Wood vs. Wood #176

Last time we had a 4-4 tie. Will there be a winner this time?

Eddie Yost smiles for the camera in a close-up shot. In one of the most significant green-tint variations in the '62 set, the other version has a completely different photo of Yost posing with a bat. I don't have that card. Eddie Yost, known as "The Walking Man", led the AL in walks six times and is 11th on the all-time list with 1,614. Playing mostly for bad Washington Senators teams, the walks often did not hurt the other team all that much, as Washington's paltry offense often couldn't drive Yost home. When Yost did swing the bat he was basically an average hitter, .254 with 139 HR and 682 RBI over 18 seasons. He was an excellent third baseman, however, setting many AL fielding records that were later broken by Brooks Robinson. Yost first came up with Washington as a 17-year-old in 1944, before being drafted in October when he turned 18. He was therefore one of the last World War Two veterans still playing in the majors. After his career, the Queens native was a longtime Mets coach, and in 1969 he finally won the World Series ring that eluded him as a player. He died in 2012.

A third baseman like Yost, Steve Buechele awaits the pitch on a sunny day at Yankee Stadium. In three day games in the Bronx in 1986, Buechele was 0-for-6. In two of the three games he was a late-game replacement for Geno Petralli, with whom he was platooning, though he eventually won the starting 3B job and held it until being traded to the Pirates in 1991. In 11 seasons with the Rangers, Cubs and Pirates, "Boo" hit .245 with 137 HR and 547 RBI. He was a fan favorite in Texas and is still among team leaders in many hitting and fielding categories. He has had a long career with the Rangers as a coach, front office executive, and announcer. He is currently an analyst for the team on Bally Sports Southwest. Steve, who roomed with John Elway while at Stanford, has a son named Shane who plays QB for the KC Chiefs, where he backs up the starting QB who is also the son of a former major leaguer (Pat Mahomes).