Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Phillies Prospect Matt Imhof Injured

Yesterday we got the news that Phillies Pitching Prospect Matt Imhof suffered an eye injury due to a freak accident during a post game workout.


2014 Bowman #DP45 Matt Imhof


Imhof was the Phillies 2nd pick (#47 overall) in their 2014 draft which has already yielded Aaron Nola. The 22 year old lefty is currently in his 3rd season as a pro and second at single-A Clearwater.


I get freaked out putting in a contact lens, I can't imagine what it is like to suffer a major eye injury. Hopefully things work out well for Imhof and we get to hear positive things about his health in the future.


Flip
2014 Bowman #DP45 Matt Imhof (b-side)


Interesting graph on the back of these Bowman cards. Imhof's most recent numbers are displayed graphically to show how is collegiate numbers compared with the National Average. The Yellow bars correspond to the averages while the green and red are Imhof's numbers - Green is where he was above average (ERA, WHIP, K/9), Red shows his struggles (BB/9). The data is not sourced and doesn't specify the sample for the National Average, I suspect it is for all D1 pitchers.


The numbers proven to be a good glimpse into who Imhof has been as a professional, He has been able to get batters out while struggling with his control.


Sources and Links
Matt Gelb - Philly
Baseball-ref

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Happy 50th Birthday John Cusack

John Cusack celebrates his 50th birthday today.

1988 Orion Pictures "Eight Men Out" #12 John Cusack as Buck Weaver 

Cusack is a little over a year older than myself and due to a combination of our age and his prolific output he is probably the actor with Whom I most identify.

Three of his films standout to me: Eight Men Out – cited by the card above which as a period piece set a century ago resonates with me because of my interest in baseball; Grosse Pointe Blank – A class reunion flick that helps me revisit the middle 80s; and High Fidelity – my other obsession(s) pop music and extended adolescence.

Happy Birthday to John Cusack and thanks for growing up (or not growing up) with me.


1988 Orion Pictures "Eight Men Out" #12 John Cusack as Buck Weaver (b-side)
 
Cusack's Eight Men Out card does a nice job of summing up his early career. I think I may have seen the triumvirate of films mentioned Class, The Sure Thing and Sixteen Candles in the theater.   


Also a nice shout-out to Chicago - Like Eight Men Out, Class and Sixteen Candles were both set in Chicago as was High Fidelity. 

A bit of sloppiness on Pacific's part though - I have never seen Sixteen Candles written as "16 Candles"  
 
Sources and Links
Vittles Pop
Imdb

Rod Carew HoF Index








Phungo Rod Carew HoF Index
1977 Hostess #3 (Var/SP)
1981 Topps #100
1983 OPC #386 All-Star (DeGumming experiment)
1991 Bowman #3 (1976 ASG +40)

TRENDY: 2015 Carolina Prospects #23 Lucas Giolito

The Nationals have put Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the DL. To replace the 2010 Prospect Washington has called up 2016 Prospect Lucas Giolito.

2015 Carolina Prospects #23 Lucas Giolito

I like to occasionally joke about Strasburg's injury history, but it is a shame to see the potential ace go down in the middle of what may be his best season to date. 

While Stephen Strasburg may not have had a standout season yet, I think the Nats would be happy if their latest top prospect Lucas Giolito someday puts up numbers similar to Strasburg has in 2016.

2015 Carolina Prospects
I picked up this set of 2015 Carolina Prospects at a recent Wilmington Blue Rocks game.  It is a nice looking set based on the hockey stick element from 1982 Topps. Other notables in the set include Adam Plutko, Bradley Zimmer, and Lucas Sims. 

2015 Carolina Prospects #23 Lucas Giolito (b-side)


Pretty decent flip side for a minor league card, the Text takes us up to the point where Giolito had Tommy John Surgery. The 21 year old Right-Hander is recovering well, posting a 3.17 ERA through 71 Innings at AA Harrisburg this year.

If Giolito's debut goes well, it still may be a while until Phillies fans get to see the him, the two clubs don't face each other until late August.
 
Sources and Links
Baseball-ref

Monday, June 27, 2016

Reds Retire Pete Rose's #14

Over the weekend the Cincinnati Reds Retired Pete Rose’s number.
1977 Topps #450 Pete Rose
The Reds drew 40,805 fans for the ceremony and 120K+ for a three game series versus the Padres for Pete Rose weekend.  Outside of an early season Saturday Game against the Cubs and the Home Opener versus the Phillies, the trio of games rank as the Reds top 3 draws of the season. 

