The 1991 Score baseball card set was released during the 1991 baseball season and featured over 800 cards highlighting players and memorable moments from 1990. Some of the notable rookies included in the set were Bobby Bonilla of the Pittsburgh Pirates (#161), John Kruk of the Philadelphia Phillies (#192), Todd Zeile of the St. Louis Cardinals (#379), and Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles (#438).
The design of the 1991 Score set featured a blue and gray border with baseball stitching graphics. Each card contained a photo of the player along with their career statistics and biographical information on the reverse. Series one contained cards #1 through #396 while series two included cards #397 through #800. Some memorable chase cards included Ryne Sandberg (#1), Nolan Ryan (#50), Cal Ripken Jr. (#100), Roger Clemens (#200), and Rickey Henderson (#395).
The 1990 season was one of dominance by the Cincinnati Reds who won the World Series that year over the Oakland Athletics led by manager Tony La Russa. Reds starters Jose Rijo (#307), Tom Browning (#308), and other key contributors like Billy Hatcher (#307) and Barry Larkin (#316) highlighted the Reds championship roster featured prominently in the 1991 Score set. Other notable teams included the defending American League champion Oakland A’s led by Dave Stewart (#183), Carney Lansford (#213), and Dennis Eckersley (#416).
The Pirates featured players like Bonilla, Barry Bonds (#162), Doug Drabek (#163), and Sid Bream (#164) after making the playoffs in 1990. The Philadelphia Phillies were led by stars like Lenny Dykstra (#189), Darren Daulton (#191), and Kruk after winning the National League East that season. Top rookies Todd Zeile and Gregg Olson were key contributors to the 1990 Cardinals and Orioles respectively.
Other notable veterans in the 1991 set included Ken Griffey Sr. (#23) and Jr. (#24) of the Seattle Mariners, Fernando Valenzuela (#34) of the Dodgers, Ozzie Smith (#38) of the Cardinals, Willie McGee (#79) of the A’s, Don Mattingly (#23) of the Yankees, and Steve Sax (#206) of the Yankees. Arguably one of the biggest stars of the 1991 set was Nolan Ryan, then pitching for the Texas Rangers at the age of 44 and on the verge of breaking yet another career record.
The 1991 upper deck included stars like Roberto Alomar (#250) of the Padres, Andre Dawson (#252) of the Cubs, and Eddie Murray (#253) of the Dodgers. Popular veteran sluggers like Gary Sheffield (#276) of the Brewers, George Brett (#277) of the Royals, and Mike Schmidt (#278) of the Phillies rounded out the upper deck. Key rookie cards in the upper deck included Jeff Bagwell (#379) of the Red Sox, Tom Glavine (#386) of the Braves, and Jeffrey Leonard (#398) of the Giants.
The 1991 Score Traded set highlighted baseball stars who were dealt to new teams after the 1990 season like Jose Canseco (#T1) traded from the A’s to the Rangers, Bobby Bonilla (#T51) traded from the Pirates to the Yankees, and Denny Walling (#T101) traded from the Reds to the Giants. The traded set also included Jeff Reardon (#T151) going from the Mets to the Red Sox, Greg Gagne (#T201) traded from the Twins to the Angels, and Jeff Robinson (#T251) traded from the Mets to the Pirates.
The 1991 Score Update & Highlights set featured key performers and events from the 1991 season. Notable cards included Juan Gonzalez (#U1) of the Rangers, Terry Pendleton (#U51) of the Braves, and David Justice (#U101) of the Braves. The set also highlighted moments like Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout (#U151), Jack Morris’ no-hitter (#U201), and Ben McDonald’s no-hitter (#U251). The 1991 Score baseball card set provided an excellent overview of the 1990 season and early 1991 season that baseball card collectors still admire to this day for its memorable rookie cards, stars, and beautiful photo-centric design. It remains one of the most popular and complete sets for chronicling a specific year in baseball history.
