I'm going to make an attempt to collect as many baseball cards as possible from 1976. I was 9 when the 1976 Topps baseball cards came out. I have most of those cards, but I'd like to expand and get the other cards from this great year.
Ron Blomberg was the first pick in the 1967 draft. Blomberg was actively recruited to play college basketball (125 scholarship offers) and college football (100 scholarship offers). He was chosen by the New York Yankees and signed for $75,000. Ron is best known for being baseball's first designated hitter. Here is a recent blog entry by Hand Collated about the event.
Blomberg played in the minors from 1967 to 1971. In 1969 Ron got into four September games for the Yankees and went 3 for 6. He missed part of the 1970 season due to injury. After batting .326 in 48 games Ron was brought up to the Yankees for good in 1971. Blomberg played in the outfield for the Yankees in 1971 and he batted .322 with 7 HR and 31 RBI in 64 games.
Ron played first base for the Yankees in 1972. In 107 games he batted .268 with 14 HR and 49 RBI. The American League adopted the designated hitter for the 1973 season. Ron was the first DH in baseball (he walked off of Luis Tiant on April 6). Ron Blomberg: The Game I'll Never Forget - Baseball Digest February 1994. Ron spent most of the beginning of the season playing first base and he was batting .400 as late as June 28 before tailing off at the end of the season. He actually started to tail off when he became the full-time DH. Blomberg ended up batting .329 with 12 HR and 57 RBI in 100 games.
The 1974 season was Ron's last full season. He batted .311 with 10 HR and 48 RBI in 264 at bats. Blomberg rarely batted against left-handed pitchers. In 1975 Ron was injured a lot and missed much of the season. In 34 games Blomberg batted .255 with 4 HR and 17 RBI. He was hitless in two at bats in 1976. Ron looked like he was going to make a comeback for the Yankees in 1977 but he ran into an outfield wall in spring training and ended up missing the season.
After the 1977 season the Yankees allowed Ron to leave as a free agent. He signed with the Chicago White Sox but was not very successful in Chicago. Blomberg batted .231 with 5 HR and 22 RBI in 61 games. The White Sox released Ron during spring training in 1978 and he retired.
After his retirement from baseball Ron did some scouting and did a lot of charity work in the Atlanta area (his hometown). In 2006 Ron wrote Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story. Blomberg also managed in the Israel Baseball League in 2007.
Sixto Lezcano was a major leaguer from 1974-1985. Lezcano was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970 and started playing in their minor league system in 1971 when he was 17. Sixto made steady progress in the minors and was deemed ready for the big leagues in 1974 after batting .325 with 34 HR and 99 RBI for AAA Sacramento. Lezcano played in 15 games for the Brewers in September 1974 and batted .241 in 54 at bats.
Lezcano became the starting right fielder for Milwaukee in 1975. He batted .247 with 11 HR and 43 RBI in 134 games. In 1976 Sixto batted .285 with 7 HR and 56 RBI in 145 games.
Sixto was injured in 1977 and played in only one game between late July and early September. He batted .273 with 21 HR and 49 RBI in 109 games. Lezcano batted .292 with 15 HR and 61 RBI in 138 games in 1978.
Lezcano's best season was 1979. He won a Gold Glove Award in the outfield (he was especially known for a strong arm) and was 14th in MVP voting. Sixto batted .321 with 28 HR and 101 RBI in 138 games in '79. He was still only 25 years old and it looked like he would keep getting better.
Sixto had a hard fall in 1980. His batting average dipped to .229 and he hit 18 HR and had 55 RBI. He didn't play after August 31 due to an injury. After the 1980 season Lezcano was involved in a multi-player trade that sent him (and others) to the St. Louis Cardinals and sent Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons (and others) to the Brewers.
Lezcano played only the 1981 season with the Cardinals. In 72 games he batted .266 with 5 HR and 28 RBI. After the 1981 season Sixto was involved in another multi-player trade. He and others went to the San Diego Padres and the Cardinals got Ozzie Smith (and others). This was the second time in two seasons that Sixto would be involved in trades for future Hall of Famers.
Sixto bounced back to have a good year with the Padres in 1982. He batted .289 with 16 HR and 84 RBI and had a .388 on base percentage. In 1983 Lezcano started with the Padres (.233 with 8 HR and 49 RBI in 97 games), lost his job to Tony Gwynn, and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for the stretch run on August 31. Lezcano batted .282 in 18 games for the Phillies. He batted .308 in the 1983 NLCS and .125 in 8 at bats in the World Series. The Game I'll Never Forget - Baseball Digest January 1986.
