Card Tribute: Jack Clark

Date: Sun, Aug 29, 2010

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1971 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Date: Tue, Aug 24, 2010

• Skip Pitlock didn't pitch for the Giants in 1971. He spent the 1971 season in AAA Phoenix.
• Skip pitched for the Giants during the 1970 season.
• Pitlock was with Phoenix again in 1972 before being traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 1973 season.

• Mike Davison didn't pitch for the Giants in 1971. He split the 1971 season between AAA Phoenix and Cincinnati's AAA Indianapolis clubs.
• Davison pitched for the Giants in parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons but he retired after the 1971 season.

• Don McMahon was 10-6 with four saves and a 4.06 ERA in 61 games in 1971.
• Don pitched in two games in the NLCS and didn't allow any runs in three innings.
• McMahon was the Giants' pitching coach in 1973 and in 1974 and was activated for a while in both seasons when the Giants needed some bullpen help. He was the Giants' pitching coach from 1973-1975 and again from 1980-1982.

• Jerry Johnson was 12-9 with 18 saves and a 2.97 ERA in 67 games in 1971.
• Jerry finished 6th in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1971.
• Johnson pitched in game 4 of the NLCS and allowed a 3-run homer to Roberto Clemente in the 6th inning that eventually was the decisive blow in the game.

• Rich Robertson was 2-2 with one save and an ERA of 4.57 in 23 games (6 starts).
• Robertson pitched in his final major league game on July 20, 1971. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 1 1/3 innings.
• Robertson was sold to the Chicago White Sox before the 1972 season but the White Sox sent him back during spring training. The Giants released Rich on March 27, 1972. Robertson played in AAA for Atlanta's Richmond club but he retired after the season.

• Steve Stone (5-9, 4.15 ERA in 24 games - 19 starts)
• Don Carrithers (5-3, 1 save, 4.03 ERA in 22 games - 12 starts)
• Jim Barr (1-1, 3.57 ERA in 17 games)
• Jim Willoughby (0-1, 9.00 ERA in 4 innings)
• Steve Hamilton (2-2, 4 saves, 3.02 ERA in 39 games)

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1971 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

Date: Sun, Aug 22, 2010

• Gaylord Perry was 16-12 with a 2.76 ERA in 37 starts in 1971.
• Perry started and lost game 1 of the NLCS. He allowed five runs in nine innings (the Giants lost 5-4).
• Perry and Frank Duffy were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell after the 1971 season.

• Juan Marichal was 18-11 with a 2.94 ERA in 37 starts in 1971.
• Marichal started and won the final game of the 1971 season on September 30. The win clinched the NL West title for the Giants.
• Juan was the winning pitcher in game 3 of the NLCS. He started the game and allowed one run in a complete-game 2-1 victory. It was the only game the Giants won in the series.

• John Cumberland started the 1971 season as a relief pitcher. After pitching in 22 games as a reliever John was placed in the staring rotation in late June.
• Cumberland was 9-6 with two saves and a 2.92 ERA in 45 games (21 starts) in 1971.
• John started and lost game 2 of the NLCS. He allowed three runs in three innings pitched.
• The 1971 season was the peak of John's career. He was traded from the Giants after starting the 1972 season 0-4 with an 8.64 ERA. Cumberland pitched for several major and minor league teams from 1972-1974.

• Ron Bryant was 7-10 with a 3.79 ERA in 22 starts for the Giants in 1971.
• He allowed one run in two innings pitched in game 2 of the NLCS.

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1971 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

Date: Thu, Aug 19, 2010

• Bobby Bonds was the star of the Giants in 1971. He batted .288 with 33 HR and 102 RBI and led the Giants in most offensive categories. Bobby batted .250 (2 for 8) in the NLCS.

• Frank Johnson batted .082 in 49 at bats in 1971. He played in his final major league game on June 12, 1971. Johnson was in the minors for all or parts of 13 seasons (1961-1975), mostly with the Giants' organization.

• Ken Henderson was the starting LF for the Giants and batted .264 with 15 HR and 61 RBI. Ken batted .313 (6 for 15) in the NLCS.

• Willie led the Giants with 112 walks and had a .425 on base percentage. Mays batted .271 with 18 HR and 61 RBI during the regular season.
• Mays batted .267 (4 for 15) with one HR during the 1971 NLCS.

