The back: Davis played his high school ball at Herbert Hoover High in San Diego.
The player: Mike Davis had several solid seasons as the starting right fielder for the A's in the early- and mid-1980s. He had five straight seasons of double-digit steals and three straight seasons of double-digit home runs. He was not a particularly patient hitter, with over twice as many strikeouts as walks. However, by far his biggest plate appearance, in 1988 with his new team the Dodgers, against his old Oakland friends, was a base on balls. In Game 1 of the World Series, with two outs and the Dodgers down by a run, Davis worked a pinch-hit walk against Dennis Eckersley to set up Kirk Gibson's famous game-winning home run. Overall in 963 games he hit .259 with 91 HR, 371 RBI and 134 SB.
The man: Since his playing days ended he has done some youth and professional baseball coaching, and has been involved in a variety of business ventures.
My collection: I have 46 of his cards, from 1981 to 1991. I would be interested in trading for 1988 Sportflics #206.
I got his autograph when he was playing for Oakland.
ReplyDeleteGibson's home run was one of my most painful events as a sports fan. I guess it was so painful, my brain blocked out my memory of Davis being on base. But I do remember his years in Oakland. Don't think I ever pulled his Topps rookie, but I'm pretty sure I pulled the Donruss as a kid.
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