NOT QUITE MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 JOSE SOSA (1976 PROJECT)

It’s been quite some time since I posted a card from my “1976 Project” for “Reader Jim”, so here’s one I created a while ago, former pitcher Jose Sosa of the Houston Astros:

Sosa actually appeared on a multi-player rookie card in the 1976 Topps set, but Jim wanted a dedicated card for the righty based on his 25 appearances and 47 innings pitched the year before, posting a 1-3 record with a 4.60 earned run average and a single save.
It was Sosa’s first taste of the Majors, and as it turns out the bulk of it too.
In 1976 Sosa would only appear in nine games for Houston, not factoring in a decision while posting a 6.94 ERA over 11.2 innings, and that would be the sum total of his experience as a big league pitcher.
He did come from some strong baseball lineage, as he was the cousin of the Alou brothers, as well as second cousin to Moises.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1954: STAN "THE MAN" MUSIAL SLAMS FIVE HOME RUNS IN DOUBLE-HEADER

Let’s go and give Stan Musial a “Turn Back the Clock” 20th anniversary card for his montrous day at the plate on May 2nd, 1954 against the New York Giants:

Stan was definitely “The Man” that day, going 4 for 4 in the first game, with three homers and six runs batted in, helping the Cardinals beat the Giants 10-6 at Busch Stadium.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Musial proceeds to go 2 for 4 in the second game, with two homers off of future Hall of Fame pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm.
It wasn’t enough to help the Cards beat the Giants though, as the New Yorkers win 9-7, but for Musial he went a combined 6 for 8 with five home runs and nine runs batted in and six runs scored!
Just one of the many accomplishments for Musial that still makes him one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.

MISSING IN ACTION: 1975 LOWELL PALMER

Time to give that cool dude Lowell Palmer a “missing” 1975 Topps card that wraps up his short but memorable career as far as cards go:

Palmer appeared in 22 games for the Padres, posting a 2 and 5 record with a 5.67 earned run average over 73 innings.
We all remember him for his sweet shades on his early cards from 1970 through 1972, they’ve become sort of the stuff of legend when it comes to card-collecting.
His time as a big league pitcher lasted 5 seasons between 1969 and 1974, going 5-18 with a 5.29 ERA with a single shutout and 239 strikeouts over 106 games and 316.2 innings of work.
But oh those shades....

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #52: 1972 JIM FREGOSI

Let’s go and give former all-star shortstop Jim Fregosi a “missing” In-Action card in the 1972 Topps set:

It’s easy to forget that Fregosi was the top American League shortstop in the 1960’s.
However by the time the 1970’s rolled around the six-time all-star was about to see a dramatic downturn in his career, beginning with THE trade that will always be remembered: Fregosi for a guy named Nolan Ryan.
Nevertheless he put together a very nice 18-year career, finishing up after the 1978 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, collecting over 1700 hits, 150 homers and a .265 batting average with a Gold Glove and the aforementioned all-star nods.

MISSING IN ACTION: 1974 MIKE ANDREWS

Here’s a “missing” card for former second baseman Mike Andrews, who closed out a nice career in 1973 suiting up for both the Chicago White Sox and finally the Oakland A’s:

Andrews played in 70 games during the 1973 season, hitting an even .200 with 36 hits in 180 at-bats.
52 of those games were with the Sox before landing in Oakland, who’d go on to win the World Series for the second year in a row.
Andrews’ best years with with the Boston Red Sox, the team he played the first five years of his eight year career.
His sole all-star nod was in 1969, easily his best year when he hit .293 with 15 homers and 79 runs scored.
His final numbers were a .258 average with 803 hits over 3116 at-bats in 893 games, with 441 runs scored and 316 runs batted in and 66 homers.

HALL OF FAME #44: WILLIE MAYS: CLASS OF 1979

Here’s the next Hall of Fame inductee in my thread for those that entered the Hall during the 1970’s, all-time great “Say Hey” Willie Mays, about as easy a “no-brainer” as there could be:

What needs to be said about perhaps the greatest player in history?
660 home runs, 3000+ hits, over 2000 runs scored and over 1900 runs batted in, with over 300 stolen bases and a .300+ batting average as well!
He took home the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951, then proceeded to win two Most Valuable Player Awards, the first in 1954 and the second eleven years later in 1965.
Let’s also not forget the 20 all-star nods and 12 Gold Gloves, leaving him in that rarified company of Ruth, Cobb, Aaron and Gehrig as far as accomplishments and legend.
Of course, Hall of Fame voting being what it is, he wasn’t a UNANIMOUS selection because of this silly unspoken rule of “no one gets 100% voting”, something I will NEVER understand.

MISSING IN ACTION: 1978 BRUCE TAYLOR

Here’s a “missing” card for a guy who pitched a total of 30 games in his Major League career, 19 of which were in 1977, Bruce Taylor of the Detroit Tigers:

Taylor appeared in all 19 games for the Tigers during the 1977 season out of the bullpen, posting a 1-0 record with a 3.38 earned run average and two saves in 29.1 innings of work.
It was his first taste of the big leagues, and the most active, as he would only appear in a single game during the 1978 season, followed by 10 games in 1979, when he posted a 1-2 record with a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 innings.
That would be it for the righty, as he’d finish his Major League experience with a 2-2 record, along with a 3.86 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 49 innings spread out over those 30 games.