Sandy Alomar played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues and six of those seasons with the California Angels. Alomar made his big league debut in 1964 with the Milwaukee Braves. He had bounced from the Braves to the Mets to the White Sox with whom he established himself as a starting second baseman.
Alomar was traded to the Angels in the middle of the 1969 season with whom he had his greatest success. He played in 648 consecutive games from 1969 through 1973 earning him the nickname "The Iron Pony." Alomar was also selected as an All-Star in 1970. Alomar later played for the Yankees, with whom he would have his only post-season appearance, and finished his career with the Texas.
After his playing career ended, Alomar became a manager in the minor leagues and in his homeland Puerto Rico. He later served as a Major League coach for the San Diego Padres (1986-1990), Chicago Cubs (2000-2002), Colorado Rockies (2003-2004) and New York Mets (2005-2009).
Alomar's two sons, Sandy Jr. and Roberto, both enjoyed lengthy Major League careers. Sandy Jr., a Rookie of the Year and six-time All-Star, played in 20 seasons as a catcher with seven different clubs. Roberto, a 12-time All-Star and ten-time Gold Glove winner, played in 17 seasons as a second baseman with seven different clubs and was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
"Sandy can run. He'll create excitement. The fans will be looking for him to go every time he's on first. He has the flair of a Lou Johnson. His edge is that he is 10 years younger." - Angels coach Rocky Bridges on Alomar after his trade from the White Sox.
About This Card
During his six seasons with the California Angels, Alomar wore "4" from 1969 through 1971. In the middle of the 1971 season, he switched to "2" (while teammate Tony Conigliaro switched to "4") and wore this number through 1972. In 1973, Alomar switched to "24" and wore that up to his trade to the Yankees in the middle of the 1974 season.
Sandy is pictured in number "2" in this photograph.
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