1963 Topps #244 John Tsitouris
About John Tsitouris
Card #244, a third-series Red, lands on the year everything finally came together. Buried in long relief at 0-1 with a 6.66 ERA through nine outings, Tsitouris drew a spot start at Philadelphia on June 9, won it 3-1 on four hits, beat Pittsburgh four days later and never gave the rotation spot back. A new screwball that needling teammates called the "Billy Williams pitch" -- the Cubs slugger took it out twice -- carried him to 12-8 and a 3.16 ERA over 191 innings, and he closed the season with consecutive shutouts that buried St. Louis's pennant hopes.
John Philip Tsitouris was a right-handed pitcher born May 4, 1936 in Monroe, North Carolina, the son of a Greek immigrant who owned restaurants in town. In 1954 he became the first player signed by new Detroit scout Rick Ferrell, and he reached the majors in June 1957, picking up the win in relief against Baltimore in his debut. A temper outburst at Triple-A Charleston that September soured the Tigers on him, and he was traded to Kansas City in November. Three uneven seasons with the Athletics followed, including a jaw broken by a line drive in batting practice in May 1960. Cincinnati acquired him and John Briggs in a January 1961 deal for Joe Nuxhall. Named San Diego's most valuable pitcher after a 13-8 Pacific Coast League season in 1962, he earned a September call-up to the Reds, and in 1963 pitching coach Jim Turner converted him from a thrower into a pitcher, producing his best mark, 12-8 with a 3.16 ERA. He stayed on the Cincinnati staff through 1965, was optioned out in 1966, and pitched his last big-league game in April 1968. He finished 34-38 with a 4.13 ERA over parts of eleven seasons, then followed his father-in-law into automobile sales. He died in Monroe in 2015.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 205 | 0 | 10 | 104 | 62 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #63 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #1 1962 National League Batting Leaders
- #3 1962 National League Home Run Leaders
- #5 1962 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #7 1962 National League Pitching Leaders
- #21 Marty Keough
- #29 1963 Rookie Stars
- #37 Jerry Lynch
- #70 Jim O'Toole
- #90 Gordy Coleman
- #116 Jim Brosnan
- #133 Gene Freese
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #178 Johnny Edwards
- #194 Joe Nuxhall
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #244 card?
It is card #244 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Tsitouris of the Cincinnati Reds.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-03.