1971 Topps #518 Joe Grzenda
About Joe Grzenda
Joe Grzenda worked 49 games for the 1970 Washington Senators, mostly in relief, going 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 84 2/3 innings. Card #518, in the fourth series, pictures the left-hander with Washington. In 1971 he made 46 appearances and struck out 56.
Joe Grzenda was a left-handed sidearm relief pitcher from Scranton, Pennsylvania, who spent eight major league seasons between 1961 and 1972 with the Tigers, Athletics, Mets, Twins, Senators and Cardinals. Standing 6-foot-2 and pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen, he appeared in 219 games and finished 14-13 with a 4.00 ERA. His best year came in 1971 for Washington, when he went 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA. He pitched briefly for Minnesota in the 1969 ALCS. On September 30, 1971, pitching for the Washington Senators in their final home game before the move to Texas, he had recorded two outs in the ninth inning when fans stormed the RFK Stadium field, forcing a forfeit. Thirty-four years later he returned to RFK and handed President George W. Bush the ceremonial first-pitch ball when baseball returned to Washington. He died in 2019.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 367 | 0 | 27 | 197 | 114 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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 1971 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: #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 #518 card?
It is card #518 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Grzenda of the Washington Senators.
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.