#207 Record Breaker: Fernando Valenzuela

Card thoughts: They really should have shown Fernando in his famous "eyes in the sky" portion of his delivery.

The record:  The record lasted until Valenzuela's fifth start. He actually gave up 4 unearned runs in that span, which led to losses on second day of the season to the Astros and on April 23rd to the Giants.

Rear guard: You would think after over 70 years, another pitcher would have broken this record. George Wiltsie, better known as "Hooks" only pitched 134 innings that year, and his ERA was a fairly high for the time at 3.14. This record is so obscure, I can't find out if it has been broken or not.

This date in baseball history: A new balk rule instituted in 1950 plays havoc with Yankees starter Vic Raschi. Unable to come to the required full stop, he balks four times in a game. Despite that, he gets the win.

#206 Record Breaker: Pete Rose

Card thoughts: Two aging Reds in a row. This picture was likely sourced from a news organization which managed to get Rose right when he got his tie-breaking hit. I say this because a Topps night action picture is rare. I think they used to issue them in the 70s when they had those World Series cards.

The record: . . . should have made Rose a shoo-in for the hall of fame. But he gambled it away. If Ichiro had been playing here since he was a teenager, perhaps he would have had a shot at the record. I'd say this record is not insurmountable: most hitting records aren't these days.

Rear guard: Some say that Eric Show never got over the fact that he gave up the record-breaking hit, and it ultimately led to his premature death after years of drug abuse.

This date in baseball history: Roscoe Barnes, shortstop for the Chicago White Stockings, hits the first home run in National League history in 1876. Barnes also grew up in my hometown, and played on the local team when it was in the National Association.

#205 Record Breaker: Tony Perez

Card thoughts: Interesting how some of the best in-action shots so far are for these record breakers. This is not a picture of the actual grand slam, however.

The record: Wow, this one had stood for awhile. The record was set by Cap Anson in 1984. It has since been broken by Julio Franco.

Rear guard: Perez was pinch hitting for starter John Stuper. His grand slam drove in #195 Dave Concepcion, Ron Oester, and #143 Dave Van Gorder.


This date in baseball history: Harry Chiti is traded to the Mets for a player to be named later in 1962. Chiti ends up being the player to be named later when he sent back a month later.

#204 Record Breaker: Phil Niekro

Card thoughts: No doubt, Niekro is about to throw a knuckler.

The record: That shutout was Niekro's last. 1985 would be his last season with a winning record as well.

Rear guard: Satchel Paige was so old because he had to play in the Negro Leagues for so long. The year he set the record, he was used mostly as a reliever. Niekro's record breaking shutout was on the final day of the season. He walked 3 and struck out 5. Niekro would end up pitching until he was 48.

#203 Record Breaker: Keith Hernandez

Card thoughts: If Hernandez is driving in a run here, he's doing it very awkwardly. How often do you see a batter swing and have his helmet come off?

The record: Since the game winning RBI is a meaningless statistic only tallied between 1980 and 1988, it's hard to get too excited about this feat. If it means anything to you, Hernandez also holds the all time record with 129.

Rear guard: Only in New York City do neighborhoods get their own "specific" address i.e. Flushing.

#202 Record Breaker: Dwight Gooden

Card thoughts: This is a nice illustration of Gooden’s pitching motion on what looks to be a gloomy day at Shea. His base card is a frontal shot of him pitching in spring training.

The record: The reason why some baseball records are split into the “modern” and “all-time” is that the statistical rules varied widely in the 19^th century. Willie McGill, who won 21 games at age 17 for Cincinnati and St. Louis of the American Association, holds the all-time record. Due to babying these days of young pitchers, and the more frequent use of the bullpen, Gooden’s record is unlikely to be broken any time soon.

Rear guard: Gooden's 20th win came at home against the San Diego Padres. It was one of his less dominant starts as he went 6 innings and gave up 3 runs while only striking out 4.

This date in baseball history: Joe Morgan's record 91 errorless game streak at second comes to an end in 1978. The record would be broken by Ryne Sandberg and later Placido Polanco.

#201 Record Breaker: Vince Coleman

Card thoughts: Coleman is not stealing a base in this picture. He's following the ball as he runs to third. As usual with the Record Breaker cards, the photo is more interesting than the base card.

The record: This is going to be a record that stand for a long time, perhaps the rest of my life. With the gradual elimination of artificial turf, it's tougher for players, even greatest base stealers, to get the great jumps they used to back in the 1980s. Generally, you can lead the league with about 60 or 70 steals these days.

Rear guard: Vincent Van Go is one of the all time most terrible nicknames. It is worth noting that Coleman only broke a one year old record--but did it by 38 steals.The all time season stolen base record is held by Hugh Nicol of the Cincinatti Red Stockings of the old American Association. He stole 138 bases in 1887.

This date in baseball history: In one of the all time futile pitching performances, 4 Kansas City A's pitchers gave up 11 runs in one inning to the White Sox while only allowing one hit. 2 errors, 10 walks, and one hits batsman were the culprit. An incredible 8 runs scored after being walked in.