Wood vs Wood #195

Last time 1962 held on for a 5-4 victory. Who will win this time?

Joe Cunningham gets the under-the-brim, avoid the logo look. Topps would take this photo of each player in case they got traded in the offseason. In Cunningham's case, the Cardinals' veteran outfielder, who was an All-Star in 1959 when he hit .345, was traded after the 1961 season to the White Sox for Minnie Minoso. Cunningham had a good year in 1962 but got hurt in 1963 and was never the same. Overall in 1,141 games for the Cardinals, White Sox and Senators, he hit .291 with 64 HR and 436 RBI. After his playing career he returned to the Cardinals organization, and for many decades he worked for the team in a variety of roles, including minor league manager, major league coach (winning a World Series ring in 1982), director of ticket sales and community relations director. He died in 2021 at the age of 89.

Mike Pagliarulo awaits a pitch on a cold day at Yankee Stadium. Pags was my first favorite player growing up. He was a hard-nosed, hustling third baseman with power. His best season was 1987 when he hit 32 home runs. I was very sad when he was traded to the Padres in 1989. In 1991 he returned to the American League and helped the Twins win the World Series. In the postseason that year he hit .308 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in 11 games. Overall, in 1,246 games for five teams he hit .241 with 134 HR and 505 RBI. He is now involved in a variety of baseball instruction businesses and charitable endeavors.