Phil Garner (#34)

"Scrap Iron" signed this card for me in the mail. Pretty small signature, but good success. His 1977 Topps card features him as a member of the Oakland A's. Phil is a former infielder for the Oakland A's, Pirates, Astros, Dodgers and Giants from 1973 to 1988. He was manager of the Astros from July 14 2004 to August 27 2007, leading Houston to a World Series appearance in 2005.

• Garner was involved in the two longest post-season games in the history of baseball, played almost 20 years apart. He was the Astros' manager in the 18-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves on October 9, 2005. In the 16-inning loss to the New York Mets on October 15, 1986, Garner was the starting third baseman for the Astros, going 1-for-3, before being replaced by a pinch-hitter. Both games had the final score of 7-6. Interestingly, he also managed the Astros for the longest World Series game in length of time (five hours and forty-one minutes). The Chicago White Sox won the game, 7-5 in the 14th inning (tied for longest by innings).

• Garner, when playing for the Oakland A's when he got the club's 10,000th hit.