Wood vs. Wood #161

Last time, 1987 triumphed, 4-2. Who will win this time?

There's a lot going on in the background of Frank Baumann's card as he strikes a pitching pose for the photographer. Baumann came up with the Red Sox in 1955 and had several undistinguished seasons in Boston. He was traded to the White Sox before the 1960 season and had by far his best season that year, going 13-6 in 47 games (20 starts) and leading the AL with a 2.67 ERA. He was unable to replicate that success over the rest of his career, which ended with a brief stint with the Cubs in 1965. Overall in 244 games (78 starts) he went 45-38 with a 4.11 ERA. After his career he worked for several businesses in the St. Louis area. He died in 2020.

A lone palm tree makes up the background for Steve Ontiveros's card. Much like Baumann, Ontiveros was an unheralded part-time starter/reliever who had one excellent season resulting in an AL ERA title. Ontiveros came up with the A's as a reliever in 1985. In 1987 Tony Larussa made him a starter and he had a solid season, but injuries curtailed his usefulness from 1988-1990, and kept him out of the majors in 1991 and 1992. After a comeback with Seattle in 1993, Ontiveros made a triumphant return to Oakland in 1994. In 27 games (13 starts) he went 6-4 and led the AL with a 2.65 ERA. In 1995 he was good enough to make the All-Star team, but injuries cut his career down after that, and he did not return to the major leagues for five seasons, when he made a brief 3-game return to MLB action with the Red Sox. Overall in 207 games (73 starts) he went 34-31 with a 3.67 ERA. He is now a youth baseball coach in Arizona.