Kevin Pasley is a player who crosses over two of my primary collecting interests when it comes to signed baseball cards, The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. He appeared on rookie catcher cards in both 1977 and 1978, one each with the Dodgers and the Mariners. In fact, his rookie card is quite popular, simply because he shares it with a potential future Hall of Fame, Dale Murphy. 1978 Topps is also my introduction to the collecting world when I was a kid, so bonus points there as well.
Mr. Pasley's baseball career at the MLB level would span across 5 seasons, beginning with his debut in a single game appearance with the 1974 Dodgers. It appears to have been a defensive substitution as he never reached the plate. He would not play in the majors in 1975, but would come back in 1976 and appear in 23 games for the Dodgers. 1977 would see him play for two clubs, as the Seattle Mariners purchased him from the Dodgers in September. He would bat .385 in 4 games for the M's as they wound down their inaugural season. 1978 would see Mr. Pasley appear in a career high 25 games for the Mariners, providing some relief for aging veteran catcher, Bob Stinson. Stinson, coincidentally, was also originally a Dodger prospect like Pasley. Unfortunately, he would not play at the MLB level after the 1978 season.
An interesting note to Mr. Pasley's career is that his last MLB at bat was a home run, the only HR of his career! He shares a distinction with Ted Williams as being the only two players to hit home runs in their final MLB plate appearance and have their uniform numbers retired. However it is fair to point out that the HR came while with the Mariners and his uniform #4 was retired by the Dodgers (Duke Snider wore that number). Still, he went out with a bang. He would play in the minor leagues for another couple of years before hanging up his spikes in 1982 while with the Detroit Tigers organization.
As for the cards I selected for signature, we'll start with a fairly rare 1974 Albuquerque Dukes Team Issue. The card is slightly over the standard card size, taller by almost 1/2". These cards are seldom seen and I was lucky enough to find a single for sale in the $10 range. I purchased this card specifically to have it signed. I am a little bummed about the thick pen that was used, but beggars can't be choosers and I am happy to have it back all the same.
Next, I figured the rookie card was a must. Some might say that it is a shame to "ruin" a Dale Murphy RC by having it signed by another player, but I say WRONG! I did get a bit of a scare though when I opened the package. It looked like Mr. Pasley had started to sign by Rick Cerone's picture, realized it was not him and proceeded to sign by his own picture. Thankfully when I took it out of the penny sleeve to scan, the partial signature disappeared. The partial signature was on the sleeve! WIN!!
Finally, I couldn't resist sending him a 1978 Topps Rookie Catchers card that I already had that was signed by 3 of the 4 players, missing only Kevin Pasley. I love multiplayer signed cards, but always prefer a single signed version as well when I can get one, but I was not able to locate an unsigned card. It pays to be organized, for sure, and I am not. You can't beat a quad signature card though and this finalized a great card with what I consider to be the key signature of the card.
Lastly, mainly as a toss in on my part, I happened to stumble upon a Mariners team card, showing the inaugural team in front of the Kingdom. It was a natural card to have signed, although I am not sure that Mr. Pasley is actually shown in this photo. Still, player signed team photos from this era are popular and it made sense.
Thank you very much Mr. Kevin Pasley for your generosity and a quick return of my items signed by you. You have made my day.
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