1968 Topps #105 Al Downing
This card was also packed into the 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card board game. Those copies carry a yellow back in place of the regular orange, and some show a thin white line along one border edge.
About Al Downing
Downing's 1968 card #105, a series-1 issue, follows the summer that put him on an All-Star roster. In 1967 he went 14-10 with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 171 over 201.2 innings in 31 appearances and 28 starts. Those 14 wins were the most he ever collected in a season in pinstripes, and the July 11 trip to Anaheim Stadium was the only All-Star selection of his career. The card has a twin: a 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card look-alike, told apart by its yellow-tinged back.
Alphonso Erwin Downing, a left-handed pitcher born June 28, 1941, in Trenton, New Jersey, signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1961 and reached the majors that July at age 20, becoming the first Black pitcher in franchise history when he took the mound on July 19. He spent parts of nine seasons in pinstripes, breaking out in 1963 at 13-5 with a 2.56 ERA and leading the American League with 217 strikeouts in 1964. On August 11, 1967, the year of his only All-Star selection, he struck out the side on nine pitches against Cleveland, the majors' first immaculate inning since 1964. Traded to Oakland before 1970 and to Milwaukee that June, he found a second act with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 20 games with a league-leading five shutouts in 1971 and taking National League Comeback Player of the Year. He is remembered above all for one pitch: on April 8, 1974, he surrendered Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. He finished 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA and 1,639 strikeouts over 17 seasons, later broadcasting for the Dodgers.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · Retrosheet
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 461 | 9 | 142 | 193 | 65 | 25 | 14 | 13 | 0 |
| SGC | 35 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1968 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
More New York Yankees cards:
- #29 Joe Verbanic
- #47 Ralph Houk
- #69 Tom Tresh
- #89 Jake Gibbs
- #120 Mel Stottlemyre
- #138 Ruben Amaro
- #195 Joe Pepitone
- #214 Yankees 1968 Rookie Stars
- #234 Bill Monbouquette
- #246 Fritz Peterson
- #263 Horace Clarke
- #280 Mickey Mantle
- #299 Gene Michael
- #316 Steve Barber
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #105 card?
It is card #105 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al Downing of the New York Yankees.
How many cards are in the 1968 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 606 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 without a gap and no printed number carries two different cards; eight cards - six of the seven checklists, #10 AL Pitching Leaders and #400 Mike McCormick - carry a catalogued print variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Beckett, 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.