1968 Topps #545 Lindy McDaniel
About Lindy McDaniel
By July 4 McDaniel was carrying a 7.45 ERA in a dozen Giants outings and thinking about quitting. San Francisco put him on waivers, the Yankees claimed him, and on July 12 the clubs swapped him for right-hander Bill Monbouquette. New York revived him instantly: 4-1, a 1.75 ERA and 10 saves in 24 games, including a stretch that August when he retired 32 straight hitters over four games to tie the American League record, with seven perfect innings against Detroit on the 23rd. Card 545 is a high number from the seventh series and the last Topps card to show him as a Giant.
Lindy McDaniel was a right-handed pitcher who spent 21 seasons in the majors, from a September 1955 debut through his final pitch in 1975. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him out of Hollis, Oklahoma in August 1955 for a $50,000 bonus, which under the bonus-baby rules of the day forced the 19-year-old straight onto the big-league roster. He pitched for the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, working mostly from the bullpen behind a celebrated curve and, from 1959 on, a forkball. He led his league in saves three times and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year award twice. He finished 141-119 with a 3.45 ERA, 174 saves and 1,361 strikeouts in 987 games, and when he retired he trailed only Hoyt Wilhelm in career appearances. Younger brother Von McDaniel pitched alongside him in St. Louis in 1957 and 1958. A devout member of the Church of Christ, Lindy was ordained a minister and preached throughout and after his playing days. He stood 6-foot-3 and both threw and batted right-handed.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 260 | 7 | 52 | 155 | 26 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 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. 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
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #5 National League 1967 Home Run Leaders
- #9 National League 1967 Pitching Leaders
- #11 National League 1967 Strikeout Leaders
- #32 Joe Gibbon
- #50 Willie Mays
- #73 Jim Hart
- #85 Gaylord Perry
- #104 Dick Dietz
- #126 Bobby Etheridge
- #147 Frank Linzy
- #169 Bob Bolin
- #185 Tom Haller
- #205 Juan Marichal
- #223 Ollie Brown
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #545 card?
It is card #545 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lindy McDaniel of the San Francisco Giants.
Is 1968 Topps #545 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #534-598, by the checklist-card division. The last two series together (#458-598) carry only a modest premium; no short-print list exists.
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.