• Bernie Williams was with AAA Phoenix for most of the season (.308 in 73 games). He batted .178 in 73 at bats for the Giants. Bernie spent most of his career (1966-1974) in the minors. He had short stints with the Giants in 1970, 1971, and 1972. Williams was traded to the San Diego Padres with Willie McCovey for Mike Caldwell after the 1973 season. He batted .133 (1 for 15) with the Padres in 1974 before being sent down in mid-May. Bernie spent the rest of the 1974 season in the minors. Williams then went to Japan and had success from 1975-1980.

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1971 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

Date: Tue, Aug 17, 2010

• Willie McCovey missed part of the year with an injury, but he was a dangerous hitter when he was in there. Willie batted .277 with 18 HR and 70 RBI in 105 games during the regular season.
• McCovey was 6 for 14 (.429) with 2 HR during the 1971 National League Championship Series
• On May 2 against the Cincinnati Reds McCovey went 2 for 6 with two HR and 3 RBI. His solo home run in the top of the 13th inning was the eventual game-winner.
• Willie played in his last All Star Game in 1971 and was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

• Another Phoenix Municipal Stadium picture
• Hal Lanier batted .233 in 109 games in 1971.
• Lanier started 41 games at 3B and was a defensive replacement in most of his other games.
• Hal went 0 for 1 in the 1971 NLCS.

• Tito Fuentes batted .273 in 152 games in 1971.
• Fuentes was 5 for 16 (.313) in the NLCS.

• Steve Huntz didn't play for the Giants in 1971.
• Huntz was traded to the Chicago White Sox on March 23, 1971 for Steve Hamilton

• Bob Heise was hitless in 11 at bats for the Giants in 1971.
• On June 1 Heise was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Floyd Wicker

• Alan Gallagher batted .277 with 5 HR and 57 RBI in 136 games.
• Gallagher was 1 for 10 (.100) in the NLCS.

• Jim Ray Hart batted .256 in 39 AB.
• He didn't play until June 18 and was used mostly as a pinch hitter during the season.
• Hart went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts in the NLCS.

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1971 Topps Giants - Part 1

Date: Sun, Aug 15, 2010

• After several years of disappointment and second-place finishes the Giants finally won a NL West title in 1971. They were in first place for much of the season but didn't clinch the division until the final day of the season. The Giants lost in the National League Championship series to the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to one.
• Team Record: 92-70 (1st in NL West, 1 game ahead of Los Angeles)
• Attendance: 1,106,043 (10th in National League)
• Team Batting: .247 (8th in NL)
• Team Home Runs: 140 (3rd in NL)
• Team Stolen Bases: 101 (2nd in NL)
• Team ERA: 3.32 (6th in NL)
• Team Fielding: .972 (12th in NL)
• League Leaders: Willie Mays (On Base Percentage - .425; Walks - 112)
• NL All Stars: Willie McCovey (starting 1B); Willie Mays (starting CF); Bobby Bonds (OF); Juan Marichal (P)
• Gold Gloves: Bobby Bonds (OF)
• Batting Leader: Bobby Bonds (.288)
• Home Run Leader: Bobby Bonds (33)
• RBI Leader: Bobby Bonds (102)
• Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds (26)
• Victories Leader: Juan Marichal (18)
• Losses Leader: Gaylord Perry (12)
• Strikeouts Leader Juan Marichal (159)
• ERA Leader (starters): Gaylord Perry (2.76)
• ERA Leader (relievers): John Cumberland (2.92)
• Saves Leader: Jerry Johnson (18)

• Charlie Fox was in his first full season as the manager of the Giants. Fox took over the managerial duties in May 1970 and remained as the Giants' manager until the middle of the 1974 season.
• Charlie's record as Giants' manager was 348-327 (.516)
• As a player Fox made his major league debut on September 24, 1942 at the age of 20 and played in his last game on September 26, 1942. Charlie's major league career consisted of three games with the New York Giants. He went 3 for 7 (.429) in those three games. Charlie left after the 1942 season to serve in World War II. He came back to baseball after the war and was a player/manager in the minors from 1946-1956.

• Dick Dietz didn't give the backups much of a chance to play. Dietz played in 142 games and batted .252 with 19 HR and 72 RBI. Dick went 1 for 15 (.067) in the NLCS.
• Dick went 4 for 5 with two RBI and one run scored on July 8 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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1972 Topps Giants - Part 6 (in action)

Date: Wed, Aug 11, 2010

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• When was this picture taken?
• Bryant pitched at home twice against the Cardinals (April 19 and July1)
• On April 19Ron came in as a reliever in the top of the first inning. Bryant led off the bottom of the 3rd and struck out. He led off the bottom of the 5th with a single. It is doubtful that it was a bunt single. In the bottom of the 6th Bryant came up with two out and nobody on base and grounded out to second base. The Giants won the game 4-2 and didn't bat in the bottom of the 9th. It is doubtful that this picture was taken on April 19.
• On July 1 Bryant started the game and lasted 4 2/3 innings. In the bottom of the third inning Bryant came up with a runner on first base and nobody out and hit into a force play. This may have been a foul bunt attempt by Bryant during this at bat. Ron was removed from the game before his spot came up in the batting order again, so the bottom of the third in this game may be when this picture was taken.

