1965 Topps #252 Pete Richert
About Pete Richert
Handed a rotation spot in Washington, Richert produced the best season of his career: 15-12 with a 2.60 ERA, fifth best in the American League, six complete games and 161 strikeouts across 194 innings for a club that finished eighth in a ten-team league. He made the All-Star team for the first time, worked two scoreless innings at Metropolitan Stadium and struck out Willie Mays and Willie Stargell. Card #252 is a third-series issue and the first of his 1960s Topps cards to show him with Washington.
Peter Gerard Richert, born October 29, 1939 in Floral Park, New York, was a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher who spent thirteen seasons in the majors with the Dodgers, Senators, Orioles, Cardinals and Phillies. A Sewanhaka High School product off Long Island who signed for a $2,000 bonus, he announced himself on April 12, 1962 by striking out the first six batters he faced in relief for Los Angeles, a major league record, and he remains the only pitcher to strike out four men in one inning in his debut. He was a two-time All-Star as a Washington starter in 1965 and 1966 before Baltimore moved him to the bullpen, where he pitched for three straight pennant winners from 1969 through 1971 and earned a ring with the 1970 champions; he collected another in 1963 with the Dodgers without throwing a pitch in that Series. Richert finished 80-73 with a 3.19 ERA and 925 strikeouts, retiring after a blood clot in his pitching arm surfaced late in the 1974 season.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2) · Retrosheet
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 277 | 2 | 41 | 152 | 57 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1965 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: #267 Washington Senators
More Washington Senators cards:
- #21 Don Blasingame
- #38 Jim King
- #56 Ron Kline
- #86 Les Narum
- #99 Gil Hodges
- #129 Bennie Daniels
- #148 Willie Kirkland
- #152 Phil Ortega
- #181 Senators 1965 Rookie Stars
- #211 Steve Ridzik
- #224 Bob Chance
- #233 Don Zimmer
- #284 Nick Willhite
- #304 Dave Stenhouse
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #252 card?
It is card #252 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Pete Richert of the Washington Senators.
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.