#184 - Texas Rangers Team Card

We segue from one of the Texas Rangers' most successful managers ever to the Rangers themselves. Here we get a typical Topps team card in which almost nobody is recognizable because the damn thing is so blurry, though I can make out some guys. That's big Jim Bibby in the back left next to some guy who seems not to know which way to face. It also looks like David Clyde is present as well as Whitey Herzog in the manager seat. With those two pitchers present, then, this is definitely a mid- to late season photo. This is also the first team card that featured the scoreboard with that huge map of Texas on it. It was the second year for the Rangers in their new home.

1973 would be an all too typical season for these guys. Despite a fast start by Alex Johnson and the emergence of some new talent - particularly Jeff Burroughs and Mr. Bibby - the Rangers would already be out of the running by late June. The Clyde debut around that time would be a shot in the arm and a late-July streak in which they won six straight would piggy-back that to bring some hope but in the end Rico Carty was a bust, Herzog got frustrated and was let go to be replaced by Billy Martin in September, and the team ran up its second straight 100-loss season. I COULD get super expansive on the team itself due to its coverage in one of the best all-time baseball books, "Seasons in Hell" by Mike Shropshire, but rather than do that I would hate to deny anyone the pleasure of that read. Suffice it to say that the '73 Rangers were such a you-know-what show that they went through three pitching rotations that season and managed to frustrate a manager - Herzog - who cut his teeth on the Mets when they were truly awful (before he fixed them). That is some achievement.

The checklist front is loaded with "J's" and would appear to be more so if new guy Fergie Jenkins didn't begin his last name with an "S" for some reason. It's a very democratic card as every position is represented by a signature. The normal mix of formal signings and everyday names is here as well.

The Senators/Rangers, being a relatively new and to date unsuccessful team, get all their annual records on the back of the card. That '69 season under Ted Williams stands out. Here, again, a bunch of the record holders have cards in this set. Bios on the guys that don't follow:

Frank Howard had two of the best nicknames in baseball: The Capitol Punisher; and The Washington Monument. Also called Hondo, he was actually active in '73 as a DH for Detroit but it was his last season. A huge kid from Ohio at 6'7", he attended Ohio State where he was All-American in both baseball and basketball. He was drafted in hoops but instead signed with the Dodgers in '58. After a decent start in the minors that season he had a killer year in a '59 split between the two top levels (.342 with 43 homers and 126 RBI's) and won TSN Minor League Player of the Year. He had another hot start in '60 and was promoted to LA where his numbers (.268/23/77) were good enough to win NL Rookie of the Year. After a '61 in which he was hurt, Hondo rallied in '62 to post his best numbers in LA (.296/31/119) but over the next two seasons, despite a '63 Series in which he hit .300, he found himself being platooned and asked for a trade. It came following the '64 season as he went to the Nats in a big deal. He put up some good numbers the next couple seasons but really took off in the '67 to '70 seasons when he averaged 43 homers and 110 RBI's. He led the league in those stats twice and once, respectively and after some tutoring from manager Williams upped his walk total to grab a couple .400+ OBA seasons. By '72 his bad knees had drained his power considerably and he went to the Tigers late that season. In '74 he hooked up with a team in Japan but got injured his first at bat and retired. He hit .273 with 382 homers and 1,119 RBI's in 16 seasons and played in four All-Star games. Beginning in '76 he would coach or manage at various levels for the Brewers, Mets, Braves, Mariners, Yankees, and Tampa. He briefly managed in the majors for the Padres in '81 and the Mets in '83 where his combined MLB record was 93-133 and he went 89-120 in the minors.

Chuck Hinton came out of NC and attended Shaw University, a school also attended by Maury Wills. Upon graduation Chuck was signed by the Orioles in '56 and got a decent start that year in the low minors. He then lost '57 and '58 to the Army, returned in '59, and alternated between good and not so good seasons in the minors the next couple years. During that time Baltimore decided to turn him into a second baseman from the catcher he'd been until then. After the '60 season he was drafted by the Nats for whom he had a good year in Triple A and was moved to the top. For them Chuck proved to be versatile as he would spend time at every position but pitcher. In '62 he had his big year, leading the team in every major offensive category while bumping between all three outfield positions and second. He was the last Senator to hit .300. By '63 he was running his own insurance agency and that year would grab 12 triples. In '64 a hot start would get him on the All-Star roster but after the season he would go to Cleveland for Bob Chance and Woody Held. In '65 he had his season high with 18 homers but his power numbers would decline over the next two seasons and in '68 he went to California for a season for Jose Cardenal. It was a poor year and Chuck returned to Cleveland for Lou Johnson where he would play a utility role his last three seasons. He would hit .264 with 114 homers and 443 RBI's and 130 stolen bases. He would then become the Howard University baseball coach for 28 years and help establish the Major League Players' Association.

