All five players have a connection to one another. Try to guess what it is.
Donruss 1986 #510 Steve Engel Raise you hand if you've heard of this guy.... I don't see any hands up. In 1985 the entire Cubs starting rotation was on the disabled list at the same time. Guys like Steve Engel got a chance to show their stuff. It wasn't pretty. He pitched in 11 games, eight as a starter. His record was 1-5 with an ERA of 5.57.
Fleer 1981 #300 Jim Tracy. Fleer arranged the cards in their sets first by team, then by players last name. That is why Tracy got card #300, a number that Topps would have given only to superstars. Tracy's very mediocre career wouldn't have ever gotten him a card ending in a 5, let alone a 00.
Victory 2001 #331 Rick Aguilera He made the Victory 2001 set, but had no victories in 2001. After finishing the 2000 season with a record of 1-2 and and ERA of 4.91 the Cubs passed on him when he became a free agent. So did every other MLB team.
Shakey's Pizza 1976 #36 King Kelly How about that...a Hall of Famer! The card shows him wearing a Boston uniform, but the best years of his career were with the Cubs (actually it was the White Stockings then). Slide, Kelly, Slide!
And what is the connection between these four lousy Cubs and one Hall of Famer?
Happy New Years Eve!
They were all born on December 31.
Another great post. Thanks for another fun year on your site.
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