1987 Donruss: World Series Home Run

-
Ted Simmons stepped to the plate in the fourth inning of Game 1 of the World Series and realized a childhood dream. Not only was he playing in a World Series, in that at bat, Simmons hit a home run, helping his Brewers to a 10-0 Game 1 win.

"It was every bit what I'd hoped and thought it would be," Simmons told The Milwaukee Journal afterward. "Everyone wants to hit a home run in the World Series. Everybody.

"You hit the ball the same way you've hit it many times before," Simmons added to The Journal. "But you do it in a World Series, and a lot of things, a lot of faces, a lot of names, a lot of places pass before you. It's pretty neat."

Simmons also hit a home run in a Game 2 loss, and Simmons' Brewers would go on to lose to the Cardinals 4 games to 3.

Simmons' two World Series home runs are referenced on the back of his 1987 Donruss card, included in my fourth 1987 Donruss pack. By 1987, Simmons was nearing the end of his 21-season career.

That year, he hit .277 with the Braves in 73 games. He played another 78 in 1988, finishing out his career.

In this fourth pack, there were no Hall of Famers and no CMC set members. But I did get a pitcher who would go on to throw a perfect game, David Cone.

But, in 1987, Cone had a limited resume from with Donruss had to draw for the card back. He pitched in 11 games in 1986, spending most of the season at Omaha. There, he wnet 8-4 with a 2.79 ERA, Donruss wrote.

He also won five World Series rings.

Regarding CMC connections, while there were not set members in the pack, there were two players who were involved in trades for CMC set members. Juan berenguer in 1985 was involved in a six-player deal that included Scott Medvin. Medvin, coincidentally, is one of only three cards I need to complete my CMC set.

In December 1988, Curtis Wilkerson was involved in the nine-player deal that sent Jamie Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro to the Rangers. Included in that deal was CMC set member Paul Kilgus, whom I featured Kilgus back in June.

Elsewhere in the pack were two future managers, Bud Black and Phil Garner. Black managed the Padres to a second-place finish in 2010. He also won the World Series with the Royals in 1985.

Garner played 16 seasons as a player, his last in 1988. He went on to manage in 15 seasons, the most recent in 2007 with the Astros. The back of his card notes he hit .500 for the Pirates in the 1979 World Series, going 12 for 24 in the Pirates' series win.

Rounding out this pack is the double card from the pack. There were these two Lee Lacys. Lacy was a teammate of Garner in 1979 with the Pirates. Lacy got less playing time, though, going 1 for 4 over the series.

It was actually the third consecutive year Lacy saw time in the Fall Classic. He was there with the Dodgers in both 1977 and 1978. he also got into a game in the 1974 World Series.

The back of his 1987 Donruss card, however, highlights his 1977 series performance, hitting .429 for the Dodgers, 3 for 7.
1987 Donruss Pack 4
76 Keith Hernandez
88 Hubie Brooks
134 Joe Hesketh
144 Johnny Ray
223 Curtis Wilkerson
224 Pete Incaviglia
269 Jody Davis
301 Steve Farr
336 Lee Lacy
336 Lee Lacy
358 Phil Garner
404 Bud Black
502 David Cone
537 Ted Simmons
558 Bobby Bonilla
616 Juan Berenguer
Puzzle 46-48, Clemente stats, 12/63

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Interview Part 3: Tom Gamboa, Strange Deal

-
Image
Brooklyn Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa in Troy, NY in August 2014. Gamboa served as Royals first base coach in 2002 when he was attacked in Chicago. (G21D Photo) Part 1: Accomplished Something | Part 2: Common Good Part 3: Strange Deal | Part 4: Truly Passionate Part 5: Player Stories One second Tom Gamboa was standing in the first base coaching box preparing to coach the ninth inning at Chicago's new Comiskey Park. The next second the 54-year-old was on the ground. He was knocked there near the end of this September 2002 game by a crazed father and son who had jumped onto the field from the stands. But Gamboa didn't know that at the time. All he knew was that he was on the ground being attacked. "I remember it like an out-of-body experience," Gamboa recalled to The Greatest 21 Days recently, "lying on the ground wondering who are these people? What are they doing on the field? And why are they swinging at me?" In an instant, Gamboa had ...
Read more

