2017mfc Keith Hernandez special!

The mfc Keith Hernandez Collection

DGWphotography

2017mfc Les Rohr!

Leslie Norvin Rohr (born March 5, 1946) played for the New York Mets in the late 1960s. He was born in Lowestoft, England, where his father was serving with the United States Air Force. Six months later he moved to Billings, Montana with his family, where he grew up, attended high school, and currently lives.

Rohr, a left-handed pitcher, was selected by the Mets in the first round (second pick overall) of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft.  It was a draft that turned out to be rather weak in comparison to later drafts with only a few players turning into stars. Johnny Bench was drafted in the second round with the 36th pick by the Reds and Graig Nettles was taken in the fourth round with the 74th pick by the Twins.

But the draft gained legendary status in the future because of the Mets' 12th-round selection, which happened to be Nolan Ryan out of Alvin High near Houston, Texas. "I couldn't believe they picked me over Nolan Ryan," said Rohr, who met Ryan shortly after signing a contract worth a combined $55,000, including salary and bonuses.

"I couldn't believe it either."

Les played in the minor leagues until being called up to play for the Mets near the end of the 1967 season. He started in his first Major League appearance against the Dodgers at Shea Stadium on Sept. 19, 1967, and pitched six innings, allowing three runs, two earned, and six hits while striking out six and walking four. Rohr, who was 21 at the time, earned the win in the Mets' 6-3 victory in front of 9,535.

On Sept. 30, 1967, he faced Don Drysdale and pitched eight innings, allowing no runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in the Mets' 5-0 victory. "That was something else, to pitch against someone like Drysdale and have a game like that," said Rohr, who helps coach the same American Legion team he played for in the 1960s. "I thought I was on my way after that."

The beginning of the end of Les Rohr's career came early the 1968 season in the final innings of a 24-inning game against the Houston Astros. Les was making an appearance as a reliever even though he had thrown batting practice that day, something starting pitchers did on their days off back then. Entering the April 15th game as a relief pitcher in the 22nd inning and pitching through the 24th inning, he pulled a tendon in his pitching arm. After one more failed start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he spent the remainder of the season on the disabled list or back in the minor leagues. 

Les made only one more appearance on the mound for the Mets, versus the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, and five hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Rohr was later unconditionally released by the Mets when a routine physical discovered a ruptured disc in his lower back, scuttling a proposed trade to the Milwaukee Brewers. He ended up having a spinal fusion surgery and never recovered to play again. 

Rohr's first game was on September 19, 1967, and his last game was on September 19, 1969. He stayed with New York Mets for his entire career, finishing with a 2-3 record and 3.70 ERA in six games and four starts. He pitched 24 1/3 innings and allowed 15 runs, 10 earned, with 27 hits, 17 walks and 20 strikeouts.

Hats off to you Mr. Rohr. You get an mfc card!

mfcNOTE: The text was basically ripped from Mr. Rohr's Wiki page and this article by Chris Girandola.

63mfc Charlie Neal Throwback & 2017 mfc Card. Plus Jack Fisher '17mfc.

A 63mfcThrowback card and its 2017mfc counterpart (below).

Charles Lenard Neal (January 30, 1931 – November 18, 1996) was an second baseman for Major League Baseball. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1950, and won the 1959 World Series after the team moved to Los Angeles. He hit two home runs in Game 2 of the Series, at Chicago's Comiskey Park.

In 1959 Neal had 177 hits with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases, led the league in sacrifice hits and triples, won a Gold Glove at second base, played in the All-Star Game and earned a championship ring, hitting .370 in the six-game World Series victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The attendance on Oct. 6, 1959 for Game 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was 92,706, which continues to be the largest crowd in World Series history.

After the 1961 season, the Dodgers traded him to the New York Mets for outfielder Lee Walls and cash. Neal ended up playing for the Mets' '62 expansion team that lost 120 games, most by a team in a single season since the 19th Century. He was in the inaugural Met starting lineup on April 11, 1962 at St. Louis, batting third, going 3-for-4 and getting the first RBI in the team's history.

Neal remained a Met until a trade July 1, 1963 to the Cincinnati Reds.[1] After he hit just .156 for the rest of that season, Neal was released by the Reds in spring training of 1964, his career over at age 33.

He played in two World Series, also batting four times for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 Series. Neal started at second base in Game 3, a 5-3 loss to pitcher Whitey Ford and the New York Yankees, before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 73,977, largest of that series and still one of the 10 biggest crowds in World Series history.

Born in Longview, Texas, he died in Dallas of heart failure at age 65.

_______________________________________________

You may have seen Jack Fisher's '67 throwback a few posts back, and here is the mfc set version.

_____________________________________________________