1985 HEADLINE: Gary Carter Connects For 5 Home Runs In 2 Games!!!

1985 HEADLINE: Gary Carter Connects For 5 Home Runs In 2 Games!!!

On this day in 1985, Gary Carter became just the 11th player in major league history to crush 5 home runs over the course of 2 consecutive games.

An amazing feat for any slugger, this incredible accomplishment is even more amazing as Carter was never really known as a long-ball threat.

I thought it would be fun to re-live those 5 round-trippers.  Here are the notes:

HR #	Date	Inning	Pitcher	Men On-Base	Total RBI
1	9/3/1985	1	D. Dravecky	1	2
2	9/3/1985	4	D. Dravecky	0	3
3	9/3/1985	5	L. DeLeon	2	6
4	9/4/1985	2	R. Jackson	0	7
5	9/4/1985	7	E. Wojna	0	8

Very impressive, if I do say so myself!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Carter!!!

Did You Know…

Gary Carter collected the most RBI for the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series.  He had 9 RBI in the 7 contests.

1975 Topps Set Card 74/660 – #620 – 1975 Rookie Quad w/Carter, Hill, Meyer, Roberts

1975 Topps Set Card 74/660 – #620 – 1975 Rookie Quad w/Carter, Hill, Meyer, Roberts

Progress: 74/660

Player Name:  Gary Carter, Marc Hill, Danny Meyer, Leon Roberts

Card Number:  620

Team:  Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Tigers

Position:  Catchers & Outfielders

Image Style:  Posed Portrait

How these players fared in 1975:

Carter – Carter was runner-up for the Rookie Of The Year Award with his .270 batting average and 20 doubles, 17 home runs, 58 runs scored, and 68 RBI.

Hill – Hill hit .217 in 72 games.  He connected for 39 hits, 4 of which were doubles and 5 home runs.

Meyer – Meyer appeared in 122 games for the Tigers in 1975.  He hit .236 with 111 total hits and 47 RBI with 58 runs scored.

Roberts – Roberts hit .257 in 129 games for the Tigers.  Of his 115 hits, 17 were doubles and 10 were home runs.  He scored 51 runs while driving in another 38.

Happy Birthday Gary Carter!!!!

Happy Birthday Gary Carter!!!!

Today, we celebrate the life and birth of Gary Edmund Carter.

Had it not been for a player named Johnny Bench, Gary Carter may be considered the best catcher in baseball history.  In this case, 2nd place is not too bad of a spot to be in when you’re behind one the greatest players in major league history.

Gary Carter brought a level of offensive and defensive consistency to the catching position for 19 seasons.  An 11-time All-star, Carter was the team leader during his days with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets.  His solid offensive play, highlighted by winning 5 Silver Slugger awards, and his dominant defense in which he won 3 Gold Gloves established him as one of the most complete players during the 1970’s and into the 1980’s.  With a career batting average of .262, Carter captured 2,092 hits during his playing days.  And with 324 homers, 1,225 RBI, and 1,025 runs scored, Carter provided punch to the offense that was rare from the catcher’s position during those times.  Due to the rarity of this kind of production by a catcher, Gary Carter finished in the Top 17 for the MVP award 7 times during his career.

Gary Carter played in 1 World Series match-up in 1986 and his New York Mets won the title in 7 games.  During that series, Carter batted .276 while hitting 2 home runs and knocking in an amazing 9 runs.

We miss you and love you Gary!!!

Happy Birthday.

Another Subset Conquered, My 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Collisions At The Plate’ Is Done!!!

Another Subset Conquered, My 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Collisions At The Plate’ Is Done!!!

Well friends, it is time to announce that I have completed another subset here at ’30-YOC’.  Yes, that is two subsets in one week – A ’30-YOC’ record!!!

This time around it is the 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Collisions At The Plate’ subset that I have conquered.  And it looks great!!

Here is the full 10-card set:

As you all know, I am a big fan of the Gypsy Queen product.  I find the base set to be the best looking set that Topps is making at the moment and I also like most of the subsets that they produce as well.  The GQ ‘Collisions’ subset is no different – it is packed with action imagery and features some really great coloring too.

I have just two issues with the set – 1 being minor and 1 being major.

My minor issue is the size of the set – 10 cards.  For a guy that keeps his subsets in album pages, a 10-card set just does not work.  Pages have 9 pockets, so one of these cards either has to go on the back of the page that features nine on the front or stand alone on the next page.  Why not either make the set a 9-card set so it can be displayed all together or increase the number of cards to 18 so it can fill a page, front and back??

My major issue is the player selection.  While I fully understand that modern sets should contain modern players, I think that Topps went a tad-bit overboard with the inclusion of seven modern players and just three legends. While the legends included are solid (Bench, Carter, Fisk), I would have liked to have seen a few more like Pudge Rodriguez, Roy Campanella, and maybe someone like Lance Parrish included as well.

That’s all – not complaining, just commenting!

I love this set, and I love the look of the cards.  A very well thought out plan by Topps and the execution of the set was great.

Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – Gary Carter 2003 Topps Tribute

Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – Gary Carter 2003 Topps Tribute

I’m not normally a fan of zoomed-in, posed photography on my baseball cards, but that does come with a few exceptions.

One of those exceptions would be when a card looks as nice as this one…

 

The card comes from the 2003 Topps Tribute baseball card set and I think that it looks great.

