1961 Topps #22 Clem Labine
About Clem Labine
Labine came to Pittsburgh the hard way: traded from the Dodgers to Detroit in June 1960, released by the Tigers that August, and signed by the Pirates the next day. He went 3-0 with three saves down the stretch to help push them to the pennant, then collected his third World Series ring when Bill Mazeroski's homer finished off the Yankees. He gave Pittsburgh another full year of work in 1961, 56 games with eight saves and a 3.69 ERA. Card 22 shows him with the Pirates and comes from the first print series, a plain low number.
Clem Labine was a right-handed relief pitcher born August 6, 1926, in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and raised in nearby Woonsocket by French-Canadian parents. Brooklyn signed him out of Woonsocket High School in 1944 and sent him to Newport News; he then left baseball to serve as a World War II paratrooper, returning to climb back through Newport News, Asheville, Pueblo, and St. Paul. He debuted for the Dodgers on April 18, 1950, and stayed with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles clubs through 1960, pairing a hard-breaking curve with a sinker that kept hitters on the ground. He helped Brooklyn win its first World Series title in 1955, working four games with a win and a save, then beat the Yankees 1-0 with a ten-inning shutout in Game Six of the 1956 Series. He was an All-Star in 1956 and 1957, and is credited retroactively with leading the National League in saves both years. He held the National League career saves record from 1958 to 1962 and finished with 96, then fourth-most in major league history. Traded to Detroit in June 1960 and released that August, he signed with Pittsburgh, won a third ring with the 1960 Pirates, and closed out his career with the 1962 Mets.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 359 | 5 | 51 | 183 | 68 | 28 | 14 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. PSA counts are straight grades only; PSA half grades (PSA 1.5 among them) and qualified slabs are not included. SGC half grades fold down (8.5→8). Slabs of the two cards printed #463 are joined by description, never by number alone.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #22 card?
It is card #22 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Clem Labine of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many cards are in the 1961 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 596 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 589, but #426, #587 and #588 were never issued and two different cards were printed #463 - Jack Fisher and the Milwaukee Braves Team card, catalogued 463b - and eight cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-05.