i couldn't believe what i was reading yesterday afternoon. bobby welch, the rookie pitcher from the team of my youth, had passed away at the age of 57. definitely a need for black mourning crepe here on the blog.
there is no doubt that welch closing out game 2 of the 1978 world series was a huge moment for all dodger fans, but for me it represented the point of no return in my fandom, which at that time was barely a year old. i had to wait until 1979 to get a card of welch, but once the packs hit the streets, i didn't wait long. i remember opening about a dozen packs purchased at the 7-11 for a quarter apiece, and somewhere around the 6th pack, there was this card
1980 topps
1981 fleer
my neighbor across the street was a yankee fan, and pulled this card from a pack. i reminded him of how welch struck reggie jackson out to end the aforementioned game 2 of the 1978 fall classic, and he quickly handed the card over to me.
1981 topps
hatless and morose.
1982 topps
1984 topps team leaders
1984 topps
1985 topps
1986 topps
1987 donruss
1987 fleer
1987 topps
1988 donruss diamond king
1988 score
the yellow border fit in 1988, as he joined the a's as a free agent.
welch was 115-86 with a 3.14 era as a dodger, and 96-60 with a 3.94 era as an athletic, but 27 wins in 1990 means most will remember him as a member of the a's. i'll remember him as the guy who made a young fan believe that the dodgers could beat the yankees, even if they didn't really get it done until 1981.
No comments:
Post a Comment