#38 - Mickey Lolich
Before I knew much about Lolich, I figured he must be a great player. Why? He had a World Series game seven card in the 1969 Topps set. Those were some great cards.
A rare switch-hitting pitcher. I need to check out his stats on that even though I might have done that before. He was the 1968 World Series MVP with three hits in three games including a homer. Maybe three wins, all in complete games, with an ERA of 1.67 helped.
He hit a post-season homer without ever hitting one in his 16-year career. I think that puts him on a really short list. He batted .110 for his career but he managed to get walks in 10% of his plate appearances. Why didn't they just throw him strikes?
Back to the card. He led the league in losses in 1970 and then led the league in wins in 1971. He pitched 376 innings in 1971 which was the highest total in 54 years. They didn't mention who achieved that mark.
Not on the card - Grove Alexander pitched in 388 innings in 1917.
Finally, something unique. He wasn't really left-handed but a shoulder injury in a childhood accident forced him to become a lefty.
#37 - Lee May
Lee May or Lee Maye? Topps kept me confused as a kid on this one. Luckily, both played in the NL so I had a chance to figure it out.
Lee May - played from 1965 to 1982. He started with Cincinnati and then went to Houston before heading to the AL.
Lee Maye - played from 1959 to 1971. He spent a lot of time with Milwaukee Braves. He also played for Houston which didn't help me to figure this out. He was also a well-known R&B singer?
Lee May is shown as a Red on the front and back, but it is mentioned that he was traded to Houston in the text. I guess it is more difficult to air brush a 3-D card than a Topps card. With the technology of the times I'm glad they made no attempt to do that.
He is the brother of Carlos May, who is also featured in this set.
The card mentions that the 1970 World Series was disastrous for the Reds. They loss two one-run games and two games by a score of 9-3. May's homer gave the Reds their only win in the five-game series.
May is no liability in the field. If he were a good fielder, wouldn't they just say he is a good fielder? He didn't win any Gold Gloves, but neither did I.
Why was May traded after so many good seasons? They were able to move Tony Perez to first base full time and the Astros sent Joe Morgan over to Cincinnati. They were on their way to becoming the Big Red Machine. Ugh!
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