1975 Topps Set Card 313/660 – #264 – John Milner, Mets

1975 Topps Set Card 313/660 – #264 – John Milner, Mets

Progress: 313660

Card Number:  264

Player Name:  John Milner

Team:  New York Mets

Position:  1st Base

Image Style:  Posed Hitting

Years In The Major Leagues: 12 seasons, 1971-82

Notes From His 1975 Season:  In 91 for the New York Mets during the 1975 baseball season, John Milner hit .191.  He connected for 42 hits in 220 at-bats while also delivering an on-base percentage of .302.  Milner had 11 doubles and 7 home runs in ’75, while also scoring 24 runs and driving in 29.

Notes From Career:  John Milner suited up for three different clubs during his 12-season big league career.  Milner is a lifetime .249 hitter with 855 career hits in 1,215 games played.  He scored 455 runs during his career while also driving in 498.  Milner won a World Series championship as a member of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.

1975 Topps Set Card 312/660 – #324 – Ed Kranepool, Mets

1975 Topps Set Card 312/660 – #324 – Ed Kranepool, Mets

Progress: 312/660

Card Number:  324

Player Name:  Ed Kranepool

Team:  New York Mets

Position:  First Base, Outfield

Image Style:  Posed Hitting

Years In The Major Leagues: 18 seasons, 1962-79

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Ed Kranepool played in 105 games for the New York Mets in 1975.  He hit .323 on the season with 105 hits in 325 st-bats.  Of his 105 hits, Kranepool connected for 16 doubles and 4 home runs with 42 runs scored and 43 RBI.

Notes From Career:  Ed Kranepool played his entire big league career with the Mets.  He was selected to the 1965 NL All-Star team and is a member of the 1969 World Series winning team.  Kranepool is a lifetime .261 hitter with 1,418 hits.  He has 235 career doubles and hit 118 home runs.

1975 Topps Set Card 310/660 – #395 – Bud Harrelson, Mets

1975 Topps Set Card 310/660 – #395 – Bud Harrelson, Mets

Progress: 310/660

Card Number:  395

Player Name:  Bud Harrelson

Team:  New York Mets

Position:  Shortstop

Image Style:  Posed Hitting

Years In The Major Leagues: 16 seasons, 1965-80

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Bud Harrelson played in just 34 games for the Mets in 1975.  With 73 at-bats, Harrelson collected 16 hits en route to a .219 batting average.  He had 2 doubles on the year, with 3 RBI and 5 runs scored.

Notes From Career:  Bud Harrelson played for three major league clubs during his 16-season big league career.  He is a lifetime .236 hitter with 1,120 hits in 1,533 games played.  Harrelson is a 2-time All-Star and winner of a Gold Glove Award.  He is a member of the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets.

1975 Topps Set Card 305/660 – #111 – Wayne Garrett, Mets

1975 Topps Set Card 305/660 – #111 – Wayne Garrett, Mets

Progress: 305/660

Card Number:  111

Player Name:  Wayne Garrett

Team:  New York Mets

Position:  3rd Base

Image Style:  Posed Portrait

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

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Garrett played in 107 games for the Mets in 1975.  Garrett hit .266 during those contests as he connected for 73 hits in 274 at-bats.  Of his 73 hits, Garrett amassed 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 6 home runs.  He drove in 34 runs on the year while also scoring 49 times.

Notes From Career:  Wayne Garrett played for the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos during his 10-year major league career.  He is a lifetime .239 hitter with 786 career hits in 1,092 games played.  Garrett is a member of the 1969 World Series champion Mets.

1975 Topps Set Card 301/660 – #248 – Randy Jones, Padres

1975 Topps Set Card 301/660 – #248 – Randy Jones, Padres

Progress: 301/660

Card Number:  248

Player Name:  Randy Jones

Team:  San Diego Padres

Position:  Pitcher

Image Style:  Posed Pitching

Years In The Major Leagues: 10 seasons, 1973-82

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Randy Jones made 37 appearances for the Padres in 1975, 36 of them being starts.  He put together a 20-12 record on the season with 18 complete games and 6 shutouts.  He had a league-low 2.24 ERA over 285 innings of work.  Jones was and All-Star in 1975 while also finishing in 2nd place for the Cy Young Award.

