1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Rod Carew

Nice Yankee Stadium shot, and nice photo choice that doesn't look cramped in the odd shape of this set.

April 28, 1973. Carew went 1-for-3 with a sac fly for an RBI. It was an easy win for the Yankees, however, belting around Hall-of-Famer Jim Kaat and relievers Joe Decker and Jim Strickland, for an 11-3 drubbing of the Twins, in front of a Yankee Stadium "crowd" of 6,461. Bobby Murcer hit two home runs, and Matty Alou and Graig Nettles also went deep for the Bombers. It was the first Yankee Stadium home run as a Yankee for both Alou and Nettles.

But this couldn't have been that date! By that date, this card was already available, at least among the full 1973 sets that Topps was testing that year.

The patch on Carew's arm was only worn by the Twins during the 1972 season. It can also be seen on his Kellogg's card that year, with the photo perhaps taken at the same time; as Carew is behind the home plate area in both photos.

Presumably whoever was editing the deckle set just picked a Saturday on the '73 schedule were the Twins were in New York.

However, it is possible, however unlikely, that Topps had the year wrong but the date right. The Twins were in New York on April 28, 1972, though it was a Friday night game. Carew went 0-4 but the Twins won, 4-1. If Topps's photographer typically worked on Saturdays, a more likely date might have been April 29, a Saturday day game. On that date Carew batted third, and in the first inning singled and later scored on a two-run triple by Harmon Killebrew, which ended up being the only runs in a 2-0 Twins win. And just in case the photographer was working Sunday - The Yankees won that game, 5-4, with a walk-off double by Rusty Torres. Carew was 1-for-5 at the plate, but made a big error which allowed a Yankee run to score in the second inning.

Topps appears to have gotten a lot of use out of that photo session in their 1973 cards. See the league leader card from Series I of '73 Topps . . . 

. . . and the '73 Topps Candy Lids test item.