#178) JERRY CRAM

Jerry Cram was traded by the Kansas City Royals to the New York Mets in exchange for Barry Raziano on February 1, 1973. The right-hander would make his debut with the major-league team on August 11, 1974 at Shea Stadium. Coming on for 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 10-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Jerry threw a total of 22-1/3 innings his first year with New York and eight of those came in the 25-inning marathon on September 11th. Cram entered the game at Shea in the 17th inning keeping the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless until leaving in the 24th inning. The reliever would register a terrific 1.61 ERA for the 1974 season.

His strong performance earned Jerry a new contract to remain a part of the Mets bullpen in 1975. Cram was with New York in April before being optioned to Triple-A Tidewater in mid-May with a 5.40 ERA in just four appearances. Pitching much better for the Tides he compiled an 8-1 record, three saves, and a 2.88 ERA in 31 games. Jerry was traded back to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Randy Hammon on January 9, 1976.

After his active pitching career he became a minor-league pitching coach with the San Francisco Giants. His work with the San Jose club in 2010 marked his tenth year in the organization.

I created Jerry Cram's card in the set from an autographed index card given to me by my good friend, Jessie on October 16, 2010.