Who is the man: Woodie Fryman completed his third season with the Phillies in 1970, spending more time in the bullpen than in previous years because of arm problems.
Can ya dig it: A diamond-cut card like this one seems to fit Fryman's quirky personality.
Right on: I identify Fryman so much with the Expos that it's odd to see him in a Phillies uniform (or Tigers or Pirates uniform).
You see that cat Fryman is a bad mother: At age 41, Fryman recorded a 1.88 ERA in 35 games of relief for the Expos in 1981.
Shut your mouth: During one game, Fryman gave up a winning home run to Joe Lis in the 10th inning. Lis, who was a friend of Fryman's, invited Fryman over for dinner. "I got even with him, though," Fryman said. "I ate him out of house and home."
No one understands him but his woman: Topps refers to Fryman as "Woody" on his cards in 1967, 1968 and 1969. I suppose you can't blame them though. The signature on Fryman's 1967 card reads "Woody."
(A word about the back): Fryman's shutout streak to start his career lasted 9 1/3 innings in which he allowed just three hits.
When Fryman joined the Phillies in 1968, he was given #22.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Phillies got their new-style uniforms in 1970 he switched to #35, because they renumbered everyone as follows:
Coaching staff 1-5
Catchers 6-9
Infielders 10-19
Outfielders 20-29
Pitchers 30-49
After 1969, most veterans on the team were gone, with only Tony Taylor (8) and Johnny Briggs (12) keeping their previous numbers that were contrary to the numbering scheme. Holdovers Fryman, Don Money, Larry Hisle, and Ron Stone all got new numbers.
Without yearly stats on the back, it's impossible to tell which team he pitched for as a rookie. The copywriters should have taken that into account and added that instead of a sentence about a trade that occurred 3 1/2 years earlier.
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