ToppsCards

Card #6 - 1981 Highlight: Fernando Valenzuela Hurls 8 Shutouts as a Rookie. On 9/17/81 Valenzuela tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout versus Atlanta. It was the 8th shutout of his sensational rookie season, which tied him with Reb Russell for the modern day MLB record. #Topps

Card #5 - 1981 Highlight: Nolan Ryan Pitches 5th Career No-Hitter. The Hall of Famer struck out 11 Dodgers on his way to his MLB record 5th no-hitter on 9/26/81. Incredibly, Ryan tossed 2 more no-hitters before he retired. He had 12 one-hitters in 27 seasons. #Topps

Card #4 - 1981 Highlight: Pete Rose Sets NL Career Mark for Hits. Rose's 8th inning single off Mark Littell on 8/10/81 was hit number 3,631 of his great career and pushed him past Stan Musial as the all time hit leader in the National League. #Topps

Card #3 - 1981 Highlight: Tim Raines Swipes 71 Bases as a Rookie. The HOF speedster was successful in 71 of 82 SB attempts during his abbreviated rookie campaign. Raines' rookie number eclipsed the modern day mark set by Gene Richards (56) in 1977 (bested twice since). #Topps

Card #2 - 1981 Highlight: Ron Davis Fans 8 Straight in Relief (NYY 4, CAL 2). On 5/4/81 Davis struck out Ed Ott, Bobby Grich, Butch Hobson, Rod Carew, Rick Burleson, Dan Ford, Fred Lynn and John Harris consecutively to set a new mark for relief pitchers (since surpassed). #Topps

Card #1 - 1981 Highlight: Steve Carlton Sets New NL Strikeout Record. The Hall of Famer recorded 12 strikeouts on 9/21/81 VS Montreal to raise his career mark to 3,128 Ks and passed Bob Gibson to become the all-time NL Leader. He retired with 4,136 Ks (4,000 in the NL). #Topps

And with Davey Lopes #660, the 1976 #Topps set has been completed. It took 18 months and it was just as much fun posting as I remember tearing open packs back in '76. Transitioning to 1982, it was teenage hijinks, Billy Joel's "The Nylon Curtain" and of course, baseball. Enjoy!

Card #660 - Davey Lopes #Dodgers 1976: Hobbled by injuries, Lopes still managed to steal 63 bases. He had 103 hits in 427 AB. On 9/14/76 Lopes went 2-for-4 - including an RBI double - stole a pair of bases and scored 3 runs as LA beat the Reds 9-0 at Riverfront Stadium. #Topps

Card #659 - Ben Oglivie #Tigers 1976: Oglivie saw action in 115 games. He had 87 hits (15 home runs) and drove in 47 runs in 325 plate appearances. On 8/20/76 Oglivie hit a pair of 2-run homers but Minnesota defeated Detroit 8-5 in front of 17,385 at Tiger Stadium. #Topps

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

Card #658 - Jerry Johnson #Padres Johnson pitched for 7 teams over 10 seasons. Part of the 1969 trade for Curt Flood (see: MLB's reserve clause), Johnson had 18 saves in 1971 for the #Giants and was the winning pitcher for the expansion #BlueJays in their 1st game in '77. #Topps

Card #657 - Roy Smalley #Rangers 1976: Smalley posted a .363 OBP as the starting 2B for Texas and was dealt to the #Twins on 6/1/76 in a 6-player deal. Minnesota utilized him as their everyday SS (101 starts). On 7/15/76 Smalley had 3 hits and 3 RBIs: MIN 5. CLE 2. #Topps

Card #656 - #WhiteSox Team Card. 1976: Bill Veeck was back, which meant that manager Chuck Tanner was gone and replaced with Paul Richards. The result: Chicago lost 97 games. The White Sox dropped 11 of their 12 contests versus the Yankees. Chicago won 90 games in 1977. #Topps

Card #655 - Mike Vail #Mets 1976: Vail suffered a serious foot injury playing basketball in the offseason. He missed the first few months of the season and played in just 53 games (31 hits). Highlight: Vail had a 23-game hitting streak during his 1975 rookie campaign. #Topps

Card #654 - Doug Griffin #RedSox 1976: Griffin saw action in 49 games and had 24 hits in 127 AB. Notes: Griffin received AL Rookie of the Year consideration in 1971 and won a Gold Glove Award in 1972. He collected his 1st MLB hit on 9/15/70 and final hit on 9/5/76. #Topps

Card #653 - Mike Norris #Athletics 1976: Norris went 4-5 in 24 appearances (19 GS) for the A's and completed 2 of his 5 starts for Tucson (AAA). On 7/4/76 Norris tossed a 3-hit complete game shutout as Oakland beat Kansas City 6-0 in front of 24,647 at Royals Stadium. #Topps

Card #652 - Ed Armbrister #Reds 1976: His infamous bunt now a distant memory for everyone (sarcasm), Armbrister appeared in a career high 73 games and batted .295 (23-for-78). On 7/31/76 Armbrister had 4 hits - including a pair of solo homers - and 3 RBIs: CIN 12, SDP 1. #Topps

Card #651 - Blue Moon Odom #Braves. Traded to the #WhiteSox on 6/15/76. Part of the #Athletics dynasty that captured World Series titles from 1972-74, Odom logged over 1,500 innings and won 84 games in 13 seasons. He was called upon to pinch run 105 times in his career. #Topps

Card #650 - Thurman Munson #Yankees 1976: The American League MVP had 186 hits and 105 RBIs in the regular season and collected 19 hits in the post season for the AL Champs. On 6/15/76 Munson went 4-for-4 - including a solo homer - and drove in 3 runs: NYY 4, MIN 2. #Topps

Only 11 cards left to post for the #Topps 1976 set! A preview of what is next: Topps 1982. Card #540 - Hall of Famer Andre Dawson #Expos. 1982: Dawson hit 23 HRs, stole 23 bases and had 83 RBIs. On 8/18/82 Dawson slugged a pair of home runs and drove in 5: Expos 12, Braves 2.