NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1979 OSCAR ZAMORA

On the blog today, a career-capping "not so missing" 1979 card for former pitcher Oscar Zamora, who played the last games of his brief Major League career during the 1977 season:

 

Zamora appeared in 10 games for the Houston Astros, his only season with them after parts of three seasons with the Chicago Cubs between 1974 and 1976.

Over those ten games he didn't pick up a decision while pitching to a rough 7.20 earned run average in 15 innings.

Over his four seasons as a Big Leaguer, he finished with a career 13-14 record, with a 4.53 ERA and 23 saves over 158 appearances, with two of those starts.

His finest year is easily his rookie season, when he appeared in 56 games for the Cubs in 1974, all out of the bullpen, with 10 saves and a nice 3.12 ERA over 83.2 innings of work.

MISSING IN ACTION- 1977 OSCAR ZAMORA

Here’s a “missing” 1977 card for former Cuban pitcher Oscar Zamora, who just wrapped up his third season with the Chicago Cubs:

Zamora appeared in 40 games for the Cubs, posting a 5-3 record with a 5.24 earned run average over 55 innings pitched.
He’d spend the 1977 season in the Minors, where he’d go 7-2 in 59 relief appearances with the Wichita Aeros in Triple-A before making it back to the Majors in 1978 as a member of the Houston Astros.
In that stint he wouldn’t factor in a decision over 10 appearances and 15 innings. Strangely, Topps would go and give him a card in the 1978 set in an airbrushed cap.
Go figure. You spend an entire year in the Minors and get a card the following year, but appear in 40 games in 1976 and get snubbed for the ‘77 set.
He’d spend four years in the Majors, ending up with a 13-14 career record with a 4.53 E.R.A over 158 games and 224.2 innings of work.

1978 TOPPS OSCAR ZAMORA: WHY?

Here's another one of those cards that has you scratching your head, trying to understand why Topps even bothered: the 1978 Oscar Zamora card.

Take a look:

The guy didn't even pitch in the Major Leagues in 1977, as he last pitched for the Chicago Cubs in '75, going 5-3 with a 5.24 earned run average over 40 games.

Why Topps decided to give him a slot in the awesome 1978 set, even going so far as to airbrush his photo, is beyond me.

Too bad they didn't feel the need to give a card to a guy like Ozzie Smith or Brooks Robinson, the beginning of one amazing career, or the end of another.

As it was, Zamora ended up pitching in 10 games for Houston, going 0-0 with a 7.20 E.R.A. in 15 innings.

And that my friends, was the last he saw big league action, toiling in the Minors up until 1982 before hanging them up for good.