Ron Kline was a local kid signed by the Pirates on the recommendation of Pie Traynor in 1950. For the next three seasons he pitched pretty well in the minors, reaching Double A. He came up top late that season but didn't show too much, going 0-7 with a fat ERA. After spending '53 to '54 in the service he returned to Pittsburgh where he would spend most of his time in the rotation through '59 and go 53-83 for some awful teams. Despite having an average ERA over that period he would lead the league twice in losses. After another dismal season for the Cards in '60, Ron was sold to the new Angels and then taken off waivers by the Tigers, who turned him into a reliever. They sold him to the Nats before the '63 season and it was then that he hit his stride, going 45-31 with 95 saves and an average of 65 games through the '68 season. In '65 he also led the league in saves with 29 and his game total was a record that would soon be broken. In '67 he pitched for the Twins and '68 was a triumphal return to the Pirates (12-5 with a 1.68 ERA in 112 innings). That was his last hurrah as he would put up sub-par numbers for various teams through '70, his final season. After a career in which he went 114-144 with a 3.75 ERA, 44 complete games, eight shutouts, and 108 saves he would return to his hometown, sell jeeps, and become mayor. He passed away at 70 in 2002 from heart and liver problems.

Denny McLain was discussed on the Detroit Team card.

Tom Cheney was signed by the Cards in '52 and got off to a slow start in the low minors, going 21-24 his first three seasons. But from '55 to '57 he would go a combined 38-25 while moving up to Triple A. After losing '58 to the Army, he would return to Triple A in '59 and get a couple games up top. He would also get attacked at his home that year by a slasher with a fish scaler who nearly cut off his arm. Tom survived that and in '60 went to the Pirates for Ron Kline, among others, and got a few starts along with some innings in the Series (he struck out six Yankees in four innings). He then moved to the Senators where he had a horrible '61 and got more time in the minors. He returned to DC in '62, got some starting time, and would set a record that year with 21 strikeouts in a complete-game 16 inning win. He would assume that same role - spot starts and relieving - over the next two seasons. For those three years Tom would win a total of 16 games and seven of those wins were shutouts. During the '64 season he hurt his arm and despite a couple comeback attempts his career was over by '66. He went 19-29 with a 3.77 ERA, 13 complete games, eight shutouts, and two saves and went 76-69 in the minors. In the post-season he had a 4.50 ERA in three innings. He then settled in Albany, Georgia where he worked for a home oil distribution company. He died there in 2001 at age 67.

Frank Bertaina was signed by the Orioles in '61 out of high school in San Francisco. In '62 he had 13 wins in C ball, which got him moved up in '63 to Double and Triple A ball. From '64 to '66 he would have a combined record of 33-10 at those levels as well as some time in Baltimore during which he went 3-5 with a 3.22 ERA. That last season he had knee surgery and in '67 he went to DC with Mike Epstein for Pete Richert. That season he went 6-5 in the rotation and all four of his complete games were shutouts. But '68 was pretty messy (7-13 with a 4.66 ERA) and he led the league in wild pitches. In '69 he had a poor start and got sent back to the O's and in '70 he moved to the Cards. He did put up some good numbers in the minors during that time but nothing special up top and he was released following the '71 season. Overall he went 19-29 with a 3.84 ERA, six complete games, and five shutouts, and 72-47 in the minors. After he played he would relocate back to the west coast where he became a revered fisherman, ran a lodge, and started and ran a business that arranges fishing trips throughout the world. He passed away in 2010 at 65.

