Well just two cards into the set, we get the first guy I've never heard of before.
PHOTO: The photo is a ho-hum posed shot. I do note how Topps put Allred's cap overlapping the box with his debut date, but not his bat. That's kind of odd. I like the overlapping as it gives the cards a nice 3D sense. Topps did this with the regular 1989 and 1988 issues as well, allowing the top of a player's photo to overlap some of the text at the top of the card.
STAT: Allred had just 4 career homers, but HOLY SMOKES look who they came off of. Bob Milacki is the worst guy he homered off of, and that broke a 6th-inning tie. Before that, he put the Indians ahead against Roger Clemens, tied the game off Dennis Eckerlsey as the Eck blew a save, and hit a fairly meaningless homer off another good pitcher, Bill Swift. Pretty impressive stuff.
CAREER: 2/10
For those great homers, I give Allred a 2 instead a 1, despite appearing in just 65 major league games.
Even Milacki wasn't a total schlub, going 10-9 with a 4.01 ERA (99 ERA+) in 1991, and combining with three relievers to no-hit Oakland. Two years prior, he was 14-12, 3.74 for a Cinderella O's team.
ReplyDeleteI know that all Orioles fans have a soft spot for Milacki for being a pretty good pitcher on some absolute crap teams.
ReplyDelete