1978 Hostess #12 - Ed Halicki

• Ed Halicki was coming off of a good season in 1977 -- he was 16-12 with a 3.31 ERA
• Ed pulled a muscle in his side during spring training and didn't pitch until May 14
• Ed pitched a one-hit shutout against the Montreal Expos on June 12.
• Halicki pitched a three-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds and beat Tom Seaver 3-0 on June 21. At the time the Giants were two games ahead of the Reds in the NL West
• Ed got his first major league save on August 8 against the rival LA Dodgers
• Halicki was upset with Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson about some things that Anderson said about him earlier in the year
• Ed ended up with a 9-10 record with a 2.85 ERA in 1978. It was his last good year in the majors.

1980 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

Tom Griffin (#649) was 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA in 42 games (4 starts) as a right-handed setup man in 1980.

Pedro Borbon (#627) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1980. He was released at the end of spring training in 1980. Borbon signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 30 and was 1-0 with 1 save in 10 games before being released on May 27. That was Borbon's last stint in the major leagues.

Greg Minton (#588) was 4-6 with 19 saves and a 2.46 ERA in 68 games.

Ed Whitson (#561) was 11-13 with a 3.10 ERA in 34 starts. He was an NL All Star but didn't pitch in the game.

Randy Moffitt (#359) was 1-1 with a 4.86 ERA in 13 games. He didn't pitch between May 10 and August 17.

Ed Halicki (#217) was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 games (2 starts). He was placed on waivers and selected by the California Angels on June 20, 1980. Ed finished the season with the Angels then was released after the season.

Others who pitched for the Giants but did not receive a 1980 Topps Giants card:

Allen Ripley (9-10, 4.15 ERA, 23 games-20 starts)

Alan Hargesheimer (4-6, 4.32 ERA, 15 games-13 starts)

Al Holland (5-3, 7 saves, 1.75 ERA, 54 games)

Mike Rowland (1-1, 2.33 ERA, 19 games)

Bill Bordley (2-3, 4.70 ERA, 8 games-6 starts)

Fred Breining (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 5 games)

Phil Nastu (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 6 games)

Jeff Stember (0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1 start)

1977 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

Ed Halicki (#343) was 16-12 with a 3.32 ERA in 37 starts in 1977.

John Curtis (#324) was 3-3 with 1 save and a 5.49 ERA in 43 games (9 starts) in 1977.

Dave Heaverlo (#97) was 5-1 with 1 save and a 2.55 ERA in 56 games in 1977.

Charlie Williams (#73) was 6-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 55 games in 1977. He averaged more than 2 innings per appearance.

Rob Dressler (#11) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1977. He pitched for AAA Phoenix and was 10-10 with a 5.29 ERA.

1979 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

• Ed Halicki (#672) was 5-8 with a 4.58 ERA in 33 games (19 starts).
  
  
  

• John Curtis (#649) was 10-9 with a 4.18 ERA in 27 games (18 starts). He didn't pitch after September 4. After being with the Giants from 1977-1979, Curtis became a free agent and signed with the San Diego Padres.
  
  

• John Montefusco (#560) was 3-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 22 starts. John missed about six weeks from late April to mid June.
  
  

• Bob Knepper (#486) was 9-12 with a 4.64 ERA in 34 starts in 1979.
  
  

• Jim Barr (#461) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1979. He became a free agent after the 1978 season and signed with the California Angels. Barr started with the Giants in 1971. After two years with the Angels (1979 and 1980) and a year in the minors (1981) Jim came back to the Giants for two years (1982 and 1983) before retiring.

Others who pitched for the Giants in 1979 but who didn't receive Topps cards:

• Ed Whitson (5-8, 3.95 ERA in 18 games/17 starts)
• Tom Griffin (5-6, 2 saves, 3.91 ERA in 59 games/3 starts)
• Pedro Borbon (4-3, 3 saves, 4.89 ERA in 30 games)
• Phil Nastu (3-4, 4.32 ERA in 25 games/14 starts)
• Dave Roberts (0-2, 3 saves, 2.57 ERA in 26 games/1 start)
• Al Holland (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 7 innings)
• Joe Coleman (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 3.2 innings)
• Ed Plank (0-0, 7.36 ERA in 4 games)
  

1976 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

John Montefusco (#30) followed up his good rookie year with another good year in 1976. He was 16-14 with a 2.84 ERA in 36 starts.

John D'Acquisto (#623) was 3-8 with a 5.35 ERA in 28 games (19 starts). After the season he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. How is his name pronounced anyway?

Pete Falcone (#524) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1976. The Giants traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1976 season for Ken Reitz.

Ed Halicki (#423) was 12-14 with a 3.62 ERA in 31 starts. He spent most of his career (1974-1980) with the Giants. He was waived by the Giants in mid-1980, was claimed by the California Angels, and pitched for them for the rest of the 1980 season.

Jim Barr (#308) was 15-12 with a 2.89 ERA in 37 starts in 1976. Barr was a solid pitcher for the Giants for several years in the 1970s.

Mike Caldwell (#157) was 1-7 with 2 saves and an ERA of 4.86 in 50 games (9 starts). He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after the '76 season. The Cards turned around and traded Caldwell to the Cincinnati Reds. After struggling with the Reds and Brewers in 1977, Mike went on to have several good years with the Brewers in the late 70s and early 80s. His APBA card had an interesting nickname printed for him -- "Mr. Warmth."

