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1968 Topps Reds Rookie Stars (#384) - Card of the Day
Bill Henry signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees in 1964 at the age of 22.
That same year, Bill Henry went 2-2 with an amazing 0.87 ERA in 37 relief appearances for the Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds then traded Henry to the Giants for Jim Duffalo in May of 1965. Meanwhile, Henry was busy putting up a 12-8 record in rookie ball and Single A for the Yanks.
Henry rewarded the Giants for their interest in 1966 with a 1-1 record and 2.45 ERA, while Henry started 26 games for the Double-A Columbus Confederate Yankees.
Then, in September of a lost season in which they finished last, the Yankees called up Henry. He pitched three innings of hitless, shutout relief in two appearances over the next few days.
That was enough to get him promoted to Triple A in 1967 at the age of 25, while 39-year-old Bill Henry turned in another sterling (mostly) relief performance for the Giants: 2-0, 2.08 ERA in 28 appearances that included a single start.
Before that 1967 season was fully done, though, the Yankees traded Henry to the Reds for Len Boehmer. That set up the lefty for a potential run at a roster spot in Cincinnati in 1968.
Topps was convinced enough that he had a shot that they anointed him a Reds Rookie Star, right alongside young Hal McRae. That’s the pairing you see up above, on 1968 Topps card number 384.
But Henry spent all of 1968 at Double A and Triple A for the Reds, posting a combined 4.09 ERA in 25 games, including 13 starts.
On the west coast, Henry started to sputter at age 40, struggling to 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA before the Giants sold his rights to the Pirates in June. Henry couldn’t right the ship in Pittsburgh, though, and the Bucs released him in August.
Henry remained on the shelf until the Astros signed him in May of 1969, only to release him in June after he pitched five scoreless innings across three games.
His career in pro ball was done.
On the other hand, Bill Henry was still stuck at Double A for the Reds, and he put up a dreadful 1-9 record for the Asheville Tourists. Not so dreadful was his 3.08 ERA.
But Henry was 27 years old by that point, and his prospect days were behind him. So, too, it turned out, was his professional baseball career.
And so it was that baseball’s two Bill Henrys, who came within a few years and a lucky break here or there from crossing paths as Reds, converged on the same path as the 1960s came to a close.
The first Bill Henry was born in 1927 and died in 2014. Here’s what he looked like in his heyday with the Reds:
The second Bill Henry was born on February 15, 1942 — 82 years ago today. He passed away on January 29, 2022, just days from his eightieth birthday.
You already know what he looked like with the Reds…er, rather, what he looked like with an airbrushed Yankees cap on a Reds card.
They Call Him “3-D” McRae
The Reds traded McRae and Wayne Simpson to the Royals in November of 1972 for Roger Nelson and Richie Scheinblum.
Kansas City got McRae into 100 games for the first time, but his bat took a bit of time to come alive. By 1974, though, splitting time between designated hitter and the outfield, McRae found his groove: .310, 15 home runs, 88 RBI.
That garnered him some MVP consideration and lit up the hobby radar — to the extent that McRae started appearing in “special” sets for the first time the next year.
That’s him above, swimming in blue, on card #53 in the 1975 Kellogg’s set. With a checklist of just 57 cards, that appearance put McRae in some exclusive company. He’d only build on his superstar profile over the next several seasons.
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Say…
How did your Valentine’s Day work out?
Did you get a dozen Roses?
Did you lose your (Jim Ray) Hart to Cupid (Childs)?
And did you get your fill of (Rick) Sweet(s)?
However it went down, the good news is that ol’ St. Valentine marks just about the last winter hurdle before baseball swoops in to save us with its warmth once again.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go dust off some old Street & Smith’s memories.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam