#222 - Ramon Hernandez

Ramon Hernandez was around 33 when this photo was taken at Candlestick during the '73 season. Or he wasn't. Like Luis Tiant Ramon had a pretty wiggy pitching motion. Like Luis, he also had a bunch of people who thought he was quite a bit older than his stated age. Regardless, Ramon was in the middle of a pretty good run as the setup guy/closer in the Pirate bullpen. In '73 on top of another excellent ERA he recorded eleven saves. He also gives us a clear look at the circled number 21 on his sleeve in honor of his countryman Roberto Clemente. It looks a lot better than the electrical tape a bunch of other Pirates wore.

Hernandez took a circuitous route to the majors after being signed by the Pirates in '59. He pitched a couple seasons for them in the low minors, sat out '61 and was then sold to the Angels. In their system he would advance, showing some success as high as the Double A level but none higher. In late '66 he went to the Braves in the Rule 5 draft. After a season in Atlanta during which he pitched not too badly he moved to the Cubs in the same draft. He stayed up top in Chicago, but without much action, and went to the Cards in a mid-season sale in '68, finishing out the year poorly at Triple A. In '69 back down in Double A he had his best season, going 10-10. He was then released by St. Louis, spent '70 with the Mexico City Reds, and was sold to the Pirates before the '71 season. After a pretty good year as a reliever - 2-3 with a 4.02 ERA at Triple A - he came up, this time for good.

Hernandez only got into a few innings for the eventual Series champs, but wowed everyone with his array of pitches and motions. His money pitch was a pretty wicked screwball which he could throw from three angles. In ten games in '71 he had four saves with a 0.73 ERA. He was then made Dave Giusti's setup guy and would have lots of success in that role the next four seasons, going a combined 16-9 with a 2.45 ERA and 32 saves. His ERA floated up to the mid-3.50 level in '76 and he was sent to the Cubs late in the season in a sale. He then had a horrible start to the '77 season, was traded to the Red Sox for Bobby Darwin, and finished things up in Boston. Ramon went a combined 23-15 with a 3.03 ERA and 46 saves in 337 games. He put in playoff time three seasons while with the Pirates and generally did pretty well, posting an 0-1 record with a 3.24 ERA in eight innings.

A quiet guy when he played, Hernandez moved back to PR and went underground. He passed away in 2009 at age 68, if his official data is to be believed.

 As mentioned above Ramon had his best minor league season in '69 and gets mention of it in his first couple star bullets. I have no idea from where Topps pulled his '69 MLB data: Ramon really went 0-2 that season in Atlanta with a 4.18 ERA with five saves in 51 innings. He was a switch hitter which is pretty amusing since he couldn't hit well at all. He did have some good fielding stats, getting double figures in assists a bunch of times and going almost three seasons in a row without an error. In the minors lots of times he would carry a gun which never made his managers terribly happy.

Ramon missed playing for Chuck Tanner by a season, but let's see how they hook up. For Tanner as manager:

1. Hernandez and Dave Parker '73 to '76 Pirates;

2. Parker was managed by Tanner on the '77 to '83 Pirates.

Now for Chuck as a player:

1. Hernandez and Paul Popovich '74 Pirates;

2. Popovich and Ernie Banks '64 to '67 and '69 to '71 Cubs;

3. Banks and Chuck Tanner '57 to '58 Cubs.

I love the retreads.

#221 - Chuck Tanner/White Sox Field Leaders

Chuck Tanner looks moderately happy in this photo so I am guessing it is taken early in the season, possibly spring training. If I am correct on that last bit then it was a warm spring since that guy right over Chuck's left shoulder has no shirt on. That's too bad for us since that guy is nastily doughy. Maybe Chuck is just happy that he is in much better shape; he HAD to be.

Much like their cross-town friends the Cubbies, the White Sox in '73 were looking to build on the momentum of a promising '72. Dick Allen was fresh off his MVP year, Tanner had been AL Manager of the Year, and Bill Melton was healthy, plus they had some exciting young pitchers. They came out of the gate like gangbusters, led by Wilbur Wood who was pitching - and pretty much winning - every third day and on top of their big three - Allen, Melton, and Carlos May - doing well, Pat Kelly was smacking the crap out of the ball. In early June they were still above .600. But then Allen got steamrolled by Mike Epstein and was done for the year; the pitching would turn out to be only so-so after Wilbur and Cy Acosta; and everything pretty much collapsed as the Sox stuck around .500 from late June to early September when a late swoon took them all the way down to fifth place.

