This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!
The 1981 Atlanta Braves had a mostly forgettable season. The highlights included acquiring absolute legend Bob Walk from the Phillies in March, debuting new uniforms in April, and falling out of contention by May. While other teams seemed to re-load, re-fuel, or re-tool after the work stoppage, the Braves stayed at roughly the same lethargic pace in the 2nd half. They finished in 5th place in the NL West (yes, Atlanta is in the West). They had been stuck in quite the rut, having finished 4th or worse (usually worse) since the mid 70s, and hadn't won their division since 1969.
The first move following the 1981 season was to fire that bum of a manager, Bobby Cox. (Cox found a job weeks later in Toronto, and of course is best known for his next stint in Atlanta as General Manager then Manager of an unprecedented run of excellence. For the time being though, a bum!)
Cox gave way to another unremarkable skipper, former Milwaukee Brave Joe Torre. Torre, like Cox, had presided over a cellar-dwelling team for several seasons, with Torre sporting a .405 winning pct as manager of the Mets. And yet, the front office looked like geniuses, as Torre and the Braves won 13 straight games to start 1982. The team continued to be known for both winning streaks and losing streaks. The rest of the season the team was just over .500, but would find themselves see-sawing up and down the standings all year. The hot start certainly helped, as they won the division by a single game over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had one final streak left in them for the post season, but unfortunately it was a 3 game losing streak in the NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cards:
Topps #32 Gene Garber - The team's closer in 1982, Garber had one of the best seasons in team history out of the bullpen. 30 saves and 2.34 ERA in 69 appearances will do that. Garber has a dubious record - he is the all-time losingest reliever in MLB history, having lost 108 career decisions out of the bullpen. The silver lining of course is that to earn such a record requires the talent and skill to be called upon on average 67 times a season to enter the ballgame. Garber had 218 career saves, and is the only reliever with over 200 career saves to never appear in an All-Star game. Garber was on the mound to snap Pete Rose's 44 game hit streak, striking out Charlie Hustle and earning his 16th save of the season.
Fleer #442 John Montefusco - The "Count of Montefusco" was now a few years removed from his sterling debut as a Topps All-Star Rookie for the Giants in the mid 70s. Now 31 years old, Montefusco relied on a wiser skill-set than his early free-wheeling days. The Braves used Montefusco as a swing man, starting 9 games and appearing in 17 more as a reliever. His antics, which wore thin in San Francisco again reared their ugly head in Atlanta, and he was suspended for missing a team flight, ending his 1981 season and his Braves tenure prematurely. Montefusco requested his release following the suspension and he became a free agent that off-season. The 1975 NL rookie of the year and 1976 All-Star would finish his career with a decent season in San Diego and a trio of less decent seasons in New York with the Yankees.
Fleer #444 Phil Niekro - When trying to come up with the MVP of the 1982 Braves, it helps to have a little context. The streaky Braves were streaking again, losing several games in a row, and their newly-acquired young gun Pascual Perez was a no-show on game day in mid August. It turned out that poor Pascual was going in loops, lost on the Fulton County freeways, so near but so far from the mound. Niekro, the long-time and long suffering Atlanta team leader, stepped in to take a spot start. For a Knuckleballer, pitching on 3 days rest is no big deal. Niekro made the August 19th start, and the team that had dropped 19 of 21 games started a new streak, now roaring back into first place with a 26-16 record for the rest of the season. Niekro won 17 games that season, out of 318 victories in his career.
Topps #482 Glenn Hubbard - Not known for his power, Hubbard's 1982 season is ironically remembered best for a key home run. Midway through the season, the Braves went into extra-innings against the Padres and Hubbard's walk-off homer sealed a sweep of a key double-header. The team ultimately won the pennant by a single game. Hubbard was an All-Star in 1983, and was a steady defender who led all NL 2nd basemen in Range Factor 6 times and Double Plays turned 3 times. He debuted in the big leagues when he was just 19 years old, part of a mostly young lineup of Braves in the late 70s, that became the core of the 1982 division winning team.
