1975 Topps Set Card 304/660 – #137 – Terry Forster, White Sox

1975 Topps Set Card 304/660 – #137 – Terry Forster, White Sox

Progress: 304/660

Card Number:  137

Player Name:  Terry Forster

Team:  Chicago White Sox

Position:  Pitcher

Image Style:  Posed Pitching

Years In The Major Leagues: 16 seasons, 1971-86

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Terry Forster appeared in 17 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1975.  He went 3-3 in those games while also racking up 4 saves.  In 37 innings of work, Forster allowed 30 hits and 12 runs en route to a 2.19 ERA.  He struck out 32 batters in that time while walking 24.

Notes From Career:  Terry Forster pitched for five different clubs during his 16 season MLB career.  He put together a record of 54-65 over that time with 5 complete games and 127 saves.  Forster has a lifetime ERA of 3.23 and he struck out 791 batters in 1,105 innings of work.

Happy Birthday Fred McGriff!!!

Happy Birthday Fred McGriff!!!

That’s right, the ‘Crime Dog’ turns 51 today!!!

Fred McGriff is arguably one of the most underrated baseball players from the last 20 years.  An extremely consistent hitter over the course of his 19-year career, McGriff added solid hitting and amazing power to the line-up.

Fred McGriff is a 5-time All-Star and winner of 3 Silver Slugger Awards.  He is a lifetime .284 hitter with 2,490 career hits.  Over 19 seasons, McGriff connected for 441 doubles and 493 home runs.  He also scored 1,349 runs while driving in 1,550.

McGriff was a consistent MVP candidate for half of his years in the league.  And he was a fan favorite too.

Happy Birthday to the ‘Crime Dog’!!!

1975 Topps Set Card 303/660 – #130 – Phil Niekro, Braves

1975 Topps Set Card 303/660 – #130 – Phil Niekro, Braves

Progress: 303/660

Card Number:  130

Player Name:  Phil Niekro

Team:  Atlanta Braves

Position:  Pitcher

Image Style:  Posed Pitching

Years In The Major Leagues: 24 seasons, 1964-87

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Phil Niekro appeared in 39 games for the Atlanta Braves in 1975.  He went 15-15 on the year with 13 complete games and 1 shutout.  Niekro worked 275 innings in 1975, allowing 285 hits and 115 runs en route to a 3.20 ERA.  He was chosen as a National League All-Star during the season.

Notes From Career:  Hall of Famer Phil Niekro has 318 career wins as a major league pitcher, including two 20-win seasons.  Niekro is a 5-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove Award winner with a career ERA of 3.35.  He threw 5,404 innings during his career, striking out 3,342 batters during that time.

1994 HEADLINE: Greg Maddux Wins Third Straight Cy Young Award

1994 HEADLINE: Greg Maddux Wins Third Straight Cy Young Award

On this day in 1994, Greg Maddux won his third straight Cy Young award.  He was the first pitcher in major league history to earn the award in three consecutive seasons.

Being one of the best pitchers in the sport over that length of time is a major accomplishment.  And when some of your greatest competition is coming from your teammates, I am sure that the pride of being the ‘Ace’ of the staff gave Maddux even more gratification.

Here is a look at Maddux’s numbers from those three seasons:

1992 – 20-11, 2.18 ERA, 9 complete games, All-Star, Gold Glove

1993 – 20-10, 2.36 ERA, 10 complete games, Gold Glove

1994 – 16-6, 1.56 ERA, 10 complete games, All-Star, Gold Glove

Oh, and it should be noted that Maddux went on to win the Cy Young award in 1995 too – setting an all-time record with four consecutive wins!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Maddux!!!

Happy Birthday Eddie Matthews!!!

Happy Birthday Eddie Matthews!!!

