Last time it was another big win for gum, 7-1. Will cake do better here?
I believe the Hostess photo is a Shea Stadium shot from 1975. Topps meanwhile has an extreme closeup of a sweaty but happy pitcher.Hall-of-Famer Jim "Catfish" Hunter was the ace of the staff of the great A's teams of the 1970s, going 66-24 over the three-year period where they won three World Series. He proved that those numbers were no fluke by going 7-1 in the postseason over that span. One of the first players to challenge the reserve clause and become a free agent, he signed with the Yankees in 1975 and had a great first season, going 23-14. However, degenerative arm problems robbed him of his effectiveness, and over the rest of the 1970s his value to the Yankees was more of a veteran mentor to a young pitching staff, though he still managed to win some big games, most notably the decisive Game 6 of the 1978 World Series. Overall in 500 games he went 224-166 with a 3.26 ERA. After his playing career he retired to his farm in North Caroline, where he died of ALS in 1999 at the age of 53.

Gum!
ReplyDeleteSignatures don't usually swing my vote, but I like seeing the cursive Catfish on his Topps card. Gum.
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