Lezcano was a pinch hitter and fourth outfielder for the Phillies in 1984. He played in 106 games and batted .277 with 14 HR and 40 RBI in 256 at bats. After the 1984 season Sixto became a free agent and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sixto played in 72 games in 1985 and batted .207 in 116 at bats. He was released at the end of spring training in 1986 and that was it for his career. He played in Japan in 1987 but wasn't successful there.
Lezcano has been a hitting coach in the minors for several years. He is now the batting coach for the Rookie League Danville Braves.
Liked to face: Vida Blue (.429 in 21 AB); Mike Flanagan (.412 in 34 AB); Joe Coleman (.381 in 21 AB)
Hated to face: Dave Stieb (.000 in 18 AB); Dennis Martinez (.133 in 30 AB); Nolan Ryan (.143 in 35 AB)
Dave Giusti pitched in the majors from 1962-1977. Giusti was signed by the Houston Colt .45s in 1961. He played in the minors in 1961 and then started 1962 with the Colts .45s. Dave spent most of the 1962 season with Houston and was 2-3 with a 5.62 ERA in 22 games (5 starts).
Giusti spent 1963 and most of 1964 in the minors. He finished the 1964 season with Houston and was 0-0 with a 3.16 ERA in eight games. In 1965 Dave was a swingman for Houston. He pitched in 38 games (13 of them starts) and was 8-7 with 3 saves and a 4.32 ERA.
Dave moved into the Houston rotation in 1966 and was a starter through the 1968 season. In 1966 Dave was 15-14 with a 4.20 ERA in 32 starts. Giusti was 11-15 with a 4.18 ERA in 1967 and was 11-14 with a 3.19 ERA in 1968.
On October 11, 1968 Dave was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Johnny Edwards and a minor leaguer. Three days later he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the expansion draft. The Padres traded Dave back to the Cardinals for four players. Giusti spent the 1969 season with the Cardinals as a swingman. In 22 games (12 startrs) he was 3-7 with a 3.61 ERA. After the season Giusti was traded with Dave Ricketts to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a minor leaguer and Carl Taylor.
At first Dave wasn't sure about Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh's plan to use him as a late-inning reliever. But Giusti had his best seasons as a Pirate reliever. In 1970 Dave was 8-0 with 14 saves before losing his first game in mid July. Overall he was 9-3 with 26 saves and a 3.06 ERA in 1970. Dave appeared in two games in the 1970 NLCS but wasn't involved in any of the decisions. Giusti was 4th in NL Cy Young Award voting and 6th in MVP balloting.
Giusti had another good year in 1971. He was 5-6 with a league-leading 30 saves and a 2.93 ERA in 58 games. Giusti was the 1971 NL Fireman of the Year. Dave appeared in all four games of the 1971 NLCS and allowed no runs in 5 1/3 innings. He pitched in three games of the 1971 World Series and earned the save in game 4.
Dave pitched well again in 1972. He was 7-4 with 22 saves and a 1.93 ERA in 54 games. In the 1972 NLCS Dave earned the save in game 3 and took the loss in game 5. Johnny Bench hit a home run to tie the game in the 9th inning and then Tony Perez singled. George Foster pinch ran for Perez, made it to third base, and scored on a Bob Moose wild pitch with 2 out to send the Reds to the World Series instead of the Pirates.
The Pirates struggled in 1973 after the death of Roberto Clemente. Giusti pitched well (9-2, 20 saves, 2.37 ERA) and finally was selected to the NL All Star team. Dave pitched a scoreless 7th inning for the NL. In 1974 Giusti became the first reliever to make $100,000 in a season. He was 7-5 with 12 saves and a 3.32 ERA in 61 games. Dave appeared in three games in the 1974 NLCS and was roughed up. He took the loss in game 1 and in all allowed 8 runs in 3.1 innings. Dave's elbow was bothering him and he had elbow surgery after the season.
Dave was 5-4 with 17 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 1975. He pitched 1.2 innings in game 3 of the NLCS and didn't allow any runs or hits. Giusti had his worst season in 1976. He was 5-4 with 6 saves and a 4.32 ERA. After the 1976 season he was dealt to the Oakland A's part of a large trade that sent Phil Garner to the Pirates and several prospects (including Tony Armas, Rick Langford, and Mitchell Page) to Oakland.
