1971 Topps #222 Bob Watson
About Bob Watson
Bob Watson became an everyday player for Houston in 1971, appearing in 129 games, primarily in left field, with 125 starts and 37 of them at first base. He hit .288 with 9 home runs and 67 RBI, and from that year through 1978 he never played fewer than 129 games in a season. Card #222 in the 1971 Topps set was printed in the second series and shows him with the Astros.
Bob Watson broke in with the Houston Astros in September 1966 and spent 14 seasons in Houston as a first baseman and outfielder, batting .297 with 139 home runs for the club. Nicknamed "Bull," he was chosen for the NL All-Star team in 1973 and 1975 and hit for the cycle against the San Francisco Giants in 1977. In 1975 he was credited with scoring what was reported at the time as the one millionth run in major league history, beating Dave Concepcion to the plate by seconds. Traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1979, he later hit for the cycle again with Boston, becoming the first player to do it in both leagues. He later played for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, reaching the World Series with the Yankees in 1981, and retired after the 1984 season with a .295 career average, 184 home runs and 989 RBI over 19 years.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 332 | 0 | 9 | 171 | 116 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 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: #722 Houston Astros
More Houston Astros cards:
- #18 Norm Miller
- #44 Johnny Edwards
- #79 Wade Blasingame
- #102 Astros 1971 Rookie Stars
- #130 Denis Menke
- #148 John Mayberry
- #162 Jack Billingham
- #237 Cesar Cedeno
- #242 Jim Ray
- #264 Joe Morgan
- #291 George Culver
- #312 Harry Walker
- #337 Jesus Alou
- #371 Jack Hiatt
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #222 card?
It is card #222 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Watson of the Houston Astros.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), 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.