1990 Classic Randy Myers Blazed Like the Sun
But couldn't hold a candle to the Nasty Boy's fastball/slider combo
1990 Classic Yellow Randy Myers (#T18)
Fernando Rodney is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2025. And, even though it’s still tough to tell exactly what Cooperstown voters are looking for when it comes to picking a plaque-worthy closer, it’s probably safe to say we should enjoy Rodney’s run while we can.
With a 48-71 record, 3.80 ERA, 327 saves, and 7.4 WAR over 17 seasons in the big leagues, Rodney ranks as the 326th best relief pitcher in history, by measure of JAWS.
But, hey, at least he spread the love around to eleven different major league franchises. He also had a pretty sweet swan song, winning the 2019 World Series as a member of the Washington Nationals (despite a 9.00 ERA in the Fall Classic).
Randy Myers, on the other hand, pitched for “only” six different teams and rang up 15.1 WAR on the strength of a 44-63 record, 347 saves, and a 3.19 ERA in 14 years. That leaves Myers as the seventh most similar pitcher to Rodney, according to Baseball Reference’s Similarity Scores.
Myers also caught the last train of the 1980s out of Queens headed for the Queen City when the Mets traded him and Kip Gross to the Reds for Don Brown and John Franco in December of 1989.
Both teams had underperformed that summer. The Reds were reeling from the Pete Rose debacle, and the Mets couldn’t pull themselves past the Cardinals in the east. This was essentially a swap of closers, though Myers had shared some of that duty in New York with Roger McDowell and Rick Aguilera.
What followed was a lesson in the old real estate adage: Location! Location! Location!
While both the Mets and Reds finished 91-71 in 1990, the Mets fell four games short of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the old National League East. Franco assumed his presumed position as lockdown closer for the Mets, saving 33 games to lead the N.L.
Meanwhile, the Reds led the West wire-to-wire and won the division by five games over the Dodgers. Myers saved 31 games for the Reds while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings and putting up a stingy 2.08 ERA. But the lefty was just half of the Reds’ two-headed closer machine, and Rob Dibble was arguably even better: 8-3, 1.74 ERA, 11 saves, 12.5 K/9.
Add Norm Charlton to the mix, and you had the vaunted Nasty Boys who helped the Reds run that table that October and win their first Fall Classic since 1976 (and still their most recent title).
Of course, Reds fans and collectors were stuck looking at Myers’ sometimes-mustachioed mug adorned in Mets blue and orange on our baseball cards that summer. Late in the year, though, once the champagne was dry and chants of “Wire-to-Wire-to-Wire” were emanating from WLW broadcasts, we got to see our new favorite left-handed closer in proper attire.
Myers was in most of the year-end sets, including Topps Traded, Fleer Update, and the Upper Deck Hi Series, but he was also part of a set that fit the era like a custom batting glove.
The 1990 Classic set was the fourth issue made ostensibly to accompany the MLB board game by the same name — Classic. The game was/is fun, but of course most collectors wanted the cards for the cards.
There were three versions of 1990 Classic:
The base set of 150 cards featured blue borders with pink accents.
The “red” update featured 50 cards with red borders and blue accents.
The “yellow” update featured 100 cards with yellow borders and blue accents.
The yellows are where we find Myer with the Reds, looking sunny and dominant, even if the card itself might be a presage to the gag-me 1991 Fleer design. Interestingly, both update sets feature some players who didn’t do anything to warrant an update other than not making the base set. George Brett and Don Mattingly are prominent examples.
Myers spent just one more season in Cincinnati before continuing his tour of the majors, with stops in San Diego, Chicago (Cubs), Baltimore, and Toronto.
Five years after he hung up his spikes, Myers appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first and only time, picking up just a single vote in 2004. From the vantage point of an eyewitness to the 1990 dominance of Myers and his bullpen mates, Rodney will be hard-pressed to match even that meager showing.
I remember the Classic cards were sold heavily on TV by "The Home Shopping Network". The hosts pushed those cards hard like a car salesman! Everything was rare, limited edition, sure to increase in value and limited stock so call now before they are sold out!