The player, in brief: Kirby lost 20 games with the expansion Padres as a rookie in 1969, then in 1970 was famously pinch-hit for in the eighth inning while pitching a no-hitter against the Mets; reliever Jack Baldschun then lost the no-hitter and the game in the ninth. Kirby put together a couple of good seasons for the Padres, then was traded to the Reds. He was part of the Big Red Machine that won the 1975 World Series. He went 10-6 during the season but did not pitch in the playoffs. He was traded to Montreal after the season, and the back of the card (written by Keith Olbermann) notes that the "Expos are ecstatic over the acquisition" of Kirby. With the Expos in '76 Kirby went 1-8 with a 5.72 ERA. He attempted comebacks with the Padres in '77 and Twins in '78 but his major league career was over. In 261 games he went 75-104 with a 3.84 ERA.
Post playing career, in brief: After his playing career he worked as a securities broker. In 1991, at the age of 43, he suffered a heart attack in July, then died from a second heart attack in October.
My collection: I have 12 of his cards, from 1969 to 1976. I would be interested in trading for 1971 Dell Today's Team Stamps #NNO.
Another sad end. The background on this one is pretty interesting. I don't recall seeing many cards that feature the grounds crew.
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