1978 Topps Giants - Part 4

Pitching definitely was the strong point of the 1978 Giants. They had three guys (Knepper, Blue, Montefusco) who pitched over 200 innings. Ed Halicki (199) came very close, and fifth starter Jim Barr pitched 163 innings. This helped the bullpen, as no reliever pitched over 100 innings. Only nine pitchers had over 20 innings pitched.

For some reason the John Montefusco (#142) card wasn't in my team set. I grabbed this image off the web. John was 11-9 with a 3.81 ERA in 36 starts.

Longtime Giant reliever Gary Lavelle (#671) was 13-10 with 14 saves and a 3.32 ERA in 67 appearances.

Bob Knepper (#589) was 17-11 and led the Giants with a 2.63 ERA. He also had 16 complete games. He and Vida Blue combined to make a great 1-2 punch at the top of the Giant rotation.

Lynn McGlothen (#581) pitched in five games (one start) and had no record. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Hector Cruz on June 15. Lynn's last game was in 1982 and he died in a mobile home fire in 1984 at the age of 34.

Charlie Williams (#561) was 1-3 with a 5.44 ERA in 25 appearances (1 start). The 1978 season was Charlie's last one in the major leagues. He was famous for being the guy the Giants got from the New York Mets in exchange for Willie Mays in 1972.

John Curtis (#486) was 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA and one save in 46 appearances.

Dave Heaverlo (#338) didn't pitch for the Giants in 1978. He was sent to the Oakland A's as part of the Vida Blue trade before the season.

What is up with this card???? Greg Minton (#312) was 0-1 with an 8.04 ERA in 11 appearances in 1978. Greg wasn't used much when he was on the Giants' roster. He started 13 games for AAA Phoenix and came up to the majors to stay in 1979. Greg spent parts of 1973 and 1975-1978 in Phoenix, so he was familiar to us Phoenix Giants fans.

Randy Moffitt (#284) was the other part of the bullpen 1-2 punch for the Giants. He was 8-4 with 12 saves and a 3.31 ERA in 70 appearances. He and Gary Lavelle were very valuable as guys who could finish games.

Ed Halicki (#107) was 9-10 with a 2.85 ERA in 28 starts and earned a save in his only relief appearance.

Jim Barr (#62) was the Giants' fifth starter. He was 8-11 with one save and a 3.53 ERA in 32 games (25 starts).

Others who pitched for the Giants in 1978 but didn't get Topps Giants cards:

• Vida Blue (18-10, 2.79 ERA, 3rd in Cy Young voting, 12th in MVP voting)
• Phil Nastu (0-1 in eight innings)
• Ed Plank (0-0 in 6.2 innings)
• Terry Cornutt (0-0 in three innings)

Four Other Pitchers in SF History Have PItched A No-Hitter

Juan Marichal -- 15 June 1963 vs. Houston Colt .45s

Gaylord Perry -- 17 September 1968 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Ed Halicki -- 24 August 1975 vs. New York Mets

John Montefusco -- 29 September 1976 vs. Atlanta Braves

1975 Topps Giants Part 4

John Morris did not pitch for the Giants in 1975. He pitched in his final major league game on October 2, 1974. He didn't make the club in 1975 and was released on March 31.

Ed Halicki was 9-13 with a 3.49 ERA . He pitched a no-hitter against the New York Mets on August 24.

Charlie Williams was 5-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 55 games (2 starts). He was used mostly as a middle reliever and set-up man. The photographer must have liked that spot for taking pictures--the left field bleachers at Phoenix Municipal Stadium are in the background on quite a few '75 cards.

John D'Acquisto (how is that pronounced?) was 2-4 with a 10.29 ERA in 10 games (6 starts).

Mike Caldwell was 7-13 with a 4.79 ERA in 38 games (21 starts).

Ron Bryant didn't pitch for the Giants in 1975. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on May 9 for Larry Herndon and a minor leaguer. Ron was released by the Cardinals on July 31.

Tom Bradley was 2-3 with a 6.21 ERA in 13 games (6 starts). He spent part of the season in AAA Phoenix. His last major league game was on September 15, 1975. Tom didn't make the club in 1976 and was selected off of waivers by Oakland, but he spent the whole year in AAA and didn't make it back to the big leagues.

Randy Moffitt was 4-5 with a 3.89 ERA and 11 saves in 55 games in 1975. He led the team in games finished and saves.

Jim Barr was 13-14 with an ERA of 3.06 in 33 starts for the Giants in 1975.

Others who pitched for the Giants but didn't get cards in 1975:

• John Montefusco (15-9, 2.88 ERA, 215 strikeouts, Rookie of the Year, 4th in Cy Young balloting)

• Pete Falcone (12-11, 4.17 ERA, 32 starts in his rookie season, traded after the season for Ken Reitz)

• Dave Heaverlo (3-1, 2.39 ERA in 42 games---rookie season)

• Greg Minton (1-1, 6.88 ERA as a September call-up)

• Rob Dressler (1-0, 1.10 ERA in 3 games as a September call-up)

• Tommy Toms (0-1, 6.10 ERA in 7 games -- he spent most of the season in AAA Phoenix)