#325 Von Hayes - Cleveland Indians

This is Von Hayes second Topps card and first of his own.  Hayes was known as a low key guy but man he looks like he just got shot with a tranquilizer dart in the action shot.

Player:  Von Hayes was a 7th round pick of the Indians out of St. Mary's College in California but spent less than two years in the minors before joining Cleveland big league roster.A third baseman in the minors the Indians were unsure where to play him so he mainly DH'd the last two months of the '81 season.  He hit .257/.346/.394 with a home run and showed off his good speed with 8 steals.

Hayes was the Indians starting rightfielder in '82 but also saw action in center, left, thirdbase and firstbase.  He didn't set the world on fire but he showed flashes of his ability with 14 HR and 32 stolen bases.  At 6'5" he could glide around the bases as well as the outfield.  The Phillies fell in love with him and traded Manny Trillo, Julio Franco, Jay Baller, George Vukovich, and Jerry Willard to Cleveland for Hayes.  As the young outfielder failed to live up to expectations, the Philly the fans taunted him with a "five for one" chant in reference to the trade.  Hayes was platooned and hit just six home runs in 392 plate appearances. He did steal 20 bases for the pennant winning Phillies but was a bench player in the postseason.  He went hitless in his only five at bats.

Better days were ahead for Hayes and as he moved to centerfield his production increased in 1984.  He batted .292/.359/.447 with 16 HR and 48 SB.  The Phillies tried Hayes as various times in the leadoff spot and he had a memorable game on June 11, 1985 when he led off the bottom of the first with a homer and later in the inning pounded a grand slam.  The Phils smashed the Mets 26-7 that day as Hayes later added an RBI single.  His numbers were down from the year before as he hit .263 with 13 home runs.

Hayes moved to first base in '86 and had a great year posting a .305/.379/.480 line with 98 RBI and an NL best 106 runs and 46 doubles.  Through the years Hayes had been improving his batting eye, drawing more walks every year since '83 and it culminated with him getting 121 freebies in '87.  He also topped 20 HR for the first time with 21 while going back and forth between first and centerfield.

Hayes played the first half of '88 with bone chips in his right elbow which eventually led to surgery in July.  Overall the year was a disappointment as he slugged just .409 in 423 plate appearances.  He came back with a strong year in '89 with a career best 26 dingers and 101 walks.  The power /  pateince combo led to an OPS+ of 140 and his only All-Star appearance. 

Coming off perhaps his best year, Hayes was slowed by various injuries and played 129 games while hitting 17 home runs in 1990.  Hayes fell into a deep slump in '91 and was batting a meager .226 with no home runs when he was struck on the wrist by a Tom Browning pitch on June 14.  The pitch broke his arm and he missed 10 weeks.  He came back in September but ended the year with zero HR in 323 plate appearances.

After the '91 season the Philles traded Hayes to the Angels for Kyle Abbott and Ruben Amaro but Hayes was essentially done.  With the Halos he hit just .225 with 4 HR in 350 plate appearances.  At just 34 years old his once promising career was over. 

 

Flipside:  With Hayes reaching the majors just two years after he was drafted in the 7th round, it shows how much scouting has improved in the last 30 years.

Oddball:  Hayes blames his broken wrist on the demise of his career and I'm sure that it helped hasten his decline, but something else was already causing his rapid descent.  His lack of power in '91 was baffling and I can think of no other batter with his power to go so many plate appearances (250 before the injury, 73 after) without a HR.

History:   Hayes had all the tools and had a decent run with 22.8 WAR from '84 - '89.  His final stats: .267/.354/.416 with 143 HR and 253 steals.  

#303 Miguel Dilone - Cleveland Indians

Although Miguel Dilone had played in parts of nine seasons this is just his fifth Topps card.  Like Ernie Whitt in the prior post, Dilone had a four player rookie card in the '78 set.  Unlike Whitt's card, Dilone was surrounded by lesser known players Clint Hurdle, Willie Norwood, and Dave Bergman.  This card breaks a streak of sorts since the last ten positional players have been shown in the batters box during game action.  Usually when a batter wears one batting glove they wear it on the bottom hand.  The switch hitting Dilone is posing with a left-handed swing, but I'd bet he was swinging right-handed in practice before this picture.

Player: 17 year-old Miguel Dilone signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1972 and two years later after a dynamite year at A-ball (.414 OBP, 85 SB) he was called up to the parent team at the tail end of '74.  Dilone played in 12 games mainly as a pinch-runner.