Camilo Pascual is the best pitcher of the bunch. Signed out of Cuba by the old Senators in '52, he flew through the low minors and was up by the end of the '54 season. He took a while to mature, easing into the rotation from the pen, and by '58 was putting up good numbers. Things took off in '59, when he won 17 and led the league in complete games and shutouts. He would lead in each of those categories twice more and also lead in strikeouts every season from '61 to '63. In '62 and '63 he won 20 and he was named to five All-Star teams during his career. In '65 the Twins finally got to the Series and despite being hurt much of the year, he would start one game in it, losing to LA. After an off '66 Camilo was traded back to DC, to the new Senators for - who else? - Ron Kline. The next two seasons he would be the Nats best starter, winning 25 with excellent ERA's. '68 was his last good season and after a poor start to his '69 season, he would move to the Reds, LA, and Cleveland, who would release him in '71. Camilo posted a record of 174-170 with a 3.63 ERA, 132 complete games, 36 shutouts, ten saves, and 2,167 strikeouts. In the post-season he was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in one start. He would later coach for the Twins and since '89 has worked as a scout for various teams, primarily in Central and South America.

The Rangers had two guys that got significant at bats without cards. Larry Biitner played the outfield and first base and Rico Carty DH'd and played outfield. Carty went to the Cubs during the season and Biitner would go to the Expos for '74. That's over 600 unrepresented AB's. Other guys without Ranger cards have them elsewhere: Mike Epstein (Angels), Vic Harris (Cubs), and Bill Madlock ( a rookie card with the Cubs). On the pitching side, guys with cards on other teams include Sonny Siebert (Cards), Mike Paul (Cubs), Rich Hand (Angels), and Dick Bosman (Indians). With them, 50 wins and 84 losses are represented in the set. The other decisions went to: Steve Dunning (2-6 with a 5.34 ERA) in the middle of his short stay with Texas, where he was known as Steve Stunning; Charlie Hudson (4-2/4.62 with a save), a young guy who only pitched a couple years and may still be the only MLB pitcher to go on the DL because he shot himself; Don Stanhouse (1-7/4.76/1), a reliever who would go on to have some big years with Baltimore at the end of the decade; Don Durham (0-4/7.59/1) and Jim Kremmel (0-2/9.00), a couple young guys in their first seasons; and Rick Waits, future Indian (0-0/9.00/1). Overall, there is not a terribly great representation in the set, but then again, each team only got about 25 cards.

We get to the '73 Rangers from to-be manager Oates like this:

1. Rico Carty was on the '73 Rangers;
2. Carty and Hank Aaron '63 to '72 Braves;
3, Aaron and Johnny Oates '73 to '74 Braves.

#94 - Tigers Team Records

In this photo we have the Tigers on a beautiful sunny day in Detroit. It is another blurry team card but most of these guys can be made out. The only thing I cannot figure out is the manager. It should be Billy Martin but the guy in the middle of the first row (next to the guy that looks like Jimmy Carter) looks too old to be Billy. But it ain't Joe Schultz who finished out the '73 season. It's not Ralph Houk either who managed in '74 because Frank Howard is in the picture and he was gone by then. So I guess it is Billy. At least this time he's not giving the finger.

The '73 Tigers were the defending AL East champs. Things were going well enough for them early in the season but a few key injuries nailed them. John Hiller and Lerrin Lagrow
got hurt shagging flies on the same day. Willie Horton and Al Kaline lost some serious time to injuries. Plus the regulars were getting old and Martin was starting to wear out his welcome. He and Jim Northrup, probably the team's most consistent hitter that year, did not get along and Billy benched Jim a bunch. Billy was also using up his starters, something that would tend to recur for Mr. Martin. He was fired at the beginning of September and replaced the rest of the season by Joe Schultz, of "Ball Four" fame. On the day Billy was fired the Detroit GM almost took a bullet in his hotel room. In the end the Tigers finished 85-77, 12 games back of the Orioles. The season's bright spot was probably John Hiller rescuing a five year old drowning in a hotel pool.

This is a very telling checklist card. Outside of Joe Coleman and Aurelio Rodriguez everyone whose signature is represented was at least 30 years old. It was an old team and a bunch of guys would be done or gone by the next season. I think Jim Northrup has the best signature.

