Thursday, June 9, 2016

#541 - Mark Davis


What a card: Mark Davis struggled through a 17-loss season for the last-place Giants in 1984. But he was entering a season in which he would be converted to a full-time reliever, and his whole career would change.

My observation on the front: Davis is featuring a button on his cap. I don't know what it says. The Giants hosted the All-Star Game in 1984 so perhaps it is related to that.

More opinion from me: I admit I'm one of those fans who tended to think someone else deserved the Cy Young Award in 1989 other than Davis. But unlike many who point to Mike Scott, who finished second in the voting, I was thinking Orel Hershiser (who was 4th) or Greg Maddux (3rd).

Something you might know: Davis is one of nine relief pitchers to receive the Cy Young Award. He was the seventh (after Mike Marshall, Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers, Willie Hernandez and Steve Bedrosian) to win it.

Something you might not know: When the Royals signed Davis as a free agent after the 1989 season, they were the first team to feature both reigning Cy Young Award winners. Bret Saberhagen had won the AL Cy Young in '89.


My observation on the back: I'm intrigued by Davis working in the Phillies' sales office but can find no mention of it elsewhere.

The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.

1 comment:

Matt Runyon said...

The button looks like the Croix de Candlestick buttons that were given to fans who sat through an extra inning night game at Candlestick Park. Between the cold and the poor team at the time, it was quite an achievement.