The front: Great action photo at Baltimore’s Memorial
Stadium. His only game there in 1980 was at night so this can safely be
considered a night card. On July 14, 1980 Splittorff allowed four runs, all
earned, in 7.1 innings as the Royals cruised past the Orioles, 8-4. Splittorff
struck out four batters and only walked one.
The back: Baseball-reference lists the Yankees’ Don Gullett
as the 1977 AL Winning Percentage leader. Gullett went 14-4 (.778), Splitorff
went 16-6 (.727). I’m not sure what the official number of decisions is for a
league leader.
The player: Paul Splittorff was a mainstay of the Royals
pitching rotation for over a decade. He pitched for them from 1970, a year
after the franchise’s debut, and retired in 1984, a year before they won the
World Series. He is the team’s all-time leader in wins (166), innings (2544.2),
and games started (392). His best season was 1978, when he went 19-13 with a
3.40 ERA. In seven playoff games he went 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA.
The man: After 15 years pitching for the Royals, Splittoff
was a TV announcer for the team for another 24 years. He died of cancer in
2011.
My collection: I have 25 of his cards, from 1971 to 1984. I
would be interested in trading for 1978 SSPC #230.
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