1970 Topps #208 Fred Gladding
About Fred Gladding
Gladding appeared in a career-high 63 games for Houston in 1970, all in relief, going 7-4 with a team-leading 18 saves. He had a 4.06 ERA and struck out 46 in 71 innings. Card #208 is a second-series issue showing him with the Astros.
Fred Gladding was a right-handed relief pitcher who spent thirteen major league seasons, 1961 to 1973, with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. Born in Flat Rock, Michigan, he signed with the Tigers in 1956 and spent six seasons working through their minor league system before debuting in 1961. Teammates nicknamed him "The Bear" during his minor league days in Birmingham, after catcher Ron Witucki noticed how he stomped around the mound when angry. Detroit catcher Bill Freehan later called him "Little Monster." A sinkerball pitcher who ran the ball in on right-handed hitters, Gladding worked out of the Tigers bullpen through the 1960s until a deal made in August 1967 for Eddie Mathews sent him to Houston. With the Astros he led the National League in saves in 1969, the first year saves were officially counted. He finished his career with a 48-34 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 109 saves in 450 games. He also holds the lowest non-zero career batting average in major league history, .016.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 170 | 5 | 42 | 96 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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: #448 Houston Astros
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- #60 Jim Wynn
- #113 Jim Ray
- #126 Marty Martinez
- #155 Denis Menke
- #178 Denny Lemaster
- #227 Astros 1970 Rookie Stars
- #248 Jesus Alou
- #272 Hector Torres
- #316 Skip Guinn
- #339 Johnny Edwards
- #355 Doug Rader
- #382 Jack DiLauro
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #208 card?
It is card #208 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Gladding of the Houston Astros.
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.