Friday, June 29, 2012

Half the Way...

The title of this post has almost nothing to do with this player. It's actually a mention that this blog is now at the halfway point. It's hard to belive that, as I feel like I have yet to scratch the surface on this set. From here it's all downhill (or so they say), but hopefully it doesn't seem like I'm coasting. And now to the regularly scheduled entry...fittingly, a man who often came to the mound in the middle of a game:

Card #248 -- Jerry Johnson, San Francisco Giants

Jerry Johnson wasn't in a Giants uniform when the 1973 season began. After three years as a relief specialist and a big help in getting the team to the 1971 postseason, he was considered expendable and placed on waivers during Spring Training. The Indians picked him up. And so, the revolving door of teams continued for Johnson, who managed to play on seven different teams in his ten major league seasons.

Johnson was signed by the Mets is 1963 as a third baseman. However, he struggled with his defense and became a pitcher in order to stay in the game. When he finally came up to the majors in 1968, it was as a Phillie. After being involved in the Curt Flood trade, he split 1970 between the Cardinals and San Francisco. After the one season in Cleveland, he stopped in Houston and spent two years with the Padres before joining the Blue Jays in their inaugural season.

In fact, Jerry Johnson earned the win the first time the Toronto Blue Jays ever took the field, coming in during the fifth inning to preserve the victory. He retired after that season with a career 48-51 mark and a 4.31 ERA.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for your blog. This is the first blog I go to when I want to read about cards. I realize one has to be dedicated to it to make it work and you do it.

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  2. Yeah! Love your blog and appreciate that you consistently make an entry every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30 Eastern. This is the first set that I bought (as a Kindergartner) and I love those old memories being brought back when I see a card I owned nearly 40 years ago.

    Not THIS card, however. Never seen it before.

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  3. Congrats! Half way there. That's exciting. This is still my favorite year for cards and surprised how many cards I've never seen. You do an amazing job and a big reason I started my blog. So thanks.

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