NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 JIM MERRITT

Getting a little "cheeky" today with a "not so missing" 1973 card for former 20-game winner Jim Merritt, who found himself struggling in the Big Leagues just two seasons after a banner year in 1970:

 

Merritt, who had a banner year for the National League champ Cincinnati Reds in 1970, struggled with arm issues in 1972, appearing in only four games, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA over eight innings.

Found this typical Topps image with the "looking up" angle, perfect for the era, as Merritt was actually in a Texas Rangers uni, the team he'd be suiting up for in 1973.

In 1970 he had arguably his best season in the Majors when he went 20-12 with the Reds, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting while making his only All-Star team.
I say “arguably” because that year his earned run average was a high 4.08, while in 1967 with the Twins he went 13-7 with a wonderful 2.53 ERA over 37 appearances, 25 of those starts, tossing a career-high four shutouts with 161 strikeouts.
Overall, he’d finish his career with a record of 81-86, posting an ERA of 3.65 over 297 appearances and 1483 innings of work, throwing nine shutouts while collecting seven saves along the way.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1976 JIM MERRITT

Time to go ahead and give former 20-win pitcher Jim Merritt a career-capping “not so missing” 1976 card, as he closed out an 11-year Major league career with a handful of games with the Texas Rangers the year before:

Merritt appeared in five games with Texas in 1975, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings while not factoring in a decision, all out of the bullpen.
That would be the last action for him on a big league mound, closing out an eleven-year career that saw him come up with the Minnesota Twins in 1965 as a 21-year-old before moving on to the Cincinnati Reds in 1969 for four years before the last three with the Rangers.
In 1970 he had arguably his best season in the Majors when he went 20-12 with the Reds, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting while making his only All-Star team.
I say “arguably” because that year his earned run average was a high 4.08, while in 1967 with the Twins he went 13-7 with a wonderful 2.53 ERA over 37 appearances, 25 of those starts, tossing a career-high four shutouts with 161 strikeouts.
Overall, he’d finish his career with a record of 81-86, posting an ERA of 3.65 over 297 appearances and 1483 innings of work, throwing nine shutouts while collecting seven saves along the way.