Cake or gum? 1976 Ron Blomberg

Last time cake rolled to an 8-2 victory. Who will win this time?

The kid with the raggedy scissors did a better cutting job than the Topps printing press in this case. Both photos appear to have been taken at the same sitting. Blomberg's brief but memorable career was almost over at this point. A high-average hitter with an excellent batting eye and some power, Blomberg was a fan favorite in New York but had only one season of 300 at bats due to a variety of injuries. In 1973 he earned lasting fame as the first designated hitter in baseball history, walking with the bases loaded. That was his best season, hitting .329 with 12 HR and 57 RBI in 100 games. Four knee injuries and two shoulder injuries ruined any chance of a long career for Blomberg, who played one game in 1976 and missed all of 1977. He had a short comeback with the White Sox in 1978, ending his career. Overall in 461 games he hit .293 with 52 HR and 224 RBI, walking 140 times against 134 strikeouts. Since the end of his playing career, he has been involved in many charitable endeavors and youth and fantasy-camp coaching in the US and Israel. He is also a Yankees scout and has managed professionally in Israel.