice), get named to four all-star teams, win five Gold Gloves, lead the league in wins twice, ERA twice, shutouts once, WHIP twice, and of course post that awesome 18-strikeout game against the Angels in 1978 during his magical 25-3 season which also saw him post 248 K's.

For his 14-year career he went 170-91, good for a .651 winning percentage, along with a 3.29 ERA, 26 shutouts and 1778 strikeouts.

He'd also go 5-2 in postseason play, with a 3.02 ERA and 51 K's in 62.2 innings, and was part of two World Champion teams (1977/78).

DEDICATED "ROOKIE CARDS" #8: 1976 RON GUIDRY

Seems like I'm a bit Ron Guidry heavy recently, with a "highlight" card, a "nickname" card, and now a "dedicated rookie" card.

Then again, why not?! I STILL love Guidry and everything he did for the Yankees as I was growing up!

I always wanted to create a dedicated rookie for him, since his actual rookie card from the 1976 set is both a multi-player (ugh) AND uses a horrible almost-unrecognizable photo of him without his mustache.

As a matter of fact, in 1976 he already was sporting his 'stache, so I found an "early" image of him to use on this card-creation, though I find the info on the photo suspect, as it states it's from 1975 (no way).

Nevertheless, here's my 1976 Topps "Dedicated Rookie" for "Louisiana Lightning":

Thanks for the memories Ron!!!!

#49 forever!

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #8: "LOUISIANA LIGHTNING" RON GUIDRY

Allow me to hark back to perhaps my first actual "as-it-was-happening" baseball historic moment as a nine-year old kid: Ron Guidry's 18-strikeout performance against the California Angels at Yankee Stadium.

That was the moment Ron Guidry, left-handed pitcher for the Yanks, became "Louisiana Lightning".

With that in mind, he's up next in my "Nicknames of the '70s" sub-set thread:

1978 was one of those years a pitcher has it all working for him, along with a little bit of luck.

All Guidry did was post an insane 25-3 record, with a still Major League record .893 winning percentage for anyone with 20 or more wins, 248 strikeouts (still a New York Yankee season record, and a sparkling 1.74 earned run average with nine shutouts.

Man o' man! 

I STILL say he was ripped of an M.V.P. Award that year, no matter what Jim Rice did for the Red Sox! 

So, with that injustice, Guidry had to settle for second place, while taking home the A.L. Cy Young Award unanimously.

It's easy to forget that Guidry had only 10 full seasons in the Majors, with parts of four others completing his wonderful 14-year career.

He ended up with a 170-91 record, good for a .651 winning percentage, along with a 3.29 earned run average, 26 shutouts,1778 strikeouts and five Gold Glove Awards.

I absolutely loved that guy! Still do. A "Yankee for life", he's one of those guys that Yankee fans hold a special place for all these years later.

The "Gator", Ron Guidry, AKA "Louisiana Lightning"!

#500 FOR THE BLOG!

So I've reached my 500th post for the blog, and I thank you all for reading so far!

As I've done with 100, 200, 300 and 400, let's go ahead and look at each card numbered 500 throughout the 1970's, shall we?

1970: Hank Aaron

Ugh.

As I profiled (and redesigned) this card months ago, you all know how I feel about it.

What a boring photo of "Hammerin' hank"!

Uninspired and even oddly voyeuristic, like we caught him doing something he's not pleased about. Just odd.

But hey, it's Hank Aaron, and that alone keeps this a classic for the ages.

1971: Jim Perry

I like this card because it catches Perry at the height of his career, coming off a Cy Young Award win in 1970.

The Perry household must have been incredible around this time, with Jim taking home the hardware, and brother Gaylord finishing second over in the National League.

Mom and Dad must have been proud!

And man I do love those 1971 Topps cards. Just a beautiful set.

1972: Joe Torre

Another card catching a player at the peak of his career.

Recent Hall of Famer (and fellow Bensonhurst/Dyker Heights native) Joe Torre smiling up a storm after collecting an M.V.P. Award for his tremendous 1971 season in St. Louis.

Besides his solid playing career (somewhat underrated if you ask me), his LONG managerial career eventually got him to Cooperstown, and I'm sure that smile on his '72 Topps card would truly be ear-to-ear if he knew then where his baseball resume would get him come 2014.

1973: A's team card

Now, my first reaction was, "boring, a freaking team card!".

However, when you really take a look at the photo, it's just a perfect 1970's baseball time capsule!