I had not realized how often the Tigers met the Cubs in the Series. Out of eight Series appearances for Detroit, the Cubbies were on the other side four times. As for the then record-holders:

Rocky Colavito was everyone's favorite Indian in the late '50s. Signed by the Tribe in '51 out of The Bronx, NYC, Rocky banged his way through the minors and made it to The Show to stay in June of  '56. He started hitting homers right away - he hit 21 in just over half a season and finished second in ROY votes - and by '58 was hitting over 40 in a season. From that year to '62 his low in that department was 35. Fittingly Rocky had a rocket for an arm but had a reputation for being passive in the outfield. He could also be a streaky hitter and in early '60 was asking for more money. Those all contributed to the very unpopular - think LeBron - trade of Rocky to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn, the next guy on this post. Rocky continued to smack them for the Tigers and put up his best numbers in '61: 45 homers, 140 RBIs, 113 walks, and a .290 average. In Detroit he wasn't universally loved and he eventually went to the A's in '64 where he again topped 30 homers. In '65 he returned to Cleveland in a three-team deal that cost the Indians Tommy John and Tommie Agee, both of whom would have considerably more success than Rock down the road. In '66 he did lead the league in RBIs with 108 and walks with 93. The following year he hit 30 out again but his RBI totals faded badly and in mid-'67 he would go to the White Sox. In '68 he finished things up with LA and the Yanks, his boyhood idols. For his career he hit .266 with 374 homers, 1,159 RBIs, and a .359 OBA. He was also an eight-time All-Star and was regularly among league leaders in fielding, finishing in the top 60 all-time for putouts, assists, and double plays in right field. After he retired he helped run a mushroom plant he owned in PA. He returned to Cleveland as an announcer ('72, '75-'76) and coach ('73 - he nearly had a card in this set, '76-'78) and would also coach for the Royals ('82-'83). Thereafter he would spend a bunch of time hunting, both professionally and for fun. His home base is still Pennsylvania.

Harvey Kuenn was signed by Detroit out of the University of Wisconsin - where he was his school's first All-American - in '52 and by the end of that season was in the majors. In '53 he won ROY with 209 hits and a .308 average. He was primarily a shortstop early in his career and would eventually move to the outfield. Harvey was a spray-hitting machine; he led the league in hits four times and doubles three times. In '54 he again topped 200 hits and only struck out 13 times in nearly 700 plate appearances. In '55 he topped out with 101 runs scored and led MLB in doubles, which he would do two other times. In '56 he peaked in homers and RBI's with twelve and 88, respectively. He slumped to under .300 in '57 but then rallied to a .319 in '58 and then in '59 he led the league with a .353 average and in hits and doubles. But that off-season he went to Cleveland in the infamous trade. While he topped .300 in '60 he had barely finished the season there when he was traded to the Giants, further increasing the ire of Cleveland fans. While the average declined, Harvey was a productive member of the SF outfield for four-plus seasons and went to the '62 Series with them (he didn't hit too well). During '65 he went to the Cubs and in '66 he finished things up with the Phillies. He was a lifetime .303 hitter with over 2,000 hits and a .357 OBA. He too made eight All-Star teams and in the post-season hit .083 in his three games. After he finished playing Harvey would work as a sports announcer in Milwaukee and then as a sales rep for a printing company in that city. He returned to baseball in '71 when he became the Brewers' hitting coach, a post he retained though mid-'82. He then took over as manager of a .500 club, went 72-43 the rest of the way, and led the team to the Series, losing to the Cards in seven games. He had another winning record in '83 and was then fired. His managerial record was 160-118. Harvey had circulation problems and in '80 lost part of a leg. He scouted for the Brewers until he passed away from a heart ailment in '88 at age 57.

Ty Cobb has a great and comprehensive bio on his baseball-reference bullpen page so I won't go crazy here. He was signed by Detroit in '05 after playing local semi-pro and minor league ball. Shortly thereafter his mom shot and killed his dad, believing he was a burglar. Informed by that and by some very rough hazing he received from his Detroit teammates, Ty would adopt an overly aggressive - many would say abusive - style of play. He would also be charged as a racist, in a large part due to his assaults on black men at various points during his career. But there was no denying his talent on the field: he won the Triple Crown in '09; he hit .420 in '11 and .409 in '12; he led the AL multiple times in batting average (12 times), hits (8), runs (5), doubles (3), triples (4), RBI's (4), and stolen bases (6). He played for Detroit through '26, also managing the team the last six seasons. For the next two years he played for Connie Mack in Philly. He finished with a .366 lifetime average, 4,189 hits, 2,244 runs, 295 doubles, 117 triples, 1,933 RBI's, 897 stolen bases, and a .433 OBA. In the Series he hit .262 with nine RBI's in 17 games. He made the Hall on his first shot - and its first shot - in '36. He was a nasty guy but made a fortune investing in Coca-Cola among other public companies. He passed away in '61 at age 74.

