Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1987 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: John Kruk
Position/Team: Outfield for Padres
Card #: 123
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Kruk was the heart and soul of the 1993 “Macho Row” Phillies, a team of scruffy, tobacco-chewing throwbacks who went from last place to the World Series. Despite his portly 5’10” frame and his legendary diet (mostly beer and hot dogs), he was an elite contact hitter with a shark-like eye at the plate.
Kruk was obsessive about finishing his career with a .300 average. In 1995, while playing for the White Sox, he hit a single in the first inning to bring his career average to exactly .300. He promptly took himself out of the game and retired on the spot, literally leaving the stadium before the game was over.
In the 1993 All-Star Game, 6’10” Randy Johnson threw a 98-mph fastball over Kruk’s head. Kruk’s terrified reaction—flailing at the next few pitches just to get back to the safety of the dugout—remains one of the funniest moments in baseball history.
If you watch a Phillies broadcast today, you’re essentially listening to a man have a therapy session with a live microphone. Kruk is arguably more famous now as a broadcaster than he was as a player. Fans love him because he treats a three-hour broadcast like he’s sitting on his porch back in West Virginia, offering a “tell-it-like-it-is” style that makes even a 10-0 blowout entertaining.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
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Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
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