1981 Topps Ernie Whitt

 

The front: Whitt poses with a mitt but not catchers gear in the distinctive Tiger Stadium dugout.

The back: Whitt singled to right off of Ron Davis in the top of the tenth inning on September 17 to give Toronto a 4-3 lead. Right fielder Reggie Jackson's error allowed Whitt to score on the play, and later in the inning Roy Howell hit a two-run inside-the-park home run to give the Jays a comfortable 7-3 lead. Toronto turned to second-year starter Dave Stieb to close it out. Stieb, in his first career relief appearance, hit Reggie with his first pitch, walked three batters, and allowed an RBI single by Bucky Dent and a three-run double from Willie Randolph to tie the score. The game remained tied until the 13th inning, when Dent was the hero with a walkoff double scoring Johnny Oates.

The player: Whitt was a good catcher with a powerful bat, with double-digit HR totals for eight straight seasons. He was an All Star in 1985, when he hit .245 with 19 HR and 64 RBI. The last original Blue Jay to play for the team, he spent most of his 15-year career in Toronto. In 1,328 games he hit .249 with 134 HR and 534 RBI.

The man: Whitt was a part-owner of the Mother's Pizza chain in Canada in the 1980s. Later he had a long coaching career in the Blue Jays and Phillies organizations. He retired in 2021.

My collection: I have 52 of his cards, from 1978 to 1991. I would be interested in trading for 1987 Donruss Opening Day #33.