1965 Topps #236 Dennis McLain
About Dennis McLain
Recalled to Detroit in 1965, McLain turned in his first full season: 16-6 with a 2.61 ERA, 13 complete games and 192 strikeouts, third-most in the American League behind Sam McDowell and teammate Mickey Lolich. On June 15 he came on in relief in the first inning and struck out the first seven hitters he faced, a major-league record for a reliever. Card #236, from the third series, is his rookie card - his first Topps card, three summers before the 31 wins.
Dennis Dale McLain signed with the Chicago White Sox out of Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago in 1962, only for the Detroit Tigers to claim him on waivers the following April. He reached Detroit on September 21, 1963 at the age of 19 and homered in his major-league debut, the only home run he would ever hit. He became a workhorse right-hander through the mid-1960s, leaning on a heavy fastball that also made him easy to take deep; he led the American League in home runs allowed three straight years. His signature season came in 1968, when he went 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA to become the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season, taking both the American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player honors as Detroit won the World Series. A second straight Cy Young followed in 1969, shared with Baltimore's Mike Cuellar. McLain was a three-time All-Star, in 1966, 1968 and 1969. Suspensions, gambling troubles and a worn-out arm then undid him: traded to the Washington Senators in October 1970, he lost 22 games in 1971 and finished with Oakland and Atlanta in 1972, out of baseball by 1973. He retired 131-91 with a 3.39 ERA and 1,282 strikeouts over ten seasons.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,037 | 3 | 36 | 267 | 265 | 192 | 122 | 152 | 0 |
| SGC | 194 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 40 | 48 | 42 | 44 | 2 |
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. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
Team card: #173 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #9 American League 1964 Pitching Leaders
- #19 Gates Brown
- #37 Fred Gladding
- #53 Dick McAuliffe
- #83 George Thomas
- #130 Al Kaline
- #153 Norm Cash
- #191 Phil Regan
- #206 Willie Horton
- #259 Tigers 1965 Rookie Stars
- #271 Don Wert
- #288 Jack Hamilton
- #306 Bubba Phillips
- #335 Mickey Lolich
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #236 card?
It is card #236 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dennis McLain of the Detroit Tigers.
Is 1965 Topps #236 a rookie card?
Yes - #236 is the 1965 Topps rookie card of Dennis McLain.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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.