1971 Topps #86 Mike Kilkenny
About Mike Kilkenny
The Tigers gave Kilkenny a larger role in the rotation in 1970, and he started 21 of his 36 games, a career high. He went 7-6 with a 5.16 ERA and 105 strikeouts. Usage was uneven: he waited 22 days between appearances in April. Card #86 sits in the first series of the 1971 Topps set.
Mike Kilkenny was a left-handed pitcher from Bradford, Ontario who reached the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 1969 after signing out of high school in 1964 for a then-record bonus for a Canadian amateur. A swingman who worked mostly in relief but could start, he leaned on a sharp curveball and could vary his arm slot from three-quarters to overhand or sidearm. His best season came as a rookie in 1969, when he finished 8-6 with a 3.37 ERA and closed the year with four shutouts over his last nine starts, earning Tigers Rookie of the Year honors. He stayed with Detroit into 1972, then appeared for Oakland, San Diego and Cleveland that same season, one of the few players to play for four teams in a single year. He finished his five-year career in 1973 with a 23-18 record, a 4.43 ERA and 301 strikeouts. Away from the mound, Kilkenny owned harness racehorses and later worked as a golf coach.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 341 | 0 | 9 | 159 | 143 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #336 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #3 Dick McAuliffe
- #39 Tigers 1971 Rookie Stars
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #101 Les Cain
- #120 Willie Horton
- #133 Mickey Lolich
- #154 Cesar Gutierrez
- #180 Al Kaline
- #208 Billy Martin
- #229 Jim Hannan
- #265 Jim Northrup
- #296 Tom Timmermann
- #316 Fred Scherman
- #367 Dalton Jones
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #86 card?
It is card #86 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Kilkenny of the Detroit Tigers.
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.