The Miami Marlins, that is. This picture was taken in 1968 when Jim was working his way back from arm injuries that significantly limited his time with the Orioles in 1967 and 1968.The Marlins were the Orioles' Class A minor league team in the Florida State League. Jim had played for the Marlins for part of the 1967 season (5 games), and returned for 2 games in 1968. It looks like Jim got to keep his #22 when he was down in the minors.
As the caption on back of the Sporting News photo indicates, in 1968 Palmer was considered a "former Baltimore hurler"
which was a long way from his World Series heroics only 2 seasons earlier:
Jim didn't pitch a single inning for the Orioles in 1968, which explains why he was not included on this card in the 1969 Topps set:
Fortunately Jim was able to rehabilitate his arm during his stint back down in the minors and went on be one of the best pitchers of the 1970's:
3 comments:
Very cool history. Love the stories behind these old photos. Next season it will take some adjusting to call the Marlins the "Miami" Marlins.
Who are the other two Marlins in the photo with Palmer?
Marcelino Lopez is on the left, and Greg Arnold is in the middle.
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