Jim Dwyer, 1985 Fleer #176

When you're hot, you're hot. Take the Orioles, who head into the All-Star Break having won their first road series of any kind since last September. By sweeping the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, they've also got their first four-game road sweep since 1995 and their first four-game sweep at Texas since 1976. Maybe July will be kinder to the O's than April, May, and June were.

July was a good month for Jim Dwyer - July 1983, to be specific. The veteran outfielder made his mark with the Orioles as a pinch hit specialist, but he actually started a dozen of the 15 games he played for the club that month. Manager Joe Altobelli was wise to use him more frequently, because he was scorching. In 48 trips to the plate, Jim had nine walks, 18 hits, eight doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 17 RBI. He scored 14 times and batted .474 with a .574 on-base percentage and a 1.053 slugging percentage! The Birds, who would go on to win the World Series that year, went 11-4 with Dwyer making appearances in July. At the time, he set a record for the best batting average in a single month in major league history. A few players have passed him since, but his otherworldly performance is still fifth-best all-time.

Today you can still see Jim in a professional baseball capacity down in Fort Myers, FL, where he has been the hitting coach for Minnesota's Class A affiliate (the Miracle) since 2006.