Manufacturer: Donruss
Set: 1984 Donruss Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Tom Henke
Position/Team: Pitcher for Rangers
Card #: 134
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Standing 6’5″ with large-rimmed glasses and a high-velocity fastball, Tom Henke was one of the most imposing figures of the late 80s and early 90s. He didn’t just close games; he ended them with a clinical, overpowering efficiency that earned him one of the best nicknames in sports history, The “Terminator”.
Henke began his career as a struggling prospect with the Texas Rangers, who nearly gave up on him due to control issues. Everything changed in 1985 when he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as a free-agent compensation pick. Shortly after his arrival in Toronto, teammate John Cerutti watched the movie The Terminator and realized the giant, bespectacled pitcher coming out of the bullpen to blow away hitters was the perfect real-life equivalent. Henke was famous for his thick, plastic-rimmed glasses—a choice he stuck with even as contact lenses became the norm. It gave him the look of a mild-mannered accountant who could suddenly dial it up to 100 mph.
While most “power” closers relied solely on a fastball, Henke’s secret weapon was a devastating forkball. He would get ahead in the count with a mid-90s heater, then pull the string on a forkball that would appear to be a strike until it bottomed out just before reaching the plate.
Unlike many players who hang on too long, Henke walked away at the absolute top of his game. He signed with his “hometown” Cardinals for one final season in 1995. At age 37, he was still untouchable, recording 36 saves with a career-best 1.82 ERA. He won the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award and was named an All-Star in 1995. Despite having plenty left in the tank, he chose to retire after the season to spend time with his family on their Missouri farm.
Henke is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, recognized as the greatest closer in Blue Jays history.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
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