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DID YOU KNOW #2 - Gary Pettis was not Gary Pettis?
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Gary Pettis' 1985 Topps Card… Starring His Brother?
Baseball cards have seen their fair share of printing errors and quirky mistakes — but this one might be the most charming of all. In 1985, Topps released a card for then-California Angels outfielder Gary Pettis. The only problem? The guy on the card wasn’t Gary at all… it was his younger brother.
The 1985 Topps card that started the confusion
It all happened one Sunday at the ballpark. Pettis' younger brother had tagged along, wearing a uniform and running drills with other kids while the players were doing their thing. That just happened to be the day Topps photographers were snapping player shots for the upcoming set. Gary wasn’t even aware pictures were being taken… but his brother was out there, in full gear and looking pretty similar to his big-league sibling.
As Gary later explained in an interview:
"My brother would come out to the ballpark on Sundays and go out on the field. I guess this happened to be one of those days. He was as big as I was at 14, and when the card came out later that year, I looked at it and thought, ‘Wow… I look really young.’ Then I realized, it wasn’t me!”
The real Gary Pettis
The mistake went mostly unnoticed at first, though fans did comment on how young "Gary" looked. Eventually the truth came out, and the story turned into a lighthearted legend within baseball card circles.
“He had a good time with it,” Gary said later. “USA Today even ran a photo of the card and the full story. It’s a great memory for both of us.”
While many errors in the hobby frustrate collectors, this one has become a beloved curiosity, a moment where family, baseball, and cardboard history collided in the best possible way.
If you ever come across this 1985 Topps card, you’re not just holding a piece of Gary Pettis’ career, you’re also holding a rare cameo by his brother. And that’s what makes collecting fun.
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