Monday, October 5, 2015

#490 Omar Olivares

About the Front: The red cleats are a sharp look.
About the Back: Topps diplomatically chooses not to mention Ed Olivares' career batting line of .143/.139/.143 in 36 plate appearances. He did bat .317/.420/.602 with 35 home runs and 125 RBI for class B Winston-Salem in 1960, earning Carolina League MVP honors.

Triple Play:

1. Olivares was no slouch with the bat, with a career average of .240, five home runs, and 29 RBI in 263 plate appearances.

2. Both of his complete-game shutouts came in 1997 with the Tigers: he scattered three hits and five walks against the Indians on May 10 and followed with a four-hit, two-walk effort vs. the Angels on May 26.

3. Splitting the 1999 season between the Angels and A's, Omar had career highs with 32 starts and a 15-11 record. His 4.16 ERA translated to a solid 114 ERA+.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: In 1993, Omar wore "00" on his jersey to represent his initials. I thought that was amazing.

Bill James Said: "He was bothered by a strained groin muscle, and also pissed off his manager by saying something to the media about his arm being tired after he had pitched several days in a row." I'm stunned by the suggestion that Joe Torre would overwork a reliever. In checking Olivares' game log, he pitched eight times in a ten-day span, July 19-28. In the last of those games, he coughed up three runs on four hits while getting a single out as the Cards were crushed by the Phillies, 14-6.

On This Date in 1993: October 5. The Blue Jays kick off the ALCS with a 7-3 win over the White Sox in Chicago. Pale Hose ace Jack McDowell is pounded for 13 hits in 6.2 innings, including a two-run homer by Paul Molitor, one of the veteran's four base knocks on the evening.

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