What better way to ring in the new year than to show off a card that I got way back in October of last year that has been sitting on my desk collecting dust the way we all obsessively collect cardboard?

1974 Topps #207 Strikeout Leaders

This was the final card that I needed to kill off my 1974 Mets team set. I don’t know if all team collectors include League Leader cards as part of their team sets, but I do. Hell, I’ve even been know to include the 2010 A.L. Home Run Leaders card in my team set because it had Jason Bay on it, even though he was shown not only in the wrong uniform, but in the wrong league. It also gave a nod to a feat that he pulled of before he even got to the Mets, if you want to call coming in 3rd in homers a “feat”. Okay, so maybe that particular example is a little crazy, but I make no apologies for Tom Terrific. It was the third time in his career that he would lead the National League in wiffs, as well as the 3rd time he appeared on a Topps Strikeout Leaders card. He came in 2nd in strikeouts to Lefty Carlton in 1972, but for the 1973 set, Topps started to show only the number 1 guy on their league leader cards.

As you can see on the back, Seaver racked up 251 K’s in 1973, which was his 6th season in a row of 200 or more strikeouts. He kept that up for another 3 seasons after that for a Major League record 9 consecutive seasons topping 200 strikeouts. Of course, Tom’s impressive 251 punchouts are dwarfed by his former teammate’s 383 (as well as his 2nd of 3 consecutive years of 300 or more K’s), but hey, who’s counting?

Anyway, that was the last card that I needed to fill out my 1974 Mets team set, which officially makes it the 2nd oldest Mets team set that I’ve crossed off. It also happens to be the year that I was birthed, so that makes it a little bit cooler, although I’m sure how I feel about the year I was born being the 2nd oldest anything.

Tags: 1974 Topps, league leader card, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver
Filed Under: Some Cards by slangon
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