1970 Topps #72 1969 American League Strikeout Leaders - Sam McDowell / Mickey Lolich / Andy Messersmith
On this card: Sam McDowell, Mickey Lolich, Andy Messersmith
About this card
Cards #61-72 are the League Leaders subset: the 1969 batting, RBI, home run, ERA, pitching and strikeout leaders, National League on the odd numbers and American League on the even, with three players to a card on ten of them, four on #69 and six on #70.
The story on this card
The 1969 American League strikeout race is the subject of #72 in the 1970 Topps League Leaders subset, a first-series card. Sam McDowell of the Cleveland Indians led the league with 279 strikeouts in 285 innings, an 18-14 year in which he also made the All-Star team. Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers followed with 271 in 280 2/3 innings, going 19-11 and earning his first All-Star selection. Andy Messersmith of the California Angels is the third man on the card, with 211 strikeouts across 250 innings and a 16-11 record in his first season in the Angels' starting rotation.
Sam McDowell, 'Sudden Sam,' was a hard-throwing Cleveland Indians left-hander and six-time All-Star who led the American League in strikeouts five times, capping it with a 20-win, 304-strikeout 1970 that made him The Sporting News AL Pitcher of the Year. Mickey Lolich pitched 13 seasons for Detroit and won three complete games in the 1968 World Series. His Game 7 victory over Bob Gibson secured the championship and the Series MVP award. Andy Messersmith made four All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves during a 12-season pitching career. His successful 1975 arbitration case with Dave McNally ended clubs' claims to unlimited annual contract renewals.
Sources: Wikipedia (Sam McDowell) · Wikipedia (Mickey Lolich) · Wikipedia (Andy Messersmith) · SABR BioProject (Andy Messersmith) · SABR BioProject (Sam Mcdowell) · SABR BioProject (Mickey Lolich) · Baseball Almanac (Sam McDowell) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 293 | 2 | 41 | 146 | 56 | 18 | 11 | 19 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team cards: #637 Cleveland Indians, #579 Detroit Tigers, #522 California Angels
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #7 Indians 1970 Rookie Stars
- #27 Chuck Hinton
- #59 Dick Ellsworth
- #85 Max Alvis
- #112 Dave Nelson
- #136 Steve Hargan
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #12 John Hiller
- #33 Don Wert
- #70 1969 American League Pitching Leaders
- #95 Earl Wilson
- #98 Gates Brown
- #129 Jimmie Price
More California Angels cards:
- #4 Tom Egan
- #29 Sandy Alomar
- #74 Angels 1970 Rookie Stars
- #132 Jim McGlothlin
- #156 Eddie Fisher
- #173 Jim Hicks
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #72 card?
It is card #72 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sam McDowell, Mickey Lolich and Andy Messersmith. Cards #61-72 are the League Leaders subset: the 1969 batting, RBI, home run, ERA, pitching and strikeout leaders, National League on the odd numbers and American League on the even, with three players to a card on ten of them, four on #69 and six on #70.
How many cards are in the 1970 Topps Baseball set?
720 cards, tracked as 726 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 720 with none skipped, issued in seven series - #1-132, #133-263, #264-372, #373-459, #460-546, #547-633 and the high numbers, #634-720; 6 cards, all of them checklists, carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-25.