proud to be a dodger fan

i thought maybe i noticed something when i added emmet sheehan's 2024 topps 1989 35th anniversary insert to my collection.

the photo is the same one topps used on his 2023 topps now card commemorating his big league debut

but for some reason it's darker. 

here's the getty images file photo topps used

and here are the cards side by side

i'm not sure why topps modified the image, especially after using it in 2023 in a different way.

it's worth noting that sheehan happened to make his big league debut on 2023's pride night at dodger stadium which was a year ago yesterday, and even though topps has darkened the image for the 2024 card, you can still make out the colors of the logo if you look closely enough. the size of the logo doesn't allow for as much clarity as you see on trevor rogers' 2023 topps heritage high numbers card (featuring a photo taken during the same game in which sheehan debuted), but you can tell that it's there.

topps used a different photo from a different game for sheehan's base card

which also looks to have been darkened from the original seen here. i would love to know about topps' process for filtering images for their cards.

anyway, to their credit, the dodgers held pride night on friday night even as other teams shy away from the event. they wore the hats again, but i didn't see any patches on the royals' uniforms like the giants wore in last year's game. time will tell if any images from the game make it to cardboard - filtered or not.