 |
 |
Lawrence Donald Bearnarth
New York Mets
Pitcher
Born: September 11, 1941, New York, NY
Signed: Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams: New York Mets 1963-1966; Milwaukee Brewers 1971
Died: December 31, 1999, Seminole, FL (age 58)
Larry Bearnarth peaked during his rookie season of 1963 with the Mets, going 3-8 with a 3.42 ERA over a career-high 126 1/3 innings pitched. That Mets team lost 111 times and Bearnarth was the pitching staff's games pitched leader with 58 appearances and saves leader with four. He'd return to the Mets bullpen over the next three seasons, solidifying the team's beleaguered bullpen and occasionally missing time due to a lingering arm injury. Bearnarth was demoted to the minors in mid-1966, and he'd spend the next four full seasons pitching regularly for the Mets' top farm team without a promotion to the majors. Following the 1970 season, he was sold to the Brewers and he'd make just two appearances with Milwaukee in 1971. Over 173 big league games, Bearnarth was 13-21 with a 4.13 ERA and eight saves.
He stayed in baseball following his playing days, latching on with the Montreal Expos as a major and minor league pitching coach between 1976 and 1991. In 1993, he was named the first pitching coach in Colorado Rockies franchise history and he also scouted for the Tigers in the late 1990s.
Building the Set
June 5, 2021 from Tomball, TX - Card #304
To celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer, I took advantage of a 15% Memorial Day Weekend sale hosted by one of my favorite dealers, The Battersbox, from Tomball, Texas. With the second series now complete, I spent an enjoyable hour or so over the long (and rainy) holiday weekend picking 20 commons from the third series to add to our set. The package of cards arrived on June 5th and in total, the lot cost me a little more than $63. This Bearnarth card cost a little less than $1.50 after applying the sales discount.
The Card / Mets Team Set
This is the third of four appearances for Bearnarth in Topps flagship sets. We'll probably never know the identify of the mystery Mets player running in the background as Bearnarth posed for his photo. His quick rise to the majors is highlighted on the back of the card.
1965 Season
Bearnarth began the 1965 season dealing with a right arm injury and was used sparingly by manager Casey Stengel (#187) over the first month of the season. He then went on a hot streak between May and June, but faltered again in July. With Stengel retiring mid-season, new manager Wes Westrum began tinkering with the Mets roster and Bearnarth was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo. He made six appearances for the Bisons before returning to the Mets when rosters expanded in September. Pitching in 40 games, and despite his brief demotion, Bearnarth still led all Mets relievers in appearances. He went 3-5 with a 4.60 ERA over 60 2/3 innings pitched, saving a game.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #386
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1963-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #61
28 - Bearnarth non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/13/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
June 5, 2021 from Tomball, TX - Card #304
To celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer, I took advantage of a 15% Memorial Day Weekend sale hosted by one of my favorite dealers, The Battersbox, from Tomball, Texas. With the second series now complete, I spent an enjoyable hour or so over the long (and rainy) holiday weekend picking 20 commons from the third series to add to our set. The package of cards arrived on June 5th and in total, the lot cost me a little more than $63. This Bearnarth card cost a little less than $1.50 after applying the sales discount.
The Card / Mets Team Set
This is the third of four appearances for Bearnarth in Topps flagship sets. We'll probably never know the identify of the mystery Mets player running in the background as Bearnarth posed for his photo. His quick rise to the majors is highlighted on the back of the card.
1965 Season
Bearnarth began the 1965 season dealing with a right arm injury and was used sparingly by manager Casey Stengel (#187) over the first month of the season. He then went on a hot streak between May and June, but faltered again in July. With Stengel retiring mid-season, new manager Wes Westrum began tinkering with the Mets roster and Bearnarth was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo. He made six appearances for the Bisons before returning to the Mets when rosters expanded in September. Pitching in 40 games, and despite his brief demotion, Bearnarth still led all Mets relievers in appearances. He went 3-5 with a 4.60 ERA over 60 2/3 innings pitched, saving a game.
|
|
|
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #386
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1963-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #61
28 - Bearnarth non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/13/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
We may not know that mystery player on his '65 card, but that's Ed Kranepool making an appearance on his '66 card.
ReplyDelete