Mark Grace. (1988 RC). $91

1988 Donruss #40 – Rookie Card
Value: $91.00 – Grade 9

1989 Boys of Zimmer: https://youtu.be/VOIM6wtIg3Y

Mark Eugene Grace (born in Winston-Salem, NC on June 28, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first basemanwho spent 16 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League (NL). He was a member of the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks that beat the New York Yankees. Grace batted and threw left-handed; he wore jersey number 28 and 17 during his rookie season of 1988, and he kept number 17 for the remainder of his career. Grace starred on Cubs teams that included Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Shawon Dunston and Sammy Sosa and was a consistent, steady hitter, compiling almost 2,500 hits and more than 500 doubles during his 16-year career and for a few years batted clean-up for the Cubs. He had a career on-base percentage of .383 and collected four Gold Glove Awards and was a three-time All-Star (1993, 1995, 1997). He holds the distinction of having the most hits and doubles of any player in the 1990s. Grace helped lead the Cubs to the NL East division title in 1989 and the NL wild card in 1998. In the 1989 NLCS, Grace batted .647 in the five-game contest with a home run and three doubles, while driving in 8 of the total 16 runs scored by the Cubs in the series. Grace led the team in average (.325), OBP (.393), hits (193), walks (71), doubles (39), and RBI (98 – a career high) in 1993 and was selected as an alternate to the NL All-Star team for the first time in his career. He also hit for the cycle on May 9 that year,[2] and (as of the end of the 2018 season) is the most recent Cub to have done so. In 1995, Grace hit .326 with a .395 OBP and a .516 SLG, and hit 51 doubles (which led the NL). He was once again named to the NL All-Star team. Grace collected the most hits (1,754) and doubles (364) of any player in the 1990s [1]. Grace and Pete Rose are the only Major League Baseball players to lead a decade in hits and not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Grace also had the most sacrifice flies in the 1990s with 73. The song that played most frequently on the Wrigley Field organ prior to a Grace at bat was “Taking Care of Business”, which Grace explained was due to his bit part in a Jim Belushi film of the same name.

Published by 1jimburton

Been married to Karen for 51 years! Father to Garrett (40) and Sarah (47). Grandfather to Ava (18) and Lila (16). Have developed the following Wordpress blogs over the past three years: All-Time Greatest Music, High Quality Baseball Cards, High Quality Basketball Cards, High Quality Football Cards, High Quality Ice Hockey Cards and USA Traveling Tips. Written one book called A World with Heart. Also, after retiring from a career in Hospital Facilities management, I have been doing K-12 substitute teaching. Also, coached U13-U16 boys and girls basketball teams for over 25 years. Last, learned to be a master at hand-carving and painting signs. The largest of which is 4’ x 6’ is a logo for Marathon Motor Works hanging over their main entrance in Nashville (it took three months to complete).

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