 
1976 ASG

In 1976 Pete Rose made his 10th All-Star Team. However, it was his first at Third Base the fourth different position he played in the Mid-Summer Classic. Rose batted leadoff in the game and recorded a single off of AL Starter Mark Fidrych. Pete went 2 for 3 in the game wit the 2nd hit coming off of Luis TIant. After Five innings Rose was replaced at third by the Home Town player and future teammate Mike Schmidt.


During Rose's first AB in the All-Star Game a fan in the stands can be heard screaming "Where's Mike Schmidt" 

Reds alums present for the number retirement ceremony on Sunday included 3 of Rose’s Reds teammates that were on that NL ASG squad in ’76, Tony Perez, Johnny  Bench and David Concepcion.
 

 Flip
1977 Topps #450 Pete Rose 

Just wanted to show off the cartoon on the back of the card. As far as I know the 30+ year old factoid remained true until the stadium closed. In 2008 Josh Hamilton came close during the Home Run Derby and there is also a debate as to the possibility of Josh Gibson hitting one in a 1930s Negro League game. For a New York Times article regarding those homers and other long ones at the House that Ruth built click here.

Sources and Links 
1976 All-Star Game summary
Pete Rose Non-HoF Index
Baseball-ref
Cincinnati Reds
New York Times 2008 07 16
YouTube - 1976 All-Star Game 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

ANNIVERSARY: Joe DiMaggio's big Inning - June 24 1936

80 years ago on June 24th 1936 Joe DiMaggio had a two Homer, Five RBI Inning. 

2012 Topps Golden Greats #GG-22 Joe DiMaggio 

The event was commemorated on a Topps card a few years back. The front of the card is not very specific about the accomplishment.

However...

2012 Topps Golden Greats #GG-22 Joe DiMaggio (b-side)

The back of the card has all the details.

During the 5th inning of a Yankees 18-11 victory over the White Sox DiMaggio first hit a two run homer off of Ray Phelps followed by a 3 run shot versus Red Evans.

Joe DiMaggio was in his rookie season in 1936, he was playing in his 46th career game. It was his first 2 HR game and the first time that he played Right Field in a major league game. Later that summer on July 31st he would get his first start in his best known location CenterField.

Sources and Links
Phungo Joe DiMaggio HoF Index
Game Dated Cards
Chicago Tribune 1936 06 25
baseball-ref

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

1991 Bowman #3 Rod Carew

Tonight in honor of the Phillies rare trip to Minnesota (and as part of our 1976 All-Star Game Coverage) we take a look at Twins Hall of Famer Rod Carew.

1991 Bowman #3 Rod Carew III

When he played in Philadelphia's Bicentennial All-Star Game Rod Carew was 30 years old and was playing in his 10th major league season.

Incredibly He was also a member of his 10th All-Star Team.

In every one of his eight previous All-Star games (Made team but DNP 1970) Carew played 2nd Base. 1976 was the first mid-summer classic which Carew played at his new position, First Base.

The Seven time batting champion did not fare quite as well in All-Star game play. In 1976 Carew was 0-3 with a walk and a stolen base. At the time the performance brought his career numbers to 2-24 a .083 Batting Average. Quite an anomaly for a player who batted .328 in the regular season through that point in his career.

Carew's All-Star performances would improve during the 2nd half of his career, he finished with a career .244 BA in 48 ABs. His best performances was in 1978 when he had a pair of triples and scored two runs.

1991 Bowman
I went with the 1991 Bowman card over one of the many Rod Carew All-Star cards.

This is because I am fond of the #29 Jersey stamp on the upper right. The flair represents Carew's uniform number that was retired by the Twins on July 19 1987.

Recently Rod Carew suffered a major heart attack, and may possibly need a heard transplant. Subsequently in partnership with the Twins Carew and his wife Rhonda launched a project to raise funds for the American Heart Association - the name of the initiative is The Heart of 29 Campaign.

Flip
1991 Bowman #3 Rod Carew III (b-side)

The post career card highlights Carew's accomplishments during the 1970s including his six batting titles and 1977 MVP award.

Sources and Links
1976 ASG Index
Rod Carew HoF Index
Minnesota Twins
Baseball-ref
Cardboard Connection

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Fathers Day - 1976 Topps #67 Father & Son Ray and Bob Boone

 For Father's Day the Philies have a number of things going on including a book signing with Bret Boone promoting his new book "Home Game". Bret is of course the son of former Phillies catcher Bob Boone.

