Thursday, April 9, 2015

#403 Gary Sheffield and Edgar Martinez

About the Front: I just realized how annoying it is that they don't list positions on the fronts of these All-Star cards. It's of particular concern with this card, since neither Gary Sheffield nor Edgar Martinez stayed at third base for much longer. Sheffield was a corner outfielder from 1994 onward, and Martinez was a full-time DH by 1995.

About the Back: Edgar's .328 first-half batting average looks plenty impressive, but he batted .364 for the final 53 games of 1992 to capture the American League crown with an overall mark of .343. Sheffield won the N.L. batting title with an overall .330 average, though his splits by half were more even (.325 first half, .338 second).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: When I pulled this card from the pack, Martinez was having his worst big league season, limited to a .237 average and .378 slugging percentage in a 42-game, inury-hampered campaign. But he would rebound in 1994 and remain a world-class hitter for another decade.

On This Date in 1993: April 9. Bo Jackson (who we just covered on Monday!) pinch-hits for Dan Pasqua in the bottom of the sixth inning at Chicago's Comiskey Park and hits a home run off of Yankee reliever Neal Heaton. It's his first game appearance since hip replacement surgery, and his first home run since September 21, 1991, but the White Sox are thumped 11-6.

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