Chuck Tanner is one of those guys who was born old. In this photo he was only 44. He grew up in New Castle PA, not terribly far from Allen's hometown of Wampum, which would prove hugely helpful for the relationship between the two men. Chuck was signed by the Boston Braves in '46 out of high school. After a slow start that year he would move up the ladder from D ball to Double A over the next eight seasons hitting well over .300 at each stop except for a few games in Triple A. He established a reputation as a good-fielding speedy outfielder and would post a .313 average for his minor league career. In '55 he made it to the top as Milwaukee's fourth outfielder. He would then barely play in '56 and was grabbed by the Cubs early in '57 off waivers. For Chicago he would hit .286 as his only time as a starter. In '58 he was back to reserve duty. In '59 he moved to Cleveland for whom he would have a very good Triple A year but play rarely up top. In '61 he was sold to the new Angels for whom he would again play mostly in the minors. By '62 he was done in the majors, finishing with a .261 average with a .323 OBA and 21 homers.

Beginning in '63 Tanner would manage in the Angels chain, moving up through successive leagues until '70 when he won 98 with Triple A Hawaii. He was then picked to be the White Sox manager very late in that season. He had a laid back approach and a reputation for handling pitchers well, allowing him to move the team from last to second place in just over two years. He helped turn Terry Forster and Goose Gossage into effective relievers and was the most successful manager of Allen and his moods until late in '74 when Dick "retired", again killing a revived team. Chuck stayed in Chicago through the following season and then moved to Oakland in '76, right after the team sent Reggie and Ken Holtzman to Baltimore. Despite those losses, Chuck nearly managed to win the division as he turned the team into a basepaths-eating machine as the club stole a record 341 bases. Following that season he was mercifully traded to the Pirates for Manny Sanguillen. In Pittsburgh he would do his magic again, giving the vets room and working the pitching staff well, averaging 92 wins his first two seasons. He then won the whole thing in '79 with the "We Are Family" Pirates. Then Pittsburgh got old fast and disappointed the next year. Chuck would stick there through a couple good years into a disastrous '85. In '86 he went to Atlanta where things didn't go so well and he was released in '88. He then did admin work for the Brewers, Indians, and back with the Pirates. His lifetime MLB managerial record was 1,352-1,381 and in the minors 561-537. He passed away earlier this year in PA at age 81.

Joe Lonnett was another rural PA kid who was signed by the Phillies in '47. In a recent interview with him he mentioned that he played American Leqion ball after high school and also did military time which explains his being 20 when signed. By '50 he moved up to A ball and showed decent power and good defense behind the plate. He would lose the next two years to military duty - odd if he really also did it as a teenager - returning in '53 to put in three years at Triple A, the best in '54 when he tapped 21 homers with 63 RBIs in only 350 at bats. After a short year there in '55 he came up to Philadelphia in '56 and spent the next four years there as a backup. He never really got things going up top hitting only .166. By '58 he was spending most of his time back in the minors where he continued to play until '62, finishing with a career .261 average at that level. He then both scouted and coached in the Phillies organization from '63 to '70, somewhere along the line meeting Mr. Tanner. In '71 he became the third base coach of the Sox which he did through '75. He then joined Tanner in Pittsburgh, assuming the same role from '77 to '84. He would then manage a bit in the minors for the Blue Jays, going 41-36, before essentially retiring in '89. He is currently residing back in PA.

Jim Mahoney was signed out of Jersey by the Phillies in '53 as a pitcher. Midway through his first season in D ball as a reliever he was sent to Boston and finished a combined 0-5. But he hit well over .300 so he was turned into a shortstop. He then hit nearly .300 with 23 homers in '54 and by '56 was up to Triple A where he hit .228. Jim then missed the next two seasons for military duty returning in '59 to his former level plus some games up top in which he almost exclusively pinch ran and played late-inning defense. He would then move around a bunch: Washington, Pittsburgh, the Angels, Cleveland, the Braves, and to Houston where he played his last ball up top in '65 and put in multiple seasons for their Triple A clubs. He was a .229 hitter in 225 career at bats in the majors. He continued playing in the minors and by '69 landed in the White Sox system where in '70 he was a player-coach. In the minors he hit about .245. He then moved up to Chicago from '71 to '76, followed by managing stints for the Pirates and White Sox organizations from '77 to '83, during which time he went 412-408. He coached for the Mariners from '85 to '86 and then did some work in the Twins system for an indeterminate amount of time. He is also still around.