Bob is also the son of a Major Leaguer, their relationship is recognized on a 1976 Topps card - which is a perfect one for us to feature as part of our 1976 All-Star Game coverage. 

1976 Topps #67 Father & Son Ray and Bob Boone

Bob Boone is the middle member of three generations of Boone's. His Father Ray played for 13 seasons mostly with the Tigers and Indians while Sons Aaron and Brett spent 12 and 14 years in the league respectively.

Pretty impressive careers for each but Bob is by far the MLB tenure leader, he spent 19 seasons in the league including a decade with the Phillies

All-Star
Bob Boone made the first of four All-Star teams in 1976. He entered the game in the fourth inning as a defensive replacement for Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. Boone remained in for the balance of the game. He went 0-2 facing Luis Tiant and Frank Tanana. Among the four NL pitchers he caught that day was another future HoF, Tom Seaver.

In 1979 Boone got to start the All-Star game and got to catch teammate Steve Carlton. However that Battery is a bit of an oddity, For the bulk of Lefty's games in that era his receiver was Tim McCarver.

Boone appeared in two other All-Star Games 1978 and 1983 (as an Angel).

1976 Topps Father & Son
1976 Topps #67 Father & Son Ray and Bob Boone

Interesting part of the text here is Bob mentioning that he started his career at third base. In 1972 Boone moved from Third Base to Catcher to make room for Mike Schmidt.

The Father-Son subset is five cards running from #66-#70 the other four pairs are Gus & Buddy Bell, Jim & Mike Hegan, Joe Coleman Sr & Jr, and Roy Smalley Sr & Jr. 

1980 Topps 
Despite appearing in four All-Star Games Boone was never issued a Topps card with an All-Star flair. As noted above he started the 1979 game, however Topps tagged the All-Star ballot winner Ted Simmons with the designation - Simmons had to skip the game due to injury.

Don Sutton Win #300
A just a quick toss back to our posting earlier in the week if you want to read about Don Sutton's 300th victory, a game that was caught by Bob Boone.

Sources and Links
1976 ASG Index
Baseball-ref
Amazon

Thursday, June 16, 2016

ANNIVERSARY: Don Sutton 300 Wins - June 18 1986

30 Years ago on June 18th 1986 Don Sutton and the California Angels defeated the Texas Rangers 5-1.

It was also the 300th career Victory for the Future Hall of Famer.

1986 Donruss Highlights Don Sutton 300th Career Win

At the time Sutton was in the middle of a mediocre 1986 season. Other than a Shutout of the White Sox a few weeks earlier the win over the Rangers was probably his best pitching performance of the season. In the stellar outing Sutton went the distance allowing only 3 hits and pitching to two over the minimum.

The only blemish on the gem was a 2 out Home Run to rookie DH and future Phillies Outfielder Pete Incaviglia. One of the Rangers pitchers that day was another Rookie and Inky's 1993 Phillies Teammate Mitch Williams.

There was a Phillies tie on the Angels side as well. Don Sutton's Battery Mate for the game was Bob Boone and the Teams manger was Gene Mauch. Other Notable players that supported Sutton were Jayson Werth's Uncle Dick Schofield, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.


1986 Donruss Highlights Don Sutton 300th Career Win (b-side)

The back of the card gives a nice career and game summary. It was only Sutton's 7th W with the Angels but he would stay there long enough to win 21 more and make California his second longest tenured team.

The doomed 1986 Angels won the AL West but sadly lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox in a series that included the Donnie Moore game. Sutton did not pitch in that game but he did make a relief appearance in the final game of the series which was his final playoff appearance.

Sutton reached the postseason five times with three different teams (Dodgers, Brewers) and pitched in four World Series but never won  a ring.

Sources and Links
Phungo Don Sutton HoF Index
Baseball-ref

Don Sutton HoF index

This is an index of our posts related to Don Sutton and his cards
 
 
1966 Topps Bill Singer Don Sutton (rc)

1968 Topps #103
1986 Donruss Highlights #16 (300th Career Win - 30th Anniversary)


 

Monday, June 13, 2016

Field Report Miller Park 2016 0527 Reds 5 @ Brewers 9

This happened a couple of weeks ago but Team Phungo is still recovering from our recent Trip.

