1957 Topps #189 Willard Nixon
About Willard Nixon
Willard Lee Nixon (1928-2000) was a right-handed pitcher who spent his entire nine-season major-league career with the Boston Red Sox (1950-1958). A Taylorsville, Georgia native, he starred at Auburn University, where he set an SEC strikeout record in 1948 before signing with Boston as a free agent that same year. Nixon never won more than 12 games in a season and finished 69-72 with a 4.39 ERA, 616 strikeouts, 177 starts, 51 complete games, and 9 shutouts. Yet he earned the nickname "Yankee Killer" for his uncanny knack of beating the dominant New York Yankees, against whom he pitched far above his overall level, including a 1-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium in 1955 and a two-hit complete game over Don Larsen in 1956. A sore arm ended his career after 1958, and he later scouted for the Red Sox. He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. This 1957 Topps card comes late in his career, as his edge over the Yankees was fading.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 571 | 0 | 29 | 169 | 203 | 110 | 43 | 17 | 0 |
| SGC | 41 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
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 Willard Nixon card?
It is card #189 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 Willard Nixon, Boston Red Sox.
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.