Alex Monchak was another middle infielder from Jersey who by '37 was in the low minors of the Dodgers system. The next couple years he would move around and while he would post .300-plus averages at the lower levels really couldn't get it going at Single A or higher. In '43 WWII called and Alex would spend the next three years in the military. He returned in '46 for a year of A ball in the Milwaukee system and was then released. He then played a bunch of independent ball from '48 to '53 before putting in a few years in the Cleveland and Milwaukee systems. When he was done in '57 he left behind a .274 average in the minors. In his brief stop up top with Philly he hit .143 in 14 at bats. From '49 to '61 he managed in the minors, first for independent leagues, then for the Braves. During that time he won four league championships while going 787-669. From '62 to '70 he would scout and do admin work for the Angels, where he met Chuck Tanner. He then joined Chuck for a few tours: the Sox ('71-'75); Oakland ('76); Pittsburgh ('77-'84); and Atlanta ('86-'88). He then retired and is still hanging out at 94.

Johnny Sain was one of the best pitching coaches ever. Signed by Detroit out of a tiny town in Arkansas in '36, he spent the next four seasons in D ball after which, although he won 34 games from '38 to '39, he was released. He then signed a minor league contract with a Dodgers affiliate where he threw for two seasons before being purchased by the Braves prior to the '42 season. His debut in the majors wasn't fantastic - 4-7 as a reliever with six saves - but he and manager Casey Stengel hit it off. Johnny would miss the next three seasons as a Navy pilot during WWII and then return to Boston where he would be one of the NL's best pitchers the next three seasons, winning a combined 65 games and leading the Braves to the '48 Series. Early in '49 his arm got hurt and although he won 20 in '50 his combined record of 35-43 with a high ERA got him traded to the Yankees midway through the '51 season to be reunited with Casey. He was an immediate success - he fixed his arm through radiation therapy - going a combined 27-14 as a spot starter and reliever for the next three Series winners. In '54 he led the AL in saves with 22. He then faded fast, finishing his career in '55 with the A's. Johnny went a combined 139-116 with a 3.49 ERA,140 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 53 saves. He made three All-Star teams and finished second in MVP voting in '48. He was an excellent hitter as well, batting .245 and only striking out 20 times during his career. In KC he became a pitching coach, sticking with the A's through '59. In '60 he joined the Yankees where he turned Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry, and Jim Bouton into 20-game winners. He asked for and was released after the Yankees wouldn't give him a raise after the '63 season. Johnny was rather famous - or infamous if one was in management - for being his own guy: he didn't believe in pitchers running; didn't believe in catchers calling games; would teach his pitchers unpopular pitches; and was very big in preparing his pitchers mentally and emotionally. He went to the Twins in '65 where he helped them win a pennant and turned Mudcat Grant and Jim Kaat into 20-game winners, but only lasted through '66. In '67 he went to Detroit where he turned his magic to Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain, and Earl Wilson, helping the team win the '68 Series. He got canned in '69 and then worked in the Angels system. He came to the White Sox in '71 and turned that team around, moving Wilbur Wood to the rotation, reviving Jim Kaat, and getting 20 wins out of Stan Bahnsen. He stuck in Chicago through '75 and then went to the Braves organization where he put in a few seasons up top ('77 and '85-'86) but more importantly developed guys like Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine. Johnny retired after the '89 season and passed away in 2006 at age 89.

