1957 Topps #139 Lou Kretlow
About Lou Kretlow
Louis Henry Kretlow (June 27, 1921 - September 12, 2007) was a right-handed pitcher born in Apache, Oklahoma. After two games at the University of Oklahoma, he spent 39 months in the Army Air Corps during World War II, blossoming into a prospect with the semipro Enid Enidairs, where he went 48-16 over three seasons and earned three National Baseball Congress All-American selections. Detroit signed him for a reported $30,000 in December 1945, and he debuted September 26, 1946, beating St. Louis with a complete-game seven-hitter. Chronic wildness (about six walks per nine innings) undercut his talent, though he threw shutouts for the White Sox in 1951-52 under Paul Richards. Kretlow pitched for Detroit, the Browns, White Sox, Orioles, and finally the Kansas City Athletics (1956), finishing 27-47 with a 4.87 ERA and 450 strikeouts. A scratch golfer, he recorded a 427-yard hole-in-one at Lake Hefner in 1961. This is his final Topps card.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 399 | 0 | 7 | 90 | 149 | 86 | 49 | 18 | 0 |
| SGC | 27 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded (the +/Q qualifier rows are excluded).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1957 Topps Lou Kretlow card?
It is card #139 of the 1957 Topps Baseball set - the 407-card, 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inch set that was Topps' first at the modern standard card size, with full-color photography and complete career stats on the back. It pictures Lou Kretlow, Kansas City Athletics.
How many cards are in the 1957 Topps set?
407 numbered cards. Collectors usually count 408 because #176 Gene Baker exists in an error ('Bakep') and a corrected back. The PSA master set adds the 8 checklists, 4 contest cards and the Lucky Penny for 421 items.
Sources: PSA CardFacts, Beckett, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research (Net54 / Topps Archives). Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-10.