IVY: 1991 Score Rookies #5 Omar Olivares

I have almost 500 cards in the Ivy collection and need to whittle down some of the numbers where I have duplicates for the Frankenset. I want to make sure each card gets its due so I've decided that over the course of a month or so, I will sprinkle in individual posts. When I have exhausted what I have for each binder page, I'll post which ones made the cut. Once I have a full page, I'll add a tab up top where you can view each page. I have multiple representatives for many of the first 99 numbers (11 full pages) which should get me through all of 2017.

Last week I posted the first #5, Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. One of his competitors is a former teammate, Omar Olivares.

1991 Score Rookies #5 Omar Olivares

I vaguely recall the name, mainly because I was collecting cards in the prime junk wax era but I don't know much about him. He is clearly a pitcher though no position designation is given on either side of the card, so he is listed as NPL (No Position Listed) in my spreadsheet.

I've found in my digging that I can usually pinpoint the game for starting pitchers, but not the play and this card is no exception. Olivares made nine appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1990 as a mid-August call-up and just one at Wrigley Field. He started the middle game of a three game series on September 8, 1990 against Rick Sutcliffe.

After a rough first inning in which Olivares surrendered three runs, the Cardinals battled back to take a 4-3 lead with runs in the 2nd, 4th and 5th. He gave up a game tying home run to Ryne Sandberg to lead off the 5th and was pinch hit for in the 6th inning.

The Cubs would get one more run from a Mark Grace home run in the 7th and Cubs reliever Paul Assenmacher locked it down with a two-inning Save and a 5-4 Cubs victory.

Based on the photo angle, I'm pretty sure the Cardinals cameo in the background of the card is a second baseman, which would make it Jose Oquendo, the starter for that day. He was pinch hit for later in the game, but Olivares had been pulled by then as well.

So that's a brief summary of Olivares on the mound, but only half the story of his workday. You see he also had a couple of plate appearances. Coming into this game, (his fifth career appearance) Olivares was a combined 0-9 with 4 strikeouts. Remember when I said the Cardinals were battling back? That was mostly the starting pitcher trying to himself out of the hole he made.

Promptly after giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the first, he came up to bat with the bases loaded in the top of the second. His first career hit was a two-run double.

And still down by a run when he came up again in the 4th, Olivares cleared the Ivy for a solo home run. Makes you wonder why the pinch hit for him in the 6th!! (FYI, Geronimo Pena struck out in his stead.)

The career totals reflect the same statistical oddities with Olivares faring much better at the plate than on the mound at Wrigley Field.

Despite that fun story, there isn't anything spectacular about the card itself. I have other potential Olivares cards, with much higher numbers, where there shouldn't be as much competition for a spot in the Frankenset. I also have another card from this set that will have an opportunity to make it. And the third strike is that pitchers (even though not officially listed on this card) are overly abundant in the Ivy collection.

Also of note, Olivares is a second generation Major Leaguer. His father, Ed Olivares played for the Cardinals in the early 1960's.