1963 Topps #230 Pete Runnels
Runnels made his offseason home in Pasadena, Texas.
Uncorrected error: The back gives the wrong home town; it should read Pasadena, Texas.
About Pete Runnels
Runnels opens the 1963 Topps set at #2, a first-series league leaders card that heads the American League's 1962 averages at .326 over Mickey Mantle, Floyd Robinson, Chuck Hinton and Norm Siebern. Card #230, issued in the third series, catches up with the trade: Boston sent him home to the Houston Colt .45's for Roman Mejias on November 26, 1962, and he batted .253 in 124 games in his one full National League season.
James Edward Runnels, born in Lufkin, Texas in 1928, reached the majors with the Washington Senators on July 1, 1951, after they bought his contract for $12,500. A left-handed hitter with a superb batting eye, he drew 844 walks against 627 strikeouts and played all four infield spots over fourteen seasons: 644 games at first base, 642 at second, 463 at shortstop, 49 at third. Ted Williams rebuilt his approach after the Red Sox traded for him in January 1958, and Runnels hit .314 or better in each of his five Boston seasons. He won American League batting titles in 1960 at .320 and 1962 at .326, and lost the 1958 crown to Williams by six points on the final day. A five-time All-Star, he tied a major league record with nine hits in a doubleheader on August 30, 1960. His career closed at .291 with 1,854 hits and a .375 on-base percentage in 1,799 games, the last two seasons spent in Houston. He coached in Boston and managed the Red Sox for the final sixteen games of 1966, then ran a sporting goods store in Pasadena, Texas, and operated Camp Champions in Marble Falls. He entered the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004, and died in 1991.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 195 | 0 | 8 | 97 | 67 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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.
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Related cards
More Pete Runnels in this set: #2 League Leaders
Team card: #312 Houston Colt .45's
More Houston Colt .45's cards:
- #9 1962 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #24 Bob Bruce
- #45 Bob Aspromonte
- #77 Al Spangler
- #99 Jim Umbricht
- #119 Bob Lillis
- #141 Manny Mota
- #153 Hal Smith
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #189 Dave Giusti
- #204 Don Nottebart
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #262 Ellis Burton
- #277 Dick Farrell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #230 card?
It is card #230 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Pete Runnels of the Houston Colt .45's.
Does 1963 Topps #230 have an error?
The back gives the wrong home town; it should read Pasadena, Texas. It was never corrected, so there is no variation to chase - every copy of #230 reads the same way.
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.