1986 TOPPS BRUCE BERENYI
Every extraordinary event has its Bruce Berenyi.
They are the faceless actors who make a barely measurable contribution to a great achievement.
Perhaps they performed a quick spot weld on the plaque that was attached to the ladder of the Apollo 11 lunar excursion module.
Or maybe they knocked a dowel or two into the hull of the Santa Maria.
Bruce went 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA for the 108-win ’86 Mets, but finally fell that summer to the injuries that had plagued him throughout his career. His last appearance as a big leaguer was on July 9, 1986, when he pitched the 5th inning of an 11-1 Dwight Gooden loss to the Reds. He allowed three runs, all of them coming on a home run by Sal Butera.
If Bruce hadn’t won the two games that he did that year, a Randy Niemann or a Rick Anderson surely would have picked up the victories in his place. Those wins did not require Bruce Berenyi.
And that is precisely why I like Bruce and his homely ’86 Topps card.
Because more often than not, we are all Bruce Berenyi…