Vintage Baseball Cards: 1976 Topps

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.

The 1976 set remains one of my favorites with several members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame along with the Great Eight from the World Champion Cincinnati Reds. Back then, I was 10 cards short of having the complete set purchased through packs.

Thanks to the power of the Internet, this set was completed a few years ago with the purchase of Tommy John, my final missing card.

Many people today recognize the name for the now famous surgery that so many pitchers have required to continued their career.

During the 1974 season, John was 13-3 as the Los Angeles Dodgers were in the middle of a pennant race. John ruptured his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow in a game on July 17. Later that year, he had the now famous surgery bearing his name performed by Dr. Frank Jobe.

After missing the entire 1975 season, John returned to the Dodgers a year later. At the time, no one knew if he would be able to pitch at all.

John had been an American League all-star with the Chicago White Sox in 1968 as he went 10-5 with an ERA of 1.98. He had also led the league with five shutouts in 1966 and six in 1967.

From 1972 to 1974 with the Dodgers, the Indiana native was 40-15. He was an important part of the Dodgers pitching staff.

In his first outing of 1976, John worked five innings in Atlanta giving up three runs on five hits as he lost to the Braves 3-1. In his next game, he had seven scoreless frames in Houston as he didn’t earn a decision in a 1-0 loss to the Astros.

On April 26, John finally got a win. He gave up a run, while scattering eight hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7-1 victory.

John finished the season at 10-10 with a 3.09 ERA. He also had six complete games with a pair of shutouts. On July 23, he blanked the Padres on four hits. The Reds were victims on Sept. 14. He allowed 10 hits, but he able to keep them off the scoreboard.

Started in Cleveland

John began his career in Cleveland in 1963. After one more season, he moved on to the White Sox from 1965 to 1971.

He left the Dodgers after the 1978 season. He was 20-7 in 1977 and then made the National League all-star squad the following summer during a 17-10 season.

Joining the New York Yankees in 1979, John posted marks during the next two years of 21-9 and 22-9. He would eventually pitch for the California Angels, Oakland A’s and make a return to the Yankees before ending his career in 1989.

During his 26 seasons in the majors, John was 288-231. He was 201-189 games with AL teams, while going 87-42 with the Dodgers.

Prior to his landmark surgery, John won 124 games and after his return he posted 164 victories.