Hank Greenberg was a big Jewish kid out of NYC. He was signed by Detroit in 1930 after a year at NYU and though he hit well at every level, took a few years to make it to Detroit. But after making the cut in '33 and a slow start he was the Tigers' starting first baseman by mid-summer. He hit .301 his rookie year with 12 homers and 87 RBIs. In '34 he cranked 63 doubles, 26 homers, and 139 RBIs and led Detroit to the Series which they lost to the Gashouse Gang (he hit .321). '35 was even better with 36 homers and 170 RBIs - geez - both of which led the league, giving Hank his first MVP. Again the Tigers went to the Series, this time winning it, although Hank broke his wrist midway through. He also broke it a couple games into the '36 season essentially missing the whole thing. In '37 he went after Hack Wilson's record, just missing with 183 RBIs. In '38 he went after The Babe, again just missing with 58 homers. A nice '39 followed and a real nice '40 (.340/41/150) thereafter with a second MVP. In those years from '34 to '40 Hank would average over an RBI per game. In '41 WWII called and Hank would miss all or most of the next four seasons. He came back mid-way through the '45 season and again went to the Series. A great '46 followed - .277/44/127 - and when he didn't get the raise he wanted he decided to retire; the Tigers then signed him and traded him to the Pirates where he hit 25 homers and then retired, but not before being one of the few guys who openly welcomed Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues (he was one of the few guys to identify with Jackie being the recipient of ethnic slurs). By the time he was done he hit .313 with 331 homers, 379 doubles, and 1,276 RBIs and a .412 OBA with four All-Star appearances in about nine-and-a-half seasons. In the post-season he would hit .318 with a .420 OBA, five homers, and 22 RBIs in 23 games. He then hooked up with Bill Veeck and was a managing partner of both the Indians ('48-'58) and the White Sox ('59-'61), getting to the Series at each stop. Thereafter he became a successful investment banker. He made the Hall in '56 and passed away at age 75 in 1986.

Sam Crawford played in the outfield with Ty Cobb (they barely spoke). He was from Wahoo, Nebraska - hence the nicknmae "Wahoo Sam" - and followed some local ball with stops in Canada and then Grand Rapids of the Western League. He was signed by the Reds in 1899 and immediately came up hitting above .300. He had an OK 1900 then hit his stride the next season, hitting .330 with 16 triples and leading the NL with 16 homers. Triples were his thing and he would lead his league in that category six times. In '02 he hit 22 and then following that season Sam signed with both the Reds and Detroit and was awarded to the latter team for $3,000. His first year in the AL he banged out 25 triples and hit .335. Then came a few sub-.300 seasons but with continued big triple numbers. During that time Sam mentored Cobb when he came up but then lost some thunder to him, hence at least part of the not speaking thing. In '07 Sam's average bounced to .323 as he scored over 100 runs for the first time. In '08 he led the AL in homers with seven and in '09 in doubles with 35. In 1910 he led the league in RBI's with 120 and returned to the top with 19 triples. He then went on the best extended run of his career and over the next five seasons would top 100 RBI's four times and lead the AL in triples three times.. He would remain a regular through '15 and would lose starting time the next two seasons to Harry Heilmann, the Tigers' next hitting star. He was cut after the '17 season and then played four seasons in the minors in the PCL for LA. He finished with a .309 average, 2,961 hits, 97 homers, and 1,525 RBIs. He also had a record 309 triples. He would hit .243 with eight RBI's in 17 Series games (no triples). After his career he coached USC baseball in the '20s and umpired in the PCL in the '30s. He would be one of the old stars interviewed for "The Glory of Their Times" in the '60s. He was elected to the Hall in '57 and passed away in '68 at age 88.

Just for the heck of it I have posted some cards from 1910 of the guys on this post from that era. The cards are reproductions.


