Terry Pendleton's Almost Triumphant Homecoming

And a tie to the "dark days" of the hobby

1997 Topps Terry Pendleton (#319) - Card of the Day

Anyone who watched the thrilling pennant races and postseason unfold in 1991 remembers the key role Terry Pendleton played in all the fireworks that year.

Signed as a free agent by the last-place Atlanta Braves after the 1990, Pendleton entered his age-30 season as a two-time Gold Glove third baseman and a human sparkplug in the Kirby Puckett mold who had helped the Cardinals win two National League pennants.

But unlike Puck, Pendleton was no superstar and had never even made an All-Star team.

Half that equation changed in 1991, as Pendleton won the National League batting title with a .319 average while swatting 22 home runs and driving in 86 as the Braves shocked the baseball world to win their first division title since 1982.

Pendleton’s bat went missing during the NLCS against the Pirates, but he hit a Ty Cobb-esque .367 with two home runs in a seven-game losing effort to Puckett and the Twins in the World Series.

For his troubles, Pendleton was named NL MVP after the season, and a strong follow-up in 1992 secured his first — and only — All-Star appearance.

Pendleton stuck with the Braves until the strike that ended the 1994 season in August and then signed a free agent deal with the Marlins before the 1995 season. In Florida, Pendleton hit a solid .290 in 1995 before sliding to .251 through 111 games in 1996.

On August 13, with the Marlins nine games under .500 and a whopping 18-and-a-half out of first in the National League East, they decided to flip Pendleton for a younger player they thought might help them down the line.

It was a straight-up swap of Pendleton for Roosevelt Brown…with the division-leading Braves. Back in Atlanta, the returning hero played in 42 games down the stretch, taking over at third base for Chipper Jones, who had shifted to shortstop when Jeff Blauser went down with an injury.

Pendleton’s batting line wasn’t too inspiring — .204, four home runs, 17 RBI. But he locked down the hot corner well enough and allowed the Braves to continue on cruise control, winning the division by eight games over the Montreal Expos.

Pendleton played all through October, too, though the returns at the plate were nil — 2-for-16 (.125) with only one extra-base hit, a double in the World Series. The Braves lost that Fall Classic in six games to the Yankees.

The next year, our Topps packs felt a little like going home because there was always the chance we could pull Pendleton at #319, dancing around third for the Braves, just like old times.

That offseason, Pendleton signed with the Reds, but they released him in July of 1997 after a blah 50 games. He sat on the shelf until the next January, when the Royals picked him up.

Pendleton started the 1998 season with Kansas City and played off and on all summer long before taking his major league curtain call on September 25.

While his Atlanta homecoming in 1996 didn’t pan out quite the way the Braves and Pendleton had hoped, it came pretty darn close. And it proved, yet again, that you can, indeed, go home again.

In baseball, at least.

Just ask Pete Rose.

And Barry Bonds.

And Ken Griffey Jr. (sort of — he should have stayed in Seattle).

And Dave Parker.

And Billy Martin.

And, yes, Terry Pendleton.

Leather and Lacey — and Especially Wood

Pendleton played a big role in the outcome of his very first big league game in 1984. For one thing, he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored when the Giants came to town that July 18th.

For another, he came to bat with one out and two on in the bottom of the 11th with the score tied 4-4. Pendleton technically grounded out to catcher Steve Nicosia, who stepped on the plate to retire lead runner Tom Herr…but that was the only play.

The next batter, Darrell Porter, took Giants reliever Bob Lacey deep — a walkoff grand slam. Scoring ahead of Porter and Pendleton were Andy Van Slyke and George Hendrick as the Cards won 8-4.

As for Lacey, he graced the very first card I ever pulled from a pack, or at least so I claimed during Spring Training of 2020. It was definitely some drab-green-drenched A’s pitcher.

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Hope your week has been, and continues to be, at least a bit less drab-green.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam

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