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1972 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Date: Tue, Aug 10, 2010

• Jerry Johnson had a rough season as the Giants' closer in 1972 after finishing 6th in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1971. He was 8-6 with eight saves and a 4.42 ERA in 48 games. He hurt his shoulder while participating in unscheduled workouts while the players were on strike. Johnson was placed on waivers during spring training in 1973 and selected by the Cleveland Indians.

• John Cumberland was 0-4 with an 8.64 ERA in nine games (six starts). He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a minor leaguer on June 16.

• Frank Reberger was 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 20 games (11 starts). He was brought up from AAA Phoenix in mid June. Reberger pitched for Phoenix in 1973 and 1974 but never appeared in the majors after the 1972 season.

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1972 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

Date: Sun, Aug 8, 2010

• Juan Marichal had a huge crash in 1972. He went 6-16 with a 3.71 ERA in 24 starts. Marichal had surgery to repair a lumbar disc after the 1972 season. Juan would pitch one more season with the Giants before being sold to the Boston Red Sox after the 1973 season.

• Ron Bryant was the ace of the Giants' staff in 1972. He went 14-7 with a 2.90 ERA in 35 games (28 starts).

• Mike McCormick didn't pitch for the Giants in 1972. He had been signed as a free agent before the 1972 season and pitched for a while for AAA Phoenix. McCormick announced his retirement from the Giants on June 16 but later pitched for several minor league clubs in an attempt to come back. He never made it back to the major leagues and retired for good after the 1973 season.

• Steve Stone was 6-8 with a 2.98 ERA in 27 games (16 starts) in 1972.

• "Sudden" Sam McDowell was acquired by the Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season. McDowell went 10-8 with a 4.33 ERA in 28 games (25 starts) in 1972. He missed about six weeks from mid-July to late-August with a sore arm. McDowell started the 1973 season with the Giants but was sold to the New York Yankees because the Giants couldn't afford to pay him (Ex-Giant Lauds Giants - June 16, 1973 St. Petersburg Times).

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1972 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

Date: Sat, Aug 7, 2010

• This was the legend's final season in San Francisco. He got off to a rough start (.184 but with a .394 OBP in 19 games) and was traded to the New York Mets on May 11 for Charlie Williams and $50,000.

• Dave Kingman batted only .225 but hit 29 HR and had 89 RBI for the Giants in 1972. Dave spent most of this season at third base.

• Jimmy Rosario was 0 for 2 in seven games for the Giants in 1972. Rosario was a familiar face in AAA Phoenix -- he spent all or most of the 1968-1974 seasons there. In 1972 Jimmy batted .296 and had a .421 on base percentage for Phoenix.

• Ken Henderson started in LF for the Giants in 1972 and batted .257 with 18 HR and 51 RBI.

• Bobby Bonds had an off year in 1972. He batted .259 with 26 HR and 80 RBI. Bonds led the Giants with 118 runs scored.

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1972 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

Date: Thu, Aug 5, 2010

• Willie McCovey missed about six weeks with an injury and struggled in 1972. He batted .213 with 14 HR and 35 RBI in 81 games.

• Tito Fuentes batted .264 with 7 HR and 53 RBI in 152 games in 1972.

• Chris Speier had a solid year for the Giants in 1972. He batted .269 with 15 HR, 71 RBI, and 82 walks in 150 games.

• Alan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher split time with Dave Kingman at third base in 1972. He batted .223 with 2 HR and 18 RBI in 82 games. Gallagher was traded to the California Angels in April of 1973 and retired after the 1973 season.

• Jim Hart batted .304 in 79 at bats in 1972. Jim had injury problems in 1972 -- he played for about two weeks in May and then didn't play again until September. He ended up starting 20 games at third base and was sold to the New York Yankees early in the 1973 season.

• Chris Arnold batted .226 in 84 at bats as a utility player. Arnold bounced between AAA Phoenix and the SF Giants from 1971-1976. He had some great years for Phoenix (.343 in 120 games in 1971 and .302 in 139 games in 1977) but never could stick in the majors. Arnold went to Japan and played for three years after the 1977 season.