Wabash George Mullin was signed out of Fort Wayne in the Western Association by the Tigers in 1901. He jumped into the rotation the following year and was an innings hog, regularly putting up well over 300 a season. He won 20 or more games five times for Detroit and lost 20 or more for them three times. He had a great fastball and a curve and led the league in walks four consecutive seasons. He led the league in earned runs three times also but his stats were normally at or better than his contemporaries. George was a sort of predecessor to Mark Fidrych in that he would often step off the mound to make some equipment adjustments and talk to opposing players and even fans. He got into three Series with the Tigers and was arguably the team's best post-season pitcher those years. He threw a no-hitter against St. Louis in 1912, remained with Detroit through early '13, and then was sold to the Senators the rest of the season. The next two years he joined the Federal League and was done in the majors when that league folded. He pitched a season in the minors and then hung them up. He went 228-196 with a 2.82 ERA, 353 complete games, 35 shutouts, and eight saves. He was also a lifetime .262 hitter with 70 doubles, 23 triples, and 137 RBI's. In the post-season he went 3-3 with a 1.86 ERA, six complete games, and a shutout in his seven games. After he stopped playing he coached in the minors a few seasons before returning to Wabash, Indiana where he was a policeman. He passed away in '44 at age 64.

Denny McLain just missed having a card in this set (he can actually be seen on the Braves team card). A Chicago kid, he was signed by the White Sox in '62 and started off well enough – he threw a no-hitter in his first professional game - but went unprotected the following winter and was claimed by the Tigers in the first year draft. He won 18 in a '63 split between A and Double A and came up at the end of the season. He hit a homer in his first start up top. Hurt for a bit in '64 he grabbed a spot in the rotation late in the year and then started cranking the next season. In '65 he went 16-6 with a 2.61 ERA. In '66 he won 20 but his ERA ballooned a bit. In '67 he won 17; the rumor was that his win totals came down because he got his foot squashed by a mob guy to whom he owed money. '68 was his big year: 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA and 280 strikeouts got him the Cy and MVP. He led the Tigers to the Series and won Game Six. 24 wins and another Cy came in '69 and then things went south - fast. He was suspended three times during the '70 season for bookmaking, consorting with gamblers, and pouring a bucket of water on some sportswriters. He only won three games that year and then was sent to the Senators in a horrible trade for Washington; Denny went 10-22 and incurred manager Ted Williams' ire. He went to Oakland and then the Braves in '72 but couldn't keep his ERA below 6.00. In '73 he attempted minor league comebacks with both the Brewers and the White Sox but his arm was toast. He finished his career with a 131-91 record with a 3.39 ERA, 105 complete games, 29 shutouts, and two saves. He went 1-2 in his three post-season games with a 3.34 ERA. Along with the two Cy’s he was an All-Star three times. After playing McLain would work as a musician – he put out a couple albums as an organist, hustle golf, and do some radio shows. But he would also get busted for running drugs and arms and for fraud and other financial crimes and serve a bunch of time.

Wild Bill Donovan was another early 20th century pitcher. Originally signed by the first - NL - Washington Senators out of Lawrence, MA in 1898, he went to Brooklyn the following two seasons. He pitched sparingly in both stops with a high ERA and spent most of his time in 1899 and 1900 in A ball where he won a combined 42 games and earned his "Wild" nickname in a funny way: after a teammate was called up to MLB after a game in which he threw a pitch over the backstop, Bill decided that was the best way to get up and in his next start walked nine consecutive batters. While that may not have done the trick, in 1901 he broke into the Superbas rotation and went 25-15 with a 2.77 ERA. He spent another season with Brooklyn, winning 17, and then jumped to Detroit where he joined the rotation and was a roughly .500 pitcher the next four seasons. In '07 he went 25-4 with a 2.19 ERA and pitched in the first of three consecutive Series. He would never again win 20 but did have some decent percentages the next few seasons, going 18-7 in '08 and 17-7 in '10, until his arm died in 1912. He then went to the minors where he played at and managed Providence. In 1915 he returned to the majors as player-manager of the Yankees. After three seasons with NY he returned to Detroit as a coach for the '18 season. That was his final time on the hill and for his career Wild Bill was 185-139 with a 2.69 ERA, 289 complete games, 35 shutouts, and eight saves. Another decent hitter, he hit .193 lifetime with seven homers and 92 RBI's. In the post-season he went 1-4 with a 2.88 ERA in six games, five of them complete. The next two years he managed Jersey City in the IL and then in '21 returned to MLB to manage the Phillies for half a season. He then went to New Haven, a Single A league. He was in line to manage the Senators in '24 when he was killed in a famous train crash in upstate New York. He was 47.