Fleer #445 Gaylord Perry - Perry was determined to get 300 career wins, having pitched for 5 different teams between 1979 and 1982. His one year stop in Atlanta in 1981 was hit or miss, heavy on the hits. He allowed a league high 182 base hits, but also showed his trademark impeccable control, leading the league in fewest walks per 9 innings as well. Perry led the Braves in innings pitched, no small feat with Phil Niekro in your rotation. The strike in 1981 most likely was the reason win #300 came as a Mariner in 1982 instead of as a Brave in 1981. He was just 3 wins short at the end of the 1981 season. Perry's "signature" pitch was the spitball, though he would never sign off on that version of the story. He was only ejected once in his career for using the pitch, and he never once admitted to throwing anything illegal, though anyone that asked would get a coy grin before the denial.
Fleer #438 Al Hrabosky - The strategy for the Braves pitching staff in 1981 seemed to be to get the youngest guys and the oldest guys possible. Hrabosky, known in his wilder days as "The Mad Hungarian," was now closing out a solid career. In 1981 Hrabosky appeared in 24 games and had a career best 1.07 ERA. He'd follow that in 1982 with a career worst 5.54 ERA in 31 appearances and was released mid season. This card is version #2 of 3. The first attempt had his name on the back as "All" Hrabosky. This version, like the first, also incorrectly lists his height as 5'1" That's the kind of thing that will make a Hungarian (or anyone, really) Mad indeed. Version three has the right name and lists all of Hrabosky's 5'10" frame.
Topps #668 Dale Murphy - While Phil Niekro was the heart and soul of the Braves since the mid sixties, Dale Murphy was certainly the face of the franchise by 1982. Murphy was the NL MVP in 1982 and followed it with a second straight MVP in 1983. He arguably had even better seasons in 1985 and 1987, capping off a very successful run of 6 straight All-Star campaigns. Had he held on for just a few more seasons at that rate, he would no doubt have been a Hall of famer. As it stands, his 7 year peak in the 80s ranks him among some of the very best hitters of all time. His 1982 season may look less impressive when compared to the post steroid and post launch angle eras, but he led the league in RBI and hit 33 homers. During his peak, Murphy averaged 110 runs scored, 174 hits, 36 homers and 106 RBI with a 145 OPS+. His career numbers place him squarely in the Hall of "Very Good" but few players could match him in the 1980s.
Topps #268 Bob Walk - The Man, The Myth, The Legend! Bob Walk's time in Atlanta started with an off-season trade before the 1981 season. Walk had just pitched in the 1980 World Series for the Phillies, winning game one. Walk pitched sparingly in 1981 for Atlanta, with just 8 starts in the strike shortened campaign. In 1982, he came back with a solid 11-9 record, but was only used in relief in one inning of the three NLCS matchups against the Cardinals. Walk would be sent to the minors for additional seasoning in 1983, 84, and 85. The Pirates would come to their senses and call Bob up to the big league club where he flourished as a mid-rotation juggernaut. The 1988 NL All-Star finished his pitching career with a 105-81 record.
Topps #145 Bob Horner - Horner skipped the minors entirely, being drafted #1 overall by Ted Turner and the Braves in 1978 and he responded with 23 homers in the 89 remaining games of that season. Horner was named NL rookie of the year, and his prodigious power remained throughout his time in Atlanta. He is probably best known today for being one of the few players in MLB history to hit 4 homers in a single game. Despite this feat in 1986, collusion made getting a free-agent contract in 1987 nearly impossible, and Horner instead spent a year in Japan, in which he crushed 31 homers and slugged a Ruthian .683. He returned to the states for one more season, now with the St. Louis Cardinals (who notably could have used a slugging 3b/DH type in 1987 against the Twins. Not saying, just saying). When he came back, things weren't quite the same and he was released after just 60 injury filled games.
Happy Birthday to Philip Henry Niekro, 81 years young today. Since he's in his 80s, I thought I would take some time to appreciate his work in the 1980s, his 3rd decade in the Major Leagues, where he would reach some important milestones and accolades.
Score released the only Phil Niekro card of 1988 to show his full career stats. Score instantly gained a reputation for their card backs, not only because of its full color photo (which Upper Deck would make mainstream the following year), but the clever and informative text below the career totals. In the case of Niekro, the career was left to speak for itself, and it had plenty to say!
