Ron Herbel was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Mets in exchange for Rod Gaspar on September 1, 1970. The righthander was brought in to shore up a struggling bullpen. Ron was successful in New York during the final month of the season. In his 12 games for the Mets he recorded a 2-2 record, with one save and 1.38 ERA. Herbel actually was credited with the victory over the Cardinals in St. Louis during his very first Mets game on September 1st.The Mets traded Ron to the Atlanta Braves for Bob Aspromonte on December 1, 1970.
Herbel's struggles at the plate were much heralded during his career. He holds the record for lowest batting average by anyone with at least 100 at-bats. An anemic .029. On the occassion of his first major-league hit in 1965, Ron jokingly told reporters, "In the minors, once in awhile I would close my eyes and get a hit...The pitcher would usually have to hit my bat though."
Ron retired from baseball following the 1972 season. He passed away on January 20, 2000 in Tacoma, Washington at the young age of 62.
I purchased this signed index card from the legendary autograph guy, Jack Smalling and converted it into Ron Herbel's card in the set in January 2009. Jack's website is www.baseballaddresses.com
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