1968 Topps #236 Tug McGraw
About Tug McGraw
There was no 1968 big league season for McGraw: he spent the whole year at Jacksonville, going 9-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 23 starts and never appearing in a Mets uniform. That fall he was exposed in the first three rounds of the expansion draft, and neither Montreal nor San Diego took him, so he went back to the Mets for 1969. Topps kept him in the set anyway, at #236 in the third series. For collectors it is the quiet card in his run, the one printed while he was pitching in the minors.
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 the 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1983 National League East 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 | 541 | 20 | 171 | 186 | 63 | 26 | 37 | 38 | 0 |
| SGC | 70 | 0 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 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
Team card: #401 New York Mets
More New York Mets cards:
- #27 Gil Hodges
- #45 Tom Seaver
- #63 Dick Kenworthy
- #92 Ed Kranepool
- #114 Ron Swoboda
- #132 Bud Harrelson
- #177 Mets 1968 Rookie Stars
- #191 Dan Frisella
- #211 J.C. Martin
- #254 Cleon Jones
- #277 Jerry Buchek
- #292 Art Shamsky
- #313 Al Weis
- #345 Bob Hendley
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #236 card?
It is card #236 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tug McGraw of the New York Mets.
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.