Random Topps Card of the Day: 1983 Topps Traded #5T Doug Bair

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Tuesday, February 05, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1983 Topps Traded #5T.
• Player Name, position, team: Doug Bair, pitcher, Detroit Tigers.
• Major League Debut: September 13, 1976.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1982 stats (Cardinals): 63 G, 91.2 IP, 5-3, 27 R, 26 ER, 68 SO, 36 BB, 0 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 8 SV, 2.55 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Pirates #2nd, June 1971. Traded by the Cardinals to the Tigers 06/21/1983. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 9. This is his seventh Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: n/a.
• Commentary: Charles Doug Bair's career seemed to have been rejuvenated when he was traded to the Tigers in June of 1983. Yes, it was a far cry from his best years as the closer with the Cincinnati Reds (23-21, 50 saves, 148 games finished, 3.73 ERA and 255 strikeouts), but he was still effective out of the bullpen for Cardinals. He appeared in three games of the 1982 World Series the year before. In 1983, he was 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA, 21 K's, and a save in 26 games in the Cardinals' bullpen, which made him a reliable reliever for the Red Birds. But after his trade to the Tigers, he went 7-3 along with a 3.88 ERA, 39 strikeouts, and 4 saves. Entrenched in the bullpen during the Tigers' magical run to the World Series in 1984, Bair contributions included a 5-3 record, 4 saves, 57 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.75, and a WHIP of 1.260. In his lone (and final) postseason appearance in the 1984 World Series, he struck out the only batter he faced, coaxing a double play in the process. Believe it or not, Doug Bair's final Topps card is from the 1985 Topps set. But Bair would continue to pitch into the early 1990's. On the heels of a 6.24 ERA in 21 games, the Tigers released Bair. He signed back with the Cardinals, appearing in two games before filing for free agency. His journeyman career continued stints with the Athletics (where he had pitched in 1977), Phillies, Blue Jays, and Pirates, where he finished his MLB career in 1990. During this time, he had also been pitching each team's AAA team. In 1991, he split the year with both the Blue Jays' and Tigers' AAA system. After 7 games with the Angels' farm team in Edmonton, six of them starts, Bair called it a career. He spent time as a pitching coach in the Reds' minor league system, last with the team in 2008. On the back of most of the players' cards in 1983, Topps included a few season highlights for the player from the year before. On Bair's card, Topps honors Bair's performances in the following three games: May 3 (pitched 3 scoreless innings for win); May 11 (hurled 3 scoreless innings for save); and June 18 (held Mets in check for save in Cardinals' 5-4 decision).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.08-$0.25.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 9.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #488. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. We're looking back at a card from 1985 here on the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama