Al Santorini--1973
A rather melancholy Al Santorini
poses for what he probably realized
would be his last card.
Gone is the hope for riches and
glory that were expected when the
Atlanta Braves made him the
eleventh overall pick of the 1966
inaugural Major League Draft.
Dashed is a big league career at
the tender age of 25. All that is left
is the reality of a life that is
punctuated by a 17-38 career
mark, courtesy of hurling during for
the infant Padres.
Looking at the card, you can almost
feel the internal mental angst of
Santorini as he fights through the
pain in his arm that he labored with
during his final days on the mound.
Baseball cards should be happy; a
celebration of being one of "the
select" to pitch in the big leagues.
Not like this.
Editor's Note: Santorini holds the
distinction of starting both games of
a doubleheader, tossing one-third
of an inning on May 26, 1971
before Padres manager Preston
Gomez turned the ball over to lefty
Dave Roberts to face a Houston
lineup with seven lefty swinging
starters. The Pads lost the game
2-1, as the scheme failed and so
did Santorini in Game 2, with an 8-0
final score.
Here's a nice piece on Santorini
from a few years ago.
Al Santorini Article on MLB.com
(6/7/06)
poses for what he probably realized
would be his last card.
Gone is the hope for riches and
glory that were expected when the
Atlanta Braves made him the
eleventh overall pick of the 1966
inaugural Major League Draft.
Dashed is a big league career at
the tender age of 25. All that is left
is the reality of a life that is
punctuated by a 17-38 career
mark, courtesy of hurling during for
the infant Padres.
Looking at the card, you can almost
feel the internal mental angst of
Santorini as he fights through the
pain in his arm that he labored with
during his final days on the mound.
Baseball cards should be happy; a
celebration of being one of "the
select" to pitch in the big leagues.
Not like this.
Editor's Note: Santorini holds the
distinction of starting both games of
a doubleheader, tossing one-third
of an inning on May 26, 1971
before Padres manager Preston
Gomez turned the ball over to lefty
Dave Roberts to face a Houston
lineup with seven lefty swinging
starters. The Pads lost the game
2-1, as the scheme failed and so
did Santorini in Game 2, with an 8-0
final score.
Here's a nice piece on Santorini
from a few years ago.
Al Santorini Article on MLB.com
(6/7/06)