1980 - 15-18, 3.63 ERA; League Leader in Games Started, Losses, Homers Allowed. Gold Glove Winner. Roberto Clemente Award.
In 1980, Niekro had already pitched with Atlanta for 16 seasons, winning 218 games and appearing in a total of 608. Despite leading the NL in losses, this could still be considered a "good" Phil Niekro season. He earned a Gold Glove for his defense, and gave his team 38 starts and a pair of relief appearances.
Niekro was the winner of the Roberto Clemente award in 1980 as well, becoming the first pitcher to win the honor, given to a player who exemplifies sportsmanship and community involvement. In his case, it was in recognition his work with the Atlanta ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Foundation.
1981 - 7-7, 3.10 ERA, 116 ERA+
In 1981, the league endured a player's strike that split the season into two halves. Niekro appeared in just 22 games, the lowest total since his rookie year of 1964. After allowing the most homers in the league in 1980, he found some kind of magic with his knuckler to drop his HR rate to just .4 HR/9 innings. He allowed just 6 long balls over his 139 innings pitched.
1982 - 17-4, 3.61 ERA; NL All-Star, Gold Glove award. 5th Place finish, NL Cy Young voting.
At first glance, 1982 may have been Niekro's best season of the 80s. He won 17 games for the Braves in the midst of a pennant race, made the All-Star team, and won his 4th Gold Glove award. The Cy Young voting of course loved his league leading .810 winning percentage for a contending team. He did have the lowest walk rate of his 80s seasons, issuing just 2.8 free passes per 9 innings. He would once again vault above 200 innings pitched, and started 35 games for Atlanta, despite missing the first two weeks of the season with a rib injury.
1983 - 11-10, 3.74 ERA; Gold Glove Award
1983 was a season of challenges and disappointments for Phil, his final full season in Atlanta. He had another solid season in terms of durability, however his walk rate spiked, leading to an ERA+ of 98, the first time his season rate fell below league average since 1966, the year before he became a full-time starter. The team had moved on from Manager Bobby Cox to hire Joe Torre. Niekro had been on record as early as 1977 as being interested in the manager position, likely as a Player/manager to start. Instead, the season would conclude with a much less encouraging exchange with the front office, with Atlanta's top brass suggesting that Niekro hang up his spikes. Niekro likened the falling out to a divorce, pointing out that with the exception of his wife and children, everything he had was bought and paid for with Braves paychecks. Team Owner Ted Turner, a long time fan of Niekro tried to extend an olive branch with a roster spot, but Niekro had made up his mind to move on.
1984 - 16-8, 3.09 ERA, 123 ERA+; AL All-Star
Now in a new uniform for the first time since the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta, Niekro would take his talents to the Big Apple and would try his luck tossing knuckleballs for George Steinbrenner. He would arguably have the best season of the decade in his first season with the Yankees. He posted the lowest ERA and highest ERA+ despite switching to a league that had a DH and learning how to retire a new crop of hitters. He reached 3,000 career strikeouts in July, and was named to his 5th and final All-Star squad. This was thanks to his fast start to the season, going 11-4 with a 1.19 ERA leading up to the break, including a 4-0 April.
1985 - 16-12 4.09 ERA; League Leader, Walks allowed
Niekro once again topped 200 innings pitched for the Yankees, and had a personal high-water mark for Strikeout rate in the 1980s, exceeding 6 Ks/9. Perhaps the most impressive start as a Yankee was his last. Coming into the season, Niekro needed 16 victories to reach 300 for his career. He had 15 with about a month to go in the season. A late trade reunited Phil with his brother Joe, who were gaining on the Perry brothers in a heated sibling rivalry for the most combined career wins by brothers. Coming into his final start of the year and sitting on 299 victories, he and his brother were more concerned for the health of their father, who was staying in a hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia. Niekro Sr was a Coal Miner, and had taught the signature knuckler to both Niekro brothers as children. Steinbrenner had arranged for the game to be broadcast by phone to the hospital, and Niekro's father was able to listen in as his son became the oldest 300 game winner, and oldest to throw a 9 inning shutout. His brother Joe was the first to greet Phil on the mound, who had eschewed the knuckleball for the majority of the start, to let Phil know that his dad had been listening in. Phil was able to present his dad with the game ball the next day.
