Wood vs. Wood #227

Last time 1987 cruised to an 8-2 win. Will it win again here?

Bobby Tiefenauer was ten years removed from his major league debut when this card was issued, but he was still officially a rookie. He was a knuckleballer who excelled at AAA but struggled in the majors. He pitched in six games for the Cardinals in 1952, and another 18 games in 1955. He had brief cups of coffee with the Indians in 1960 and the Cardinals in 1961, and was sold to the expansion Colt .45's before their inaugural 1962 season. If you look closely you can see the STL logo airbrushed over in blue on his cap. As a 32-year-old rookie in 1962 he went 2-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 43 games. He was then traded back to the Cardinals, who sold him to the Braves. He had his best seasons with the Braves in 1963 and 1964, going 5-7 with 15 saves and a 2.40 ERA in 58 games. He struggled in 1965, and was traded to the Yankees, appearing in 10 games for them before being traded to the Indians. In 25 games for three teams in '65 he went 1-6 with 6 saves and a 4.22 ERA. He ended his career with brief stints with the '67 Indians and '68 Cubs. Overall in 179 games, all in relief, he went 9-25 with 23 saves and a 3.84 ERA. After his playing career he was a coach in the Phillies organization. He died of cancer in 2000.

Jamie Moyer looks pensive as he gets his rookie card photo taken at Shea Stadium. This was the first of a long line of cards for Moyer. In his 20s Moyer was a mediocre starting pitcher for the Cubs, Rangers and Cardinals, and seemed washed up at age 29, spending all of 1992 in the minors. However he came back to have his first really good season in 1993 with the Orioles, going 12-9 with a 3.43 ERA. However, he didn't really become a star until he was traded to the Mariners in 1996. In 11 seasons with Seattle, Moyer went 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA, twice winning 20 games in a season. Moyer struggled to start the 2006 season and the Mariners traded the 43-year-old Moyer to the Phillies for two minor leaguers. With Philadelphia Moyer had yet another comeback, and in 2008 he went 16-7 and won his only World Series ring at the age of 45. Moyer was injured in 2011 and missed the whole season, but came back for 10 games with the Rockies in 2012 at the age of 49. Overall in 696 games he went 269-209 with a 4.25 ERA. He is the all-time leader in home runs allowed with 522, a product of a long career, early struggles and the high-HR environment of his later years.