1971 Topps #35 Lou Piniella
About Lou Piniella
Kansas City played Piniella in the outfield in 115 of his 126 games in 1971, his third season as a Royal. He batted .279 with 51 RBI and 5 stolen bases. His home runs fell to 3 after he had hit 11 in each of 1969 and 1970. Card #35, from the first series, pictures him as a Royal.
Lou Piniella signed with Cleveland in 1962 and was drafted away by the Washington Senators that fall, reaching the majors on September 4, 1964 as a 21-year-old pinch hitter for the Baltimore Orioles. Traded back to the Cleveland organization in 1966, he spent three seasons with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League before six late games with the Indians in 1968. The Seattle Pilots took him in that October's expansion draft and dealt him to Kansas City on April 1, 1969, where he became the first batter in Royals history, hit .282, and won American League Rookie of the Year. He made his only All-Star team as a Royal in 1972. Traded to the New York Yankees after 1973, he played eleven seasons in the Bronx and won World Series rings in 1977 and 1978. Nicknamed Sweet Lou for his swing, a name also used ironically for his temper, he last played in 1984 with 1,705 hits over 18 seasons. He later managed the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubs, won the 1990 World Series with Cincinnati and guided the 2001 Mariners to 116 wins. Veterans Committee balloting has twice left him a single vote short; Seattle put him in the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2014.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 340 | 1 | 7 | 100 | 137 | 46 | 23 | 26 | 0 |
| SGC | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
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: #742 Kansas City Royals
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #17 Billy Sorrell
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #91 Bob Lemon
- #103 Rich Severson
- #118 Cookie Rojas
- #129 Aurelio Monteagudo
- #144 Jackie Hernandez
- #163 Buck Martinez
- #187 Ted Abernathy
- #221 Dave Morehead
- #247 Royals 1971 Rookie Stars
- #269 Gail Hopkins
- #299 Ed Kirkpatrick
- #321 Tom Matchick
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #35 card?
It is card #35 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lou Piniella of the Kansas City Royals.
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.