Steve Mingori – 1973 Topps #532

Steven Bernard Mingori (February 29, 1944 – July 10, 2008) an American left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and went to Rockhurst High School; he is in the school’s Hall of Fame. Mingori was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1965, who traded him to the Indians in 1970. In a ten-season career, Mingori posted a won-loss record of 18–33 with a 3.03 earned run average and 42 saves in 385 games pitched, all but two of which came as a reliever. His best season came in 1976 when he had five wins, 10 saves, 85.1 innings in 55 games.

Steven Bernard “Mingo” Mingori died of natural causes at his home in Liberty, Missouri on July 10, 2008.

Ray Lamb – 1973 Topps #496

Raymond Richard Lamb (born December 28, 1944 in Glendale, California, USA) He pitched from 1969 to 1973 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians. He was the only player in the Dodgers franchise to wear jersey number 42 after Jackie Robinson; the number was retired by the team in 1972. Lamb wore the number for just the 1969 season.

Ray Fosse – 1973 Topps #226

 

Raymond Earl Fosse (born April 4, 1947 in Marion, Illinois) a former professional baseball player who was a catcher in the Major Leagues. He was drafted in the first round of the 1965 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians. Fosse also holds the distinction of being the Indians’ first ever draft pick. 1965 was the first year of the Major League Baseball Draft. He batted and threw right-handed. Ray Fosse is most famous for being bowled over by the Cincinnati Reds’ Pete Rose at home plate in the last play of the 1970 All-Star Game. Rose scored the winning run, while the collision separated Fosse’s right shoulder. The injury is what caused the downfall of Fosse’s career. In reality, Fosse played 42 games in the second half of 1970, hitting .297 and winning the American League Gold Glove Award. Rose asserted he was simply trying to win the game.
Fosse’s career was one marked by numerous injuries. In 1971, Fosse suffered more injuries, getting kicked in his right hand during a brawl against the Detroit Tigers on June 20, causing a gash that required five stitches and sidelined him for more than a week. Fosse tore a ligament in his left hand during an at bat against Denny McLain, forcing him to miss the 1971 All-Star Game. He did manage to win his second consecutive Gold Glove Award in 1971. When Cleveland pitcher Gaylord Perry won the American League Cy Young Award in 1972, he gave Fosse credit for his success saying,”I’ve got to split it up and give part, a big part to Ray Fosse. He kept pushing me in games when I didn’t have good stuff. He’d come out and show me that big fist of his when I wasn’t bearing down the way he thought I should.”
In a 12 year career, Fosse played in 924 games, accumulating 758 hits in 2957 at bats for a .256 career batting average along with 61 home runs and 324 runs batted in. He ended his career with a .986 fielding percentage. Fosse led American League catchers in 1970 with 854 putouts, 48 base runners caught stealing and in range factor (7.81). In 1971 he led the league with 73 assists, and in 1973, he led American League catchers in baserunners caught stealing and in caught stealing percentage. Fosse was a member of two World Series Champion clubs. The 1973 and 1974 A’s, and also a member of the Seattle Mariners team that began playing in 1977. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1970 and 1971. Fosse was named to the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians in 2001.

Jerry Kenney – 1973 Topps #514

 

Gerald Tennyson Kenney (born June 30, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a retired American Major League Baseball infielder. He is from Beloit, Wisconsin. He hit a home run on his first up to bat with the New York Yankees in 1967. He played for the Yankees in 120 games or more in 1969, 1970 and 1971. He also had appearances for the Yankees in 1967 and 1972. He played five games for the Cleveland Indians in his final season in 1973.

Jerry Kenney @ baseball-references.com

Jerry Kenney @ baseball-almanac.com

Alex Johnson – 1973 Topps #425

 

Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. While playing for Cincinnati in 1968 and 1969, he batted over .300 both times, finishing 4th and 6th, in batting average in the National League. However, in both years, he led National League outfielders in errors. Following the 1969 season, Johnson was traded with Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbon‚ Jim McGlothlin, and Vern Geishert. Johnson had his best season in 1970, winning the American League batting title by a fraction of a percentage point over Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, although he led league outfielders in errors and was 2nd in grounding out into double plays. He played with 4 other teams before retiring, always with a potent bat but being a liability in the field. Johnson turned down many football scholarships to pursue his dream of baseball. His brother, Ron, was a running back for the New York Giants. After Johnson retired he lived in Detroit and took over Johnson Trucking Service, which was founded by his father, Arthur Johnson, in the 1940s.

