1970 Topps #424 Mike Kilkenny
About Mike Kilkenny
Kilkenny made the Tigers out of spring training in 1969 and debuted on his 24th birthday, April 11, against the Yankees, entering with one out in the ninth and Detroit trailing 9-3. His first major league win came August 12, a three-hit shutout of the California Angels, on the day his first child was born. Card #424, from the fourth series of the 1970 Topps set, lists him with the Tigers.
Mike Kilkenny was a left-handed pitcher from Bradford, Ontario who reached the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 1969 after signing out of high school in 1964 for a then-record bonus for a Canadian amateur. A swingman who worked mostly in relief but could start, he leaned on a sharp curveball and could vary his arm slot from three-quarters to overhand or sidearm. His best season came as a rookie in 1969, when he finished 8-6 with a 3.37 ERA and closed the year with four shutouts over his last nine starts, earning Tigers Rookie of the Year honors. He stayed with Detroit into 1972, then appeared for Oakland, San Diego and Cleveland that same season, one of the few players to play for four teams in a single year. He finished his five-year career in 1973 with a 23-18 record, a 4.43 ERA and 301 strikeouts. Away from the mound, Kilkenny owned harness racehorses and later worked as a golf coach.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 137 | 1 | 17 | 81 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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: #579 Detroit Tigers
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- #72 1969 American League Strikeout Leaders
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- #129 Jimmie Price
- #152 Ike Brown
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- #207 Tigers 1970 Rookie Stars
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #424 card?
It is card #424 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Kilkenny 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.