In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, my collection is going to be the subject of this year-long series.
Shortly after starting my obsession in 1971, the goal was to have at least one Topps card from every year.
Although the 1952 set is considered to be the first released by Topps, the company issued two series that was a part of the game a year earlier.
Pulling a rookie card out of pack is always exciting. Back in the mid-1970s, there were four players on a card and it was rare that all four players on a card had something major in common.
In the case of this 1975 card, each of these players were on division championship teams at some point in their career.
The biggest connection on this card is with Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox and Ed Armbrister of the Cincinnati Reds.
No one could have predicted how they would cross paths in the 1975 World Series. It was in the 10th inning of the third game in Cincinnati. Armbrister was called on to get down a sacrifice bunt.
After getting the ball in play, Armbrister and Boston catcher Carlton Fisk collided. Fisk was able to get the ball, but his throw to second base went into centerfield and was picked up by Lynn. The controversial moment went in favor of the Reds as they went on to win the contest to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Reds won that Fall Classic in seven games.
Although it didn’t happen in the same season, Tom Poquette of the Kansas City Royals and Terry Whitfield of the New York Yankees were able to both eventually join Lynn and Armbrister with post-season appearances. Poquette was in the 1976 playoffs with the Royals, while Whitfield had to wait until 1985 when he made it with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lynn Most Honored
Lynn spent 17 years in the majors and in 1975, he was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. He led the league with 47 doubles and 103 runs scored, while hitting 21 homers and driving in 105 runs.
In 1979, Lynn won the AL batting title with a .333 average as he posted career-highs with 39 home runs and 122 RBI. He joined the California Angels in 1981. The following year, he was selected as the MVP of the AL Championship Series as the Angels lost to the Milwaukee Brewers.
A nine-time all-star from 1975 to 1983, he was named the MVP of his final Mid-Summer Classic after hitting the first grand slam in the history of the contest. He was also on the losing end of that affair.
In his career with the Red Sox, Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres, he hit 306 homers and knocked in 1,111 runs. He also won four Gold Gloves.
Armbrister Only Champion
Armbrister is the only player on the card to be a part of the World Series winner, which he was twice with the Reds in 1975 and 1976.
An extra player in the trade with the Houston Astros after the 1971 season that brought Joe Morgan, Cesar Geromino, Denis Menke and Jack Billingham to Cincinnati, Armbrister’s major league career lasted from 1973 to 1977 as he appeared in 224 games.
Perhaps his best day with the Reds came on July 31, 1976. Cincinnati pounded the Padres 12-1 with Armbrister leading the way.
Born in the Bahamas, Armbrister started in right field and had four hits, including a pair of homers off Brent Strom with three RBI.
Poquette Gets the Call
Poquette played seven seasons in the majors beginning in 1973 with the Royals as a 21-year old. After two seasons in the minors, he returned to the Royals in 1976.
During his three post-season appearances with the Royals from 1976 to 1978, Poquette was in eight games with three hits and four RBI.
In game two of the 1976 AL Championship Series against the Yankees, Poquette had two hits and drove in two runs off Ed Figueroa in a 7-3 Royals win.
In the middle of the 1979 season, he was traded to the Red Sox for George Scott and became a teammate of Lynn.
He finished his career in 1982 with the Royals, after playing with the Red Sox and Texas Rangers the year before.
Whitfield Top Pick
Whitfield was a first round draft choice for the Yankees in 1971.
The California native played in 730 big league contests during 10 seasons. He was with the Yankees from 1974 to 1976, but was only in 31 games for the Bronx Bombers.
Prior to the 1977 season, Whitfield was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Marty Perez.
While with the Giants, Whitfield increased his playing time in the outfield. His best year in San Francisco was in 1978 as he hit 10 homers with 32 RBI and a .289 batting average. One of his homers that summer was a 12th inning walk-off blast of Mark Littell in a 5-4 Giants win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
From 1981 to 1983, Whitfield played with the Seiby Lions in Japan. During those three seasons, he hit 85 home runs and drove in 280.
Whitfield finished his major league career as a part-time player with the Dodgers from 1984 to 1986.