The shaggy players, the technicolor sports coats, and the fact that it depicts the three-time World Champs with guys like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, all now members of the Hall of Fame.

It really becomes clear quickly that this is indeed a special card! Love it!

1974: Lee May

Easy to forget how good a player May was throughout his career.

The man was downright thumping the baseball during a weak offensive era in the game's history.

The choice of photo Topps went with is a bit lame, but it does show the dude's quite "substantial" size as one of the games underrated sluggers.

2000 hits, 350+ homers, 1200+ runs batted in…not too shabby for the "Big Bopper"!

1975: Nolan Ryan

Well, what can you say?

Classic card set, classic player, nice photo.

I love this card.

The "Ryan Express" at the height of his career, tearing through line-ups and smashing records.

And who would even imagine that when this card came out, Ryan would STILL pitch for almost another 20 years!

Just incredible.

And every time I see a 1975 or 1976 baseball card, I can STILL get that little tingle of excitement, just like I did so many years before!

1976: Reggie Jackson

Just pure CLASSIC baseball card right there!

One of my all time favorite cards.

Here we have a beautiful card set design, with a fantastic photo of one of the game's most popular players, and that brilliant "All-Star" designation for all to see!

What a card, what a player, what a set!

1976 all the way for me my friends. Easily my favorite set of all time. 

Just perfect…

1977: Dave Kingman

Another one of my all-time favorite cards!

Great photo of "Kong" watching another of his famous blasts leaving the stadium, with all that blue throughout the card, and that "All-Star" banner running across the bottom.

I always thought those Mets cards from the 1976 and 1977 sets looked so good because of the blue color scheme. And you throw in a blue all-star banner along the bottom, and "bam!", just a great card!

1978: George Foster

I wish Topps would have had a better photo of Foster for this card.

The man does NOT look like a guy sitting on top of the baseball world here!

Fresh off his monster 1977 M.V.P. year, Foster should be positively BEAMING after slugging 52 home runs and nearly driving in 150 for the Reds.

It's a shame since the 1978 set is another of my favorite sets, but this card leaves a lot to be desired.

I may have to redesign this card in the near future.

1979: Ron Guidry

Funny story…I remember pulling my first 1979 Ron Guidry card out of a pack back then as a ten year old rabid Yankee fan, and was CRUSHED to see that he didn't have an All-Star banner running across the card!

This was before I learned that Topps didn't just go and pick all-stars based on their seasons, but based on who started the previous all-star game.

So I thought it was a terrible injustice to "Louisiana Lightning". I was already pissed that Guidry was ripped off an M.V.P. (sorry Jim Rice!), so seeing that "all-star" was missing bothered me to no end.

Well, I've calmed down a bit years later (but NOT about the Most Valuable Player Award!), and have come to appreciate the card for what it is.

Not the best action shot of the Yankee ace, but a nice photo nevertheless…

So there you have it...

All cards numbered 500 through that awesome decade of the 1970's!

Hopefully this blog will keep on rolling to all the cards numbered 600, as well as 700!

After that, we'll just get creative and see where we end up…

Thanks for the support so far!

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #31: GUIDRY GOES 25-3; .893 WINNING PERCENTAGE

Here's a highlight that comes right out of my own selfish memories: Ron Guidry's 1978 season where he posted a 25-3 record, thus establishing the highest winning percentage among any pitcher winning 20 or more games in a season, .893.

I know it's not the "biggest" highlight as far as baseball history goes, but for a nerd like me who lived and died by the Yanks (still do), that Guidry season was just pure magic!

Take a look at my card:

I remember in the recent past there were a couple of guys that looked like they were going to break that record for winning percentage: Roger Clemens in 2001 and Cliff Lee in 2008.

Clemens went into his last couple of starts with a mind-boggling 20-1 record, but ended up losing his last two starts, to the Devil Rays no less! Go figure…

In 2008 Lee was 22-2 going into his last start, and ended up losing to the Red Sox, thus keeping Guidry at the top of the list…

Now, if we're REALLY going to be baseball nuts, we may as well mention Al Spalding's 1875 season, the last year of the National Association before the National League was formed a year later.

While pitching for Boston, Spalding posted the INSANE record of 54-5! Good for a .915 winning percentage.

As a matter of fact, Spalding's N.A. career pitching record is absurd. Between 1871-1875 his record was 251-64! Ha! That's a cool .795 career winning percentage for the future sporting goods king!

But nevertheless, Guidry's mark of .893 still stands among Major League records, and I'm a-ok with that!