Happy 71st birthday to Andy Etchebarren, the George Clooney of the Orioles. But Etch is more than just a pretty face. He was an All-Star in each of his first two full big league seasons (1966-1967); while he hit just .218/.295/.344 in that span, offense was at such a league-wide low that his OPS+ of 86 was only 14% below league average. Back then, catchers weren't held to a high offensive standard, generally. His defensive marks were pretty strong as well. The 39 runners he tossed out on the basepaths in 1966 were the most in the American League.
If you're looking for a single-game example of Andy's positive contributions to Baltimore, there's
July 27, 1973's 5-2 win over Cleveland, when his bases-clearing double provided the margin of victory in a game that featured the O's being outhit 11-6. Or maybe his career-best effort on
September 28 of that year, when the unibrowed catcher went 4-for-4 with a walk, three RBI, and three runs scored in an 18-4 thrashing of Cleveland. Have a cold one for the best pre-Ripken #8 tonight.
I'm not sure what sticks out more here--that ultra-foregrounded bat or the unibrow that you indicate. Either way, thanks for sharing and introducing me to a new, old O's #8.
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