1970 Topps #508 Joe Niekro
About Joe Niekro
Detroit acquired Niekro on December 4, 1969, sending Dave Campbell and Pat Dobson to San Diego, which explains why his #508, from the fifth series, carries the Tigers. In 1970 he went 12-13 with a 4.06 ERA over 213 innings. On July 2 he held the Yankees to one hit, a ninth-inning single by Horace Clarke with one out, in a 5-0 win.
Joe Niekro pitched 22 big-league seasons from 1967 to 1988, breaking in with the Chicago Cubs before stops with the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins. He found his greatest success in Houston, where he mastered the knuckleball his father had taught him and his older brother Phil, becoming the first Astros pitcher to win 20 games in back-to-back seasons (1979 and 1980). His 1979 campaign brought his only All-Star selection, a league-leading 21 wins, and the TSN Pitcher of the Year award. He finished his career with 221 wins, and he and Phil combined for a major-league record 539 victories by a pair of brothers. Niekro also reached the 1987 World Series with Minnesota. He died in 2006 following a brain aneurysm; his family's foundation now funds research into that condition.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 221 | 2 | 33 | 127 | 45 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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: #579 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #12 John Hiller
- #33 Don Wert
- #70 1969 American League Pitching Leaders
- #72 1969 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #95 Earl Wilson
- #98 Gates Brown
- #129 Jimmie Price
- #152 Ike Brown
- #177 Jim Northrup
- #207 Tigers 1970 Rookie Stars
- #269 Cesar Gutierrez
- #313 Mayo Smith
- #335 Bill Freehan
- #356 Fred Lasher
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #508 card?
It is card #508 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Niekro of the Detroit Tigers.
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.