Notes From Career:  Randy Jones has a 100-123 career record.  He played for two teams over his 10-season career, and retired with a 3.42 ERA.  Jones pitched 1,933 innings during his career while striking out 735 batters and walking 56.  He is a 2-time All-Star selection and was the winner of the 1976 Cy Young Award.

Happy Anniversary Bill Buckner & Mookie Wilson!!!

Happy Anniversary Bill Buckner & Mookie Wilson!!!

On this day in 1986 you made the most famous error in baseball history.  Although many 1st baseman prior to you have seen ground balls accidentally roll through their legs, none was on a bigger stage than your error in game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Errors occur all of the time in baseball.  But, in the bottom of the 10th inning with runners in scoring position and the game tied the impact of this accident was magnified.  Mookie Wilson’s ground ball would have been handled by Buckner with ease the next 100 times without question, but with the pressure on, it was Buckner that failed and Wilson that prevailed.

I remember watching this game as an 11-year old.  I was pulling for the Red Sox and wanted to see Wade Boggs win his first ever World Series title.  What I ended up seeing was baseball history of another kind that has no equal within the last 30 years.

This error made Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson one of the most famous pairings in baseball history!!

Happy Anniversary Mr. Buckner and Mr. Wilson!!!

Did You Know…

The first New York Mets third baseman to be selected to represent the team during the MLB All-Star game was Howard Johnson.   Johnson’s first selection came in 1989.

Happy Birthday Keith Hernandez!!!

Happy Birthday Keith Hernandez!!!

Keith Hernandez turns 60 years old today.

Never quite getting the credit he deserves, Keith Hernandez was a stellar player for 17 major league seasons.

Probably most well known for his amazing defense at first base, Hernandez made playing the position cool long before Don Mattingly did so.  Hernandez won 11 Gold Glove awards for being the best defensive first baseman in the National League.  11 trophies during 17 seasons is extremely impressive as it shows just how consistent ‘Mex’ was at the hot corner.

Hernandez was also a league Most Valuable Player in 1979 when he played for the Cardinals.  Along with a Gold Glove award and his first of five All-star selections, Hernandez was also extraordinary on offense that year.  He batted .344 while collecting 210 hits, ripping 48 doubles, driving in 105 runs and scoring 111 runs as well.  A perfectly well-rounded season and one certainly worthy of being tagged as the MVP!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Hernandez!!!

1986 HEADLINE: Gooden Sets Record Of 200+ Strikeouts In First Three Seasons Of His Career

1986 HEADLINE:  Gooden Sets Record Of 200+ Strikeouts In First Three Seasons Of His Career

On this day in 1986, Dwight Gooden recorded the 200th strikeout of his 1986 season.  And while there was a lengthy list of pitchers that had accomplished that feat prior to ‘Doc’, he was the first pitcher in major league history to collect more than 200 K’s in his first three big league seasons.

Amazingly, with all of the fireballers before his era, Gooden was the first.  Not Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver or Bob Gibson or Jim Palmer.

Here is a closer look at those three historic years:

Season	K’s
1984	276
1985	268
1985	200

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary to Dwight Gooden!!!

1975 Topps Set Card 270/660 – #15 – Jose Cardenal, Cubs

1975 Topps Set Card 270/660 – #15 – Jose Cardenal, Cubs

Progress: 270/660

Card Number:  15

Player Name:  Jose Cardenal

Team:  Chicago Cubs

Position:  Outfield

Image Style:  Posed Batting

Years In The Major Leagues:  18 seasons, 1963-80

Notes From His 1975 Season:  Jose Cardenal played in 154 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1975.  He hit .317 for the team, a career high.  Cardenal connected for 182 hits in his 154 games played.  Of his 182 hits, he hit 30 doubles and 9 home runs.  He also scored 85 runs for the club in ’75 while also driving in 68.

Notes From Career:  Jose Cardenal suited up for 9 different clubs during his 18-year big league career.  He is a lifetime .275 hitter with 1,913 career hits on his resume.  Cardenal stole 329 bases during his playing days while also scoring 936 runs.