1977 Topps Baseball #67 - Joaquin Andujar

• Joaquin Andujar was an effective pitcher who was known more for his temper than for his pitching prowess.
• Joaquin started pitching in the minors in the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1970, when he was 17 years old.
• Andujar continued to toil in the minors until he was traded to the Houston Astros for two minor leaguers after the 1975 season.
• He got his chance to pitch in the majors with the Astros in 1976 and in his rookie season went 9-10 with a 3.60 ERA in 25 starts.
• In 1977
• In 1978 Andujar was off to a good start (3-4, 3.07 ERA) when he pulled a left leg muscle on June 17. He was out until July 30. After he came back, Andujar was a reliever for the remainder of the season. Joaquin ended up with a 5-7 record, four saves, and a 3.42 ERA.
• Joaquin shuffled between the bullpen and the rotation in 1979. He made two starts and 18 relief appearances in the first two months of the season, then was a starter until early September. Andujar pitched well enough to be selected to the NL All Star team. Joaquin pitched the second and third innings and allowed two runs. Andujar was 12-12 with a 3.43 ERA in the 1979 season.
• Andujar almost was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bill Robinson before the 1980 season. The trade fell through and Joaquin stayed with Houston. Joaquin was inconsistent in 1980 and was 3-8 with a 3.91 ERA in 35 games (14 starts). Joaquin made one appearance in the 1980 NLCS and earned the save in game 2.
• In 1981 Andujar started slowly with the Astros. He was 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 7 for Tony Scott. Andujar pitched better (6-1, 3.74 ERA) after the trade.
• Joaquin became a full-time starter for the Cardinals in 1982 and he proved he belonged there. In the regular season Andujar was 15-10 with a 2.47 ERA and finished 7th in NL Cy Young Award voting. Joaquin was selected as NL Pitcher of the Month for September after he went 5-0 during the month. He started and won game 3 of the NLCS and then won games 3 and 7 of the World Series. After the 7th inning of game 7 of the World Series Andujar had to be restrained from going after Milwaukee infielder Jim Gantner after Gantner called Joaquin a "hot dog."
• Andujar had a reversal of fortune in 1984. His record slipped to 6-16 and his ERA rose to 4.16 ERA.
• Joaquin had his best season in 1984. He led the NL with 20 wins and 4 shutouts. Andujar went 20-14 with a 3.34 ERA, finished 4th in NL Cy Young Award voting, won a Gold Glove, and was selected to the NL All Star team (he didn't pitch in the game).
• Andujar had a near carbon copy of his 1984 season in 1985. He went 21-12 with a 3.40 ERA and finished 4th in NL Cy Young Award voting. Joaquin was selected to his fourth NL All Star team but didn't pitch in the game. He felt insulted because NL manager Dick Williams said he wouldn't name a starter until after Friday's games. Joaquin felt that he shouldn't have had to prove himself and that his 15-3 record should speak for itself. He also led the NL in hit batsmen for the second year in a row.
• Joaquin fell off during the second half of the 1985 season and he wasn't able to turn things around in the postseason. He started two games in the NLCS and was 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA. He started and lost game 3 of the World Series and then was involved in an ugly incident during game 7. He was put in the game in the 5th inning to mop up as the Kansas City Royals had a big lead. He and umpire Don Denkinger got into a shouting match after a disputed pitch call and Joaquin and Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog were eventually ejected from the game.
• After the 1985 season Andujar was traded to the Oakland A's for Mike Heath and Tim Conroy.
• In 1986 Andujar was 13-7 with a 3.82 ERA. It was his last full season. Joaquin missed about six weeks with an injury in June and July.
• Andujar started only 13 games in 1987 and didn't pitch after August 3. He ended up with a 3-5 record and a 6.08 ERA. Joaquin became a free agent after the 1987 season and signed with the Astros.
• Joaquin made 23 appearances (10 of them starts) in 1988 and was 2-5 with a 4.00 ERA. Andujar also spent some time in the minors as he tried to recover from rib and knee injuries.  He became a free agent after the season but wasn't signed by anyone.
• Andujar pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989 and then signed with the Montreal Expos for the 1990 season. He didn't make the ballclub in spring training and retired.
• After his retirement from baseball Joaquin started a trucking company in the Domincan Republic and has been involved in youth baseball programs there.

• 1977 Stats:
• Regular Season: 11-8, 3.69 ERA in 26 games (25 starts)
• Was selected for the NL team, but did not pitch (injury)
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 9 - Pitched a three hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves in his first start of the season.
• April 28 - Earned the win as he allowed five hits and one run in 8 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants. The Astros won 3-1.
• May 6 - Participated in a brawl against the St. Louis Cardinals. Umpire Billy Williams had to be restrained from retaliating against Joaquin after he swung wildly during the fight.
• July 14 - Pulled a hamstring muscle and had to be carried off the field. The injury cost Andujar the chance to pitch in the All Star Game and he would be sidelined until September.
• Other card blogs: none