Chris Chambliss – 1973 Topps #11

Carroll Christopher Chambliss (born December 26, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball player who played from 1971 to 1988 for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. On November 4, 2010, Chambliss was hired as the hitting coach of the Seattle Mariners. In 1970, Chambliss was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round of the free-agent draft and in 1971, was named AL Rookie of the Year. Chambliss played first base and was known as a great clutch hitter throughout his career. He was dealt to the Yankees from the Indians in April 1974 along with pitchers Cecil Upshaw and Dick Tidrow for Fritz Peterson, Fred Beene, Tom Buskey, and Steve Kline in a much criticized multi-player deal.
Chambliss played three more seasons with the Yankees, winning a Gold Glove for fielding prowess in 1978. He then moved on to Atlanta from 1980-1986. He had one at-bat with the Yankees in 1988 and struck out. After his playing days ended, Chambliss became a hitting instructor for several teams and was talked about as a possible managerial candidate. Most recently, Chambliss was the manager of the Triple A Charlotte Knights prior to joining the Seattle Mariners in November, 2010 as hitting coach.

Del Unser – 1973 Topps #247

 

Delbert Bernard Unser (born December 9, 1944 in Decatur, Illinois) is a retired center fielder and utility player who had a 15-year career from 1968 to 1982. Unser played for the Washington Senators from 1968 to 1971 and the Cleveland Indians in 1972. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1973 to 1974, the New York Mets from 1975 to 1976, the Montreal Expos from 1976 to 1978, and again for the Phillies from 1979 to 1982. In 1977 he began to be used primarily as a pinch-hitter, and also split his time on the field between the outfield and first base. Unser led the American League in triples in 1969 with eight. He had one 5-hit game, in which he hit four singles and a home run against the Oakland Athletics on August 20, 1968. Unser’s career totals include 1,799 games played, 1,334 hits, 87 home runs, 481 Runs batted in, and a lifetime batting average of .258. Unser, along with Lee Lacy, is one of two players to hit three pinch-hit home runs in consecutive at-bats. Currently, Unser is a scout for the Phillies. His father is retired MLB catcher Al Unser.

Ken Aspromonte – 1973 Topps #449

Kenneth Joseph Aspromonte(born September 22, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who had a seven-year career from 1957 to 1963. He played for the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of the American League, and the Milwaukee Braves and Chicago Cubs, both of the National League. He also spent three years playing in Japan, spending 1964 and 1965 with the Chunichi Dragons and 1966 with the Taiyo Whales. Aspromonte managed the Indians from 1972 to 1974. He had a record as manager of 220-260. Ken is the older brother of former Major League Baseball player Bob Aspromonte.

Jack Heidemann – 1973 Topps #644

Jack Seale Heidemann (born July 11, 1949 in Brenham, Texas) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball shortstop who played from 1969 to 1977 with the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. He attended Brenham High School. He is also the uncle of Brett Bordes, a minor league pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He is also related to Bordes’ father, Charles Bordes – who played minor league baseball – and grandfather, Bill Cutler, who is the former president of the Pacific Coast League. Originally drafted 11th overall by the Indians in 1967, he made his debut on May 2, 1969 at the age of 19. The sixth youngest player that year in the Majors, he appeared in three games, collected three at-bats and hit .000 in that time. He finished his career in 1977, playing his final game on May 10 of that year. Used almost entirely as a defensive replacement/pinch runner in the five games he played that year, he collected no hits in one at-bat, although he did score a run. Overall, he hit .211 in his career with 9 home runs and 75 RBI. He was a .966 career fielder. He compares most statistically to Alvarado, and he spent 5 seasons with Dick Tidrow, John Lowenstein and Phil Hennigan-longer than any other teammates. He collected his final hit off Dave Roberts and his final home run off Bill Lee.

Cleveland Indians 1973 Team Photo – 1973 Topps #629

The Cleveland Indians  are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. Since 1994, they have played in Progressive Field. The team’s spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona. Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the Indians have won two World Series championships, in 1920 and 1948. The “Indians” name originates from a request by the club owner to decide on a new name, following the 1914 season. In reference to the Boston Braves (now the Atlanta Braves), the media chose “the Indians”. Common nicknames for the Indians include the “Tribe” and the “Wahoos,” the latter being a reference to their logo, Chief Wahoo; The mascot is called Slider. The Cleveland team originated in 1900 as the Lake Shores, when the American League (AL) was officially a minor league. One of the AL’s eight charter franchises, the major league incarnation of the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Originally called the Cleveland Bluebirds, the team played in League Park until moving permanently to Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1946. At the end of the 2010 season, they had a regular season franchise record of 8,691–8,367 (.509). The Indians have won seven AL Central titles, the most in the division.