The 1990 Donruss baseball card #296 features left-handed starting pitcher Frank Viola of the Minnesota Twins. This card is part of Donruss’ flagship set from 1990 that consisted of 800 cards featuring players, managers, and team checklists. Let’s take a deeper look at Frank Viola’s career and what made him one of baseball’s best pitchers in the late 1980s as represented by this card from the popular 1990 Donruss set.
Frank Viola was born in 1964 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He graduated from Warren Harding High School in 1982 and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 5th round of the 1982 amateur draft. Viola made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1985 and had an outstanding rookie season, going 14-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 25 starts. He finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Viola continued developing into one of baseball’s elite pitchers over the next few seasons with Minnesota.
In 1988, Viola had a career year as he went 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA in 34 starts for the Twins. He led the AL in wins while finishing second in ERA and third in innings pitched. Viola’s 1988 season is considered one of the greatest pitching performances of all-time as he helped lead the Twins to the World Series title that year over the Los Angeles Dodgers. For his dominant season, Viola was awarded the American League Cy Young Award, becoming the first Twins pitcher ever to win the award. Viola received 22 of 28 first place votes, easily beating out Oakland’s Dave Stewart for the Cy Young.
This is the performance and outstanding 1988 season that is being represented on Viola’s 1990 Donruss card #296. The card highlights his pitching motion from the stretch with his long dark hair flowing behind him. Donruss’ rendering perfectly captures Viola’s over-the-top delivery that led to so much success during this time with Minnesota. The card lists his team as the Twins and provides his career stats up until the end of the 1989 season. At that point, Viola had gone 109-87 with a 3.73 ERA in 301 games between 1985-1989, all with the Twins.
After winning the Cy Young in 1988, Viola followed it up with another strong season for Minnesota in 1989. He went 18-9 with a 3.36 ERA and led the league with 35 starts. Following the 1989 season though, Viola was dealt in one of the largest trades in baseball history. In December 1989, the Twins sent Viola and a minor leaguer to the New York Mets for pitcher Rick Aguilera, pitcher David West, shortstop Tim Drummond, and two minor leaguers. This blockbuster trade sent the 1988 AL Cy Young award winner packing from Minnesota.
Viola got off to a great start with the Mets following the trade, winning his first seven starts of the 1990 season. He ended up going 15-12 that season but saw his ERA climb to 3.91 as he struggled to adjust to the pitching in the National League. Viola spent five up-and-down seasons with the Mets from 1990-1994, never regaining his star-caliber form from his Twins years. He experienced arm troubles later on too. Viola was traded from the Mets to the Cincinnati Reds in 1995 before retiring after that season at the age of 31 due to injuries.
In retrospect, Frank Viola’s 1990 Donruss card serves as a reminder of his pitching dominance with the Twins from 1985-1989, highlighted by his amazing Cy Young season in 1988. While he may not have had as long or successful of a career as some ballplayers, Viola left an indelible mark during his peak years in Minnesota when he was one of the best left-handed starters in all of baseball. The card perfectly captures Viola at the apex of his powers right before getting dealt by the Twins to the Mets. For collectors, it brings back fond memories of Viola’s outstanding years as a Twin that helped bring a World Series title to Minnesota.