The next two years Dilone was a September call up, but other than stealing a few bases, made little impact.  He made the Pirates opening day roster in '77 but hit poorly and was shuttled back to the minors. He made his annual September appearance but ended the year hitting .136 in 44 at bats.

The Pirates, not sure if Dilone would ever amount to anything other a pinch-runner, traded the speedster to the A's before the start of the '78 season.  Oakland gave him a chance as their starting left fielder but was benched after five weeks.  He was used often as a pinch runner and got a few starts a week batting an unimpressive .229/.294/.271 in 292 plate appearances.  The A's were enamored with his speed and ran him often as he stole 50 bases but was thrown out a league high 23 times.

Dilone got another opportunity in the starting lineup but it didn't work out and he was jettisoned to the Cubs in July.  Chicago used him primarily as a pinch-runner and he ended the year batting .220 in 137 plate appearances. 

Dilone started the 1980 season at AAA and was sold to the Indians in May.  Cleveland plugged Dilone into the lineup and he responded with seven multi-hit games in his first ten games.  The hits kept falling and the Indians found room for him playing him in all three outfield spots as well as DH.  Dilone hit a surprising .341 in 566 plate appearances with 65 stolen bases.  Dilone started the '81 season slow but gradually heated up enough to hit .290 with 29 stolen bases.

The slap hitting Dilone again got off to a poor start in 1982. Then as he heated up he hit three home runs in a five week span.  After hitting just two prior home runs in his career, Dilone's swing got longer as he was swinging for the fences and fell into a slump.  He lost his starting job and batted .235 with 33 steals.  Never a strong defender despite his speed, he made nine errors in just 97 games in the outfield.

The 1983 season would see Dilone start the year on the Indians bench.  He did little to earn more playing time and was traded twice in September, first to the White Sox and a week later to Pittsburgh.  The strange year ended with a .183 average in just 81 trips to the plate. 

Dilone signed with the Expos in '84 and had a nice year as a spare outfielder.  He hit .278 with 27 steals while getting caught just twice.  He couldn't repeat the success and was released in July of  '85.  He finished up in San Diego and batted .200 in 130 at bats.  Dilone couldn't find a job and retired with 267 steals and a .265/.315/.333 line in 12 years.

Flipside:  That '80 season is quite an outlier. It was his only season where Dilone played enough to qualify for a batting title and he finished 3rd in the AL.  I wonder how many players have had one qualifying season and hit for as high an average?

Oddball: Three games at thirdbase in 1978 in Dilone's fielding register really stand out.  A's manager Jack McKeon loved using pinch runners and pinch hitters late in games. Twice in blowouts he put Dilone at the hot corner after he got in the game late.  Then in an August 22 game, McKeon played all his cards trying to beat Earl Weaver and the Orioles.
The O's were up 4-0 after two innings and the A's scratched out single runs in the third and fifth.  McKeon started pushing the buttons in the seventh and got another run on a sac fly when he used a pinch hitter and two pinch runners in the inning including Dilone.  Now down 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, A's thirdbaseman Taylor Duncan hit a one out single.  McKeon then tabbed pitcher Rick Langford to run for Duncan who scored after a pair of singles.  Outfielder Tony Armas replaced Langford and went to leftfield with Dilone to third.  Now tied at four runs a piece both teams threatened to score but came up empty in the ninth.  McKeon even used another pitcher as a pinch runner when he put in John Henry Johnson to run for Rico Carty.
In the top of the tenth with one out Doug DeCinces hit a grounder to Dilone who booted it and then threw it away for a double error.  Following an intentional walk and groundout, Rick Dempsey plated both runners with a double and the O's held on to win 6-4. 
McKeon used four pinch runners, two pinch hitters and two defensive subs trying to win this game.  I'm sure his frenetic use of the bench gave him an edge in some games but it bit him in the butt here.

History:  Dilone was an ultra-aggressive baserunner who was successful in 77% of his steal attempts. But he was a one tool player who had seemed to rescue his career with a shocking season in 1980.  Looking back, his batting average on balls in play that year was .371 which was 115 points higher than any season prior. 
Dilone lost his left eye a few years ago while coaching youth baseball in the Dominican Republic when a ball ricocheted off a fence and struck him in the face.

#289 Jerry Dybzinski - Cleveland Indians

So it turns out, I get Jerry Dybzinski and Mike Fischlin mixed up.  Both were slap hitting shortstops for the Indians and I was certain I had already done this card.  After a while realized that I did a post on Fischlin about a hundred cards ago and Dybzinski deserves a post of his own.  This is his third Topps card and we see him showing off his bunting form.  The Indians weren't a very good team at the time and Topps didn't show them any love by giving them purple and orange borders. 

