1951 Topps Red Back #10 Mel Parnell
About Mel Parnell
Parnell followed his 25-7 season in 1949 with an 18-10 record in 1950, a 3.61 ERA over 249 innings, 21 complete games, 93 strikeouts and three saves. On June 11, 1950, Johnny Pesky hit a two-run homer in the first inning to back him against Detroit; the Tigers won in 14 innings on a three-run homer by Vic Wertz, and Parnell took a no-decision. It was the only Pesky home run in a game Parnell pitched, and the Red Sox lost it, so the popular story that Parnell named Pesky's Pole after a Pesky game-winner does not match the record.
Mel Parnell was a left-handed starter who pitched all ten of his major league seasons, 1947 to 1956, for the Boston Red Sox, going 123-75 with a 3.50 ERA. His best year was 1949, when he won 25 games, led the American League with 27 complete games and 295.1 innings, and started the All-Star Game; he was selected again in 1951. At Fenway Park, a ballpark thought hard on left-handers, he went 71-30, and he finished first among Red Sox left-handers in starts, innings and wins. On July 14, 1956 he no-hit the White Sox 4-0 at Fenway, the first Red Sox no-hitter since Howard Ehmke in 1923. A torn muscle in his pitching arm ended his career after that season. A New Orleans native, he got the nickname Dusty from his high school coach because he threw so many low pitches. He managed the New Orleans Pelicans in 1959, later ran Red Sox farm clubs, and broadcast for Boston from 1965 to 1968 and for the White Sox in 1969. He entered the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 252 | 0 | 21 | 61 | 31 | 48 | 50 | 41 | 0 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: Team card Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- Red Back #4 Verne Stephens
- Red Back #20 Dominick DiMaggio
- Red Back #42 Ray Scarborough
- Red Back #43 Maurice McDermott
- Red Back #46 Billy Goodman
- Blue Back #5 Johnny Pesky
- Blue Back #37 Bobby Doerr
- Major League All-Star Walt Dropo
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #10 card?
It is Red Back #10 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox.
How many cards are in the 1951 Topps Baseball set?
135 cards across five issues - the Red Backs and Blue Backs (52 each), nine Team cards, and eleven each of Connie Mack's All-Stars and the Major League All-Stars. With the Zernial and Holmes variations and both versions of each Team card the master set is 146. All 135 count toward the full set; Jim Konstanty, Robin Roberts and Eddie Stanky, the three rarest Major League All-Stars, are so rarely seen that collectors often count a complete set as 132 without them.
Sources: PSA, BaseballCardPedia, Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-26.