1966 Topps #124 Tug McGraw
About Tug McGraw
Back in the rotation to open 1966, McGraw made 12 of his 15 appearances as a starter and took the worst beating of his career, going 2-9 with a 5.34 ERA over 62.1 innings. He had hurt his arm muscling up with weights during an offseason spent in the Marine Reserve, and the Mets sent him to the Instructional League after the season, where Ralph Terry showed him the screwball on a golf course. His 1966 Topps card, #124 in the second series, catches him at that crossroads, still presented as a Mets starter. It is a common-run number.
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. pitched 19 major league seasons, 1965-1984, a left-handed reliever for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. He signed with the Mets in June 1964 for a $7,000 bonus and reached the majors the next spring at age 20, debuting in relief on April 18, 1965 and later handing Sandy Koufax his first loss to the franchise. Two rough years and a full season back in the minors followed before he found the pitch that saved him, a screwball taught to him by veteran Ralph Terry in the Instructional League. Gil Hodges moved him to the bullpen for good in June 1969, and McGraw went 9-3 with a 2.24 ERA for New York's first world champions. He became one of the National League's best closers, made All-Star teams in 1972 and 1975, and shouted "Ya Gotta Believe" into the 1973 pennant race. Traded to Philadelphia in December 1974, he pitched ten seasons there, helped the Phillies to four division titles, and struck out Willie Wilson to end the 1980 World Series and bring the franchise its first championship. He retired after 1984, later anchored sports on Philadelphia television, and died of brain cancer in 2004; his son is country singer Tim McGraw.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 367 | 1 | 29 | 125 | 99 | 42 | 27 | 44 | 0 |
| SGC | 40 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 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. Where SGC registers no separate row for a variation state, its slabs of that card are listed under the base state.
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Related cards
Team card: #172 New York Mets
More New York Mets cards:
- #17 Johnny Stephenson
- #35 Ron Swoboda
- #51 Gordon Richardson
- #67 Mets 1966 Rookie Stars
- #87 Dan Napoleon
- #108 Bobby Klaus
- #154 Chuck Hiller
- #188 Al Luplow
- #191 Darrell Sutherland
- #212 Ed Kranepool
- #241 Dennis Ribant
- #262 Jack Hamilton
- #282 Johnny Lewis
- #302 Ernie Bowman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1966 Topps #124 card?
It is card #124 of the 598-card 1966 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tug McGraw of the New York Mets.
How many cards are in the 1966 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 613 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no number used twice, and 14 cards carry catalogued print variations - five checklists, the trade and sold statement backs, the three-state #43 Don Landrum, three team-card dot pairs and the #161 Jerry Lumpe white streak - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, 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.