199 - Bert Blyleven

About This Player
Bert Blyleven pitched in 22 big league seasons with five different teams and two tenures with the Minnesota Twins for a total of 11 seasons. Though born in the Netherlands, Blyleven was raised in California. He was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft and made his Major League debut the following year at the age of 19.

Blyleven, known for his wicked curveball, had one of his finest seasons in 1973. He led the American League in shutouts, pitched his only 20-win season, and was named an All-Star. Blyleven also pitched the first two of his four career one-hit games that season.

Blyleven was selected to the All-Star team twice (1973 and 1985). He lead the American League three times in shutouts. He pitched on two World Series winning teams (1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1987 Minnesota Twins). Despite never having lead either league in strikeouts, Blyleven ended his career third all-time in strikeouts behind Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. (Blyleven currently ranks fifth.)

Blyleven was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.  In the same season, the Minnesota Twins retired number #28 in his honor.

About This Card
The back of his Topps card calls Blyleven "one of the finest young pitchers in the American League." More than a fine pitcher, Blyleven would go on to complete a Hall of Fame career.

220 - Nolan Ryan

About This Player
Nolan Ryan pitched in 27 seasons, the most from any one player, with four different teams.  One of the most prolific players in baseball history, Ryan holds the record for career strikeouts (5,714 K's) and single season strikeouts (383 K's in 1973), as well as career walks (2,795 BB's) and is the all-time leader in no-hitters (seven total and three more than any other pitcher.)  Dubbed the "Ryan Express," Ryan had been selected to eight All-Star Games, including a start in 1979.  Ryan was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 and is the only player to have his number retired by three teams.

Ryan made his Major League debut with the New York Mets in 1966.  Ryan earned a regular spot on the Mets' roster, but was used as a spot starter and reliever. Ryan was also a member of the 1969 Mets team that won the World Series and pitched 2-1/3 shutout innings in Game 3 for the save.  However, Ryan struggled during his time with the Mets and eventually requested a trade.

The California Angels traded for Ryan prior to the 1972 season.  Ryan was given an opportunity to start and he responded with an American League leading 329 strikeouts that year, the first right-handed pitcher to throw more than 300 strikeouts since Bob Feller did in 1946.  In 1973, Ryan broke Sandy Koufax's single-season record with 383 strikeouts.  He also threw his first two no-hitters that year.  Ryan would go on to pitch two more no-hitters and lead the American League four more times during his tenure with the Angels.

Ryan signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros in 1981.  That year, Ryan would throw his fifth no-hitter and lead the National League with a 1.69 ERA.  By the end of the 1982 season, Ryan and Phillies pitcher, Steve Carlton were both approaching Walter Johnson's all-time strikeout record.  (Ryan and Carlton sometimes passed each other in the race.)  Ryan would break the record on April 27, 1983 and Carlton would pass Johnson's mark two weeks later.  In 1987, Ryan would lead the National League again with a 2.76 ERA and lead for the first-time in the National League in strikeouts with 270 K's.  He would lead the NL again the next year with 228 K's.

Ryan joined the Texas Rangers in 1989 threw more than 300 strikeouts for the sixth time to lead the American League and would tally his 5,000 career strikeout (striking out A's outfielder, Rickey Henderson.)  In 1990, Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter and earned his 300th win.  In 1991, on the day that Rickey Henderson would break Lou Brock's all-time stolen base record, Ryan would throw the seventh no-hitter of his career.  Ryan would throw his last pitch on September 22, 1993 at the age of 46.

Ryan continues to remain active in Major League Baseball.  Ryan became the president of the Texas Rangers in 2008 and now shares ownership of the Texas Rangers.

About This Card
The back of the card regards Ryan as the "4th greatest strikeout hurler in modern baseball" citing his strikeout total in 1972 and the comparison with Feller, Koufax and Rube Wadell.

Nolan Ryan is one of two players from the 1973 set who appears in his regular-issue Topps card as late as 1994.  (Charlie Hough also appeared in the 1994 Topps set.)

610 - Rookie Pitchers (Jimmy Freeman / Charlie Hough / Hank Webb)

About These Players
Jimmy Freeman pitched very briefly with the Braves: 19 games in 1971 and 1972.  Otherwise, Freeman spent eight years in the minors before and after his short call up.

Charlie Hough enjoyed the lengthiest career out of these three and lengthier than nearly all players who played in the Majors: 25 seasons.  Hough, well known for his knuckleball, started his career with the Dodgers and pitched mostly in relief.  He pitched 11 seasons with the Dodgers and did get postseason in the Dodgers' three World Series losses in 1974, 1977 and 1978.  Hough joined the Rangers in 1980 and was soon converted to a starter.  He pitched another 11 seasons with the Rangers, including an All-Star selection in 1986.  Hough pitched two seasons with the White Sox and another two seasons with the Marlins before retiring.

Hank Webb spent six seasons in the Majors, although bouncing in and out of the minors throughout his career.  Webb made his best league debut with the Mets in 1972.  His best season was in 1975 in which he pitched 115 innings with 7-6 record and 4.07 ERA.  Webb final in his final big league season in 1977 with the Dodgers.

About This Card
Charlie Hough is the last player from this set to retire and one of two players in this set who appears in his last regular-issue Topps card as late as 1994.  (Nolan Ryan also appears in the 1994 Topps set.)

Freeman and Webb both appear for their first time in a Topps set in 1973.  Hough previous appears in the 1972 set.

485 - Norm Cash

About This Player
Norm Cash enjoyed 17 seasons in the Major Leagues with his big league debut in 1958.  While Cash played his first two seasons with the White Sox, his career catapulted when he joined the Tigers in 1960.  Also known as "Stormin' Norman", Cash established himself as the team's starting first baseman.  His finest season came in 1961 in which he led the American League in hits (193), batting average (.361), on-base percentage (.487) and OPS (1.148) and was selected as an All-Star for the first of four times.  Cash had the highest season batting average of any player during the 1960's, but was overshadowed by Roger Maris' historic home run chase.  Cash never had numbers close to his 1961 season, but continued to remain an offensive force and a four-time All-Star for the Tigers for many years after.  At the time he was released by the Tigers in 1974, Cash ranked fourth in home runs among left-handed hitters and ranked second in home runs in franchise history.

Cash was also known for his sense of humor in the game.  Late in Nolan Ryan's 1973 no-hit game against the Tigers, Cash brought out a sawed-off table leg to the plate instead of a bat.  When asked by the umpire, Cash said, "Why not, I won't hit him anyway."

Cash drowned in an accident off Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan on October 12, 1986 when he slipped while aboard a boat, fell and struck his head.

For more information:
"Former Tiger Norm Cash" - Baseball Digest.

About This Card
Teammate, Jim Northrup, described Cash as someone who "lived to play baseball" and that certainly shows in this photograph.

648 - Tom Egan

About This Player
Tom Egan played ten seasons at the Major League level.  Egan began his career with in California and played six season as the Angels' backup catcher until he was traded to the White Sox after the 1970 season.  Egan played two season in Chicago as the White Sox's backup catcher. 

After a horrid 1972 season in which he batted .191, Egan was sent to the minors and spent the entire 1973 season with the Iowa Oaks of the American Association.  Egan was selected by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 1974 season and remained on the big league roster for the next two seasons.

On September 28, 1974, Egan caught Nolan Ryan's third no-hit game.

About This Card
The White Sox have gone through a lot of uniform changes throughout their history, probably more so than any other Major League Baseball team.  However, it always puzzled me why, from 1971 through 1975, the White Sox wore red.  The color always makes me think of another Major League Baseball team on the east coast.