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Wayne Allan Granger
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: March 15, 1944, Springfield, MA
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1965 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1968; Cincinnati Reds 1969-71; Minnesota Twins 1972; St. Louis Cardinals 1973; New York Yankees 1973; Chicago White Sox 1974; Houston Astros 1975; Montreal Expos 1976
World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1968; Cincinnati Reds 1970
Earning the label of journeyman reliever, Wayne Granger spent nine seasons in the majors, rarely staying more than a season or part of a season with seven different teams, and not starting in any of his 451 big league appearances. Granger's best seasons, and his longest stay in any one city, came early in his career with the Reds. He topped the league with 90 appearances in 1969, and he was the Reds' closer in their pennant-winning 1970 season when he notched a league-leading 35 saves. Granger was named The Sporting News Fireman of the Year in those back-to-back 1969 and 1970 seasons. He'd lead the league in appearances again in 1971 with 70, and was dealt to the Twins that offseason for Tom Hall (#658).
Earning the label of journeyman reliever, Wayne Granger spent nine seasons in the majors, rarely staying more than a season or part of a season with seven different teams, and not starting in any of his 451 big league appearances. Granger's best seasons, and his longest stay in any one city, came early in his career with the Reds. He topped the league with 90 appearances in 1969, and he was the Reds' closer in their pennant-winning 1970 season when he notched a league-leading 35 saves. Granger was named The Sporting News Fireman of the Year in those back-to-back 1969 and 1970 seasons. He'd lead the league in appearances again in 1971 with 70, and was dealt to the Twins that offseason for Tom Hall (#658).
Granger's departure from Cincinnati would see him start a pattern of being frequently on the move for the next five seasons. And while he wouldn't replicate the success found in the early days of the Big Red Machine, Granger continued to be a frequently used reliever, making at least 40 appearances in 1972, 1973 and 1975. After seeing his final big league action with the Expos in 1976, Granger pitched in Mexico for two seasons and attempted a comeback in 1979 with the Expos before retiring. He was 35-35 lifetime, with a 3.14 ERA in 638 2/3 innings pitched, recording 108 career saves. Granger was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1982.
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 25th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.
The Card / Reds Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Granger's rookie card. On October 11, 1968, the Cardinals traded Granger and Bobby Tolan (#448) to the Reds for Vada Pinson (#160). Topps was on its game for the photo used for this card, likely taken during the Reds' spring training earlier that spring. There's an uncorrected error on the back, as the last sentence refers to his work with the pennant-winning Reds, when Granger had been pitching for the Cardinals.
Accuracy Index: Granger's card earns a +5 for the quick turnaround showing the pitcher in his new team's uniform.
1969 Season
Granger set a then National League record in 1969 with his 90 appearances, and he was 9-6 overall with a 2.80 ERA. He threw a career-high 144 2/3 innings and recorded 27 saves, finishing 15th in the postseason MVP voting.
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First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #551
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1969-74, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1990 Pacific Senior League #202
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 30 in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#550 Brooks Robinson - Baltimore Orioles / #552 Dodgers Rookie Stars