The newest inductee to the Aardvark Attic of Appreciation is none other than Quincy, Illinois native Rick “Big Daddy” Reuschel. While pitching for the Chicago Cubs, Rick and his older brother Paul once combined to shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers 7 to 0, and remain the only siblings to have pulled off such a feat in the history of Major League Baseball. Just a couple of farm boys tossing a ball in the sun! How kool is baseball?
That infamous combined shutout was hurled on August 21, 1975, providing me with the only excuse I need to post a scan of Rick’s 1975 Topps baseball card (no. 153) that he recently autographed and dropped into the mail for me.
Reuschel spent 19 years in baseball, compiling a record of 214-191 in 557 games. More than a quarter of Rick’s 102 career complete games were shutouts. Reuschel’s career essentially had two phases. First, pitching for the Cubs, Rick won at least 10 games each season from 1972 thru 1980. Rick then returned from a rotator cuff injury that many felt would end his career in the early 1980s and pitched effectively in New York, Pittsburgh and San Francisco before hanging up his leather glove between his pair of gold ones and returning to the farm.
Rick Reuschel is scheduled to celebrate his 60th birthday on May 16, 2009. If you aren’t doing anything, you should send him a card and wish him well. I recommend including this one (as well as an SASE obviously).
– Kris
Tags: 75 Topps, Attic of Appreciation, autographs, Kris, ttm
Cards in the Attic 
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