Since Chuck played up top we get a double hook-up. First as manager:

1. Tanner managed Tommy John on the '70 to '71 White Sox;

2. John and Don Sutton '72 to '78 Dodgers.

Then as player:

1.Tanner and Ernie Banks '57 to '58 Cubs;

2. Banks and Paul Popovich '64 to '67 and '69 to '71 Cubs;

3. Popovich and Don Sutton '68 to '69 Dodgers.

#220 - Don Sutton

Don Sutton has the old uniform on with the piping which means that this shot may be from an earlier season than '73. Whatever year it is he looks like he's in a spring training compound. Don is another guy smack in the middle of a couple good runs in '73: it was the eighth of 17 straight seasons in which Don would win double-figure games; and it was the fourth of nine straight seasons in which he would have a winning record. While his numbers were a small discount to his excellent '72 he was again an All-Star, again put less guys on base than his innings pitched, and was his last season of over 200 K's. Don looks confident in his photo here...and he should.

Don Sutton was born in Alabama and moved to Florida as a kid. As has been the recent theme he was a big deal athlete in high school. After he finished he played in a summer league and was signed by the Dodgers late in '64. Don wasted no time, winning 23 in a '65 season split between Single and Double A. That got him called all the way up in '66 where right off the bat he had a premium season, winning 12. The next couple years he put up pretty good numbers but an overall losing record for a team that wasn't so hot. In '69 he had his first big wins number but it was coupled with a big losses number as well. In '70 Don got on the right side of the won-loss record but his ERA popped as he led the NL in earned runs.

From '71 to '76 Sutton really hit a groove, averaging 18 wins a year with an ERA under 3.00. In '72, probably his best year, he began a streak of five All-Star games in six years and that year led the NL with his nine shutouts. '74 was his first trip to the post-season where he threw excellent ball. He peaked in victories in '76 with 21 when he also peaked in Cy Young voting, finishing third. He stayed in LA through the '80 season, averaging 14 wins per season, when he led the NL in ERA with 2.20. That December he signed with the Astros as s free agent.

After his first stint in LA Sutton was pretty itinerant. He spent the better part of two seasons in Houston before he went to the Brewers for the '82 stretch run during which time he went 4-1. He spent another two seasons in Milwaukee as a .500 pitcher as the Brewers ran out of gas. In '85 at age 40 he went to Oakland and then went to the Angels for the final month, winning 15 games in total. For California he would have his last good year for the '86 division winners, again winning 15. After another full season there and a partial one back with LA in '88 he was done. Don finished with a record of 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA, 178 complete games, 58 shutouts, and five saves. He is high on the career strikeout list with 3,574. In the post-season he was 6-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 15 games.

After playing, Sutton became a broadcaster sandwiching 20-plus years calling Braves games around a couple doing Nationals games in the mid-2000's. He was elected to the Hall in '98.

Don has a great card back. Per the first star bullet I guess that is the Sporting News honor because Topps opted for Woody Fryman and Jim Nash that year. He gets other props for his excellent '72 and '73.

This one reaches a long way.

1. Sutton and Rick Burleson '86 Angels;

2. Burleson and Doug Griffin '74 to '77 Red Sox.

#219 - Doug Griffin

Doug Griffin looks a little peeved in Oakland, despite the relaxed stance. Doug had reason to be leery. Although he was in the middle of what was arguably the peak of his career, he was also in the midst of some painful experiences. In '73 he was hitting .289 when he broke his hand and missed nearly two months. In '74 he took a Nolan Ryan heater square in the melon and needed to be hospitalized. All that on top of a bad back and his relatively short career doesn't require too much explaining.

Doug Griffin played football and basketball, ran track, and was an all-county baseball player in high school in California. He attended Jackson State Community College in Tennessee and was drafted out of there by the Angels in '65. He spent a brief time in Rookie ball the rest of that season and followed that up in '66 as an all-star in Single A. But before that season ended he pulled his military hitch, which sent him to Pearl Harbor to work on submarines. That gig lasted through the '68 season. In '69 he played both A and Double A ball, elevating his average to above .300 at the higher level. In '70 he returned to Hawaii to play Triple A and had an excellent season, scoring 119 runs and cementing his reputation as a superior fielder. He also got in a few games up top for the Angels.