 

Player: Born and raised in Cleveland, Jerry Dybzinski went to Cleveland State and was drafted by the Indians in the 15th round in 1977.  After two and a half years in the minors Dybzinski broke camp with the Tribe in 1980.  Dybzinski backed up both shortstop and secondbase and got a chance to start at the former when starter Tom Veryzer was out for four weeks with injury.  Dybzinski showed a steady glove and nice range but he batted just .230 with very little pop in 278 plate appearances.  The following year the strike and competition from Fischlin and Alan Bannister limited Dybzinski to 57 at bats.  He hit .298 but his 17 safeties were all singles. 

 

By 1982 Veryzer was gone and Dybzinski won the starting job at short.  He got off to a good start and was batting .288 at the end of April.  He started 48 of the first 50 games but when his average dipped to .217 he was benched in favor of Fischlin.  He was eventually sent to the minors and did not return until September.  He ended the year batting .231 in 246 trips to the plate.

 

Three days before opening day in '83 the Indians sent Dybzinski to the White Sox in exchange for Pat Tabler.  Dybzinski shared the shortstop position with Scott Fletcher and played in a career high 127 games.  Dybber hit his typical .230 but was considered the better defender. 

 

When the White Sox faced the Orioles in the ALCS it was Fletcher who got the starting nod.  After Fletcher went hitless in the first three games, Dybzinski got the start in game four.  The Sox were down two games to one and facing elimination in the best of five set.  With the game scoreless in the seventh, Dybzinski came to the plate after Greg Walker and Vance Law opened the inning with singles.  Dybzinski attempted a sacrifice bunt but it resulted in a forece out at third.  Julio Cruz then singled to left but Dybzinski overran second base and didn't notice that Law had been held at third.  With Dybzinski was caught in a run down, Law broke for home but was thrown out at the plate.  Chicago's rally died out but Dybzinski got a chance to redeem himself.  With the game still scoreless with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Dybzinski singled to keep things alive but after a Julio Cruz single, both runners were stranded and the O's ended up winning 3-0 in 10 innings.

 

In 1984 Dybzinski backed up Fletcher at shortstop and Law at third batting .235 in 132 at bats.  He was a spring training casualty in '85 and was picked up by the Pirates.  He got into only five games for Pittsburgh before he was sent down to the minors for the rest of the year.  Dybber spent all of '86 with Seattle's top farm club but never made it back to the majors.  

  

 

 

Flipside:  Collected, cracked and produced.  I wonder if Topps drew verbs out of a hat when coming up with these highlights. 

 

Oddball: When he was benched and then sent to the minors Dybzinski did not handle it well at all.  He refused to report to AAA Charleston and was suspended without pay. A week later he still hadn't reported and the Indians didn't know where he was. Dybber finally reported to his post three weeks after the demotion. Maybe he was overwhelmed with the pressure of playing in his hometown but it ticked off Indians management and he was gone the next year.

 

History:  Dybzinski was a typical good fielding-light-hitting shortstop.  Unfortunately for him he was considered by some White Sox fans as a goat for killing the rally in Game 4 of the '83 ALCS.  If nothing else he was consistent batting between .230 and .235 in the four years he played the most.  He retired with a career stat line of .234/.293/.290 in 1,037 plate appearances.

 

Amazingly the trade of Dybzinski by the Indians to the White Sox can be linked to current Indian reliever Joe Smith.

 

1. Dybzinski traded to Chicago for Pat Tabler

2. Cleveland swapped Tabler to Kansas City on 6/3/88 for lefty hurler Buddy Black

3. Cleveland sent Black to Toronto on 9/24/90 for three players including pitcher Alex Sanchez

4. Cleveland traded Sanchez back to Toronto for Willie Blair on 11/6/90

5. Cleveland packaged Blair and catching prospect Ed Taubensee to Houston in exchange for Kenny Lofton and Dave Rohde on 12/10/91

6. Cleveland enjoys five great years from Lofton and sends him and Alan Embree to the Braves for Marquis Grissom and David Justice on 3/25/97.