Kevin Rinaldi saw pros over two seasons, made single-A

-
Image
Brevard Community College's Kevin Rinaldi got the win in this March 1989 game, despite one of his weaknesses - the first inning, according to Florida Today . Rinaldi went six innings, giving up five runs in the process, but still got the 8-5 victory, Florida Today wrote . "If he ever gets out of the first inning, he usually does a good job," Brevard head coach Ernie Rosseau told Florida Today . "He just has trouble in that first inning." Rinaldi went on to turn pro later that year. His pro career lasted two seasons. He topped out at single-A. Rinaldi's career began that year, signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent out of Brevard Community College. At Brevard, he struck out six while giving up five hits in a February win, then struck out 11 in another that month. Shortly after, Florida Today featured Rinaldi in a brief spotlight. In it, he counted his career goal as making the majors. He also identified Paul Molitor as a relative, though not how...
Read more

Walter Roy, Rookie Roommate - 2349

-
Image
Read the March 2015 interview: Walter Roy, Gung-Ho The first couple roommates for Javier Lopez didn't work out . Then he moved in with Walter Roy , and another teammate. The group was rounded out by Roy's wife. The two were at rookie Pulaski that year and the move for Lopez forced the Puerto Rican-native out of his comfort zone, Lopez wrote years later in his book "Behind the Plate. " "I had to learn English living with them," Lopez wrote . "Walter's wife was there, too. She was a very sweet lady, and she talked to me all the time, taught me a lot." Lopez went on from there to a major league career that spanned 15 seasons. Roy's career ended the next year at single-A Burlington . Roy's career began in 1989, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State University and Mott Community College. At Pulaski, the pitcher Roy got into 14 games, starting two. He went 2-1, with a 2.12 ERA . He also struc...
Read more

Ruben Cruz played four seasons, made high-A with Astros

-
Image
The Orlando Sentinel assessed the high-A Osceola Astros' first half in 1992, singling out several players, including Ruben Cruz . Cruz was hitting .258 by mid-June and had knocked in 31 runs, The Sentinel wrote . "There has been a new star every day," Osceola manager Sal Butera told The Sentinel of the group. Cruz hit in that season in his third campaign as a pro. He would see just one more . He topped out there at high-A Osceola. Cruz' career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 45th round of the draft out of his native Puerto Rico . He played his first season largely in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He saw 39 games. He also saw one game at high-A Osceola. He hit .254 on the year. Cruz then moved to single-A Burlington for 1991. He hit a home run in a July game, a three-run triple in another that month, then a  pinch-hit home run in an August contest. Overall, Cruz got into 114 games for Burlington in 1991 and hit .278, with eight home runs . Cruz played ...
Read more

A to Z: 1990 Minor League Players, Baseball Profiles

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here alphabetically.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1, 2024 List of 1990 minor league players featured, in alphabetical order: Total: 4,457 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A  -  Bill Abare  got big hit at Dunedin, saw three pro seasons , 10/31/13  -  Glenn Abbott  saw bigs over decade, later turned coach , 7/27/14  -  Kurt Abbott 's first ML hit went for homer, saw 9 seasons , 3/22/15  -  Kyle Abbott  saw time in four major league seasons, Japan , 10/4/17  -  Paul Abbott  returned from injuries, made 11 ML seasons , 5/23/11...
Read more

Jim Murphy played, became author, motivational speaker

-
Image
Jim Murphy took the field for the independent Surrey Glaciers in 1995 and hardly seemed to miss a step as he resumed his pro baseball career, according to The Langley Advance . He did so as he went 3 for 4 with a home run in the team's first pre-season game, The Advance wrote .  Murphy's play at Surrey came as he attended graduate school at the University of British Columbia. It was there that he started his new career, one as an author and motivational speaking . Murphy's baseball career began in 1988, taken by the Cubs in the 13th round of the draft out of Portland State University . Murphy started with the Cubs at short-season Geneva. He hit .229 in 67 games there with four home runs. Murphy tried a bit of a trick play that June, according to The Chicago Tribune , by pretending to catch a ball over the fence. Murphy moved to single-A Charleston for 1989. He hit .225 over 113 games. For 1990, he played between single-A Peoria and high-A Winston S...
Read more

Henry Mercedes moved past language problems to make bigs over five seasons

-
Image
Henry Mercedes signed with the Athletics as a catcher out of his native Dominican Republic. He immediately ran into difficulties, according to The Associated Press . That's because the catcher Mercedes didn't know English, The AP wrote . "I wanted to return to my country," Mercedes told The AP in July 1996. "I think there are a lot of players that went through the same situation." Mercedes eventually got over those language issues. He also went on to a long career as a pro . That career included time in five major league seasons. Mercedes was originally signed by the Athletics in 1987. He first hit the field in the United States in 1988, playing in the rookie Arizona League. He made single-A Madison and Modesto in 1989. For 1990, he played most of the year at Madison. He played the rest, 12 games, at AAA Tacoma . He hit .224 overall on the year. He debuted in Oakland in April 1992. He got into nine games for Oakland, picking up four hits in f...
Read more