Joe Battin (1851)
Rabbit Maranville (1891)
Al Schacht (1892)
Pie Traynor (1898)
Hal Trosky (1912)
George Case (1915)
Ike Delock (1929)
John Hobbs (1956)
Cory Snyder (1962)
Roberto Hernandez (1964)
Damion Easley (1969)
Matt Garza (1983)
On this Veterans' Day, the staff of Happy Birthday would like to thank all current and former members of the United States military for their service to our country.
Pitcher John Hobbs spent about a month in the major leagues with Minnesota in 1981. Born in Philadelphia, Hobbs attended Lynchburg College, the second person from that school to make the major leagues (the other was Lefty Thomas). He was drafted by Seattle in the seventh round in 1978. He had a few fair-to-middling seasons in Class A, and then was selected by Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft following the 1980 season. The Twins apparently worked something out with the Mariners, because Hobbs was at AA Orlando for the next three seasons. He was mostly a relief pitcher for Orlando, and did not do particularly better there than he had in Class A with the Mariners. Hobbs was with the Twins for about a month at the end of 1981. He appeared in four games, giving up five hits and walking six in 5.2 innings. His ERA was 3.18. The Twins let him go at the end of the 1983 season, and nobody picked him up. No information about John Hobbs' life beyond this point was readily available.
Pitcher Matt Garza was born in Selma, California. He attended Washington Union High School in Washington Union, California, where he lettered in football as well as baseball, and then went to Cal State--Fresno. He was drafted by the Twins in the first round in 2005. He came through the Twins' minor league system very quickly, going from Class A to the majors in 2006. While he was not quite ready for the majors that year, he went a combined 14-4 with a 1.99 ERA and an 0.88 WHIP for three minor league teams. Garza began 2007 at AAA Rochester, but was in the Twins' starting rotation by early July. In 16 appearances, 15 of them starts, he was 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA, although his WHIP was 1.54. In November of that year, the Twins traded him along with Eduardo Morlan and Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay for Brendan Harris, Jason Pridie, and Delmon Young. As a Twin, Matt Garza was 8-13 in 26 appearances, 24 of them starts, with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. In two years with the Rays, Garza is 19-21 in 62 starts, with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Twenty-six today, Matt Garza appears set to be a major league starter for some time to come.
Moss heartily echoes the expression of gratitude to those who have served this country!!
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I don't like that Garza card's makeup.
It's quite possible that #21 should be added to the cursed number list along with #27.
+1 military men and women.