1970 Topps #8 Jose Martinez
About Jose Martinez
Card #8 is a rookie card, printed in the first series with the Pirates. The 1969 season behind it was his debut: 77 games, 34 starts at second base, third on the club behind Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley. He hit .268 that year, drove in 16 runs and scored 20.
Jose Martinez was a Cuban-born right-handed infielder from Cardenas who signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1961 and reached the majors in 1969. In 96 games across 1969 and 1970 he hit .245 with 1 home run, playing mostly second base. His one home run was a ninth-inning grand slam off Claude Raymond of the Montreal Expos on September 8, 1969, which delivered the winning runs in a 6-2 Pittsburgh victory at Jarry Park. He returned to the minors in late May 1970 and finished his playing days there. The Kansas City Royals brought him into their organization in 1972, and he managed in their farm system from 1976 to 1979. He then coached for Kansas City from 1980 to 1987, a stretch that included the 1980 American League pennant and the 1985 World Series title. He coached seven years for the Chicago Cubs beginning in 1988, then worked 20 years in the Atlanta Braves front office as a special assistant until his death on October 1, 2014.
Sources: Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 170 | 0 | 20 | 104 | 30 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 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: #608 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #30 Matty Alou
- #52 Bruce Dal Canton
- #61 1969 National League Batting Leaders
- #94 Fred Patek
- #110 Bob Moose
- #141 Pirates 1970 Rookie Stars
- #166 Al Oliver
- #188 Manny Sanguillen
- #216 Chuck Hartenstein
- #236 Bob Veale
- #264 Rich Hebner
- #322 Luke Walker
- #350 Roberto Clemente
- #372 Dave Giusti
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #8 card?
It is card #8 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jose Martinez of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is 1970 Topps #8 a rookie card?
Yes - #8 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Jose 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.