1970 Topps #180 Tommy John
About Tommy John
Tommy John's #180 came out in the second series, picturing him with the White Sox. Over 1969 he worked 232 1/3 innings and struck out 128 while walking 90. Chicago handed him the Opening Day ball for 1970, and the Twins won that April 7 game 12-0, the first of five straight losses to open his season before he beat Baltimore on April 30. On June 12 he two-hit the Senators in a 6-0 shutout, and he finished 12-17 with a 3.27 ERA over 37 starts.
Thomas Edward John was a left-handed pitcher born May 22, 1943, in Terre Haute, Indiana, and signed by the Cleveland Indians at eighteen in 1961 on the strength of a curveball taught to him by a friend of his father. He debuted for Cleveland in September 1963, then made his name with the Chicago White Sox from 1965 through 1971. He tied for the American League shutout lead with five in 1966, shared it again with six in 1967, and posted a 1.98 ERA in 1968, the year of his first All-Star selection. Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dick Allen after the 1971 season, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament in 1974; the ligament-replacement operation Dr. Frank Jobe performed that year cost him the 1975 season and has been known as Tommy John surgery ever since. He returned to win 20 games in 1977 and pitched in the 1977 and 1978 World Series, then added 21- and 22-win seasons for the New York Yankees. A four-time All-Star, he lost all three World Series he appeared in, and retired in 1989 after a record-tying 26th season with 288 wins, the second most of any pitcher since 1900 outside the Hall of Fame. He died in 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 320 | 6 | 46 | 154 | 48 | 29 | 14 | 23 | 0 |
| SGC | 45 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1970 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #501 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #18 Carlos May
- #35 Joe Horlen
- #51 Bob Christian
- #91 Rich Morales
- #123 Don Gutteridge
- #146 Danny Murphy
- #217 Ron Hansen
- #239 Ken Berry
- #263 Duane Josephson
- #274 Gerry Arrigo
- #299 Buddy Bradford
- #315 Luis Aparicio
- #342 Wilbur Wood
- #368 Ed Herrmann
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #180 card?
It is card #180 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tommy John of the Chicago White Sox.
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.