#598 Bob Galasso
Bob Galasso sports a nostalgic look for this Mariners card, in what may be the oldest photo in the whole set. He didn’t have much success in the majors, but he did end up winning a championship in Italy.
#176 Dewey Robinson
This shot of Dewey Robinson was likely taken in late afternoon on July 27, 1980. Don’t ya just love those old throwback uniforms? Believe it or not, this guy was once told he was overqualified to pitch for the Phillies.
#383 Pascual Perez
Pascual Perez nearly left the idea of getting back to the major leagues before getting traded and getting hot, turning his career around in the summer of ’82. It was also the first year of three error cards in his career.
#557 Rich Gossage All-Star
Here’s the irony in this bunch of Yankees that got voted into the 1981 All-Star game in Cleveland—Goose Gossage, perhaps the best player of the five, wasn’t voted in by the fans. Yeah. At the break, Goose led all major league relievers by a few miles with a 0.56 ERA & 17 saves. His 10 [...]
#771 Rich Gossage In Action!
From 1975 through 1985, Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage was arguably the best fireman in the major leagues.
#770 Rich Gossage
In ’82, Goose led his team in WAR, which is very rare for a reliever to do. He mighted even posted a sub-2.00 ERA if not for 1 bad outing in Chicago. Nonetheless, he rebounded and finished the year hot.
#784 Milt Wilcox
The 32 year old Milt Wilcox, though not the ace of the Tigers staff in ’82, was good for a 3.62 ERA and 1.5 WAR. He had a very consistent and largely average year, but at the same time, he was bettering some of the best lineups in the American League.
#360 Len Barker
Len Barker was a young promising pitcher when ’82 began, having thrown a perfect game and led the AL in strikeouts the previous 2 seasons. He had a bone spur on his elbow though, that would bug his arm sometimes, and affect his pitching, and could be why he wasn’t so good later in the year.
#215 Mike Krukow
Mike Krukow won just 9 games in 1981. The Phillies knew he could be better, so they traded for him and Mike won 13 games and lowered his ERA by a full run, also earning over 3 WAR for the 1st time in his career.
#185 Phil Niekro
Knuckleballer Phil Niekro was a white haired 43 year old on the 21-day disabled list, when the Braves started their season in ’82. Surprisingly though, Phil wasn’t washed up yet. He almost won 20 games while earning the NL gold glove. All he wanted though, was to get his team to win the NL West.
#298 Danny Darwin
Danny Darwin played for 8 teams in a 21 year career, and in 1982 he was possibly the single reason the Texas Rangers didn’t lose 100 games.
#2 Ron Davis, ’81 Highlight
Reliever Ron Davis was on fire when he took the mound in Anaheim on May 4, 1981. Nobody could hit him, and from the photo on this card, you can understand why. He looks like he’s going to beat up anyone who dares step up to the plate next. That’s rather intimidating.
#281 John Verhoeven
John Verhoeven was 28, when he became the last Twins pitcher for another 28 years to throw pitches outdoors in a home game. He didn’t have much of a career, but he had some fun while he was a major leaguer.
#83 New York Yankees Future Stars
At the beginning of ’82, nobody viewed the Yankees as a team in need of talent. They either had it, or could buy it when they needed it. Of course, history tells us that ’82 was the start of the Yankees playoff drought and time for some rebuilding of the franchise during some dark years.
#5 Nolan Ryan’s 5th Career No-Hitter
Card #5 in the set celebrates September 26, 1981, when Nolan Ryan tossed his 5th career no-hitter against the Dodgers. Most anyone had ever thrown. This game actually came in the middle of a 24 inning scoreless streak for the Ryan Express. He’d go on to toss 7 no-no’s for his career.