1965 Topps #37 Fred Gladding
About Fred Gladding
Fred Gladding's 1965 Topps card, #37, shows him with the Detroit Tigers during a season in which he went 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA and five saves in 46 relief appearances. On June 15 he closed out a game against Boston in which he, Denny McLain, and Dave Wickersham combined for 18 strikeouts, a Detroit franchise record for a nine-inning game.
Fred Gladding was a right-handed relief pitcher who spent thirteen major league seasons, 1961 to 1973, with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. Born in Flat Rock, Michigan, he signed with the Tigers in 1956 and spent six seasons working through their minor league system before debuting in 1961. Teammates nicknamed him "The Bear" during his minor league days in Birmingham, after catcher Ron Witucki noticed how he stomped around the mound when angry, and Detroit catcher Bill Freehan later called him "Little Monster." A sinkerball pitcher who ran the ball in on right-handed hitters, Gladding became a dependable Tigers reliever through the 1960s before an August 1967 trade sent him to Houston in exchange for Eddie Mathews. With the Astros he led the National League in saves in 1969, the first year saves were officially counted. He finished his career with a 48-34 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 109 saves in 450 games. He also holds the lowest non-zero career batting average in major league history, .016.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 273 | 3 | 62 | 135 | 39 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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
- #53 Dick McAuliffe
- #83 George Thomas
- #130 Al Kaline
- #153 Norm Cash
- #191 Phil Regan
- #206 Willie Horton
- #236 Dennis McLain
- #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 #37 card?
It is card #37 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Gladding of the Detroit Tigers.
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.