11 Years Ago Today...

In addition to having a unique card collection of Andrew McCutchen that is nearing 3,000 cards I have begun picking up ticket stubs from games that feature memorable moments in his career.

One of the first tickets I grabbed when I started this adventure towards ticket stub collecting was getting a ticket from his MLB debut.

Andrew made his MLB debut on June 4th, 2009 at home against the New York Mets.

There are currently no players on either team that were with the Pirates or the Mets during that game.

You can see how Cutch's debut went in the clip below

And here is a video recapping some of his rookie season highlights

RBICru7 doesn't fool around

I have gotten two nice cards in the past month from the online dealer RBICru7.

When I saw this card listed with a Buy-It-Now for $10, I thought it had to be an Early April Fool's Joke.

Base copies of this card tend to sell in the $15 range so getting the orange parallel was a welcomed site for only $10.

The 2019 Topps Chrome Rookie Gear relic card is the orange parallel numbered to only 25 copies.

Orange parallels of Debut Gear relics fall 1:2,896 hobby packs.

That is roughly 1 in ever 10 cases.

The patch on the card looks to be from a Yankees jersey that Cutch may have worn in 2018.

I will show off the other card I picked up via RBICru7 later this month.

A "Flood"ed Day in Cutchstory

It rained all day yesterday and rather than blogging, I focused on catching up on Netflix shows.  My latest binge watch is Locke and Key based on the IDW Graphic Novel of the same name.

Cutch made his debut June 4, 2009.

On the same day in 1967, Curt Flood record 227 games without an error ended. During those games he had 568 chances, a major league record.

To baseball fans Curt Flood is remembered for several things.
1)His 1964 Topps card is highly overpriced due to one collector Supercollecting only that card.  An article about it can be found here.

2)He was a three time All-Star and 7 time Gold Glove winner in Centerfield for the St. Louis Cardinals.

3)He helped bring about the ability for modern day free agency.

It is because of number 3 that I am writing about him today as part of Black History Month.

Flood challenged the initial reserve clause stating that "I do not believe I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes."

His fight in 1970 for free agency was groundbreaking.

Flood was eventually black balled from Major League Baseball because he stood up and said he wasn't happy to have been traded to Philadelphia.  He took the battle to the Supreme Court and ultimately loss.  It was until over 20 years later after his last game that changes were made regarding what the definition of the reserve clause meant and how long the initial team to sign the player for gets the rights to said player.  In 1998 the Curt Flood act was formed, but it is often referred to as 10-5 rights.  This means any player with more than 10 years in the league with the 5 most recent years being with the same team can choose not to be traded due to MLBPA rights.

Flood passed away January 1997 which was prior to legislation being implemented regarding antitrust laws for MLB.

He was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2015, a second year induction to the building erected in 2014 to celebrate the All-Time greatest Cardinals players. He finished a career with 7 straight gold gloves, a .293 average and over 1800 hits.


Today's Cutch related card is this 2016 MLB Debut card

June 4th: This Day in Cutchstory

It's no surprise that Andrew McCutchen's MLB Debut would get some cardboard blogging love as part of my This Day In Cutchstory segments.

To start things off, here is a ticket from Andrew's MLB debut game.

Now let's take a look at some cards that look at Cutch's MLB Debut.

Topps Unique was a set released in 2009 that was sold as a high end set.  Each base card was numbered.
Did you read Cutch's Unique Rookie Moment?  I bet you didn't know that prior to today.

Topps made an insert set last year to pay tribute to some of the best.  The cards were available in different color parallels (of course), a medallion coin, and a relic version also.

The color variations may be difficult to see, but this is the bronze and silver editions.

The back mentions his unique stat.

The relic is from a Homestead Grays throwback Negro League uniform.

The medallion makes for a very heavy card.

Today Cutch faced the same team he debuted against.  The only player still with the Mets organization that played with the Mets June 4, 2009 is David Wright.  On the 8th Anniversary of his debut, Cutch went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI, 3 Runs scored and his 9th HR of the season.  Even though he is having another down year he is still leading the Pirates in Homeruns and RBI.