1986 - 11-11, 4.32 ERA
Now at age 47, Niekro was released by the Yankees after Spring Training, but quickly snapped up by Cleveland. Niekro was happy to continue to chase down the Perrys with his brother Joe, who was still in pinstripes. They would combine for 20 wins in 1986, still 4 wins shy of the record. Phil had another season just below league average with a 98 ERA+, but finished with over 200 innings for the 19th time in his career.
1987 - 7-13, 6.30 ERA (With CLE, TOR, and ATL)
Niekro's final season in the majors was a mixed blessing. In June, Niekro defeated Detroit to earn the 530 career victory for the Niekro family, passing Jim and Gaylord Perry for the most all-time. With the team out of the playoff race and holding several aging veterans, Cleveland would trade away Niekro for a pair of young players to the surging Toronto Blue Jays. Niekro was excited for what might be his final chance to play in a World Series. Unfortunately, his 3 starts with the Blue Jays resulted in 2 losses. His final start in Toronto ended in the first inning, after which he would be released. Niekro only had one goal left in mind - to finish his career with his original team. The final home game of the season would set the stage for Niekro to make one more appearance with the Braves. He signed a contract for $1, and made the start with a starting lineup that included Jeff Blauser at Short Stop, who was -2 years old when Niekro pitched his first game. That game, also against the Giants, featured Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Felipe Alou, Rico Carty for the Braves - Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Matty Alou for the Giants. His only batter faced in that contest was Jim Davenport, against whom he induced a ground ball out. In his final game, Niekro was crusing through the first three innings until he ran into trouble in the fourth. Braves skipper Chuck Tanner pulled Niekro while the team was still leading, wanting to keep Niekro from being the pitcher of record in a loss. Chuck Cary came in to relieve Niekro with the bases loaded and promptly gave up a Grand Slam. Niekro was on the hook for 5 of the 6 runs allowed in the inning.
Niekro being born on April Fool's Day feels fitting for a pitcher who was the master of fooling hitters with his signature pitch. Cleveland teammate Tom Candiotti also threw the inscrutable pitch, and said that talking about knuckleballs with "Knucksie" was like talking about lightbulbs with Thomas Edison.
This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!
In 1980, Atlanta finished in 4th place in the NL West (that's right, West) with an 81-80 record. The following season they would win 25 games in the first half, then 25 more following the strike. It led to a 5th place finish for the team whose games were now aired regularly on a relatively new medium - satellite television.
Ted Turner owned the team and a television network then called SuperStation WTBS, based in Atlanta. 1980 was the year the station began airing it's own original programming, including a short lived comedy show featuring locals Bill Tush and future SNL cast member Jan Hooks. It was a heady time in Atlanta! The baseball team, was getting national attention for being on T.V., but not so much for their performance on the field. Manager Bobby Cox would be let go following the 1981 season, having never finished higher than 4th place. The team would find success the following year under Joe Torre, but would not make the post season again until 1991, after Cox had returned as manager.
