von joshua, double dipper and ttm signer

[this is the nineteenth installment in the double dippers posts.  here are the previous posts - brett butler, omar daal, eric young, nick willhite, chris gwynn, mickey hatcher, dave anderson, don zimmer, rafael landestoy, dave hansen, jose vizcaino, hideo nomo, greg maddux, mike maddux, jon garland, chan ho park, vicente romo, gene mauch, and denny lewallyn.]

some may have thought, back in 1975, that von joshua's final act as a dodger was making the last out in the 1974 world series. that's because, in game 5, joshua bounced the ball back to rollie fingers, and the dodgers' season was ended. after the season, the giants picked joshua up on waivers, and he spent the next one and a half seasons patrolling centerfield in candlestick park, although topps kept him in a dodgers' uniform for their 1975 set.

joshua began his career in 1969 after signing with the dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1967. he appeared in 14 games for the blue in '69, then spent about half the 1970 season with the big club. such a large amount of playing time meant that he was included in the 1971 topps set, as seen here on my card that he kindly signed through the mail.

in 1971, he saw action in just 11 games, and didn't appear for the dodgers at all in 1972. over the next two seasons, joshua played about half the time, seeing action at all three outfield spots. over his first stint with the dodgers, joshua had exactly 100 hits and a .246 average in 253 games.

as a giant, he flourished as a full-time player. he hit .318 with 10 triples and 20 steals in 1975, but had his contract purchased by the brewers in june of 1976. here's his 1977 topps card to document his time as a brewer.

and, while we're at it, here's his 1976 topps card that he also signed,

as well as his 1978 topps card.

through 1977, joshua hit .264 for the brew crew, and played in 251 games as their primary center fielder. however, the brewers decided to release joshua after spring training in 1978, and he went to the mexican leagues.

that's where, in 1979, the dodgers found him and brought him back to la. he again played all three outfield spots, and also saw time as the dodgers' left-handed bat off the bench. unfortunately, while he hit .329 as a starter, joshua was only 9 for 48 (.188) as a pinch-hitter. still, he played enough to warrant a card in topps' 1980 set as a dodger.

here's one that he signed for me.

perhaps the highlight of joshua's return to the dodgers was the 9th inning home run he hit off of the reds' tom hume on may 20, 1979 which broke a 4-4 tie. the dodgers wound up winning the game 6-4. it's not a walk-off or some other dramatic play, which means that, for most fans, joshua will still be remembered as the guy who made the last out of the 1974 world series.

here's to you, von joshua!  thanks for signing my cards!

i will also remember him as a dodger double dipper. here's to you, von joshua, and thanks for signing my cards.