1961 Topps #266 Lindy McDaniel
About Lindy McDaniel
Coming off back-to-back seasons as the majors' saves leader and his only All-Star selection, McDaniel found 1961 far bumpier: every one of his 55 outings came in relief, his ERA ballooned to 4.87 and his save total fell to nine, though a strong finish salvaged a 10-6 record after he had sat at 6.05 on July 20. Topps gave him two cards in this set. Number 75, a first-series issue, is a two-player Cardinals card he shares with pitcher Larry Jackson, while number 266 in the third series is his own solo St. Louis card.
Lindy McDaniel was a right-handed pitcher who spent 21 seasons in the majors, from a September 1955 debut through his final pitch in 1975. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him out of Hollis, Oklahoma in August 1955 for a $50,000 bonus, which under the bonus-baby rules of the day forced the 19-year-old straight onto the big-league roster. He pitched for the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, working mostly from the bullpen behind a celebrated curve and, from 1959 on, a forkball. He led his league in saves three times and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year award twice. He finished 141-119 with a 3.45 ERA, 174 saves and 1,361 strikeouts in 987 games, and when he retired he trailed only Hoyt Wilhelm in career appearances. Younger brother Von McDaniel pitched alongside him in St. Louis in 1957 and 1958. A devout member of the Church of Christ, Lindy was ordained a minister and preached throughout and after his playing days. He stood 6-foot-3 and both threw and batted right-handed.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 245 | 1 | 23 | 112 | 66 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 1 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 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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Related cards
More Lindy McDaniel in this set: #75 Lindy Shows Larry
Team card: #347 St. Louis Cardinals Team
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #11 Curt Simmons
- #32 Ray Sadecki
- #52 George Crowe
- #64 Alex Grammas
- #75 Lindy Shows Larry
- #91 Walt Moryn
- #118 Chris Cannizzaro
- #127 Ron Kline
- #139 Solly Hemus
- #148 Julian Javier
- #178 Bob Nieman
- #198 Carl Sawatski
- #211 Bob Gibson
- #232 Bill White
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #266 card?
It is card #266 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lindy McDaniel of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.