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Pirates Affiliate to Retire Number of Former Montreal Expo

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On Saturday, the Indianapolis Indians, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A team, will retire the number of former Montreal Expo Razor Shines. Indianapolis was the Expos’ Triple-A affiliate from 1984-92. Shines played there from 1984-89, interrupted by three stints with the Expos, and again from 1991-93. He was the property of the Pirates in 1990 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1993, when the Indians coincidentally became the Reds’ affiliate.

Pirates Affiliate to Retire Number of Former Montreal Expo Razor Shines

Shines, a switch-hitter who was a natural left-handed hitter, was an 18th-round draft pick of the Expos as a catcher in 1978. Playing for Double-A Wichita in 1983, he dove into the stands to catch a foul pop, accidentally knocking a soft drink into a man’s lap. Shines became friends with the man and married his daughter two years later.

Another important life event occurred in 1983 when Shines got a September call-up to the Expos. He didn’t play at all in his first major league game. On September 9, the Expos were losing to the New York Mets, 5-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Tom Seaver on the hill for the Mets, Expos manager Bill Virdon called on Shines to pinch hit. When Mets manager Frank Howard went to his bullpen for left-hander Jesse Orosco, Virdon, who was apparently gunning for the Party Pooper of the Year Award, sent right-handed-batting Jim Wohlford to bat for Shines.

However, Shines would be saved from becoming a hitter’s answer to Larry Yount, the Houston Astros pitcher who was injured warming up for his only major league appearance. Shines got into two more games that year. From 1983-87, he saw action in 68 major league games, hitting .185/.239/.198 for his career. Razor Shines probably never foresaw the day when a team would ever retire his number.

Double-Edged Razor

Meanwhile, Shines had no chance to become the Expos’ catcher while they had future Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter. Thus, Shines became a double-edged Razor in Indianapolis when he learned to play at first base and the outfield. By 1985, however, Carter was traded to the Mets, where he would continue hitting home runs while milking the Shea Stadium faithful for curtain calls. Unfortunately, the position switch did nothing to move Shines up the talent-rich Expos’ ladder. Now he was blocked by stars Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Andrés Galarraga, and briefly, Pete Rose.

Shining On

During Shines’ time with Indianapolis, the Indians won four straight American Association titles from 1986-89. They won the Triple-A Classic in 1988 and 1989. Shines was a hero in Indy. That’s what winning will do. Or maybe that’s what an unusual name will do. The modest Shines credits Indy’s PA announcer Kurt Hunt, who elongated Shines’ name when he announced him, for his popularity.

Then again, maybe he was popular in Indy based on his performance. In nine seasons there, he hit .274/.358/.416 with 68 HR and 404 RBI. The homers and RBI rank third and fourth, respectively, in Indians history. He was born in the wrong year. Besides playing in an era when the Expos were loaded with talent, it was also before the analytics era, when his OBP would have made him a desirable commodity. Alas, Shines would retire well before OBP became an important number to the front office guys.

Sharp Razor

Once his playing days were over, and even before, Shines was respected for his sharp baseball mind. On May 16, 2006, he returned to Indianapolis as the manager of the Charlotte Knights. In an unusual move for an opposing manager, the Indians held Razor Shines Night. The ball club presented him with a Chevrolet Lumina. He went on to serve as a base coach for the Chicago White Sox and Mets and also managed several Futures Games. But a major league managerial opportunity never came, despite glowing recommendations from major league managers Ozzie Guillén and Charlie Manuel.

Shines was born Anthony Razor Shines on July 18, 1956. He was a third-generation “Razor” in his family and never had any interest in the origin of the name. He named his first son Devin Razor Shines, who later named his son Riley Razor Shines. In 2017, Riley’s mother entered his photo in a contest, and Riley was named National Gerber Baby. The original Gerber Baby, novelist Ann Turner Cook, continues to adorn Gerber’s product labels. All Riley got out of the deal was free college tuition, paid for by Gerber. “He’s got more money than we do,” Shines told the IndyStar in 2019.

If You’re Going

Razor Shines Weekend commences this Friday, September 13 at Victory Field. Shines will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on all three days and sign autographs on Friday and Sunday. There will be fireworks after the Friday and Saturday games. On Saturday, in a pregame ceremony honoring Shines, the Indians will retire his No. 3. Giveaways, limited to the first 1,000 fans through the gates, include a Legends Baseball Card Set on Friday, a Razor Shines bobblehead on Saturday, and a Razor Shines T-shirt on Sunday. Somebody in the Indians’ PR department dropped the ball, because on no day will they be giving away razors. Maybe legal counsel stepped in. In any event, check the Indians’ website for more precise details. Last Word On Sports and I are not responsible if you don’t get an autograph or a giveaway item.

 

Photo Credit: © Austin Hough / South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

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