Friday, June 24, 2016

no. 546 - john matias


Who is the man: John Matias played his only season in the major leagues in 1970. He appeared in 58 games for the White Sox, batting .188.

Can ya dig it: Matias was traded from the White Sox to the Royals in October 1970. It's convenient that the White Sox wore light blue colors at the time because all Topps did was airbrush Matias' cap.

Right on: Matias' hands are strategically blocking any sign of Chicago White Sox lettering on the person behind him.

You see that cat Matias is a bad mother: Matias, a Hawaiian native, hit four home runs in four at-bats during the high school state championship game in 1962. It was such a big deal in Hawaii that the Honolulu Advertiser did a story on it 42 years later.

Shut your mouth: Matias returned to Hawaii after his career and remains there. He said of his 4-home run game, "Every time I run into someone, they swear they were at that game."

No one understands him but his woman: Matias' two career home runs both came against the Oakland A's.


(A word about the back): Matias seemed to be a streaky hitter. During the 1970 season, he went 8-for-12 in three games in late May.

1 comment:

  1. That makes him 14-for-105 the rest of the season, or .133.

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