MISSING IN ACTION: 1965 WORLD SERIES GAME 4

On the blog today, we move on to Game 4 of the 1965 World Series, which was left out of the 1966 Topps set for some reason:

The Los Angeles Dodgers came back to tie the Series up two games apiece after the Twins stunned everyone, taking the first two games for a commanding lead.

Thanks to pitcher Don Drysdale, who took the Game 1 loss, the Dodgers won Game 4 7-2, with Drysdale throwing a complete game, striking out 11 batters while walking two.

Wes Parker and Lou Johnson hit solo homers for the Dodgers, while Ron Fairly drove in three runs, giving Drysdale all the support he needed.

For the Twins, opening game winner Jim "Mudcat" Grant took the loss, giving up five runs in five innings, while Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva hit homers in the losing cause.

Next up, game 5!

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIES: 1968 JOHNNY BENCH

On the blog today, we have my 1968 "dedicated rookie" for all-time legend Johnny Bench, who made an immediate splash in the Majors and became the game's greatest catcher:

All the man would do in his first full season at the age of 20 was catch a staggering 154 games, hitting .275 with 15 homers and 82 RBIs, with 67 runs scored and 40 doubles, easily taking home the Rookie of the Year Award.

Of course as we all know, he would go on to put together a career rarely seen by ANY player, let alone a catcher: TWO N.L. MVP Awards, 14 all-star games, 10 Gold Gloves, two home run titles and three RBI titles, all while donning the “tools of ignorance” for 17 seasons, all with the Reds.
As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, this man was a mythic figure, a “god”, and he and the rest of his "Big Red Machine" teammates were steamrolling through the league towards two straight championships in 1975 & 1976, while appearing in two other series in 1970 and 1972.

It still amazes me that they didn't win any other titles during the 1970's, especially after adding Tom Seaver in 1977.

Go figure...

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: DON SUTTON

Adding to my fun thread celebrating the 100th anniversary of National League baseball, we have Los Angeles Dodgers ace Don Sutton in my 1977 "Centennial" thread:

 

Sutton was in the middle of a wonderful 23-year run in the Major Leagues, reeling off win after win for the Los Angeles Dodgers since he came up as a 21-year-old in 1966.

In 1976 he would post his only 20-win season of his long career, winning 21 and finishing third in the Cy Young race at season's end.

The man was a machine, and while some people think incredible steadiness like this doesn’t warrant a Hall of Fame selection, I do! There is something to celebrate when a player performs year after year over a long period of time (think Eddie Murray) without having a “mega-season” along the way.
By the time Sutton left the game after the 1988 season, he finished with 324 wins, a 3.26 earned run average, 58 shutouts and 3574 strikeouts in 774 appearances, 756 of them starts.
Needless to say, in 1998, on his fifth try, he made it into Cooperstown, joining former teammates Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, with 81.6% of the vote.

1970 20-WIN CIRCLE: BILL SINGER

Adding to my new thread celebrating all the 20-game winners of 1969, we have Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bill Singer in my 1970 "20 Win Circle" sub-set:

Singer made his first All-Star team that year, posting a record of 20-12 over 41 appearances, with a 2.34 earned run average over 315.2 innings, completing 16 games while tossing two shutouts.

It was the third season in a row posting an ERA under 3.00 for the righty, while setting a career-high with 247 strikeouts.

During his career he posted two 20-win seasons and three 200-strikeout seasons, including 241 in 1973, which helped set a new record along with teammate Nolan Ryan’s 383 for most strikeouts by teammates with 624.

Sadly, though still only 33, arm troubles led him to retiring after the 1977 season, finishing up his career with a record of 118-127, with a nice 3.39 ERA over 322 appearances, with 24 shutouts and 1515 strikeouts.

