DID YOU KNOW #2 - Gary Pettis was not Gary Pettis?
A Unique Mistake: Gary Pettis' Brother on His 1985 Topps Card
In an unexpected twist, the 1985 Topps baseball card that was supposed to feature Gary Pettis, a former Angels outfielder and current Astros third-base coach, showcased his brother instead.
After a successful season with the then-California Angels, Gary Pettis was set to be featured in the Topps pack. However, fans were met with a surprise when they found a much younger face on the card.
As Gary recalls, "When I was playing with the Angels, one of the other players on my team had a son. My brother would come out to the ballpark on Sundays, and they'd dress up in uniforms and they'd go out on the field and shag fly balls and run around. I guess this happened to be one Sunday where they were taking the pictures for the Topps baseball cards. I had no idea that was going on that day. [My brother] was out on the field and at the time, and he was as big as I was at 14 years old."
When the card was released, many commented on how young Gary looked. It was only later that the truth came out. The card featured his brother, not him. Gary humorously adds, "Lo and behold, when I finally saw the baseball card later that year I couldn't help but laugh and go, 'Yeah, I do look pretty young because it's not me. It's my brother."
"He had a good time with it," Gary said. "He was actually in USA Today, they had a picture of the card and the whole story behind it. It was pretty cool. A good story for him."
This unique mistake has ensured that both Pettis brothers have a special place in baseball history.
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