7. Cleveland trades David Justice to the Yankees on  6/29/00 for Zach Day, Jake Westbrook, and Ricky Ledee.

8. Cleveland gets ten up and down years from Westbrook but it is Day who keeps thing going with his trade to Montreal on 7/1/01 in exchange for Milton Bradley

9. Cleveland tires of Milton Bradley's game and trades him to the Dodgers for Franklin Gutierrez on 4/3/04

10. Cleveland, Seattle, and New York Mets swung a three way, eleven-player deal that saw Gutierrez land in Seattle with reliever Joe Smith coming from New York to Cleveland on 12/11/08

 

It reminds me the red paper clip story with the tarder eventually getting a house.  So when you see Joe Smith pitch for the Indians this year, or highlights of Kenny Lofton or David Justice in a Cleveland jersey, remember it doesn't happen without Dynbzinski.

 

 

 

 

 

#280 Bert Blyleven - Cleveland Indians

 

Bert Blyleven appears on his 13th Topps card with and without his beard.  Blyleven only pitched four games in '82 so I wonder if they actually got a photo from that year.  The inset looks like a spring training background for sure.  Hard to say if the action picture is from '82 or earlier. 

Player: Bert Blyleven was drafted in the third round by the Twins in 1969 and debuted in June of 1970, having just turned 19 two months earlier.  The young curveballer did well, winning 10 games with a 3.18 ERA.  His ERA+ of 119 began a streak of ten seasons of 108 or better.  Blyleven was an effective and durable pitcher for a long time.  From '71 to '76 he pitched at least 275 innings with 224 or more strikeouts.  Twins skipper Frank Quilici usually left his sturdy hurler in the game until the outcome was decided.  Over the '72-'74 seasons he received a decision in 105 of his 115 starts.
 
1973 was his best year as he racked up 9.4 WAR logging an impressive 325 innings, with 20 wins, and 9 shutouts. Somehow he flew under the radar and was just an All-Star once in the 70s. Blyleven was involved in a feud with management over his pay and the hostility spilled over to the fans. As he was leaving the field on 5/31/76 down 3-2, he was taunted by the home crowd to the chorus of "Bye, Bye, Bertie". Blyleven was traded to the Rangers the next day. He missed several starts in '77 with a groin injury but finished strong with a no-hitter against the Angels on 9/22/77.

After the '77 season he landed in Pittsburgh after a four team, twelve player trade between the Rangers, Mets, Braves, and Pirates. He pitched for the Pirates from '78 to '80 and although he won just 34 games, he was solid earning 9.1 WAR and pitching brilliantly in the '79 NLCS and World Series. After the 1980 season he was traded to the Indians in a six-player deal. He pitched well in '81 (2.88 ERA) and as the Indians undisputed ace his elbow injury that cost him all but four games in '82 was a huge blow to the team. The next year Blyleven made just 24 starts as injuries limited him to six games in the second half.

Blyleven rebounded with a 19 win season in '84. He missed three weeks which cost him a shot at 20 wins but was otherwise healthy. In August of '85 he was sent packing, dealt to Minnesota his original team. He combined to start 37 games between the two franchises with an amazing 24 complete games and 293 innings. He topped the AL in those categories along with 37 starts and 206 strikeouts. He remained durable and moderately effective the next two years working 538 frames with a 4.01 ERA. He gave up a record 50 HR in '86 and 46 more in '87 but won 32 games over the span. Along with lefty Frank Viola, Blyleven led the Twins pitching staff and were unlikely winners of the '87 World Series.

Blyleven was hit hard in '88, allowing 240 hits and 125 earned runs in 207 innings. Following the tough season he was traded to the Angels. He had a heck of a comeback in '89 with a 2.73 ERA, an AL best 5 shutouts, and a nifty 17-5 record for the Halos. He made 23 mostly ineffective starts in '90 and was out the rest of the year with rotator cuff surgery, usually a death sentence to pitching careers. Blyleven sat out his age 40 season recovering and came back for one more year in '91. He won just 8 of his 24 starts and retired with 287 W's for his 21 year career.  

Flipside: Blyleven has both his wins noted at the bottom.  His next two starts weren't good allowing 10 runs in 6.1 innings before he was shelved for the year.

 

Oddball:  When frustrated Blyleven was prone to giving the bird.  Blyleven had trouble controlling his middle digit which hastened his way out of both Minnesota and Texas.  As mentioned his first go around with the Twins ended with the fans taunting him as he left the mound Blyleven responded with the classic F--- you gesture and later as a Ranger he flashed it on national TV.  In '86 he flipped off Oriole fans and was fined. 

