1965 Topps #244 Lindy McDaniel
About Lindy McDaniel
The bullpen pecking order flipped in 1965. Ted Abernathy took over as Chicago's closer with 31 saves in 84 games, leaving McDaniel just two saves of his own even though he pitched well, a 2.59 ERA across 71 appearances and 128.2 innings. Between them the two relievers made 155 appearances, a record workload for one staff's pair. It was his last Chicago season; that winter he went to San Francisco with Don Landrum for Randy Hundley and Bill Hands. Card 244 comes from the third series, a straightforward middle-of-the-set number.
Lindy McDaniel was a right-handed pitcher who spent 21 seasons in the majors, from a September 1955 debut through his final pitch in 1975. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him out of Hollis, Oklahoma in August 1955 for a $50,000 bonus, which under the bonus-baby rules of the day forced the 19-year-old straight onto the big-league roster. He pitched for the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, working mostly from the bullpen behind a celebrated curve and, from 1959 on, a forkball. He led his league in saves three times and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year award twice. He finished 141-119 with a 3.45 ERA, 174 saves and 1,361 strikeouts in 987 games, and when he retired he trailed only Hoyt Wilhelm in career appearances. Younger brother Von McDaniel pitched alongside him in St. Louis in 1957 and 1958. A devout member of the Church of Christ, Lindy was ordained a minister and preached throughout and after his playing days. He stood 6-foot-3 and both threw and batted right-handed.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 251 | 6 | 29 | 130 | 57 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 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. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Team card: #91 Chicago Cubs
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #244 card?
It is card #244 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lindy McDaniel of the Chicago Cubs.
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.