Tuesday, August 14, 2012

no. 81 - felix millan


Who is the man: Felix Millan was the Braves' starting second baseman, and he had just completed his most successful season in what was then a five-year major league career.

Can ya dig it: Millan is most known for how severely he choked up on the bat during his at-bats. But he wasn't featured by Topps with a bat in his hand until the 1970 set. And then not again until the 1976 set.

Right on: Is Millan pictured at Shea Stadium? It'd be appropriate as he was traded to the Mets in 1973.

You see this cat Millan is a bad mother: Millan got into a famous brawl with Pirates catcher Ed Ott in 1977. After Ott slid hard into Millan trying to break up a double play, Millan shouted at Ott and hit him with the baseball. It didn't turn out to be a smart bad-ass move because Ott drilled Millan to the ground, injuring his shoulder and ending his career.

Shut your mouth: What Ott was probably saying when he sent Millan to the turf.

No one understands him but his woman: Millan and the Mets lost to the A's in 7 games in the 1973 World Series. Millan still blames himself somewhat for the Mets' defeat, saying he didn't play well. Millan made a crucial error in Game 1 of the Series that led to two unearned runs and a 2-1 Mets loss.


(A word about the back): There's a mathematical error in Millan's write-up. Millan's lifetime batting average at the time was .284 and he hit .310 in 1970. That means he topped his lifetime batting average by 26 points, not 37.

6 comments:

  1. It all depends on the average at the beginning of 1970. It's possible that Millan was batting .273 and that his 1970 performance brought his lifetime mark to .284.

    The single-year stats don't show that, though.

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  2. I guess that's what the write-up meant as his lifetime batting average was .273 after the 1969 season. But that's not the way I read it. (The write-up isn't specific enough).

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  3. It certainly looks like Shea.

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  4. I was told there would be no math.

    The Mets led that '73 series 3 games to 2 and led in game 6, it certainly wasn't his fault they lost.

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  5. Yup, Topps is located in NYC. NL pix tended to be taken at Shea back then, AL at Yankee Stadium.

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