Before the '71 season Griffin was part of an interesting trade in which a lot of names got reused. He, Jarvis Tatum, and Ken Tatum (not related) went to the Red Sox for Jerry Moses, Ray Jarvis, and the premium piece of the deal, Tony Conigliaro. Ironically Doug, the only non-major leaguer of the bunch, turned out to be the best new acquisition of the group by either team. Handed the starting second baseman job he was taken under the wing of the other new infield acquisition Luis Aparacio. Little Looie worked long hours with Doug on both hitting and defense, especially on the double play. As a result, Doug became aggressive on both sides which would be both bad and good. On the plus side he had an excellent defensive rookie year, enabling him to win Rookie All-Star honors from Topps and Baseball Digest and come in fourth place in AL ROY voting. In '72 he would win a Gold Glove. On the downside Looie forgot to teach Doug how to avoid takeouts and Doug got nailed a lot by baserunners while turning the DP, which would result in a constantly aggravated back. He also tended to dig in at the plate, thus the Ryan beaning. He would recover and put up his best offensive numbers in '74, hitting .266. In '75 the back pain caught up to him and Doug's back fragility would move the Sox to acquire Denny Doyle who would go on to have a career season during the playoff run while he was platooned with Doug at second. Doug would see almost no post-season action and in '76 would hit sub-.200 as Doyle's backup. He also got beaned again, this time by Dick Bosman. After a couple games in early '77 he was released. He finished with a .245 average and a very good .981 fielding average.

After baseball, Doug returned to California where he hooked up with a neighbor to build and sell houses. He then did the same thing in Florida for Buddy Leroux, who was part of the syndicate that bought the Sox in the late '70s. In '90 or so he returned to California to manage a painting business, motels, and storage units until he retired in the mid-'90s. He has a nice SABR bio linked to here. I also have linked another recent interview with him here.

Doug once had pretty good wheels and had additional fielding honors in '72. I believe he is the first guy in the set so far linked to his team for extra work. His nickname in Boston was Dude since as a true Californian that was how he addressed everybody. Ross Grimsley, a teammate on the '71 rookie team, also played ball at Jackson State.

Boston and Milwaukee used to do lots of trades so this should be quick:

1. Griffin and Billy Conigliaro '71 Red Sox;

2. Conigliaro and Johnny Briggs '72 Brewers.

#218 - Johnny Briggs

This is a pretty prosaic card of Johnny Briggs. I liked his cards better in the mid-'70s when he used to sport some puka shells on his neck and some pretty good facial hair. This shot was taken in the middle of Johnny's Milwaukee run and '73 would be a mixed year for him. Most of his offensive numbers were a bit of a discount to '72's, his first full season there. And he led league outfielders in errors. But he also stole a personal-best 15 bases and maintained a pretty good OBA. Here he looks like he's toting some decent guns under his shirts in what I believe is Oakland. Johnny became a bit of a power hitter with the Brewers so he needed the requisite equipment.

Johnny Briggs grew up in East Paterson NJ and would attend Seton Hall University. He was signed by the Phillies after a year at school, late in '62. In '63 he went out to Cali to play Single A ball and did well, hitting .297 with 21 homers. Philly brought him up in '64 where as a pinch hitter and runner he got to watch as the Phillies blew their big lead down the stretch. In '65 he began to get some starting time in the outfield but he lost some games due to a nasty collision and he got his hand hurt by one of Frank Thomas's faux handshakes (it was that incident that led to Thomas' fight with Dick Allen). Over the next bunch of seasons Johhny would be mostly an outfield starter putting up average offensive stats. Early in the '71 season he was traded to the Brewers for Pete Koegel and Ray Peters.

In Milwaukee Briggs would up his profile considerably, also playing some first base. In Philly he was averaging a homer and four RBIs every 50 at bats. In his first three seasons for the Brewers he upped that to three and eight, respectively. In '74 he had his busiest season, getting over 500 at bats for the only time in his career and posting his highest RBI total, with 73. In '75 after a hot start he was sent to the Twins - they needed a first baseman the year before Rod Carew's move from second - for Bobby Darwin. While his average faded a bit down the stretch his OBA number was still pretty good. But with the pending Carew relocation Johnny was released the following February. He then signed a two-year contract with the Orions in Japan but early in the '76 season he got sick from a parasite infestation, spent some time in a hospital, and came home. He then decided to pass on his second season. For his career in the States Johnny hit .253 with 139 homers and 507 RBIs. His OBA was .355.

Briggs returned to NJ after his Japanese experience and was a recreation manager there for a few years. In '82 he got a job as a corrections officer which he did until retiring in 2008. He still resides in Paterson where a local Pony League and its field are named after him. His wife is a detective. I guess that is one family with which you don't mess. There is a very nice recent interview with him here.

