The 1989 baseball season was one of changes and milestones for Major League Baseball. The 1989 Major League Baseball season saw the introduction of new stadiums, records being set, and rookie stars emerging. Upper Deck released its inaugural baseball card set and revolutionized the hobby. Score also released a set that year that provided collectors with affordable cards featuring the game’s biggest names.
Released in late 1988 for the upcoming 1989 season, Score debuted a 432-card standard size set that fit well within the budgets of collectors young and old. While it lacked the premium materials and autographs of Upper Deck, what it lacked in frills it made up for in affordability and plentiful photographic and statistical content. Score continued its long tradition of covering the game comprehensively from the majors to the minors.
The design of the 1989 Score baseball card set was simple yet effective. A solid blue border surrounded each card with the team logo in the upper left corner. Below was a color photo of the player along with their name, position, team, and batting or pitching stats from 1988. On the reverse, additional stats from 1988 as well as career highlights were provided. Score kept the design clean and allowed the photos, which it was known for, to take center stage.
Some of the game’s biggest stars and soon-to-be stars were featured in the 1989 Score set including Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Cal Ripken Jr., and Roger Clemens. Griffey and McGwire were two of the most exciting young talents in baseball and were featured prominently as their elite talents were beginning to be recognized. Veterans like Ryan and Ripken provided consistency and experience.
Rookies and prospects were also included to give collectors a first card of potential future stars. Players like Sandy Alomar Jr., Derek Bell, Gregg Jefferies, Ricky Jordan, and Cecil Fielder were just starting their careers but would go on to have impressive MLB tenures. Score did a good job identifying early talent and monitoring players as they progressed through the minors.
In addition to comprehensive major and minor league coverage, Score also included manager, manager records, and league leaders cards to provide relevant statistical context to the season. Expos manager Buck Rodgers and A’s manager Tony La Russa were among those featured after successful 1988 campaigns. League leaders, such as Rickey Henderson in stolen bases and Orel Hershiser in ERA, gave a snapshot of the top individual performances of the year.
The photography in Score sets was always top-notch with clean, well-lit images that showed each player’s face clearly. Photo quality was especially important before digital images when seeing the crispest shot of a player was not always guaranteed. Score delivered consistent visuals across all card fronts. Action shots were sprinkled in to break up the traditional headshots as well.
While not as extravagantly produced as the premier issues from Upper Deck that year, Score more than held its own. The combination of affordable pricing, comprehensive coverage of all levels of professional baseball, and solid photography made the 1989 Score set extremely accessible and collecting friendly. It remains one of the most obtainable ways for fans to get cards of their favorite stars from that season in a well-designed package. Over thirty years later, the 1989 Score baseball cards continue to provide nostalgia for collectors both young and old and represent an important bridge year after the explosion of the sport brought on by Upper Deck in 1989.
