The 1990 Leaf baseball card #26 features then Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chuck Finley. The card provides a glimpse into Finley’s career at that point as well as some key biographical details.
Chuck Finley was born on August 1, 1965 in Wexford, Pennsylvania. A left-handed pitcher, Finley had built a successful career in the majors up to the point of the 1990 season depicted on this card. He was drafted by the California Angels in the 6th round of the 1984 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of Tennessee. Finley made his MLB debut with the Angels late in the 1986 season and became a full time starting pitcher for them in 1987.
By 1990, Finley had established himself as a strong, durable member of the Angels rotation. The details on the front of the card show that in 1989, his stat line was 15-13 with a 3.47 ERA over 237.1 innings pitched in 33 starts. In 4 previous big league seasons from 1987-1990 with the Angels, Finley had achieved a 57-50 record with a solid 3.80 ERA. He brought consistency and ate a lot of innings every year for California.
The 1990 Leaf card provides some key physical stats on Finley that give insight into what made him effective. Standing 6’3″ and weighing 205 pounds, Finley had the size and strength to pitch deep into games. The card also lists his handedness and age as 24, showing he was still improving and entering his athletic prime years. Finley’s delivery is described as a “smooth overhand motion,” suggesting he didn’t rely on pure velocity but rather location and changing speeds.
Flipping the card over, the back has more in-depth stats and insights into Finley’s career progression. It notes he led the American League with 33 starts in 1989. While not a big strikeout pitcher, Finley kept batters off balance with his array of pitches and changed speeds well. The card also focuses on Finley taking a step forward in 1990 by posting career bests in wins (18), ERA (3.27), and innings (249). He was emerging as the Angels ace and workhorse, making 38 starts that season.
Some trivia provided on the card is that Finley had a winning record against every AL team except the Red Sox in 1990. He had also thrown two shutouts that season. Finley’s pitching accomplishments to that point in his young career are summarized as “outstanding numbers for a power pitcher still reaching his prime years.” This analysis proved prescient, as Finley would go on to have several more successful seasons after 1990.
The card stock photographs on the front and back provide glimpses of Finley in action. The front photo shows him releasing a pitch, displaying his smooth delivery and long stride towards the plate. The back photo catches Finley mid-windup, exhibiting his leverage and core strength to drive towards the plate. Fashion wise, the high socks and tight pants uniform of the era are on full display.
After the 1990 season depicted on this Leaf card, Finley continued having success with the Angels. He posted a career high 21 wins in 1991 and made the AL All-Star team in 1992 when he went 18-8. Before the start of the 1995 season, Finley was surprisingly traded to the Reds. He remained a stable frontline starter in Cincinnati’s rotation through 1996, making the NL All-Star team that season after going 17-9. Finley pitched one final season split between the Reds and Diamondbacks in 1997 before retiring.
In total, Chuck Finley had an impressive 17-year MLB career spanning 1984-1997. He racked up a career record of 194-164 with a solid 3.86 ERA over 3,210 innings pitched. Finley made three All-Star teams and finished in the top 10 of Cy Young Award voting twice. More than just stats, Finley brought durability, competitiveness and a steady presence on the mound for the Angels, Reds and Diamondbacks. This 1990 Leaf baseball card captures the emergence of Finley entering his prime years as one of baseball’s most dependable starting pitchers of the late 1980s and 1990s.
