1989 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Isn't that a great pose? Mike LaCoss (#417) was a swingman for the Giants in 1989. He was 10-10 with a 3.17 ERA and had six saves. Mike pitched in a total of 45 games, 18 of them starts.

Kelly Downs (#361) was 4-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 18 games (15 starts). He was injured and didn't pitch between May 1 and August 13.

Craig Lefferts (#372) was the main reliever for the Giants in 1989. He was 2-4 with 20 saves and an ERA of 2.69 in 70 starts. It was cool to see him sprint in from the bullpen when coming into a game.

Don Robinson (#473) was 12-11 and had a 3.43 ERA in 32 starts.

Atlee Hammaker (#572) was 6-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 games (9 starts). He was out for a month from mid-June to mid-July and missed time from early August until the last week of the season.

Dave Dravecky (#601) was 2-0 in two starts in 1989. He broke his arm in his second start back after having a cancerous tumor removed from his pitching arm. Dave was out for the season and then his arm was broken again during the celebration when the Giants won the NL pennant. His arm was examined and another tumor was found in his arm. Dave's career was over and his arm eventually had to be amputated.

Scott Garrelts (#703) was 14-5 with a NL-leading 2.28 ERA in 29 starts.

Randy Bockus (#733) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1989. He became a free agent after the 1988 season and signed with the Detroit Tigers. Randy appeared in two games for the Tigers in 1989 and that was it for his major league career.

Others who pitched for the Giants but didn't receive a 1989 Topps Giants card:

Goose Gossage (2-1, 4 saves, 2.68 ERA in 31 games)
Bob Knepper (3-2, 3.46 ERA in 13 games-6 starts)
Randy McCament (1-1, 3.93 ERA in 25 games)
Ernie Camacho (3-0, 2.76 ERA in 13 games)
Dennis Cook (1-0, 1.80 ERA in 2 starts)
Russ Swan (0-2, 10.80 ERA in 2 starts)
Stu Tate (0-0, 3.38 ERA in 2 games)

1988 Topps Giants -- Part 5

Joe Price was 1-6 with a 3.94 ERA in 38 games (3 starts).

Mike LaCoss was 7-7 with a 3.62 ERA in 19 starts. His last start in 1988 was on July 16.

I used to get a kick out of watching Craig Lefferts enter a game. He sprinted from the bullpen all the way to the mound. In 1988 Lefferts was 3-8 with 11 saves and a 2.92 ERA in 64 appearances.

At the age of 39, Rick Reuschel was 19-11 with a 3.12 ERA in 36 starts.

Kelly Downs was 13-9 with an ERA of 3.32 in 27 games (26 starts) in 1988.

Other Giants who pitched in 1988 but didn't get a Topps Giants card:

Terry Mulholland (2-1, 3.72 ERA in 9 games)

Randy Bockus (1-1, 4.78 ERA in 20 games)

Roger Samuels (1-2, 3.47 ERA in 15 games)

Dennis Cook (2-1, 2.86 ERA in 4 starts)

Trevor Wilson (0-2, 4.09 ERA in 4 starts)

Jeff Brantley (0-1, 1 save, 5.66 ERA in 9 games)

Ron Davis (1-1, 4.67 ERA in 9 games)

Lary Sorensen (0-0, 2 saves, 4.86 ERA in 12 games)

1990 Topps Giants - Part 4

Randy McCament was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in six innings. He pitched in three games in May and spent the rest of the year with AAA Phoenix.

Steve Bedrosian was 9-9 with 17 saves and an ERA of 4.20 in 1990.

Mike Krukow didn't pitch for the Giants in 1990. His last game was June 4, 1989. He tore his rotator cuff and had surgery on June 10, 1989. Mike retired in March of 1990.

Don Robinson was 10-7 with an ERA of 4.57 in 25 starts in 1990.

Rick "Big Daddy" Reuschel was 3-6 with a 3.93 ERA in 13 starts. He didn't pitch from late May until mid-September. Rick was released on June 19, 1991 and retired after going 0-2 in four April appearances.

Craig Lefferts didn't pitch for the Giants in 1990. He became a free agent after the 1989 season and signed with the San Diego Padres.

Dave Dravecky didn't pitch for the Giants in 1990. He pitched in his last game on August 15, 1989. His career came to an abrupt end after his humerus bone snapped as he made a pitch to Tim Raines. He had had an operation to remove a cancerous tumor a year earlier. The arm and shoulder had to be amputated in 1991. Here is an article about Dave's recent return to San Francisco and what happened that day in 1989.

Bob Knepper was 3-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 12 games (7 starts). Bob also made four starts for AAA Phoenix. He was released on June 26 and didn't pitch in the majors again.

Mike LaCoss was 6-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 12 starts in 1990. He didn't pitch from April 26 until August 11.

John Burkett was the top starter on the staff in 1990. He was 14-7 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 starts and was the only pitcher to pitch more than 200 innings.