1971 Topps #216 Reggie Cleveland / Luis Melendez

This card is part of my collection as part of the 1971 set, and part of my Saskatchewan ball players collection. The Saskatchewan collection is much smaller. This is Reggie Cleveland's second year card after sharing a 1970 Rookie Stars card with Cardinal pitchers Sal Campisi and Santiago Guzman. Shared rookie cards are the one thing I really dislike about vintage.

Reggie Cleveland is one of six players from this province to play in the majors. He was discovered in his home town of Swift Current by a carnival operator who told his friend, Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst, to to sign him. Cleveland was signed as a 17 year old in 1965 and pitched in the minors for 4 season before making his MLB debut in 1969. In 1971 he went 12-12 for the Cards and was named the Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year. Traded to the Red Sox after the 1973 season, he would become the first Canadian pitcher to start a World Series game, taking the loss in game five of the 1975 series. He finish his career with a 105-106 record over 428 games, including 203 starts from 1969-1981. Cleveland would go on the be inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.