1981 Topps Eric Rasmussen

 

The front: Rasmussen strains through his follow-throw, having delivered a pitch with all of his might. Meanwhile, the 3B in the background has his back to the field, meaning this was just a warm-up toss. This is Shea Stadium, so this would be May 4, 1980. After shutting down the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader, the Padres turned to Rasmussen for the second game. Rasmussen struggled, however, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings as the Padres lost, 6-2. Rasmussen's record dropped to 1-3, in a season where he would end up 4-11. The third baseman we see in the picture is Barry Evans.

The back: Topps was tactful in omitting that the team Rasmussen shut out in his debut was his current team, the Padres.

The player: Originally known as Harry Rasmussen before legally changing his name early in his career, Eric Rasmussen was a decent, innings-eating starter for some bad Cardinals and Padres teams. He did return to the Cardinals in 1982 toward the end of his career, helping them in the bullpen for their pennant race push though he did appear on the postseason roster. His last big league game was with the Royals in 1983, though he pitched in the minors until 1987. Overall in 238 games, he went 50-77 with a 3.85 ERA.

The man: After his career Rasmussen was a coach in several organizations, most recently the Twins. He now does some youth coaching and is deeply involved with the NubAbility Athletic Foundation, a sports clinic for children who are missing limbs.

My collection: I have 14 of his cards, from 1976 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1987 ProCards #1908.