Friday, April 11, 2014

1990 Donruss, Ken Oberkfell


#494 Ken Oberkfell

Here is the second of three cards that Ken Oberkfell signed for me last summer. Ken is the manager of the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association and I got the cards signed when the 'Dogs came to Wichita. The first card can be seen here.

The first two cards I posted of Ken had him with the Cardinals and the last one had him as a Brave. After the Braves, he was traded to Pittsburgh towards the end of the 1988 season. He basically played for the Pirates for two months before being dealt to the Giants early in the '89 season. With the Giants, he got into 83 games, but mostly as a pinch hitter. While he played in the field 52 times that season, he only started 14 times.

That was the first time that Ken had not been an everyday player. While most people might struggle with the new role, Ken thrived in it. He hit a career-best .319 that season while scoring 17 runs and driving in 15 more. He played in all four World Series game that fall and started two. During the Series, he was 2-6 with 3 walks and a run. That was the second and final Series that Ken had appeared in and he finished his career a .300 hitter during the Fall Classic.

After the Series, Ken was granted free agency and he moved on to Houston.

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