The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #951 (Also, Darnell McDonald)

Today, I present two Sega Card-Gen cards from Japan.  These are not the easiest cards to find, and both of them were high on my list to track down (I still need Dan Wheeler).  Recently, a seller had a bunch of these available and I grabbed them.  The seller was located in Japan and this was right as COVID was beginning.  It took a very long time to receive the cards and I was beginning to think they were lost in the mail. 

There's not much to say about Varitek that I have not already said.  He has been making a name for himself as a potential manager.  I think if he wants the job at some point, the Red Sox will likely give it to him.

Let's talk about Darnell McDonald.  McDonald spent parts of three seasons with the Red Sox as an extra outfielder.  In 2010, he had his best season and played quite a bit due to injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron.  He played fairly well too, making it into 117 games, playing in center a little more often than right or left.  He hit .270/.336/.429 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and nine stolen bases.  He played well enough to stick with the team as a reserve the next two seasons, but diminishing returns each year eventually led to his release.  He caught on with the Yankees, for whom he played in four games without a hit, then played well with the Cubs in 25 games for his last year in the Majors.  McDonald was a former first round draft pick who was not really able to make the leap to the Majors despite having a few good years in the minors.  He was past his prime by the time he got a real shot.