Johnny had a busy month in July of '72. I am pretty sure his homer won a "game" not "fame" in the first star bullet but, then again, maybe he really was low profile before that game. I'm from Jersey and I will say that not too many Paterson guys rode horses so that would have been a sight.

Johnny was sort of famously mellow. Now he gets hooked up to a hothead:

1. Briggs and Rod Carew '75 Twins;
2. Carew and Tim Foli '82 to '83 Angels.

#217 - Tim Foli

It's early August and the market's falling out of the sky, but here's Tim Foli ready to catch it. Too bad he's about 38 years early. Here he gets ready for his second season as the Montreal starter at shortstop. While Tim would miss a little time to injury during the season his numbers kept pace with his first year. Tim's down in Florida in spring training in one of the better shots at the Expos facility. I know those are stands behind Tim but the red seats look a little like the starting blocks at a horse track. There is all sorts of stuff behind Tim on the field. He needs to do a better job picking up after himself.

Tim Foli was another multi-sport athlete out of California. Slated to go to USC on a football scholarship he opted for baseball when the Mets made him the number one pick in the '68 draft. He split that year - he was only 17 - between Rookie ball and Double A and hit pretty well but was a little sloppy in the field. In '69 the average upticked in Single A but the D didn't. But in '70 he moved to Triple A and cut his errors in half and was starting to look like the heir to Bud Harrelson. After a few games in NY that fall, he was on the Mets roster for all of '71 where he split time between second and third during a tough offensive season. The following winter he went to Montreal with Ken Singleton and Mike Jorgensen for Rusty Staub.

In Montreal Foli became the starting shortstop. He was a fiery guy, frequently getting tossed out of games. He was a pretty typical '70's shortstop: good fielder but not so hot at the plate. He didn't walk very much but didn't strike out a lot either, averaging about a K every 15 at bats over his career. By '74 he got control of his temper - although he still liked to bait umpires - and cut down his E totals, becoming a team leader. In '76 he would reach new offensive highs - six homers, 54 RBIs, and a .264 average. That year he hit for the cycle. In order. Over two days. That happened because the game was at Wrigley and was called due to darkness. He got the triple trying to get an out stretching a double to end the game but made it in under the tag. After a crappy start to the '77 season he was sent to the Giants for Chris Speier in an exchange of once hot young shortstops.

Foli finished out an uninspired season in San Francisco and then in '78 went back to the Mets in a sale where his numbers picked up a bit. The next April he got lucky: he went to the Pirates in another even-up for Frank Taveras (poor Frank!). In Pittsburgh, Tim became a project of manager Chuck Tanner, became a nearly-.300 hitter and spent a lot of the season batting second. He then turned in a super post-season hitting .333 with zero strikeouts in 45 plate appearances. Tim would hang out as the regular shortstop through '81 and then go to the Angels for Brian Harper. In California, Tim would be the more-or-less first multi-year starting shortstop since Jim Fregosi twelve years earlier. In '82 he led the league in sacrifice hits. For the '84 season he went to the Yankees and then returned to Pittsburgh in '85 where he played a few games before being released. Tim finished with a .251 average, .276 in the post-season. He led the league shortstops twice in putouts and once in assists. He is currently ranked in the top 75 for shortstops in putouts and fielding percentage, and the top 50 for assists and double plays.

After playing, Foli did the coaching thing. He coached for the Rangers ('86-'87), Brewers ('91-'95), Royals ('96-'97), Mets ('98-2000), Reds ('00-'03), and Nationals ('05-present). Some of those seasons he managed or coached in the minors. He is 319-318 for his managing career. At the last three stops he worked with Bob Boone with whom he became friends while on the Angels.

Tim has a pretty blase card back but gets points for his improving defense. His signed name may be the shortest one in the set this year. I will take a cursory look at that. For anyone who cares, an interesting aside concerns some factors from Tim's '79 post-season. In the NLCS he hit .333 while posting an OBA of only .286. How does that happen? Tim's three plate appearances that weren't at bats resulted in three sacrifices (which knocked in a couple runs). Those count for bumpus in OBA ratings. Meanwhile in the Series he hit .333 with an OBA of .375 while scoring six runs in the seven games while, according to baseball-reference, gets a minus win probability factor. I'd take eight offensive guys in the Series any day with those numbers.

