1963 Topps #338 Russ Kemmerer
About Russ Kemmerer
The fourth-series #338 is Kemmerer's only Topps card in a Houston uniform, and it came in his final major-league season. The Colt .45s used him 17 times in 1963 - 36 2/3 innings, one save, a 5.65 ERA and not a single decision - and released him in June. His last day in the majors was June 23 at Cincinnati, where he relieved in both ends of a doubleheader. Houston kept him in the organization as pitching coach at Triple-A Oklahoma City, and when the 89ers got into a pennant race manager Grady Hatton put him back on the active roster: 5-3, a 2.80 ERA, and a 9-0 shutout in Game Six as Oklahoma City took the Pacific Coast League title.
Russell Paul Kemmerer was a right-handed pitcher from Pittsburgh who spent nine seasons in the majors between 1954 and 1963. A four-sport letterman at Peabody High School, he signed with the Red Sox in June 1950 for a $3,000 bonus after a year at the University of Pittsburgh. He reached Boston in June 1954, and in his first big-league start, on July 18 at Fenway Park, he one-hit the Baltimore Orioles in a 4-0 win. Boston traded him to Washington in April 1957; the equivalent of three seasons in a last-place rotation left him 21-45 there. Washington sold him to the White Sox in May 1960 for a reported $30,000, and Chicago used him first as a swingman and then out of the bullpen before he closed out with the expansion Houston Colt .45s. He called his sinking fastball his best pitch and used a forkball as a changeup, finishing 43-59 with a 4.46 ERA in 302 games and 1,066 2/3 innings. Afterward he pastored small Indiana churches, coached pitchers at Indiana University, and taught English and coached for 21 years at Lawrence Central High School near Indianapolis. He died on December 8, 2014, at 84.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 161 | 0 | 6 | 67 | 63 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 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
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
- #230 Pete Runnels
- #262 Ellis Burton
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #338 card?
It is card #338 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Russ Kemmerer of the Houston Colt .45's.
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.