We spent a week in Madison and Milwaukee which gave us an opportunity to knock another stadium off our list. In the game the Brewers hosted the Cincinnati Reds. The two teams are battling for the cellar of the NL Central, consequently the game itself was secondary to the stadium visit.

Robin Yount

The Brewers have a series of statues outside the stadium including this one that honors Robin Yount, the Franchise All Time Leader in Games, ABs, Hits, Runs, RBIs, Doubles, Triples, and WAR. Ryan Braun is the only Brewer who has more Home Runs than Yount.

Hank Aaron

The man who broke Babe Ruth's Home Run record only played two seasons with the Brewers but he spent an additional dozen seasons in Milwaukee as a Member of the Braves. Hank Aaron is rightfully honored here by the Brewers.

Miller Park

From this angle Miller Park looks like a Spaceship whose design was inspired by a tarantula. I took this picture while walking up a path from the location of old County Stadium, where Hank Aaron hit his last Home Run.


Chorizo y Hot Dog

I was pretty excited for the sausage race. Here are Chorizo and the Hot Dog hanging out pregame. 


Retired Numbers

Bob Uecker's 50 Year Plaque is in a nice neighborhood with Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount nearby. 

Miller Park from the Upper Deck. 


Roof Opens! 

The Roof was closed when we arrived, but was opened just prior to game time. Miller Park only remained an outdoor venue for about 3 innings when oncoming rain forced another closure. 

John Lamb

Oh Yeah there was a game.  The Brewers defeated the Reds 9-5. Neither starting pitcher was particularly sharp and both were gone before the end of the 6th inning, although Brewers Pitcher Zach Davies was hurt by his defense.

The Starting pitcher for the Reds was John Lamb, For some reason his look here reminds me of Tyrion from Game of Thrones. Lamb was lifted after just 3 2/3 innings which saw him give up 6 runs.

Aaron Hill Warming up

Must of been a good warm up as Hill had a great game with a pair of Home Runs.

Ryan Braun & Brandon Phillips

Braun and Phillips are likely discussing their own trade prospects.

 Chris Carter

Carter is off to a hot start ranking 3rd in the league in Homers at the 1/3 mark in the season.

Bernie Brewer

We got to see Bernie Brewer hit the slide, I believe this was on the Aaron Hill's 2nd Home Run. Notice at the top of the picture signs are lit up that say "Get Up, Get Up, Get Outta Here, Gone!" the signature Home Run Call of Brewers Broadcaster Bob Uecker.

There was a lot more to take in at the Brewers game and I have a lot more pictures that I hope to share at some future point.

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref
Milwaukee Brewers
Baseball Almanac 

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Gordie Howe (1928-2016)

Earlier this week we got the news Gordie Howe died at the age of 88.

2008 UD Hit Parade of Champions #HPC-10 Gordie Howe

Here Mr Hockey is featured with the Art Ross and Hart Trophies. The Ross Trophy is awarded to the leagues leading scorer while the Hart Memorial Trophy goes to the MVP. Gordie Howe won each award six times.

The Photo credit is Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty circa 1965.

In 2008 Upper Deck issued the Hit Parade of Champions Insert withing their Retro themed Goudey Offering. The HPC set is based off the 1951 Berk Ross set and contains 30 card featuring subjects from various sports. The cards are undersized measuring slightly larger than 2" x 2".
 
2008 UD Hit Parade of Champions #HPC-10 Gordie Howe (b-side)

Nice Mr Hockey reference on the back of the card. If the date on the photo is correct it was taken 3 years prior to the impressive season referenced on the back of the card.

Mark Howe 
Gordie, Marty and Mark Howe's Jerseys from the Houston Aeros
 
Gordie Howe as a player is from well before my time, but I did get to see him in the local barn once - sort of.

Gordie's Son Mark is a celebrated Philadelphia Flyers Alum. A few years ago the club retired his Number and Mr Hockey came to Philadelphia to be part of the ceremony.

I know it isn't the same as watching the man actually play but let me tell you it was pretty cool to see that man walk out on the ice. It was a great time and made me happy to be a fan - to read more on that ceremony click here.