The Cards: Donruss #99 Bob Horner - In 1980, the 22 year old slugger would lead the team in homers with 35, then repeat the feat in 1981. Horner hit 4 homers in a single game in 1986, his final season with Atlanta. Horner was the #1 Overall pick in 1978, and bypassed the minors completely. He would win the 1978 Rookie of the Year award, and was a fearsome slugger throughout the early and mid 80s. Collusion robbed him of a 1987 MLB contract, so he crushed 31 homers for a season in Japan. When he returned to the states, an injury shortened season in St. Louis ultimately became his last. He would retire having never appeared in a minor league game. Donruss #597 Tommy Boggs - Tommy was the Opening Day Starter in 1981, following a career year in 1980 when he posted a 12-9 record with a 3.42 ERA. Boggs was acquired by Atlanta in a crazy 4 team trade that involved Bert Blyleven going to Pittsburgh, Al Oliver to Texas, Willie Montanez to the Mets, and several other minor players switching between the 4 participants. Boggs was not much of a hitter, though he did slug a solo homer in his first year with Atlanta. A first round pick of Texas in 1974, his first two major league starts were complete games. Donruss #339 Jerry Royster - Following several seasons starting at 3rd and 2nd base, Royster spent 1980 all over the field for Atlanta, used as their utility player. He led the team in steals, with twice as many as the next player on the team. Despite being used in a reserve role throughout the 80s, Royster still finished his career with over 1,000 career base hits. He had a successful stint in the Senior Professional Baseball League, hitting .337 in his lone season there. He would go on to be a steady coach and manager, and was even a pioneer of sorts when he was named manager of the KBO Lotte Giants, the first foreign born manager in the Korean league. He led that team to their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. Topps #387 Phil Niekro - Niekro was the 1980 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award - the first pitcher so honored. He had the dubious record of having led the NL in losses 4 straight years by the end of 1980, but that can come with the territory of being a Knuckleball pitcher. He also led the NL games started those years, as well as complete games, innings pitched, and batters faced from 1977 through 1979. He was a 20 game winner 3 times in his career and is the all-time leader in victories for a knuckleball pitcher. He finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting in two of those seasons, and won Gold Gloves in 78, 79 and 80. All told he won 5 Gold Gloves and was on 5 All-Star teams. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. Topps #504 Dale Murphy - 1980 and 81 were the beginning of something great for Dale Murphy. He started his career as a catcher and was being moved farther and farther from home plate as the years went on, finding that Center Field would be the place to find his greatest success. 1980 was his first All-Star appearance, but starting in 1982, he would go on a run of 6 straight All-Star seasons. He was the MVP of the NL in 1982 and 1983. He would lead the NL in at least one major offensive category in each of those six years. He led the league in homers, runs batted in, and slugging percentage twice. He'd lead the league in Runs scored and walks once each. He was a 4 time Silver Slugger winner, and a 5 time Gold Glover in Center Field. Topps #247 Glenn Hubbard - Many card collectors know Hubbard from his Fleer card with the snake around his neck, but he was also a regular contributor to the 1980s Atlanta teams. Primarily a second baseman, Hubbard was an All-Star in 1983, and 5 times surpassed 100 base hits in a season. He led the NL in errors committed in 1979, but would become an excellent defender, leading the NL in range factor/9 innings 6 times. He's currently the All-time MLB leader in that defensive metric. He turned 975 double plays in his career, good for 32nd All-time. He was a member of the 1988 A's World Series roster as well at the end of his career. Fleer #247 Bobby Cox - His first tour with Atlanta was a rough one- he compiled a decent record of 266 wins and 323 losses. While he was improving the team from a 90 loss club to a .500 club, the success of his rebuilding efforts would not be realized while he was the manager. The team would win the NL West in 1982, one year after his departure, no doubt due in part to his leadership in the leaner years. He would get a second chance however in the 1990s and would make the team a dynasty. He was a 4 time manager of the Year winner, and finished in the top five in voting 18 times over his career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014. Fleer #254 Bill Nahorodny - Atlanta's 3rd string catcher in 1980, Nahorodny slugged .414 in limited duty behind the plate. He was the catcher for the 1978 Topps All-Star Rookie team, a squad which was denied the little trophy on their 1979 Topps baseball cards. Despite being used sparingly, he was able to rack up extra base hits for Atlanta in 80/81. He would move on to Cleveland, Detroit, Seattle, and Philadelphia in the following years, though he'd spend more time at those orgs AAA Affiliate than the big league club. Fleer #251 Garry Matthews - "Sarge," as he was known to fans and teammates, was playing in his final season for Atlanta in 1980. An All-Star in 1979, and the 1974 NL Rookie of the Year, he was the only player valuable enough to acquire the indomitable Bob Walk in a trade prior to the 1981 season. Matthews would go on to have a great season in 1984 with the Cubs, finishing 5th in the MVP balloting while leading the NL in walks, OBP, and Sac Flies. He scored 101 runs that season, the only time he surpassed the century mark in his career. His son would do the same in 2006 in an All-Star campaign for the Texas Rangers. Do you have any fond memories of the 80/81 team? Did you watch the SuperStation?
