1977 Topps Baseball #184 - Bo McLaughlin

• This was Bo McLaughlin's first card. McLaughlin was the Houston Astros' first round draft pick in 1975. Bo spent 1975 and part of 1976 in the minors before getting brought up in July 1976. Bo pitched well as a rookie -- he was 4-5 with one save and had a 2.85 ERA in 17 games (11 starts)
• In 1977 Bo stepped into the rotation for a few weeks in May and June, but he was a reliever for the remainder of the season.
• McLaughlin spent most of the 1978 season in AAA. He was brought up for a month in June/July and had an 0-1 record with one save and a 5.01 ERA in 13 games (1 start)
• Bo started the 1979 season with Houston (1-2, 5.51 ERA in 12 games) and was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Frank LaCorte on May 25. McLaughlin was 0-1 with a 4.89 ERA in 37 games (1 start) for the Braves to finish the 1979 season.
• McLaughlin was in the minors for the 1980 season. He only pitched in seven games before a neck injury put him on the shelf.
• Bo was released in February 1981. He tried out with the Oakland A's and made the ballclub. McLaughlin pitched in seven games before he was hit in the face by a line drive on May 26. Bo missed several months, but was able to come back in September to pitch four games. McLaughlin ended up with an 0-0 record with one save and had a 11.57 ERA. 
• McLaughlin's last season in the majors was 1982. Bo pitched in 21 games (2 starts) and was 0-4 with a 4.84 ERA. 
• Bo pitched in AAA for three more seasons and retired after the 1985 season. He was out of baseball for several years working as a real estate broker but came back to the game as a coach in the early 1990s. Bo has had several coaching positions since that time. McLaughlin is now the pitching coach for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Here is a Q&A article with Bo.
• 1977 Stats: 4-7, 5 saves, 4.25 ERA, 46 games (6 starts)
• 1977 Highlights:
• May 4 - Pitched a scoreless 11th inning and earned the save in Houston's 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
• July 14 - Struck out John Hale (the only batter he faced) to save the victory for starter Joaquin Andujar as the Astros beat the LA Dodgers 4-3.
• Other card  blogs: 1980