1976 Topps #538 - Pat Darcy

• I thought Pat Darcy was cool because he lived in Arizona. Now days there are a lot more players who live in Arizona so it isn't that big of a deal anymore.
• Pat Darcy was signed by the Houston Astros in 1969. Pat slowly climbed up the ladder in Houston's system from 1969-1973. Darcy pitched a no-hitter for the Columbus Astros on August 29, 1971. 
• During spring training in 1974 Darcy was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Dennis Menke. Pat remembers:  “Bob Howsam, the Reds General Manager, called and told me about the rules, especially about the haircuts. I knew about that because at Denver, I had pitched against Indianapolis a lot. So when I reported to the Reds, I went up to Sparky and said I knew the rules and got a haircut. He said, ‘Fine kid, but get another haircut.’ It wasn’t short enough for Sparky.” (John Ring interview with Pat Darcy)
• Darcy pitched well for AAA Indianapolis in 1974 and was called up at the end of the season. Pat was 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA in six games (two starts) for the Reds at the end of the 1974 season.
• Pat  made the Reds ballclub in 1975 and became their fifth starter. Darcy was 11-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 27 games (22 starts) during the regular season. Pat wasn't used in the NLCS -- he was slated to start game 4 but the Reds swept the series in three games and Pat wasn't needed.
• Darcy pitched in game 3 of the World Series (1 run in 2 innings) and then was the eighth pitcher used by the Reds in that classic 12-inning game 6. Pat set the Red Sox down in order in the 10th and 11th innings and then gave up the famous home run to Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning.
• Darcy started the 1976 season in the Reds' rotation but got hammered in his first three starts and was demoted to the bullpen. He started one more game in 1976 but wasn't successful. Pat was 2-3 with two saves and a 6.23 ERA in 11 games (4 starts) when he was sent to Indianapolis on June 12. Darcy spent the rest of the season in Indianapolis and never pitched in the majors again.
• During spring training in 1977 Pat was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Mike Caldwell. Darcy pitched in the Cardinals' system in 1977 and in 1978 and then missed the entire 1979 season. He tried to come back with the Chicago White Sox in 1980 and pitched for their AAA Iowa club, but the comeback was unsuccessful. Pat retired after the 1980 season.

• Pat battled arm and shoulder problems during his career. A shoulder injury he suffered in 1973 eventually caught up with him and shortened his career.
• After he retired Pat went back to college and earned his bachelor's degree. He now works in commercial real estate and banking in Tucson. Here is a good article about Pat that talks about his memories of 1975 and other career memories.
• Darcy ran for mayor of Tucson in 1999 but lost in the Democratic primary.
• Here is a Cincinnati Magazine article from July 1976 that discusses life on the road for the Cincinnati Reds. Pat has several quotes in the article. At the end of the article Pat gives a Chicago cabbie a large tip and gets the cabbie's number. Pat tells the cabbie that he will hire him for the night the next time the Reds are in Chicago. Pat was sent down a few weeks later and was unable to make good on the deal.

.