Random Topps Card of the Day: 1985 Topps #720 Rick Sutcliffe NL All-Star RHP

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, March 13, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1985 Topps #720.
• Player Name, position, team: Rick Sutcliffe, All-Star Right-Handed Pitcher, National League.
• Any special information about this specific card: Who knew that an mid-season trade for a 4-5 pitcher would help the Chicago Cubs win their first National League East title? The seven-player trade sending Sutcliffe from the Indians to the Cubs on 06/13/1984 may have saved Rick Sutcliffe's season, and possibly his career. In his first game with the Cubs on 06/19/1984, he pitched a complete game, helping the Cubs win 4-3. He finished the month of June with a 2-1 record. The best was yet to come as in fifteen straight starts, from July 4 to September 14, the Cubs won. Rick Sutcliffe finished the NL year with an incredible record of 16-1 (20-6 total). When the Cy Young Award was announced, all 24 voters (remember, 12 cities, 2 votes), gave their first place votes to Sutcliffe, sweeping the field with 120 votes. The back of the card is split into two sections. The section on the left recalls three games Sutcliffe won with the Cubs, his first game against the Pirates, a 16 K, 5-0 shutout over the Cardinals 06/24/1984, and a 6-0 shutout over the Mets on 09/08/1984. The section on the right lists the 1984 NL League Leaders in Wins, with Sutcliffe's 16 good enough for fourth (ahead of him were Joaquin Andujar (20), Mario Soto (18), Dwight Gooden (17), and was tied Joe Niekro (16)).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.05-$0.15.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1955 Topps #170. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama