1961 Topps #49 National League 1960 Strikeout Leaders - Don Drysdale / Sandy Koufax / Sam Jones / Ernie Broglio
On this card: Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Sam Jones, Ernie Broglio
About this card
Cards #41-50 are the League Leaders subset - the first Topps set to carry one - each card listing the 1960 leaders in one statistical category, the National League card first and the American League card second in each pair.
The story on this card
The 1961 Topps League Leaders entry at card 49 comes from the first print series and posts the National League's top four strikeout men of 1960. Don Drysdale led the league and the majors with 246, a second straight NL strikeout crown after 242 in 1959, working 269 innings to a 15-14 record and a 2.84 ERA; the American League's best was Jim Bunning at 201. Sandy Koufax followed with 197 in 175 innings, going 8-13 with a 3.91 ERA. Sam Jones of the Giants took third at 190, going 18-14 at 3.19. Ernie Broglio closed the board at 188, starting 24 of his 52 games for the Cardinals and going 21-9 to tie Warren Spahn for the NL lead in wins.
Don Drysdale was the Dodgers' intimidating right-hander for 14 seasons, the 1962 Cy Young winner and a three-time World Series champion who in 1968 ran off six straight shutouts and a record 58 2/3 scoreless innings. Sandy Koufax was the Dodgers' left-hander nicknamed 'the Left Arm of God,' whose five-year run of dominance from 1962 to 1966 brought three unanimous Cy Young Awards and four no-hitters, including a perfect game, before an arthritic elbow forced his retirement at 30. A big right-hander who always pitched with a toothpick in his mouth, Sam Jones threw a sweeping curveball and became the first African American to pitch a major league no-hitter in 1955. Ernie Broglio - right-hander who tied for the National League lead with 21 wins for the 1960 Cardinals, then became the pitcher St. Louis traded to the Cubs for a young Lou Brock in 1964.
Sources: Wikipedia (Don Drysdale) · Wikipedia (Sandy Koufax) · Wikipedia (Sam Jones) · Wikipedia (Ernie Broglio) · SABR BioProject (Don Drysdale) · SABR BioProject (Sandy Koufax) · SABR BioProject (Sam Jones) · SABR BioProject (Ernie Broglio) · National Baseball Hall of Fame (1) · National Baseball Hall of Fame (2) · Baseball Almanac (Don Drysdale) · Baseball Almanac (Sandy Koufax) · Baseball Almanac (Sam Jones) · Baseball Almanac (Ernie Broglio) · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,270 | 6 | 30 | 341 | 330 | 243 | 140 | 175 | 5 |
| SGC | 275 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 42 | 66 | 58 | 79 | 3 |
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 #49 card?
It is card #49 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Sam Jones and Ernie Broglio. Cards #41-50 are the League Leaders subset - the first Topps set to carry one - each card listing the 1960 leaders in one statistical category, the National League card first and the American League card second in each pair.
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.