Paul Foytack was signed by the Tigers in 1949 out of Scranton, PA. After two good years – a combined 32 wins – in the low minors and a decent ’51 split between A and Triple A ball, he ran into a bit of a wall at the higher level due to injuries and an unrefined curveball. He spent the next few years shortening his break and reached the majors briefly in '53 and '55. In '56 he finally joined the rotation and won 15 games. He remained in the rotation the next three seasons, averaging 14 wins a year but then a rough start to his ‘60 led to pen time and an ugly 2-11 record with a huge ERA. The ERA stayed pretty high the next couple seasons though he returned to the rotation and won a combined 21 games. In '63 he got off to another slow start and was traded to the Angels where he finished with a decent record as a reliever. He pitched a couple games for LA in '64 and was then released. He returned to the Detroit system and finished out the year with ten wins in Triple A. He then went to Japan for ’65 where he turned in decent numbers in a short season for Chunichi. He finished with an MLB record of 86-87 with a 4.14 ERA, 63 complete games, seven shutouts, and seven saves. During his first season in LA, he famously gave up four homers in a row. When manager Bill Rigney came to the mound after the fourth run and asked Paul how he thought he was doing, the pitcher responded: “pretty well, I think. There aren’t any runners on base.” He returned from Japan to the Detroit area and for a few years threw batting practice for the Tigers. He also was a salesman for many years of industrial rubber for the Sell Corporation. He is now 80 and still around.

Hal Newhouser is the first Hall of Fame pitcher the Tigers have produced. Raised in Detroit, he was signed in '39 by the Tigers and though he got off to a rough start in the minors – a combined 13-18 but with a pretty good ERA - he was on the team by the end of the season. Hal was very tough on himself and his teammates and for his first five years he would post not great numbers - 34-52 with an ERA around 4.00 - as he moved between the rotation and the bullpen. Hal had a huge kick - think of Juan Marichal - and pulled a Sandy Koufax in '44 when he suddenly became the best pitcher in the league. He went 29-9 with a 2.22 ERA and led the league with 187 strikeouts. In '45 he went 25-9 with a 1.81 ERA and 212 Ks leading the league in all three and most other major pitching categories. He won MVP both seasons, the first pitcher to do that successively. In the '45 Series he went 2-1 with 22 Ks in 20 innings even though his ERA was above 6.00. In ’46 he again led the AL with his 26 wins and 1.94 ERA and posted his best strikeout total of 275. He continued his success the next three seasons, recording a combined 54 wins, though the Detroit offense contacted considerably. He hurt his arm midway through the '50 season and though he won 15 that year his ERA moved up a run. The next three seasons he would lose a bunch of hill time and he hurt the arm again in '53. In '54 he went to the Indians where he experienced a one-year revival as the team's long relief ace and threw in that year's Series. He was done after a couple games the following season. Hal went 207-150 with a 3.06 ERA, 212 complete games, 33 shutouts, and 26 saves and was 2-1 with a 6.53 ERA in his four post-season games. Another pretty good batter, he put up a .201 career average with 81 RBI’s. Following his career he was a bank executive for a bunch of years before returning to baseball as a scout for a few teams - he signed Milt Pappas, Dean Chance, and almost Derek Jeter (for the Astros) in ’92 when he was also elected to the Hall by the Veteran's Committee. He passed away in '98 at age 77 from complications related to emphysema.


Quite a few Tigers are missing from the '73 team. Duke Sims, the primary backup catcher had a Yankee card (he was traded to them at the end of the season). Tony Taylor (.229 in 302 at bats) played a bunch as an infield reserve (he was cut in December). Frank Howard (.256 with twelve homers in 227 at bats) shared DH time in '73 with Gates Brown in his last season. Rich Reese (.137 in 102 at bats) played one season for Detroit after many in Minnesota, backing up at first and in the outfield. Taylor (first row second from left) and Howard (third row first guy) are both on the Team card. Reese probably is also but the card is too blurry to tell. On the pitching side Bob Miller had a Mets card and Tom Timmermann a Cleveland card. Including them, 153 of 162 decisions are represented by the set. The only missing guy is Mike Strahler, a spot guy who went 4-5 with a 4.37 ERA and a complete game in his final season. I am pretty sure he is the fourth guy in Frank Howard's row. With nine missing decisions and over 600 missing AB's Detroit fares pretty poorly in the player representation category.

This will be a challenge:

1. Willie Horton on the '73 Tigers;
2. Horton and Nate Colbert '75 Tigers;
3. Colbert and Ivan Murrell '69 to '73 Padres;
4. Murrell and Marty Perez '74 Braves;
5. Perez and Rod Gilbreath '75 to '76 Braves.

Wow!