GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1975 KEN SANDERS

Up on the blog today we have a do-over for former reliever Ken Sanders' 1975 Topps card, which goes from a classic airbrush-job to a nice clean image that I came across some time ago:

Re-done for blog

Original by Topps

From the front of his jersey on the original you can barely see the fact that he’s wearing a Cleveland Indians uni, from where he came over during the 1974 season after being released in June.

He was signed by California a week later, and went on to appear in only nine games for them the rest of the way, not factoring in a decision and posting an ERA of 2.79 over 9.2 innings with a save thrown in.
Funny enough he’d go on to spend all of 1975 with the New York Mets, putting in another good year with a record of 1-1 along with a 2.30 ERA with five saves in 30 appearances and 43 innings of work.
After that he’d one more season under the Big League sun, splitting 1976 with the Mets and Kansas City Royals, appearing in 31 games and again posting a sub-3.00 ERA, this time at 2.70.
Never an All-Star, he did have two straight seasons of sub-2.00 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970 and 1971, with 1.75 and 1.91 respectively, along with a league-leading 31 saves in the latter season.
All told he finished up with a ten-year Major League career, appearing in 409 games and posting a record of 29-45, with 86 saves and a very nice 2.97 ERA over 656.2 innings, with only one start in his career, that for the K.C. Athletics way back in 1966.

 

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970's- "BULLDOG" KEN SANDERS

Time for another “Nicknames of the 1970s” card, and today we have a 1971 edition for former reliever Ken Sanders, who had himself quite a season that year:

Sanders, whose career was sputtering for about six seasons before he found himself playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, hit his stride in 1970 when he pitched to a 5-2 record with a brilliant 1.75 earned run average coming out of the bullpen, saving 13 games over 50 appearances.
He gained the nickname “Bulldog” from Brewers manager Dave Bristol in 1970 because he was “so mean, tough and stubborn out on the mound.”
In 1971 he had the best season of his career when he went 7-12 with a 1.91 ERA, leading the American League with 83 appearances, 77 finished games and 31 saves, pitching 136.1 innings and striking out 80.
Sadly it didn’t last, as he’d pitch another five years in the Big Leagues, playing for five teams between 1972 and 1976, never coming close to those two seasons of 1970 & 1971.
By the time he retired he finished with a record of 29-45, with 86 saves and a very nice 2.97 ERA over 409 appearances and 656.2 innings pitched between 1964 and 1976.

AIRBRUSHING THROUGH THE 1970s- 1975 KEN SANDERS

Time to go and take a look at another airbrushing gem form the 1970s, the 1975 Ken Sanders card featuring the career reliever with his “new” team, the California Angels:

From the front of his jersey you can barely see the fact that he’s wearing a Cleveland Indians uni, from where he came over during the 1974 season after being released in June.
He was signed by California a week later, and went on to appear in only nine games for them the rest of the way, not factoring in a decision and posting an ERA of 2.79 over 9.2 innings with a save thrown in.
He’d go on to spend all of 1975 with the New York Mets, putting in another good year with a record of 1-1 along with a 2.30 ERA with five saves in 30 appearances and 43 innings of work.
After that he’d one more season under the Big League sun, splitting 1976 with the Mets and Kansas City Royals, appearing in 31 games and again posting a sub-3.00 ERA, this time at 2.70.
Never an All-Star, he did have two straight seasons of sub-2.00 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970 and 1971, with 1.75 and 1.91 respectively, along with a league-leading 31 saves in the latter season.
All told he finished up with a ten-year Major League career, appearing in 409 games and posting a record of 29-45, with 86 saves and a very nice 2.97 ERA over 656.2 innings, with only one start in his career, that for the K.C. Athletics way back in 1966.