I forgot who suggested this 1956 Paul Minner card (if you’re reading this, ‘fess up!) but it’s a good one. Rather unusual too.
Lefty Minner finished out his career with the Cubs in ‘56 and didn’t do so hot from the bump. He had a 2-5 record with a 6.89 ERA. However at the plate, he contributed by going 3 for 12 with all three hits going for extra bases. He hit two doubles and a triple.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 Totals | 10 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .250 | .250 | .583 | .833 |
Minner’s 1956 card is one of rare few that has a 51-0. That’s right, a total of nine zeros. After that, he gets a 31-23 since he didn’t hit any singles for the Cubs. His second column has twelve 2s with the remainder being 6s.
Fun numbers: 51-0, 25-0, 15-0 (yes, he’s pretty one-dimensional)
Minner’s offensive exploits weren’t limited to 1956. In his 10-year career in which he accumulated 447 at-bats, he hit 19 doubles, 4 triples and 6 homers. He drove in 43 runs and scored 46. Not bad for a pitcher.
And despite his league leading 17 losses in 1951, he wasn’t a half bad pitcher. The following three years he won in double digits. He also had a penchant for good control with 2.7 BB/9IP in his career.
Has there ever been another player with 0’s in the 15, 25 or 51 spot? Usually a great hitter will get the 7 there, but I guess with the lower AVG and high SLG and OPS is the reason.