 

History:  Born in Holland, Blyleven came to Canada as a baby and later moved to California.  He had a wonderful career winning World Series with the Pirates and Twins.  Often overlooked, he only was named to two All-Star teams and received Cy Young votes just four times, never finishing better than third.  He earned 90.7 career WAR which is 12th best among pitchers all-time.  Despite his great career stats his lack of single season accolades kept on him out of the Hall of Fame for a long time until he received enough votes in his 14th year of eligibility.

 

I've created a new blog called Oddballs.  If you like the Oddball section of the '83 Topps Blog you will probably dig it.  Check it out here.

#248 Bake McBride - Cleveland Indians

Bake McBride just doesn't look right to me in an Indian uniform.  I remember him as a Phillie and being mesmerized by the giant fro on his previous Topps cards.  The background really looks distorted and bluish, I'm not sure what that is all about.  In the cameo pic, McBride looks proud of his 10th Topps card.

Player:  Bake McBride debuted in the majors with the Cardinals in 1973.  Despite his low status as a 37th round pick in the 1970 draft, McBride showed the ability to hit for average and carried it over to the majors.  In 71 trips to the plate McBride hit .302/.352/.349 which helped make a positive first impression when he debuted in '73.

 

McBride was the starting centerfielder for the Redbirds and on the strength of a .309 average, 30 stolen bases, and smooth defense he won the '74 NL Rookie of the Year award.  Although he hit .300 and .335 the next two years, shoulder and knee injuries limited him to just 188 games.

 

Coming off knee surgery, McBride got off to a slow start and was traded to the Phillies.  He hit .339/.392/.564 in half a season's work for his new team and became known as the rightfielder for some excellent Philadelphia squads in the late 70's and early 80's.  He hit 10 HR in '78 but a sore wrist limited him to 122 games.  He was healthier in '79 and he hit .280/.328/.411 with 12 triples and 12 homers.

 

McBride had a fine year for the Phils in 1980.  He hit 309/.342/.453 and was deemed important enough to Philadelphia's success he finished 10th in MVP voting.  He had a fine World Series, batting .304 with a homer and five RBI as the Phillies knocked off the Royals.

 

More knee injuries marred McBride's '81 season, limiting him to 58 games.  He had surgery on both knees and was later traded to the Indians in February of 1982.  As if he hadn't injured every body part imaginable, McBride had a problem with his contact solution and had conjunctivitis (pink eye) in both eyes.  He hit .365 for the Tribe but batted just 88 times. 

 

There was nothing wrong with McBride's eyes in '83 but a sore shoulder and a bum thumb kept him out of action half the year.  He batted .291/.318/.348 in what turned out to be his last major league season.  With teams scared off by his history of injuries, McBride couldn't find a major league team and played for the Rangers AAA affiliate in '84 before calling it a career.

Flipside:  McBride's .291 season in '83 dipped his career average down to .299.

Oddball:  "Shake 'n' Bake" suffered a lot of injuries in his career.  He played in over 137 games just twice in his eleven year career.  A partial list of McBride's injuries:
May '76 shoulder tear
July '76 sore left knee
August '76 torn knee cartilage 
1978 sore wrist
1978 twisted ankle
Feb '81 broken thumb in Hawaii during offseason
1981 knees
1982 conjunctivitis
June '83 sore right shoulder
August '83 jammed left thumb
Maybe it is fitting that his son Bake is a fitness trainer.

History:  McBride posted a .299/.345/.420 line in his career and one has to wonder if he had stayed healthy how his lifetime stats would have looked.  As it stands he still generated 21.1 WAR in his 11 seasons. McBride won a World Series in 1980, an NL ROY award in 1974 and was an NL All-Star in '76. 

#227 Chris Bando - Cleveland Indians

This is the second card in a row featuring a player who had an older, more successful brother.  Chris Bando, the younger brother of Sal, seems to be flirting with the camera in the cameo picture.  I don't recall if this was a highly sought after card in 1983 or not, but nevertheless, it is Bando's rookie card. 

Player:  Chris Bando was a switch-hitting catcher who played in the majors from '81-'89.  Drafted in the 2nd round out of baseball hot bed Arizona State University in 1978, the Indians had high expectation for Bando.  After back to back .300+ seasons in the minors he was given a call up in August of '81 and he hit .213 in 47 at bats.  The Indians used Bando as a reserve catcher in '82, getting him at bats against lefties when Ron Hassey needed a day off.  Bando failed to take advantage of the opportunity and posted a .212/.299/.304 stat line in 212 plate appearances. 

Bando didn't play much in '83 as he batted .256 with four homers in 121 at bats.  He failed to make the Indians opening day roster in '84 and started the year back in the minors.  Perhaps it was a wake up call, since upon his return in June he hit .291/.377/.505 with 12 HR in 260 plate appearances. 