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1972 Topps Giants - part 1

Date: Wed, Aug 4, 2010

• The 1972 Giants took a hard fall from their 1971 NL West-winning season. Willie McCovey was injured and missed about half of the season. Willie Mays was traded to the New York Mets early in the season, and Juan Marichal went 6-16. Gaylord Perry was traded to the Cleveland Indians before the season, further weakening their pitching staff.
• Charlie Fox was in his second full season managing the Giants in 1972. He took over in May of 1970 and continued to manage the club until the middle of the 1974 season. The Giants finished 3rd in the NL West in 1970, 1st in 1971, 5th in 1972, 3rd in 1973, and were 5th in 1974 when Charlie was relieved of his duties. Fox had a 348-327 (.516) record as the Giants' manager. Fox managed the tail end of the season for the Montreal Expos (34 games) in 1976 and the last part of the season for the Chicago Cubs (39 games) in 1983.
• Team Record: 69-86 (5th in NL West, 26 1/2 games behind Cincinnati)
• Attendance: 647,744 (11th in NL)
• Team Batting .244 (9th in NL)
• Team HR: 150 (1st in NL)
• Team Stolen Bases: 123 (2nd in NL)
• Team ERA: 3.69 (9th in NL)
• Team Fielding: .974 (tied for last in NL)
• NL All Stars: Chris Speier (SS)
• Batting Leader: Chris Speier - .269
• HR Leader: Dave Kingman - 29
• RBI Leader: Dave Kingman - 83
• Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds - 44
• Wins Leader: Ron Bryant - 14
• ERA Leader (starters): Ron Bryant - 2.90
• ERA Leader (relievers): Randy Moffitt - 3.69
• Saves Leader: Jerry Johnson - 8

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• Dick Dietz didn't play for the Giants in 1972. Dietz was placed on waivers and selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 14, 1972. One source says that Dietz fell out of favor with the Giants due to his role as player representative in the 1972 strike and another source says that Dietz was lost to the Dodgers due to a clerical error. Ironically, during the celebration after the Giants clinched the NL West in a tight race against the Dodgers Dick grabbed a microphone and yelled, "To Hell with the Dodgers!"
• Dick had played in 148 games in 1970 and in 142 games in 1971.

• Russ Gibson batted .167 in five games. Gibson played in four April/May games and played in his final game on September 6 (my 6th birthday). He played in 31 games for AAA Phoenix in 1972. Gibson retired after the season.

• Fran Healy batted .152 in 45 games as a pinch hitter and backup catcher.

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1962 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Date: Mon, Aug 2, 2010

• Stu Miller was the main relief ace for the Giants in 1962. He went 5-8 with a 4.12 ERA and had 19 saves in 59 games. He appeared in two games in the World Series and didn't allow any runs in 1 1/3 innings pitched.

• Don Larsen was 5-4 with 11 saves and a 4.38 ERA in 49 games. Larsen pitched in three games in the World Series and was credited with the win in game 4. Larsen was the pitcher of record when Tom Haller hit a grand slam to put the Giants ahead for good. Don had a 3.86 ERA in 2 1/3 innings in the series.

• Dick LeMay pitched in nine games and was 0-1 with one save and a 7.71 ERA. He spent most of the season with AAA Tacoma.

• Gaylord Perry was 3-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 games (7 starts). He started the season (which was his rookie season) with the Giants, was sent to Tacoma in June, and returned to pitch in four September games. Perry didn't appear in the World Series.

• Bob Bolin was 7-3 with five saves and a 3.62 ERA in 41 games (5 starts). Bolin pitched in two games in the World Series and had a 6.75 ERA in 2 2/3 innings.

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1962 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

Date: Sun, Aug 1, 2010

• Billy O'Dell was 19-14 with a 3.53 ERA in 43 games (39 starts). He started and lost game 1 of the World Series and earned the save in game 4. O'Dell also pitched the 8th and 9th innings of game 7.

• Jack Sanford led the Giants with 24 wins. He was 24-7 with a 3.43 ERA in 38 starts. Sanford started three games in the World Series -- he won game 2 and took the loss in games 5 and 7.

• Juan Marichal was 18-11 with a 3.36 ERA in 36 starts and earned the save in his only relief appearance. Juan started game 4 and had a 2-0 lead after four innings. He struck out attempting to bunt and injured his hand in the top of the 5th. He was replaced by Bobby Bolin in the bottom of the inning.

• Billy Pierce was 16-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 games (23 starts). He started two games in the World Series. Billy took the loss in game 3 and was the winning pitcher in game 6.

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