1964 Topps #61 Angel Backstops - Bob Rodgers / Ed Sadowski
On this card: Bob Rodgers, Ed Sadowski
About this card
This is one of the eleven combo cards in the 1964 Topps set, each gathering two or more players under a headline rather than giving one man his own card.
The story on this card
Card 61 pairs the Angels' two catchers, Bob Rodgers and Ed Sadowski, under the heading "Angel Backstops," a Topps device for spotlighting bench depth rather than a single player's numbers. Rodgers, still just two years off finishing runner-up for the 1962 AL Rookie of the Year award, was the club's regular catcher, while veteran Sadowski, claimed from the Red Sox in the 1960 expansion draft, had settled into a strictly backup role, catching for Rodgers through all of 1963 while playing sharp defense and hitting little. The card runs in the 1964 set's first print series, its two-man design underscoring how crowded the Angels' catching picture had become.
Buck Rodgers was the Angels' switch-hitting catcher for all nine of his big-league seasons, valued far more for handling pitchers than for his .232 bat, and he later managed the Brewers, Expos and Angels, winning National League Manager of the Year in 1987. Ed Sadowski - a Pittsburgh-born catcher who spent five big-league seasons, mostly as a backup, with the Red Sox, Angels and Braves, later working as a minor league manager and pitching instructor before teaching physical education in California.
Sources: Wikipedia (Buck Rodgers) · Wikipedia (Ed Sadowski) · SABR BioProject (Buck Rodgers) · SABR BioProject (Ed Sadowski) · Baseball Almanac (Bob Rodgers) · Baseball Almanac (Ed Sadowski)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 429 | 2 | 40 | 236 | 86 | 39 | 10 | 13 | 3 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1964 Topps 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: #213 Los Angeles Angels
More Los Angeles Angels cards:
- #32 Dean Chance
- #41 Friendly Foes
- #48 Bob Perry
- #71 Jack Spring
- #97 Jim Fregosi
- #110 Albie Pearson
- #127 Angels 1964 Rookie Stars
- #149 Paul Foytack
- #159 Charlie Dees
- #227 Barry Latman
- #255 Lee Thomas
- #273 Mel Nelson
- #279 Joe Koppe
- #296 Ed Kirkpatrick
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #61 card?
It is card #61 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Rodgers and Ed Sadowski. This is one of the eleven combo cards in the 1964 Topps set, each gathering two or more players under a headline rather than giving one man his own card.
How many cards are in the 1964 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 589 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 587 with no gaps, and no number carries two different cards; two cards - #4, the A.L. Pitching Leaders, and #517, the seventh-series checklist - carry a catalogued back variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.