Wood vs. Wood #197

Last time 1987 won, 8-2. Who will come out on top this time?

Daryl Spencer and Mark Bailey look almost like they are standing next to each other, posing together in front of the blue sky. In person the skies look closer to the same closer than they do in the photo.

Daryl Spencer was a mainstay in the Giants infield, playing regularly at either shortstop or second base from 1956 to 1959. He had good power for a middle infielder but was shaky in the field, twice leading the league in errors. He was traded to the Cardinals after the 1959 season and also played for the Dodgers and Reds. In 1964 he signed with the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League and quickly became one of the biggest stars in the league. From 1964 to 1969 he was one of the league's leading hitters, topping 30 home runs three times. He retired after the 1969 season at the age of 39, but came back as a player-coach in 1972 and 1973. In 1,098 MLB games he hit .244 with 105 HR and 428 RBI. In 731 games in Japan he hit .275 with 152 HR and 391 RBI. After he retired for good in Japan he returned to the US to work for a Coors distributor. He died in 2017 at the age of 88.

Catcher Mark Bailey came up with the Astros in 1984 and seemed to be emerging as a solid catcher in 1985, hitting .265 with 10 HR and 45 RBI. However, he slumped badly in 1986, hitting just .176 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in 57 games. He had brief appearances with the Astros in '87 and '88, and the Giants in '90 and '92, but was unable to hit at the major league level. Overall in 340 games he hit .220 with 24 HR and 101 RBI. In 1998 he returned to the Astros organization as a minor league coach, a role he served until at least 2019, though he may have since retired.