Ties to my personal collections: He'd go on to play with the Mets, and get some cards with them in the mid 2000's.
Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 13
Wiki-facts: "Hernández’s success in the 1986 season put little known USCA on the map for professional scouts. USCA would later refurbish and rename their baseball field after him".
Google it: While the first item is for this pitcher, the main image is of the former Fausto Carmona.
How was his strike-shortened 1994? Went 4-4, with a 4.91 ERA and 14 Saves.
Wiki-facts: "Alex Fernandez was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 13, 2008."
Google it: He's the second Alex Fernandez to appear, following actor Alex Fernandez (Commander in Chief, Without a Trace)
How was his strike shortened 1994? 11-7 with a 3.86 ERA.
Birthday boy: August 13, 1969. Nobody in the *-reference.com was born that date. Staying in the world of athletics though, figure skater Midori Ito was born that date. There was also a ticker tape parade in New York City that date, not for the arrival of Alex or Midori, but for the Apollo 11 astronauts.
Front photo: Making a tag from a sprawling position.
Back photo: Fielding a grounder.
Better photo?: The front photo is definitely a unique one for cards, especially for a non-catcher. The photo is a tad blurry, though.
Ties to my personal collections: None.
Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 14
Wiki-facts: "Cora took over as interim manager for the Miami Marlins on April 10, 2012 in the wake of Ozzie Guillen's 5-game suspension for comments related to Fidel Castro." I have to admit I didn't think I'd be referencing Castro is any of these entries.
Google it: After Hurricane Maria, Joey has been writing messages referencing Puerto Rico on his helmet. He's the 3rd base coach in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2017/09/26/Joey-Cora-s-helmet-P-R-needs-your-help-Pirates-Hurricane-Maria/stories/201709260209
How was his stike shortened 1994? 2 HR, 30 RBI with a .276 average in his last season with the White Sox.
Birthday boy: May 14, 1965. Isidro Marquez, who pitched in a handful of games in 1995 for the White Sox was the second MLBer born that date. There were 3 future NFLers that came into the world as well on 5/14/65, Dave Widell, Kelvin Martin and Darren Twombly. There's nobody else in the *-reference world from that date, but Irish author Eoin Colfer was also born that date.
Better photo?: If I had to pick between these two rather blah options, I'd select the back just for the visible patch.
Ties to my personal collections: Nothing.
Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 7
Wiki-facts: "Bere and his high school sweetheart, Dinelle (née Erwin), were married in November 1994"
Google it: He's now the bullpen coach in Cleveland, the team he played his last games for.
How was his strike-shortened 1994? Really good. Was an all-star, finishing with a 12-2 record and a 3.81 ERA. Then the injuries hit, and for the next 3 years with the White Sox, he had only 12 more wins.
Birthday boy: May 26, 1971. I can find a tie to my personal collections here, as he shares the day with Kitchener Rangers alum Steven Rice. Also born that date was Matt Stone of South Park fame.
Front photo: I'd call this an autograph shot, but there's no sign of a pen, or ink on the ball. I'll call this more of a "show off a grip" photo.
Back photo: Pitching close-up.
Better photo?: The photo on the front is more Collector's Choice-y, so I'll vote for that. It is also the photo so far that could conceivably show up as "Exhibit A" at some point.
Ties to my personal collections: No direct ones, but I still hunted down some of his early Donruss cards. His first game, and his only game of the 1989 season, saw him fail to record an out, and get an ERA of infinity. As for his second start, read on.
Paragraphs in wikipedia entry: 8
Wiki-facts: "Alvarez provided one of the highlights of the 1991 Chicago White Sox season on August 11, by pitching a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium in only his second Major League start."
Google it: At the bottom of the first page, you can see this video of a diving catch by Lance Johnson to save that no-hitter.
How was his strike-shortened 1994? Pretty good. 12-8 with an ERA of 3.45.
Birthday boy: March 24, 1970. No other MLBer was born that date. One season NBAer Marques Bragg was. Also, Mike Vanderjagt, former "idiot kicker" (tm: Peyton Manning) was born that day.
