1970 Topps #609 Buck Martinez
About Buck Martinez
Martinez shows up with the Royals on #609, a sixth-series rookie card, after a 1969 in which he debuted June 18 against Oakland and played 72 games. In his first big-league start he collided with Minnesota's Bob Allison, tagged him out and was knocked unconscious, then hit his first home run in the next half-inning. In Jim Bouton's Ball Four he appears as John Martinez, and Seattle manager Joe Schultz had no advice beyond telling the pitchers to zitz him.
Buck Martinez was a right-handed catcher who played 17 major-league seasons, 1969 through 1986, with Kansas City, Milwaukee and Toronto. He batted .225 with 58 home runs in 1,049 games and caught for the Blue Jays from 1981 through 1986, hitting 10 home runs in both 1982 and 1983. On July 9, 1985 in Seattle he broke his leg in a collision at the plate and still tagged out Gorman Thomas to finish a 9-2-7-2 double play. A native of Redding, California, he is a member of the Karuk Tribe, and the name Buck came from his Native American heritage. He retired after 1986 and moved to the broadcast booth, working for TSN, ESPN, TBS and Sportsnet. He managed Toronto in 2001 and 2002 and Team USA at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was inducted into the Blue Jays Hall of Excellence on August 29, 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 270 | 8 | 55 | 165 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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 card: #422 Kansas City Royals
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- #57 Pat Kelly
- #89 Juan Rios
- #108 Tom Burgmeier
- #165 Ed Kirkpatrick
- #187 Mike Hedlund
- #222 Jim Rooker
- #241 Royals 1970 Rookie Stars
- #266 Wally Bunker
- #321 Lou Piniella
- #338 Paul Schaal
- #354 Amos Otis
- #377 Bill Butler
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #609 card?
It is card #609 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Buck Martinez of the Kansas City Royals.
Is 1970 Topps #609 a rookie card?
Yes - #609 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Buck Martinez.
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.