A quickie, these guys played together:

1. Foli and Ray Sadecki '71 Mets.

#216 - Ray Sadecki

Like Al Kaline on the prior post, Ray Sadecki was signed to a big bonus, although technically he wasn't a bonus baby. But that was a long time ago and by '73 Ray was a grizzled clubhouse presence and all-around pitcher for the pennant-winning Mets. Ray and Harry Parker were go-to guys. They would start, throw long relief, and close games. Ray would also put in some quality post-season time in '73 but we can get to that later.

Ray Sadecki is of Polish descent and he grew up in a Polish neighborhood in Kansas City. His baseball idol was Stan Musial, the day's most formidable Polish athlete. In high school Ray was widely scouted beginning in his sophomore season and after his team went undefeated its senior year there was a mad scramble to get him. He was ultimately signed by the Cards for $68,000 in '58 and got off to a nice start that season in C ball. He was only 17 but was already showing tendencies that would continue throughout his career: decent ERA and win totals coupled with high walk totals and a relatively low amount of completed games. He shot up to Triple A in '59 where he won 13 and got off to an excellent start there in '60 before he was called up. He went right into the rotation and won nine. In '61 he stepped things up, winning 14, and although he was still plagued by high walks and only finished about a third of his starts, he was progressing nicely. Then in '62 Ray held out for more money, pissing off management. Then when he threw a bad game early in the season it caused manager Johnny Keane fits and got Ray fined and basically benched. He was viewed as a kid with an attitude and was only given an occasional start, pretty much wrecking his season, which ended back in Triple A where he went 7-1 in the last couple months. He then pulled an army stint and was allowed to return to St. Louis in '63 and was eased into the rotation but still had a high ERA. Then in '64 he became a pitching leader during the pennant run, winning 20 at age 23. By then Ray, whose primary pitch was a fastball, had developed a curve and a type of changeup he called a slip pitch. He also brought his walk totals way down. Billy Williams would later say he was the hardest pitcher to hit against. In the Series that fall Ray would go 1-0 in two starts despite a monstrous ERA.

In '65 Sadecki had a disastrous year as the Cards tumbled hard. Then in '66 after an excellent start to the season he was sent to the Giants for Orlando Cepeda. It turned out to be a great trade for the Cards. Ray finished poorly in '66, had a pretty good '67, but then led the league in losses in '68. He finished things up in San Francisco with a losing record in '69. After the season he was sent to the Mets with Dave Marshall for Jim Gosger and Bobby Heise. In NY Ray's career revived as he put up a lot less decisions but nicely filled a role as spot starter and reliever, putting up his best ERA's. In the '73 Series he was quite good, posting a 1.93 ERA with six strikeouts in four innings. He would stay with the Mets through '74 and then do some travelling, back to St. Louis, to Atlanta, KC, and Milwaukee. In '77 he returned to the Mets for a couple games and was done. He finished with a 135-131 record with a 3.78 ERA, 85 complete games, 20 shutouts, and seven saves. A pretty good hitter, he hit .191 with five homers for his career. In the post-season he went 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA in six games. He also hit .500.

After playing Ray returned to the KC area where he became a sales rep for an industrial lighting company. He did that through '90 and then took a coaching gig with the Cubs. That lasted through '93 and he then worked with the Giants in '94. He walked away from coaching, though, after he realized riding a bus was no fun in his mid-50s. He would be inducted into the Polish Sports Hall of Fame and has a video on YouTube connected to it which I have linked to here.

Ray gets a nice star bullet. He beat Whitey Ford in that game. Regarding the cartoon, it is correct. The $68,000 I mentioned above included three years of guaranteed salary of $6,000 per. Ray gets some good coverage in the Halberstam book "October 1964" in which he is described as very down to earth and mature when he was younger and gives some interesting color about Ray's relationship with Johnny Keane. It also gives a hilarious account of Ray's tryout with the Indians.

Another tough one. A mostly all-NL guy with a strictly all-AL one:

1. Sadecki and Rusty Staub '72 to '74 Mets;
2. Staub and Mickey Stanley '76 to '78 Tigers;
3. Stanley and Al Kaline '64 to '74 Tigers.