1978 Topps Baseball #148 - Andre Thornton

• Andre Thornton had a very nice year as the Cleveland first baseman in 1978. He led the team in home runs and RBI, and he also walked 93 times and scored 97 runs. It's surprising that Thornton didn't make the AL All Star team.
• Before the 1978 season Andre had to deal with a family tragedy. On October 17, 1977 the car he was driving slid off of the road in windy and icy conditions. His wife and daughter were both killed in the accident.
• When I think of Andre Thornton I think of the old Time Travel tabletop baseball game. It was a game that had special rules so that players across eras could compete against each other. Andre was hit by a pitch and because of the "time travel" factor (and in a very rare play) he was killed by the pitch. I wrote, "dead-do not use" on his card and never used it again. For sentimental reasons, I wish I still had that game.

• 1978 Stats: .262, 33 HR, 105 RBI in 145 games
• 1978 Highlghts:
• Apr 22 - Hit for the cycle in Cleveland's 13-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Each of his hits was off of a different pitcher.
• May 13 - Singled in both Cleveland runs as the Indians beat the California Angels 2-1.
• Sept 14 - Doubled in a run in the first inning and later scored on a home run. Thornton had two doubles to help the Indians beat the Red Sox 4-3.