1961 Topps #254 Ted Sadowski
About Ted Sadowski
Card #254 is Sadowski's recognized rookie card, a third-series number in the 1961 Topps set - a plain mid-series card. He is pictured with the Minnesota Twins, the same franchise he debuted for in 1960 as a Washington Senator; it moved to Minneapolis-Saint Paul after that season and finished 1961 at 70-90, seventh in a newly expanded ten-team American League. Sadowski spent the year working out of the bullpen, taking the ball 15 times with one start, covering 33 innings and going 0-2 with a 6.82 ERA for a club that swapped Cookie Lavagetto for Sam Mele at midseason.
Theodore Sadowski was a right-handed pitcher born April 1, 1936, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he came out of a Pittsburgh baseball family that also produced brothers Bob and Ed Sadowski and nephew Jim Sadowski. He stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 190 pounds, batting and throwing right-handed. Sadowski put together a 12-year professional career and reached the majors as a middle reliever, debuting for the Washington Senators on September 2, 1960, then staying with the franchise after it moved to Minneapolis-Saint Paul and became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. Across three big-league seasons he appeared in 43 games, all but two of them in relief, worked 84 and one-third innings, and went 2-3 with one save, 39 strikeouts and a 5.76 ERA. His final major league appearance came on July 4, 1962. Sadowski died of cancer on July 18, 1993, in Shaler Township, Pennsylvania, at age 57, and is buried in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 304 | 1 | 31 | 150 | 85 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 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
Team card: #542 Minnesota Twins Team
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- #108 Dan Dobbek
- #123 Billy Gardner
- #153 Don Lee
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- #201 Pete Whisenant
- #226 Harry Lavagetto
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #254 card?
It is card #254 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Sadowski of the Minnesota Twins.
Is 1961 Topps #254 a rookie card?
Yes - #254 is the 1961 Topps rookie card of Ted Sadowski.
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.