The 1993 Sporting News Baseball Card set was the 22nd annual release from Sporting News and featured cards from Major League Baseball players and managers from that season. It marked several notable achievements and milestones from the previous year.
1992 had seen the Toronto Blue Jays win the first of back-to-back World Series championships. Led by future Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter, the Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves in six games. Carter’s legendary walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 6 is considered one of the most memorable finishes in Fall Classic history. Not surprisingly, both Alomar and Carter received prestigious card choices in the ’93 set near the front.
The big story individually was Atlanta Braves slugging third baseman Terry Pendleton winning National League MVP honors. Pendleton’s .311 batting average, 21 home runs and 85 RBIs propelled the Braves to 103 wins, though they fell just short of repeating as champs. Pendleton’s achievement earned him a prominent spot early in the alphabetical roster.
Another feel-good story featured was Dennis Eckersley achieving the rare feat of winning both the AL Cy Young and MVP Awards in 1992 while closing for the Oakland A’s. At age 37, Eckersley went 8-1 with a minuscule 1.91 ERA and 48 saves, coming just a year after being traded from the Chicago Cubs. His dual awards cemented his place among the games all-time great relief pitchers.
Rookie sensations Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin also had breakout rookie campaigns worthy of inclusion in the ’93 Sporting News set. Griffey smacked an rookie record 24 homers for the Seattle Mariners while capturing AL ROY. Larkin won the NL ROY batting .284 with 40 steals while manning shortstop expertly for the Cincinnati Reds. Both would go on to have Hall of Fame careers.
A pair of veteran hurlers achieved milestones as Fernando Valenzuela won his 200th game for the St. Louis Cardinals. Meanwhile, Nolan Ryan continued adding to his hurlers’ record by notching his 5,000th career strikeout in 1992 as a Texas Ranger. Their long, impressive careers were duly recognized in the Sporting News ’93 checklist.
The release also commemorated expansion, as the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins franchises joined Major League Baseball for the 1993 season. Rookies from both teams like Andres Galarraga, Charlie Hayes and Jeff Conine were included early on. Ironic that both franchises would meet in the inaugural Wild Card era in the 1997 NLDS.
One of the more iconic cards was the “blank back” Reggie Jackson card numbered to 1992 in recognition of Mr. October hitting his 500th career home run in 1992 with the California Angels at age 47. It served as a fitting tribute to Jackson’s legendary power and longevity in the game.
Some other top rookies that year like Jimmy Key, Wilson Alvarez and David Justice all excelled immediately. Veterans like Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith and Nolan Ryan continued delivering as well. The checklist ran 150 players in all, wrapped in a classic blue border design with player stats and career summaries.
The 1993 Sporting News baseball card set commemorated many of the biggest names and performances from the 1992 season. Young stars like Griffey Jr. and Larkin mixed with established veterans and recent award winners. Expansion teams and milestones were all part of the runtime. Nearly 30 years later, it serves as an excellent historical snapshot from that year in baseball through the vintage cardboard collectibles.
