Plagued by terrible inconsistency, Underwood never fulfilled the promise of his first season. The hard thrower was the lefthander on the Topps All-Rookie Team in 1975 after a career-high 14 wins. Extremely effective at Veterans Stadium (23-5) and against St. Louis (5-0), Tom was switched from starting to relief in 1977, then was traded to the Cards where he moved back to starting. He and Victor Cruz went to Toronto for Pete Vuckovich on December 6, 1977. Underwood led the Blue Jays in strikeouts in 1978 and 1979 and was the club’s top pitcher the latter season. At age twenty-six, he seemed ready to blossom during a fine season with the Yankees (13-9, 3.66). A poor start in 1981 brought a trade to Oakland. Used mostly in relief, he led the A’s in games pitched in 1982 and 1983. In 1979, Tom started, and lost, a game to his brother Pat of the Tigers.
