1967 Topps #203 Al McBean
About Al McBean
Card #203 falls in Topps' third series for 1967, a season of two halves. McBean opened in the bullpen under Harry Walker, and when Danny Murtaugh, the manager he had debuted for, took over in midseason he worked 16 more times in relief before moving back into the rotation in late August. He was superb there, winning four of seven starts with a 2.11 ERA and complete games in five of them, and finished 7-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 51 games. He was the hitting star on September 6 at Atlanta, driving in three runs with a bases-loaded walk and a two-run triple in a 4-1 win.
Alvin O'Neal McBean, born May 15, 1938, in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, was the first pitcher from the U.S. Virgin Islands to reach the major leagues and for decades the only one. Pirates superscout Howie Haak found him at a 1957 tryout camp on St. Thomas that McBean attended as a photographer for a local paper; talked into working out in borrowed spikes, he signed for a $100 bonus and debuted on July 2, 1961. A right-hander with a hard sinker who threw from whatever arm angle suited him that day, he moved between the rotation and the bullpen for ten seasons: Pittsburgh from 1961 through 1968 and again in 1970, San Diego in 1969, and Los Angeles from 1969 into 1970. His best year was 1964 - 8-3 with a 1.91 ERA and 21 saves, good for The Sporting News National League Fireman of the Year. He finished 67-50 with a 3.13 ERA and 63 saves in 409 games. A famously sharp dresser who played to the crowd, he was a friend and Pirates roommate of Roberto Clemente, who stood as best man at his 1962 wedding. He went home to St. Thomas to work in recreation for the territory and died there on January 31, 2024, at 85.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 293 | 3 | 61 | 155 | 46 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 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. PSA registers a row for every one of the 624 states; SGC lists no separate row for the #149 white-streak state.
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Related cards
Team card: #492 Pittsburgh Pirates
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- #10 Matty Alou
- #49 Roy Face
- #66 Manny Mota
- #84 Tommie Sisk
- #123 Pirates 1967 Rookie Stars
- #140 Willie Stargell
- #162 Billy O'Dell
- #183 Jim Pagliaroni
- #221 Woody Fryman
- #238 National League 1966 Strikeout Leaders
- #240 National League 1966 Batting Leaders
- #242 National League 1966 RBI Leaders
- #266 Pitt Power
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1967 Topps #203 card?
It is card #203 of the 609-card 1967 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al McBean of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many cards are in the 1967 Topps Baseball set?
609 cards, tracked as 624 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 609 without a gap - no number was skipped and none was used twice - and 15 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-12.