The 1970’s, A To Z: Gil Hodges to Burt Hooton

Recap: I’m going through all of the notable and somewhat notable players and managers of the 1970’s and I’m basically making like it’s an all-encompassing 1970’s throwback baseball card set. For the “card front”, I’m sharing my favorite 1970’s card of that guy. I’m also including a card back’s worth of information and thoughts about him and his cardboard.

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GIL HODGES

1970 Topps #394

Played 1943 – 1963
Managed 1963 – 1971
1970’s Teams: Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Manged the Mets to twin 83-win 3rd place finishes in 1970 and 1971; Sadly, today is the 49th anniversary of his death, which came unexpectedly when he suffered a heart attack while golfing with his coaches in Florida before the beginning of the 1972 season

Career Highlights:
In 1969 he lead the “Miracle Mets” to 100 wins and a World Championship; As a player he was an 8-time All-Star, won 3 Gold Gloves and had 100+ RBI in 7 straight seasons; Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1982

Fun Stuff:
Has received the most Baseball Hall of Fame votes of anyone who is not a HOFer

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JOE HOERNER

1976 SSPC #456

Played 1963 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Phillies, Braves, Royals, Rangers, Reds

1970’s Highlights:
Was a selected for the 1970 NL All-Star team in 1970, but didn’t play

Career Highlights:
Pitched in 493 career games without ever starting; Pitched professionally for 21 years

Card stuff:
I’ll admit it… Hoerner is here mainly because of that SSPC card

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KEN HOLTZMAN

1976 Topps #115

Played 1965 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Cubs, A’s, Orioles, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
All-Star in 1972 and 1973; won 18 or more games in four straight seasons, including a career-high 21 in 1973; Won three World Championships with the A’s and has a 4-1, 2.55 record in the World Series; No-hit the Reds on 6/3/1971; Lost a no-hitter with 2 outs in the 9th after giving up a double to Detroit’s Tom Veryzer, 6/8/75; Struck out 202 batters in 1970, which had been a Cubs record for a left-hander; Was the A’s Opening Day starter in 1972; Was a member of the World Champion 1977 Yankees team, but did not pitch for them in the postseason

Career Highlights:
No-hit the Braves, 8/19/69; His 174 career wins are the most by a Jewish pitcher (Sandy Koufax had 165)

Fun Stuff:
Has a .308 postseason batting average, as well as a solo home run in the 1974 World Series… this homer would be the last World Series homer by an American League pitcher in the 20th century

Card Stuff:
Appeared in each of the Topps card sets of the 1970s; Topps used the same photo on his 1968 card, his 1968 All-Star card, a 1968 checklist and his 1969 card;

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BURT HOOTON

1974 Topps #378

Played 1971 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
No-hit the Phillies in his first start of 1972 and his 4th Major League Game; Was named the NL Pitcher of the Month two straight months at the end of 1975 – he went 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA in August and 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA in September; In that 1975 season, he won 12 straight decisions; Was the Dodgers’ opening Day Starter in 1979; Finished a fairly distant second (with no first place votes) to Gaylord Perry in the 1978 NL Cy Young voting

Career Highlights:
Was named the 1981 NLCS MVP after winning games 1 and 3 while keeping the Expos scoreless over 14.2 innings; Was an All-Star in 1981; Earned a 35-3 record while pitching for the University of Texas and set a school career record for ERA; Inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008; Was an All-American from 1969 to 1971

Fun Stuff:
His first career homer was a Grand Slam against the Mets, 9/16/72