CAREER-CAPPERS: 1967 SANDY KOUFAX

On the blog today, a card many have (rightfully) created since Topps inexplicably left out of their 1967 set, a "career-capper" for all-time great Sandy Koufax, who shocked the sports world by retiring after taking home his third Cy Young Award because of an arthritic elbow:

Koufax was unstoppable yet again in 1966, posting an incredible 27-9 record along with a 1.72 earned run average and 317 strikeouts in 41 starts, along with five shutouts and 27 complete games.
Along with an easy Cy Young Award, giving him an unprecedented third such claim to baseball’s top pitching prize, he finished second to the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente for league MVP.
It was the fifth season in a row that Koufax overpowered National League batters, leading the league in ERA each and every time, along with THREE 25+ win & 300+ strikeout campaigns.
But sadly and shockingly, Koufax would have to retire at the top of his game because of recurring arm problems that could have left him without the use of his left arm the rest of his life.
Rather than suffer long-term injury, Koufax left the game and many of us to wonder so many “what-if’s” had he been able to continue on into the 1970’s.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. HOME RUNS

Up on the blog today, we head on over to the American League for their top three home run hitters of 1978, proudly displayed on a 1979 “expanded league leader” card in my long-running thread:

 

Of course we begin with the A.L. MVP himself, a man who not only led the league with his 46 home runs, but also mind-blowingly led the league with his 15 triples, Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice, who had an all-world season in 1978.

Let’s see, all Rice did that year was score 121 runs, collect 213 hits, collect 86 extra base hits, drive in 139 runs and hit a cool .315 while becoming the only player in the decade to top 400 total bases, with 406.

The man was a complete stud, helping the Red Sox go to the wire before falling to the New York Yankees in their 163^rd game for the A.L. East title. Certainly not any fault of his own!

While many think of Rice as a premier power hitter, they can often forget that over the course of his career he collected 200+ hits four times, while hitting .300+ seven times! Just an amazing player who rightfully got his spot in Cooperstown after retirement.

In second place with 34 home runs, the man who would end up taking home the league MVP Award in 1979, California Angels thumper Don Baylor, who also scored 103 runs while driving in 99, giving everyone a prelude to his monster 1979 campaign that would see him hit 36 homers with 139 RBIs and 120 runs scored.

I loved Baylor during his tenure with the New York Yankees between 1983 and 1985!

A great hitter who could also steal a base for you, as evidenced by his 285 career steals, including 52 in 1976 in his only season with the Oakland A’s. As a matter of fact Baylor would top 20 steals in a season eight times in his career, something you’d never think was possible seeing he was built like a tank.

Tied with Baylor with 34 homers in 1978, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Larry Hisle, who had a very nice first season for his new team after coming over from the Minnesota Twins.

Hisle also scored 96 runs while driving in 115, this a year after driving in a league leading 119 in 1977, while hitting a very nice .290.

Sadly for him, he would suffer a torn rotator cuff in 1979, effectively ending his career, playing only 79 games over the final four years of his career before retiring in 1982.

Well there you have it, the top-3 home run hitters in the A.L. for 1978, on an “expanded” 1979 league-leader card.

1971 'BASEBALL'S GREATEST MOMENTS": TOM SEAVER

I just realized recently that for some reason I stopped creating any more "Greatest Moments" cards, my all-time favorite Topps oddball set, so let's get it started again with one for the great Tom Seaver:

Here we celebrate his 1969 campaign that saw him take home the first of his three (shoulda been four) Cy Young Awards while leading the New York Mets to a shocking World Championship over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles.

In that Cy Young campaign all he did was go 25-7, with a 2.21 ERA, five shutouts and 208 strikeouts over 273.1 innings of work, completing 18 of 35 starts at the age of 24.

He was in prime form in the mid-70’s, putting together nine straight 200 strikeouts seasons while getting tabbed to ten all-star teams in his first eleven seasons.

Seaver was a star baseball player before he was even a pro, commanding HUGE attention during his college days, eventually leading to some controversy when he originally signed with the Braves in 1966, only to have the signing voided, allowing the New York Mets to make arguably the best pick in franchise history in the 1966 amateur draft.

Talk about a colossal "what if" had the Braves been able to keep that signing!