Other Gordie Howe Tributes and Memorials
Cards that Never Were (1974-74 OPC)
NYT - George Vecsey

Sources and Links
Hockey-Ref
ESPN
Baseball CardPedia
Getty Images 

Thursday, June 9, 2016

WAR and the Draft: Phillies 2016 Pick 1-1

The Last time the Phillies had the #1 Overall Pick they selected Pat Burrell. A few months ago we looked at the #1 Pick and what a team should expect from the player. I felt as though Burrell was a successful pick but I am not so sure I would say the pick was a win if it had not been for the 2008 World Championship.

 1999 Topps Stadium Club #151 Pat Burell 

The above conclusion was reached after researching the top of the draft results during it's 50+ year history. Here are some of the things we found:




 How Much WAR?

 Our survey was for 48 #1 overall Picks  from 1965-2012. On the left side we have the Average and median WAR of all #1 Picks. The reason I calculated median is one player can really throw off the numbers. Alex Rodriguez is a big part of the difference between the 20 WAR Average and the 15 WAR median.

The Right Hand Chart tells us what percentage of players reach certain plateaus. A +2.0 WAR season is basically a starter, the number is reached by 73% of players, which means that over a quarter of players drafted #1 are TOTAL FAILURES. One in three players have a  +5.0 WAR season, the equivalent of an All-Star Season. In reality closer to half (48%) of the players become All-Stars. The Career WAR numbers tell us only 56% of players reach +10 WAR for their careers. A more stellar +25 Career WAR is reached by one-third of draftees - which matches the number that have a single season of +5.0.

What about Playoffs?


Here I did the math for the #1 and #2 picks and we found that the #1s make the playoffs significantly more often that #2s. Roughly 2 in 3 First Picks make the postseason while only half of their #2 counterparts get as far.

Pat Burrell
Finally lets take a look at Pat Burrell. This is how he stacked up against other #1s.


Pat the Bat comes out pretty close to average. He reached plateaus of roughly half of number 1 picks, but didn't reach the heights of superstar #1s.

Sources and Links
Steven Eck (SABR Collegiate Baseball Committee Newsletter Winter 2016)

 

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

TRENDY: Jameson Taillon

The Pirates have called up 2010 #2 Overall Pick Jameson Taillon and he is expected to get his first Major League Start tonight with the reigning NL Champion New York Mets. 

2013 Heritage Minors #127 Jameson Taillon

Fun card here from the minor league version of the 1964T homage. I know it says Curve for the team name but my guess is Taillon is going to be another one of these young pitchers that throw 100 mph.

Jameson Taillon put up great numbers in AAA so far this year. Key numbers include 2.04 ERA with 61 Ks in 61+ innings against only 6 walks! His batting average against is an impressive .196 with a similar WHIP of 0.81.

Regardless the rookie is facing the Mets, Go Bucos!

Sources and Links
Pittsburgh Pirates
Cardboard Connection

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)



1984 M&M Olympic Heroes #7 Cassius Clay

Muhammad Ali was still Cassius Clay when he won the gold medal so I guess when M&M the Olympic Committee put together this card that felt that was appropriate.  


 1984 M&M Olympic Heroes #7 Cassius Clay (b-side)


The story of Ali's Olympic victory is on the flip side of the card.

Friday, June 3, 2016

1972 Ticketron Phillies Don Money

Brewers @ Phillies Weekend continues and so does Don Money Weekend.

A few weeks ago I got a great package of cards from the Phillies Room. In addition to some terrific ToppsNow cards that Jim sent over he also included a bunch of oddball Phillies.

1972 Ticketron Phillies Don Money

I had never seen these cards before, and was really happy to add a oddball Don Money card to the collection. When I first received the card I knew that I might put together some sort of 1976 ASG column for Money and wanted to have a fun card to present the infielder with the Phillies. The Ticketron card fits those specifications perfectly.

Don Money had a cup of coffee with the Phillies in 1968 and then came up permanently the following season. He started out his Major League career as a Shortstop moving to 3rd Base to make room for Larry Bowa, which would precipitate Money's move to Milwaukee to make room for Mike Schmidt.

During his tenure with the Phillies Money found himself on the NL defensive leaderboards. His two top-10 dWAR years were highlighted by his 1972 campaign in which he led Third Baseman in Fielding Pct, Double Plays and Putouts. His total Zone Runs (whatever that is) was also tops at 3B in 1972.

