1971 Topps #497 Horacio Pina
About Horacio Pina
Pina appeared in 56 games for Washington in 1971, all in relief, with a 1-1 record and a 3.59 ERA. His manager Ted Williams had befriended him after Pina reported late to the 1970 camp, and taught him to fish. His #497 is a rookie card from the fourth series, with the Washington Senators listed on the front.
Horacio Pina was a lanky Mexican side-arm reliever who pitched 314 major league games between 1968 and 1978, going 23-23 with 38 saves. Born in Matamoros, Coahuila, he picked up baseball at 17 after growing up as a soccer goalie, and a friend in Gomez Palacio hung the nickname El Ejote on him in 1963 when he was tall and very thin. Cleveland bought his contract from Puebla in August 1968, and he later pitched for Washington, Texas, Oakland, the Cubs, the Angels and, briefly, the Phillies. He was the first Mexican player to win a World Series ring, with the 1973 Oakland Athletics. In Mexico he threw a no-hitter in 1975 and a perfect game on July 12, 1978, in a 21-4, 1.94 season that earned a final two-game stint with Philadelphia. He spent twelve winters with the Culiacan Tomateros and entered the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 314 | 0 | 9 | 142 | 118 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| SGC | 22 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 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: #462 Washington Senators
More Washington Senators cards:
- #11 Elliott Maddox
- #33 Del Unser
- #60 Dick Bosman
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #65 1970 American League Home Run Leaders
- #82 Casey Cox
- #93 Senators 1971 Rookie Stars
- #139 Paul Casanova
- #167 Tom Grieve
- #217 Ed Stroud
- #241 Dave Nelson
- #261 Darold Knowles
- #283 Dick Such
- #307 Don Wert
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #497 card?
It is card #497 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Horacio Pina of the Washington Senators.
Is 1971 Topps #497 a rookie card?
Yes - #497 is the 1971 Topps rookie card of Horacio Pina.
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.