Monday, January 29, 2018

no. 748 - john purdin


Who is the man: John Purdin spent all of the 1970 season with Triple A Spokane and Hawaii as he played in the Dodgers and Angels organizations.

Can ya dig it: Here is another super high-numbered guy who is actually wearing a Dodgers uniform. Purdin's only major league time came with the Dodgers. He hadn't appeared in a Topps set since 1969, when he was with L.A. Also, he is airbrushed into an old White Sox cap since Chicago changed to red-themed uniforms in 1971, which was reflected on Chuck Tanner's card earlier in the set. (It's also the fourth straight airbrushed White Sox card).

Right on: It's quite the eerie background. I'm not sure what time of day that photo was taken. Night? Dusk?

You see that cat Purdin is a bad mother: John Purdin threw a two-hit shutout against the Cubs two weeks into his first year in the majors in September 1964.

Shut your mouth: Purdin had already made his final major league appearance ... in 1969 ... by the time this card was released.

No one understands him but his woman: Purdin's move from the Dodgers to the Angels continues to be listed as an unknown transaction (and an approximate date) on his baseball-reference page, even though all of the blanks were filled in here. Who do we need to contact at baseball-reference to get this straightened out?


(A word about the back): Tanner seemed to like Purdin, but Purdin didn't make the team out of spring training.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for the linkup! This might even be a Spokane Indians uniform, like what is pictured on Fred Norman;s 1970 card.

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  2. Night Owl, there is a link (near the bottom of the page I think) in Baseball-Reference.com where you can submit corrections. Just be sure you are on Purdin's page before clicking on the link.

    (I have submitted several corrections over the years.)

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