Money was decent with the bat as well and led the Phillies in WAR among position players (1970, 1972).  However, his +1.9 WAR for the Phillies dreadful 1972 squad is barely noteworthy. That is the team that was led by Cy Young Winner Steve Carlton (+12.5 WAR, 27 Wins for a 59 win team)  

1972 Ticketron
This set consisted of 10 roughly postcard size cards. They were an schedule/advertising vehicle for the Phillies Ticket seller Ticketron. Other Notables on the checker include the aforementioned Carlton and Bowa as well as Greg Luzinski, Willie Montanez and Tim McCarver.


I
1972 Ticketron Phillies Don Money (b-side)

In addition to touting the benefits of Ticketron along with their contact info the backs contained the Phillies schedule including promotions. This card must have been issued after the season started as it only contains dates from June forward. Not many nutty promos - looks like they were big on Batting Helmet's for the 4th of July weekend and that they were still referring to Alumni festivities as the Old-Timers Game. 

Sources and Links
1976 ASG +40 Don Money
Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards - Bob Lemke  
Baseball-ref

Thursday, June 2, 2016

1976 ASG +40: Don Money 1979 Topps #265

The Phillies hosting the Brewers for a four game set this weekend gives us the chance to discuss a 1976 All-Star with ties to both clubs.

1979 Topps #265 Don Money (AS)

1976 marked the second time that Don Money made the All-Star Team but it was the first time that he got to play in the game.

Money came into the 1976 ASG in the 6th inning replacing George Brett at Third Base. He would later bat in the 9th popping out versus Astros Pitcher Ken Forsch. Looking back today the AB is a bit of an oddity as at the time, Money was repping the AL as a Brewer and Forsch the NL as an Astro, Since then the two teams have flipped leagues.

1979 Topps
I selected 1979T card for our Don Money posting because it is the one time that he received the All-Star flair from Topps. This does cause a bit of a discrepancy...

Notice that we specified that Money played Third in the 1976 ASG, however are cover card lists second base as the position. To accommodate the Brewers Free Agent Signing of Sal Bando the Brewers moved Don Money to 2nd Base prior to the 1977 season.

The move worked out for Don as he would eventually get his only starting assignment as an All-Star in 1978. Money went 0-2 in the game including going down on strikes versus Vida Blue. The 1978 ASG was played in San Diego which will be also be the home of the 2016 Mid-Summer classic.

Flip
1979 Topps #265 Don Money (AS - bSide)

Not sure how accurate it is but despite

The game referenced in the text at the bottom of the card was a 7-1 Brewers victory over the expansion Seattle Mariners.  The Pitcher who induced all those ground balls was rookie Larry Sorensen who pitched a complete game in only his 4th career start. 

Don Money was the 5th player to achieve the feat. Since 1977 five other second baseman have recorded a dozen assists in a game including the Phillies own Juan Samuel in 1985 and Former Phillies Manager and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (1983).

Stray Observation: Larry Sorensen made his only All-Star Appearance in the 1978 game that Don Money started. Sorensen pitched 3 shutout innings for the AL squad which was the strongest outing among the squads six pitchers.

Baseball Dates
A fun nuance of 1979 Topps is the Baseball Dates feature on each player card. Jim Umbarger recorded the unusual unassisted Pitcher DP while pitching for the Texas Rangers in a 2-1 Win over the Cleveland Indians. I could not find any additional footage or Info on the DP beyond the Box. It did occur with the bases loaded pop up. I can only assume that it was a Hit and Run or a freak play where the Infield Fly Rule was invoked and a runner got caught off a bag.

The Double Play occurred in the 2nd inning and was a big help towards giving Umbarger the W in the game.  According to the b-ref Win Expectancy chart for the game, prior to the play the Rangers had a 45% chance of victory. The double play increased that number by 17 points to 62%, the greatest impact of any single AB in the game.

The Indians batter was Catcher Alan Ashby, B-ref does not indicate the runner but the 3 men on base at the time were Rico Carty, Charlie Spikes and Buddy Bell.

Jim Umbarger was only involved in 5 other Double Plays in the remaineder of his 4 year 133 game career.

WAR Stories
Don Money put up much better career numbers that I realized. Among Third Baseman his career 36.3 WAR ranks just above Hall of Famer Pie Traynor (36.2). Among notable contemporary players he ranks somewhere between Troy Glaus (37.9) and Ryan Zimmerman (35.1)

More Money
1972 Ticketron Phillies

Sources and Links
1976 All-Star Game Index 
Baseball-ref
Baseball Almanac (1978 ASG)
Baseball Almanac (Assist Record)

a thousand words

a thousand words
2008 World Champions