Offering up a picture of a very young Gary Carter in his White Montreal Expos jersey, the contrast of the colors of his uniform and the sky behind him are fantastic.

I also think that the added elements of the Gold name and Topps Tribute logo bring in a nice touch of royalty to the card.

1985 HEADLINE: Gary Carter Connects For 5 Home Runs In 2 Games!!!

1985 HEADLINE: Gary Carter Connects For 5 Home Runs In 2 Games!!!

On this day in 1985, Gary Carter became just the 11th player in major league history to crush 5 home runs over the course of 2 consecutive games.

An amazing feat for any slugger, this incredible accomplishment is even more amazing as Carter was never really known as a long-ball threat.

I thought it would be fun to re-live those 5 round-trippers.  Here are the notes:

HR #	Date	Inning	Pitcher	Men On-Base	Total RBI
1	9/3/1985	1	D. Dravecky	1	2
2	9/3/1985	4	D. Dravecky	0	3
3	9/3/1985	5	L. DeLeon	2	6
4	9/4/1985	2	R. Jackson	0	7
5	9/4/1985	7	E. Wojna	0	8

Very impressive, if I do say so myself!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Carter!!!

‘Hall Of Fame Debate’ – Gary Carter VS Jorge Posada

‘Hall Of Fame Debate’ – Gary Carter VS Jorge Posada

For this week’s head-to-head battle, I wanted to match up two of the best catchers in the game over the last 30 years.  So, why not find two guys that were employed pretty close to each other as well?

This week’s match-up is Gary Carter VS Jorge Posada!!!

Both men were fan favorites in New York , though Carter was also beloved in Montreal as a result of playing there for 10 seasons.

And there numbers are pretty comparable.

Have a look:

	Gary Carter	Jorge Posada
Seaons	19	17
Games Played	2296	1829
Games Caught	2056	1574
% Of Games Caught	0.89547038	0.860579552
Hits	2092	1664
Batting Average	0.262	0.273
On-Base %	0.335	0.374
Doubles	371	379
Home Runs	324	275
Runs Scored	1025	900
RBI	1225	1065
All-Star	11	5
Silver Slugger	5	5
Gold Glove	3	0
MVP	0	0
Postseasons	3	15
World Series	1	4

*

Here are the things that standout most for me:

• Posada’s number of postseason appearances – 15 in 17 seasons
• Carter’s hit tally is close to 400 more than Posada’s
• Home run edge goes to Carter (bit of a surprise)
• Doubles are extremely close
• Posada has a good lead in the batting average battle
• Carter was more productive from a run scoring and run producing standpoint
• Posada’s 4 WS titles is impressive

Well, I have to say that when I first chose these two players to put against one another, I thought that the numbers would have been a lot closer.

But to be blunt, Gary Carter is a more accomplished player.  His tally of hits, home runs, runs scored, and RBI is well above Posada’s.  And his selection to 11 All-Star Games and Gold Glove Awards puts him on another level as well.

The lone area in which Posada eclipses Carter is in the postseason.  And while that is a team accomplishment, being a starter on a team with so much success has to mean something.  And for me, it means quite a bit!!

But, is it enough to put him with an overall higher ranking than Gary Carter??

For me, ‘No’.  Carter was too consistent and his numbers are a step below elite for catchers.  Posada is a step or two behind Carter on all major offensive statistics except for batting average and on-base percentage.  But that is not enough for me to give him the nod over Carter.  And while I am extremely impressed with the consistency at which Posada and the Yankees appeared in the postseason, it could also be said that Posada happened to be in the right place at the right time.

So, what do you think?  Who do you take in the match-up of Gary Carter VS Jorge Posada???

 

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Collisions At The Plate’ Subset – Gary Carter

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen ‘Collisions At The Plate’ Subset – Gary Carter

The theme of ‘Collision At The Plate’ is one that I think all baseball fans could get excited about. The play in which two players collide with completely opposite goals: 1 putting their body on the line in an effort to score a run for their team. 1 putting every ounce of energy, strength, and will into defending their plate.

Oh yes, the ‘Collision At The Plate’ is the perfect place for baseball drama to be born. And as soon as I saw that the 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen set was going to include a subset of cards with the title of ‘Collisions At The Plate’, I knew I would be going after it.

This is the Gary Carter card from the set:

Gary Carter was a very solid defender who won three Gold Glove Awards during his major league career.  He did so, while playing behind one of the greatest defensive catchers in the history of the sport, Johnny Bench,

Carter caught 2056 games during his career.  He compiled a fielding percentage of .991 during that time and committed just 121 errors in 19 seasons.

Gary Carter 2013 Topps Archives – 1972 Topps Design

Gary Carter 2013 Topps Archives – 1972 Topps Design

Man, it seems like each and every card that I encounter from the 2013 Topps Archives set that uses the ’72 Topps design offers a zoomed-in image.

And way too ‘Zoomed-In’ at that!!!

This is Gary Carter’s card from the set:

I will say that I always enjoy adding a new Expos card to my collection.  And I really like the way that the teams’ nameplate looks when put into the ’72 Topps graphic design.

The photo choice, while too close, is a good one.  It features a very young Carter and is a great shout-out to those old, vintage, non-earflap having batting helmets!!

NICE!!!