What do all of the following players have in common? All were born on April 1st. Pretty much everything you read on the internet today will be total nonsense, but the following facts about each of these guys is 100% True.
"Le Grand Orange" Rusty Staub was in the bigs seemingly forever. As a pinch hitter he lasted well into the 1980s. In the photo above, he's still below the legal drinking age. He's one of only 4 guys to have a home run before turning 20 and after turning 40. Can you name the other three?
When Curt Flood refused to be traded to the Phillies in 1969, Willie Montanez was the player that ended up taking his place. Willie was up in the big leagues for good in 1971, and responded with a 30 homer campaign. He had several good seasons in the majors, but none quite as good as his rookie year. He was part of several big trades in his career- the aforementioned Curt Flood trade sent Tim McCarver to Philly and Dick Allen to Saint Louis. In 1976 he played in 163 games, he was traded mid season from San Fran to Atlanta in a deal that included Darrell Evans. He was also part of the massive four team deal in 1978 that included Al Oliver, Bert Blyleven, and various other pieces that changed teams between Atlanta, the NY Mets, the Pirates, and the Texas Rangers. The Rangers later traded Montanez to San Diego for yet another Hall of Fame pitcher. Can you name him?
Phil Niekro is the winningest pitcher of the April Fools, and the only Hall of Famer (Though Staub may have a case with the veteran's committee some day). He won over 300 games, struck out over 3,000 batters, and pitched in more than 800 games for more than 5,400 innings. His signature pitch was the knuckleball, and he has more wins than any other pitcher with that specialty in their arsenal. Along with his brother Joe, they hold the record for most combined career wins by siblings. His 300th win was a shutout, which set another record. He was the oldest pitcher to record a shutout at the time. Do you know who broke that record?
Ron Perranoski (not so sneakily wearing a Dodgers uniform under that magic marker) played for the Saint Paul Saints and the Minnesota Twins - a feat that is now quite commonplace, but at the time was much more rare. He has 4 World Series rings -- 2 as a player and 2 as a pitching coach -- all with the Dodgers. He led the American League in Saves in 1969 and 1970 as a member of the Minnesota Twins.
He Struck out 6 batters in a row in 1966 - who has the most consecutive strikeouts, with 10?
Rich Amaral was a pest to left handed pitching in 1993, his rookie season. By that time, Amaral was already 31 years old. His road to the majors was a long one, but his persistence paid off. He ended his playing career with nearly 500 major league hits, which is nothing to sneeze at for anyone, especially considering he had a late start.
He was the PCL batting champ in 1991, which finally propelled him to the big leagues. He managed to play for parts of 10 seasons in the majors after that. 31 is old, but which rookie was the oldest?
Frank Castillo came within a few inches of a no-hitter in 1995. Pitching for the Cubs against Saint Louis, Castillo had two outs in the ninth inning without surrendering a hit. Cardinals outfielder Bernard Gilkey hit a liner out towards Sammy Sosa. Despite a diving effort, the ball skipped away to the wall and ended up as a triple. Castillo managed to salvage the shutout, and the process reached a career high of 13 strikeouts. Gilkey's hit ruined Castillo's no-no -- which active player has broken up 3 no hitters with a 9th inning hit in his career?
The Ax Man is still slinging the ol horsehide today- he signed a 2 year deal with Oakland this past offseason.
Back in 2011, John Axford tied for the league lead in saves with 46. He converted a total of 49 straight save opportunities from 2011 and into 2012. In 2015, Axford took over the closer role in Colorado, and ended up saving 25 games for the Rockies, his highest season total in 3 years. Axford is second all-time among Canadian born pitchers in saves. Who is number 1?
Fresh off some big time postseason heroics (and one flub he'd rather forget), Daniel Murphy took his talents to the nation's capital this offseason. His six consecutive postseason games with a home run set an MLB record, and also set a Mets team record for most homers over the course of an entire postseason. Murphy's new team hasn't had many chances at post-season glory, but which batter has the most homers in a postseason for Washington?
