#3 Greg Minton Record Breaker

After back to back record breakers by Oakland A's outfielders, Giants relief pitcher Greg Minton joins the party with his card commemorating his consecutive homerless innings streak.

The front shows sinker baller Minton on the mound at Candlestick Park. Any picture is better than what Topps tried pulling off with this infamously grotesque 1978 card.

Unlike the Henderson card, the back goes on to say where the record ended rather than just mentioning when the mark was surpassed.

The streak began on August 30, 1978 following a game five days earlier in which he gave up two home runs in one inning.  Even stranger the home runs came in back to back at bats by Expos Andre Dawson and Ellis Valentine.  Minton kept the ball in the yard until John Stearns took him deep four seasons later.

Minton also held the record for most games in a season without allowing a long ball with 68 games in 1980.  This was later broken by George Sherill in 2006 (72).

I'm beginning to sense a San Fransisco Bay area bias with two Oakland A's and a S.F. Giant in the first three cards.  Three more record breakers to go and we will be into the base cards.