Friday, September 18, 2015

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #6 Steve Comer

#44
Steven Michael Comer
Starting/Relief Pitcher

Flipping through a 1983 Phillies program at some point in the mid-1980s, I did a double take when I came across a photo and biography for pitcher Steve Comer.  "He was with the Phillies?" I remember actually saying out loud.  In the days before the internet or my meticulously maintained Phillies Scrapbooks (which I began in 1984), Comer had completely slipped through my Phillies radar.

Comer was released by the Mariners organization in mid-June 1983 and signed with the Phillies a week later.  He pitched decently enough for the Portland Beavers to earn a call-up on August 29th to start the second game of a double header against the Padres.  Comer earned the win in that game and he would then languish in the bullpen before logging two relief appearances with the Phils in early October.  Left off the postseason roster, Comer nevertheless received a N.L. Champions ring from the club.

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  January 13, 1954, Minneapolis, MN
Signed:  Signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent, July 10, 1976
Major League Teams:  Texas Rangers 1978-1982, Phillies 1983, Cleveland Indians 1984
Professional Affiliations:  Texas Rangers 1976-1982, Seattle Mariners 1983, Phillies 1983, Cleveland Indians 1984, Phillies 1985

Phillies Career
3 games, 1-0, 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Seattle Mariners organization, June 22, 1983.
Debut:  August 29, 1983 (Game 2) - Started and pitched 6 innings, allowing seven hits and walking two.
Final Game:  October 2, 1983
Departed:  Granted free agency on December 21, 1983, and signed with the Cleveland Indians, January 19, 1984.

Comer signed with the Phillies again on May 15, 1985.  He appeared in 19 games for the Triple-A Portland Beavers before calling it a career.

1979 Topps #463
1983 Donruss #163
1983 Topps #353
1985 Topps #788
3 Comer Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1983 Donruss #163
Last Card:  1983 Topps #353

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1979 Topps #463
First Topps Base Card:  1979 Topps #463
Last Mainstream Card:  1985 Topps #788
Other Notable Cards:  1981 Topps #592, 1982 Donruss #341, 1983 Fleer #564

Sources:  Baseball Reference, SABR and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

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