Giusti started the 1977 season with the A's and pitched well for an awful team. He was 3-3 with six saves and a 2.98 ERA in 40 games for the A's. On August 5 Dave was purchased by the Chicago Cubs. He didn't do real well for the Cubs (0-2, 6.04 ERA in 13 games) and was released after the 1977 season.
After his playing career Dave went into sales, first with Millcraft Industries then at American Express as a corporate sales manager. He retired in 1994 and lives in St. Clair, Pennsylvania. Dave is the vice president of the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Association.
Liked to face: Dick Schofield (.000 in 15 AB); Mack Jones (.071 in 42 AB); Tommy Helms (.114 in 44 AB)
Hated to face: Orlando Cepeda (.459 in 37 AB); Cleon Jones (.448 in 29 AB); Jim Ray Hart (.444 in 45 AB)
Randy Hundley was a catcher in the major leagues from 1964-1977. Hundley was signed by the San Francisco Giants in 1960. He played in the minors from 1960-1963 and also spent most of 1964 in the minors. Randy was brought up at the end of the 1964 season and was 0 for 1 in two games.
Hundley was in the minors for most of the 1965 season except for a one-week stint with the Giants in late June. Randy was 1 for 15 in six games for the Giants in '65. After the 1965 season he and Bill Hands were traded to the Chicago Cubs for Don Landrum and Lindy McDaniel.
Randy was fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1966. He batted .236 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI in 149 games. He also stole home in a game against the Houston Astros on May 19. In 1967 Hundley won the Gold Glove award and batted .267 with 14 HR and 60 RBI in 152 games. He was one of the first catchers to use a hinged mitt, enabling him to catch with one hand and protect his throwing hand. $140,000 for One Single! - September 1967 Baseball Digest. Randy played in a career-high 160 games in 1968 and his offensive stats were down. He batted .226 with 7 HR and 65 RBI. This is still the record for most games caught in a season. In fact, Randy has three of the all-time top ten seasons in games caught by a catcher.
Hundley's best season was probably 1969. He made the NL All Star team and struck out in his only at bat. For the season Randy batted .255 with 18 HR and 64 RBI in 151 games. It looks like he wore down as the season progressed. He was batting .275 on August 31 and went 13 for 87 (.149) over the remainder of the season.
Randy missed almost three months of the 1970 season (April 21-July 16) with a knee injury (a collision with Carl Taylor of the Cardinals). In 73 games Hundley batted .244 with 7 HR and 36 RBI. He also had a knee injury in 1971 that caused him to miss most of the season. Hundley appeared as a pinch hitter once in April and played in eight games in May. That was it for his season (.333 in 21 at bats).
Hundley came back to reclaim his starting catcher position in 1972, but he wasn't the same after the knee injuries. He played in 114 games in 1972 and batted .218 with 5 HR and 30 RBI. In 1973 Randy batted .226 with 10 HR and 43 RBI in 124 games. After the 1973 season Hundley was traded to the Minnesota Twins for George Mitterwald.
Randy started the 1974 season as the starting catcher but became the backup to Glenn Borgmann as the season went on. He played sparingly after May and in 32 games batted .193 in 88 at bats. Hundley was released after the 1974 season. He tried out with the San Diego Padres in 1975 and was signed at the end of spring training.
Hundley was the #2 catcher behind Fred Kendall in San Diego in 1975. He played in 72 games and batted .284 in 180 at bats. At the end of spring training in 1976 the Cubs purchased Randy from the Padres. He didn't play much in 1976 (5 games in April and 8 games in May) and batted .167 in 18 at bats. In 1977 Randy played in two September games and went 0 for 4. He was released by the Cubs after the 1977 season and that was it for his playing career.
Randy managed for three seasons (1979-1981) in the Cubs' system and then came up with the idea of doing baseball fantasy camps. His camps have been very successful and they're still operating today. He also occasionally fills in for Ron Santo on Cubs' radio broadcasts.
Liked to face: Jack Billingham (.478 in 23 AB); Tony Cloninger (.393 in 28 AB); Woodie Fryman (.355 in 31 AB)
Hated to face: Bill Stoneman (.000 in 15 AB); Claud Osteen (.145 in 55 AB); Bob Gibson (.157 in 70 AB)
Randy Hundley is in this video about the 2009 Cubs Convention
"I throw as hard as I can when I think I have to throw as hard as I can."
"The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If I were a batter and thought the pitcher really tried to bean me, I'd be inclined to wait for him outside the park with a baseball bat."
