1968 Topps #443 Joe Azcue
About Joe Azcue
1968 Topps #443, part of print series five, pictures Azcue with the Cleveland Indians in his one All-Star season. He set a career high with 115 games, hit .280 with 42 RBIs, and again led American League catchers in fielding, at .996. Dick Williams named him to the American League squad for the July 9 game in the Astrodome, where Tom Seaver struck him out in his only at-bat. The year also handed him a piece of trivia he could have done without: on July 30 at Cleveland Stadium he lined a 3-and-2 hit-and-run pitch into Ron Hansen's unassisted triple play, the first in the majors since 1927.
Jose Joaquin Azcue Lopez, a catcher from Cienfuegos, Cuba, signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1956 and worked his way up through Class D, B and A ball while starring in Cuban League winter ball for the Cienfuegos Elefantes, helping them win back-to-back pennants and a Caribbean Series title. He reached the majors with Cincinnati in August 1960 but hit just .097 in 14 games, and that December the Milwaukee Braves purchased his contract. A year later Milwaukee traded him to the Kansas City Athletics, and in May 1963 Kansas City dealt him to the Cleveland Indians, where he spent parts of seven seasons and became the club's regular catcher. A right-handed hitter and thrower known for a strong arm - in 1966 he threw out 62 percent of attempted base stealers, one of the best single-season rates in major league history - Azcue earned his only All-Star selection in 1968 and led American League catchers in fielding percentage in both 1967 and 1968. Traded to Boston in April 1969, he also played for the California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers before retiring in 1972 with a .252 average over eleven seasons. He later managed in the minors and worked for decades in the auto industry.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · SABR Games Project · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 318 | 15 | 94 | 143 | 40 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
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Related cards
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- #12 American League 1967 Strikeout Leaders
- #16 Indians 1968 Rookie Stars
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- #54 Stan Williams
- #71 Vern Fuller
- #94 Lee Maye
- #115 Sam McDowell
- #176 Bob Allen
- #197 Larry Brown
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- #237 Alvin Dark
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #443 card?
It is card #443 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Azcue of the Cleveland Indians.
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.