1958 Topps #204 Leo Kiely
About Leo Kiely
Kiely led the 1958 Red Sox with 12 saves, going 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA over 81 innings in 47 games, every one in relief. His 1958 Topps #204 shows him with Boston in the third series, listed between Rube Walker at #203 and Johnny Temple at #205.
Leo Kiely was a left-handed pitcher from Hoboken, New Jersey, signed by the Red Sox in 1948. He won seven games as a 1951 rookie before the Korean War took him into the Army. In 1953 he pitched six games for the Mainichi Orions in Japan, winning all six with a 1.80 ERA, and is credited as the first major leaguer to play in Japanese pro ball. Back in Boston he settled into relief, leaning on a sinker rather than speed. A priest coaching his CYO team started the nicknames with Blackie, and he later picked up KiKi, Le-Ki and Black Cat, the last for the toy black cat he carried to the bullpen. In 1957 he won 21 games for the San Francisco Seals, 20 of them in relief. He finished 26-27 with 29 saves and a 3.37 ERA, ending with the 1960 Kansas City Athletics.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 190 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 71 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-09. 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 1958 Topps Leo Kiely card?
It is card #204 of the 1958 Topps Baseball set - Topps' sixth flagship issue: 494 cards numbered 1-495 (#145 was never issued), with die-cut player photos on solid-color backgrounds and the first team logos on Topps fronts. It pictures Leo Kiely, Boston Red Sox.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Leo Kiely #204 are there?
PSA has graded 190 copies and SGC 14 as of the 2026-07-09 snapshot. Population is a scarcity guide, not a price - high-grade 1958s are notoriously tough because of the set's chronic centering and print-quality issues.
How many cards are in the 1958 Topps set?
494 issued cards, numbered 1-495 - #145 (Ed Bouchee) was pulled before release and never issued, leaving a permanent gap. The PSA master census counts 534 items: the 494 base cards plus 33 yellow-letter variations, 4 numerical checklist-back team cards, the 'Herrer' #433 error, and 2 unnumbered ad cards.
Sources: PSA CardFacts, Beckett, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research (Topps Archives, 2026). Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-09-30.