1970 Topps #606 Chico Ruiz
About Chico Ruiz
Ruiz's first year with the Angels, 1970, was also the year his friend Alex Johnson won the American League batting title; Ruiz was the godfather of Johnson's adopted daughter. Ruiz appeared in 68 games, 27 of them at third base, and hit .243 in 107 at-bats with 12 RBI and 3 steals. His #606 is a series 6 card that lists him with California.
Chico Ruiz was born Giraldo Sablon Ruiz on December 5, 1938, in Santo Domingo, Cuba, where his father ran a cigar factory. American paperwork rendered the first name Hiraldo after his father's Spanish pronunciation was misheard at immigration, and "Chico" was a generic Spanish "buddy" pinned on him by Americans. He signed with Cincinnati in 1958 through the Cuban pipeline that ran between Reds general manager Gabe Paul and Bobby Maduro of the Havana Sugar Kings. He spent six seasons in the farm system and led his league in stolen bases five years running, from 61 for Visalia in 1959 through 50 for San Diego in 1963. A switch-hitting utility infielder who played mainly second base and third, Ruiz debuted April 13, 1964, and hit .240 with 34 steals over 565 games for Cincinnati (1964-1969) and California (1970-1971). His signature moment came September 21, 1964, when he stole home off Art Mahaffey with Frank Robinson batting, the only run of a 1-0 win that touched off the Phillies' ten-game collapse. He died in a single-car crash near his San Diego home on February 9, 1972, at 33.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 223 | 1 | 62 | 132 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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: #522 California Angels
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- #72 1969 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #74 Angels 1970 Rookie Stars
- #132 Jim McGlothlin
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- #203 Rudy May
- #228 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #255 Jim Spencer
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #606 card?
It is card #606 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chico Ruiz of the California Angels.
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.