Bando's fine performance over the second half of the '84 season helped him earn the starting job in '85 but he quickly lost it with a 1 for 25 start to the season.  In fact his average was below .100 as late as July 30.  He raised it to .139 by the end of the season but even his moderate power disappeared as he failed to homer in 199 plate appearances.

By all accounts the '86 season was a make or break year for Bando and he hit .268 as he split time with up-and-comer Andy Allanson.  Bando regressed to .218 in '87 and spiraled down to .125 the next year.  Finally the Indians gave up on Bando and released him in August of '88.  He was picked up by Detroit but played just one inning for the Tigers.

Bando returned to the minors in '89 and appeared just once more in the majors, getting a hit in two at bats for the A's in October of '89.  He retired with a .227/.300/.329 line in nine seasons. 

Flipside:  At first glance Bando's 1980 season in the minors seems pretty impressive.  He hit .349 with a .530 slugging percentage.  It helps to know that Bando was 24 years old at the time and a bit "old" for AA.  Besides it was his third year in a row at Chattanooga.

Oddball:  Chris and Sal Bando's major league careers barely overlapped.  Sal, who is 12 years older, rounded out his career with the Brewers in 1981.  Chris' MLB debut was on 8/13/81 against the Brewers, but Sal did not play, and they never played in the same game.

History:  Bando never filled the expectations of a 2nd round pick.  In all fairness he suffered through some injuries early in his minor league career which slowed his progress. His defensive was more than adequate but other than his 1984 half season, he struggled to hit.  He is currently the manager at San Diego Christian College.

#182 Mike Fischlin - Cleveland Indians

Mike Fischlin is shown here on his second Topps card.  He first appears in a Topps set on one of those ill conceived black and white rookie prospect cards four years earlier in the '79 set.  He had played in the majors as early as 1977.

This is a great view of Fischlin's batting stance.  Beleive it or not, he actually carried his bat this low as he waited for the pitcher to go into his motion.  Another look at his crouched stance can be seen on his '84 card.

Player:  Mike Fischlin was drafted by the Yankees in 1975 and later sent to the Astros with two others in a three-for-one deal for Cliff Johnson in '77.  He was a late season call up for Houston in '77 and mainly used a defensive sub, registering three hits in fifteen at bats. 

In '78 Fischlin was part of the revolving door at shortstop for the Astros.  Playing in 44 games he batted just .116 and had a .928 fielding percentage for -1.6 WAR.  A poor year at AAA kept him in the minors for all of 1979. 

An improved '80 season at AAA Tucson got him a September look for the Astros but he struckout in his only at bat.  Before the '81 season he was traded to the Indians but spent most of the year in the minors.  When he was called up to Cleveland he batted .233 in 48 plate appearances.

The '82 season would be Fischlin's first complete season in the majors.  He started out in a utility role but ended the year as the starting shortstop.  He played good defense (0.7 dWAR) and showed improved hitting.  Thanks to his new batting stance he batted .268 with a .351 on base percentage. 

He spent the next three years as a reserve hitting .209, .226, and .200 as his role gradually was reduced from 266 plate appearances in '83 to just 69 in '85.

After the '85 season he was dealt to the Yankees and filled in as a defensive sub at second and short.  He made 116 plate appearances and batted .206.  Following the season he signed with the Braves as a free agent but other than one game in '87, he spent the rest of his playing career in the minors. 

Flipside:  You see Fischlin hadn't hit a home run through 1982.  He would get off the schneid with two dingers in September of '83.  The first would be off John Tudor to lead off the fifth inning on 9/9.  Eleven days later he took another lefty deep when he knocked a grand slam off Mike Caldwell.

Fischlin added a third career homer the next year when he went yard on southpaw Floyd Bannister on 7/7/84.  Those are Fischlin's three career homers...he never did take a righty deep.

Oddball:  Fischlin was pressed into service as a catcher on 5/1/82 after Chris Bando (who had earlier pinch hit for starter Ron Hassey) broke his finger in the seventh inning.  The gangly 6'1" 165 lb Fischlin must have been quite a sight in the catchers gear. 

The aggressive A's already up 7-2 in the game, stole three bases off the emergency receiver. 

History:  Fischlin hit .220 in his ten year career and never saw the postseason.  After his playing career he managed for two years in the Blue Jays farm system. 

Fischlin was a high school teammate of uber-agent Scott Boras and one of his first clients.  These days Fischlin works as his Vice President of player development.