1951 Topps Red Back #40 Mike Garcia
About Mike Garcia
Garcia became a full-time starter in 1950, opening 29 of his 33 games after 20 of 41 the year before. He threw 184 innings, completed 11 starts and finished 11-11 with a 3.86 ERA for Cleveland. His strikeouts fell from 94 to 76 even with the heavier workload, a drop of 18. At the plate he went 13 for 65, a .200 average, with six runs batted in.
Mike Garcia was a right-handed pitcher born in San Gabriel, California, and raised on a ranch in Orosi. A Cleveland scout signed him out of semipro ball, and after three years in the Army Signal Corps he worked up through the minors and debuted with the Indians in October 1948. In 1949 he led the American League with a 2.36 ERA. From 1949 to 1954 he was one of the Indians' celebrated starters alongside Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Early Wynn. He won 20 games in 1951 and 22 in 1952, made the All-Star team three straight years from 1952, and led the league in ERA and shutouts twice each. In 1954 he went 19-8 with a 2.64 ERA for the 111-win pennant winner. His effectiveness faded after 1954, and he finished with the White Sox in 1960 and the Senators in 1961. His career line was 142-97 with a 3.27 ERA and 27 shutouts. He is in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame but not in Cooperstown.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 280 | 1 | 26 | 70 | 46 | 33 | 54 | 50 | 0 |
| SGC | 32 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 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
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- Red Back #8 Early Wynn
- Red Back #12 Jim Hegan
- Red Back #13 Dale Mitchell
- Red Back #22 Bob Feller
- Red Back #23 Ray Boone
- Red Back #26 Luke Easter
- Red Back #29 Bob Kennedy
- Red Back #35 Al Rosen
- Blue Back #31 Lou Brissie
- Blue Back #52 Sam Chapman
- Connie Mack's All-Star Tris Speaker
- Major League All-Star Larry Doby
- Major League All-Star Bob Lemon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #40 card?
It is Red Back #40 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Mike Garcia of the Cleveland Indians.
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.