Monday, September 10, 2012

1971 Topps Merv Rettenmund - From a Different Perspective

In looking at some ebay auctions for Orioles photos, I came across this shot of Merv Rettenmund that looked very familiar:



While I can't say definitively, it sure looks like the picture above was taken just a second or two before the picture that was used on Merv's 1971 Topps card from a slightly different angle:


The one thing in the photo that makes me think its the same play is the fact that the way Merv is wearing his stirrups appear to be identical.  On his right leg, part of the black stripe is showing in the front, but not in the back in both photos.  On the left leg, just a small part of the black stripe appears in both shots.  In both photos Yankees 3rd baseman Jerry Kenney has his sunglasses glasses flipped up.  Hardly conclusive evidence, but enough to make me think its the same play.

In trying to pinpoint the game where these photos were taken, I believe it would have been August 9, 1970 at Yankee Stadium.  In the 7th inning, Rettenmund led off the inning with a double, then went to 3rd on a ground ball hit by Andy Etchebarren, and later scored on a single by Mark Belanger.  In looking at the scoreboard behind Merv, you can see a 1 for the visiting team.  The Orioles did score 1 run in the first and the Yankees did not score until the 7th, so the scoreboard appears to confirm that this is the correct game.

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