Eddie Matthews had a solid 17-year professional baseball career.  And while his individual achievements and team success were on par with the biggest stars of his era, it was his quiet approach to the game that kept him out of the limelight.  Playing alongside Hank Aaron for most of his career kept the spotlight off of him as well…

Still, Matthews was quite the slugger, and he put up very impressive numbers.  Clubbing 512 home runs during his career, Matthews hit 25 or more home runs in 11 consecutive seasons, and 12 in total.  A run-producer, Eddie knocked in 100 runs five times while also scoring 100 or more runs 8 times.

Matthews was a 9-time All-Star and perennial candidate for the MVP award.  He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.

He helped lead his 1957 Braves and 1968 Tigers teams to World Series championships.

Happy Birthday Eddie Matthews!!!

1975 Topps Set Card 282/660 – #425 – Cito Gaston, Braves

1975 Topps Set Card 282/660 – #425 – Cito Gaston, Braves

Progress: 282/660

Card Number: 425

Player Name: Cito Gaston

Team:  Atlanta Braves

Position: Outfield

Image Style: Posed Portrait

Years In The Major Leagues: 11 seasons, 1967, 1969-78

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Cito Gaston played in 63 games for the Atlanta Braves in 1975.  He hit .241 over the course of the year collecting 34 games in 141 at-bats.  Gaston scored 17 runs in those 63 games while also driving in 15.

Notes From Career:  Cito Gaston is a 1-time All-Star that played for 3 major league clubs during his 11-season career.  He is a career .256 hitter with 799 hits in 1,026 games played.  Of his 799 hits, Gaston connected for 106 doubles, 31 triples, and 91 home runs.  He scored 314 runs during his playing days while also driving in 387.

1985 HEADLINE: Phil Niekro Joins The ‘300 Wins Club’

1985 HEADLINE: Phil Niekro Joins The ‘300 Wins Club’

On this day in 1985, and at the age of 46, Phil Niekro joined the 300 Wins Club.

A seasoned veteran with 24 years of major league experience, Niekro tallied win after win through 3 decades leading up to this historic day.

On the last day of the regular season, Niekro and his New York Yankees team was on the road to take on the Toronto Blue Jays.  44,000+ fans packed the stadium and watched history be made as Niekro earned his 300th victory as the Yankees won the game 8-0.  In the game, he pitched all 9 innings en route to 4-hit shutout.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Neikro!!!

1976 HEADLINE: Hank Aaron’s Legendary Career Comes To An End

1976 HEADLINE:  Hank Aaron’s Legendary Career Comes To An End

On this day in 1976, Hank Aaron played in his final game as a major league baseball player.

On the last day of the 1976 baseball season, Aaron and his Brewers teammates were at home in Milwaukee taking on the Detroit Tigers.  Sadly, there were less than 7,000 fans in the stands to see Aaron make his final appearance in the big leagues.

Aaron was hitless in the game until the 6th inning when he hit a single off of Tigers’ pitcher Dave Roberts.

That at-bat would be the final one of his career.  It was hit 3,771 of Hank’s amazing career!!

1975 Topps Set Card 265/660 – #306 – 1974 Batting Leaders With Carew & Garr

1975 Topps Set Card 265/660 – #306 – 1974 Batting Leaders With Carew & Garr

Progress: 265/660

Player Name:  Rod Carew, Ralph Garr

Card Number:  306

Team:  Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves

Image Style: Posed Portrait

How they got there:

Rod Carew led all of major league baseball with a .364 batting average at the conclusion of his 1974 baseball season.  Not far behind was Ralph Garr who paced the National League with his .353 average.

1990 HEADLINE: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. Are First Father-Son Combo To Hit Back-To-Back Home Runs

1990 HEADLINE:  Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. Are First Father-Son Combo To Hit Back-To-Back Home Runs

On this day back in 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first ever Father & Son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in the major leagues.

An event that must have been extremely memorable and enjoyable for the duo, the Griffey men certainly had a great evening.

Ken Sr. went 2-for-5 on the day with a home run and 3 RBI.  The younger Griffey went 1-for-4 with his solo home run.  Their combined offensive output was not enough to hold of the Angels as the Mariners lost 7-5.

Still, a very memorable and historic night in Anaheim!!!

Congratulations to 2 class acts!!!