1978 Topps Baseball #190 - John Candelaria

• After shutting out the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day it appeared that John Candelaria was on his way to repeating his 20-5 season from 1977. John was roughed up in his next four starts and he finished the month of April with a 1-3 record. Candelaria improved in May (4-3) and in June (2-1, 1 save) before having a tough July (1-4). It looks like he was hurt for a short time in late July - there is an 18 day gap from July 28 to August 16.  From August 16 to the end of the season John was 4-0 in seven starts.
• John's relatively poor year was blamed on a few things: a divorce before the season, the loss of his curveball for much of the season, and some tendinitis in his elbow. There were also some rumors of a drinking problem stemming from the divorce.
• 1978 Stats: 12-11, 1 save, 3.24 ERA in 30 games (29 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 7 - Pitched a 1-0 shutout against the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day.
• June 21 - Allowed 1 run in a complete game 2-1 victory against the Cubs.