1963 Topps #457 Tex Clevenger
About Tex Clevenger
Card #457 is a sixth-series semi-high number, and the New York club it names was the last one Clevenger pitched for. The season behind it was the best of his eight big-league years, and it nearly slipped away: optioned to Richmond on May 9, 1962, he was recalled on the 21st only because Luis Arroyo's pitching elbow gave out, and he finished 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 21 relief appearances. He never got the ball in the seven-game October win over San Francisco, yet drew a full winner's share. By the time this card reached packs he was back at Richmond for good, 4-9 with a 3.09 ERA in the last season of his professional life.
Truman Eugene "Tex" Clevenger was a right-handed pitcher from Visalia, California, signed by the Boston Red Sox out of Fresno State in June 1953 and immediately dominant for Class-C San Jose, where he went 16-2 with a 1.51 ERA and led the California League in both wins and earned run average. He reached the majors with Boston in April 1954, then spent five seasons (1956-1960) in the Washington Senators bullpen, leading the American League with 55 appearances in 1958 and throwing a four-hit shutout over Detroit on September 14, 1959. The Los Angeles Angels took him seventh overall in the December 1960 expansion draft, and a trade that May sent him to the New York Yankees, where he was a two-time World Series champion with the 1961 and 1962 clubs without ever pitching in either Series. His nickname came from Boston teammate Johnny Pesky, who thought he resembled former Red Sox pitcher Tex Hughson, though Clevenger never played in Texas. Over eight big-league seasons he went 36-37 with a 4.18 ERA and 361 strikeouts. He later worked as an insurance underwriter in Visalia and ran Clevenger Ford in Porterville with his wife until the mid-1990s. He was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987, and he died on August 24, 2019, at 87.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 300 | 0 | 20 | 124 | 103 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 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.
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: #247 New York Yankees
More New York Yankees cards:
- #2 1962 American League Batting Leaders
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #10 1962 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #20 Tony Kubek
- #38 Bud Daley
- #42 Stan Williams
- #54 1963 Rookie Stars
- #60 Elston Howard
- #92 Hector Lopez
- #120 Roger Maris
- #142 World Series Game #1 - Yanks' Ford Wins Series Opener
- #144 World Series Game #3 - Maris Sparks Yankee Rally
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #457 card?
It is card #457 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tex Clevenger of the New York Yankees.
Why is #457 harder to find?
It is a semi-high card from the sixth print series, #447-511 - the run where the set's short prints sit. Scarcer than series 1-5, easier than series 7.
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.