former dodger pitcher jerry stephenson passed away yesterday at the age of 66. i was fortunate enough to have him fulfill a through the mail request last winter:
stephenson spent parts of 5 seasons with the boston red sox, but also played for the seattle pilots and the dodgers at the end of his career. in fact, this 1971 topps card is a final tribute, as stephenson's final appearance came in 1970. traded from seattle before the season started, stephenson appeared in just 3 games for the dodgers, including his final appearance - a 2.2 inning performance against the san francisco giants. in that game, stephenson relieved joe moeller in the 4th inning, giving up 3 runs. the final batter stephenson faced in his major league career was willie mays, who singled.
stephenson will be better remembered as a member of the 1967 boston red sox' world series team, and he most recently served as a special consultant and scout for them. prior to that, however, he was a scout for the dodgers for 25 years.
here's to you jerry, and thanks!
Congrats on getting Jerry before he passed away. It's obviously better to get autographs before guys pass away. Believe me, I have about 75 former Orioles who have already died that I am trying to add to my collection for a reasonable price and it's not easy.
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