1971 Topps #737 Preston Gomez
About this card
Every club has its own manager card this year, separate from its team card, and every one pictures the manager alone. Nine of the 24 managers are Hall of Famers: Bob Lemon (#91), Gil Hodges (#183), Red Schoendienst (#239), Ted Williams (#380), Earl Weaver (#477), Walt Alston (#567), Leo Durocher (#609), Sparky Anderson (#688) and Dick Williams (#714).
About Preston Gomez
The 1970 Padres went 63-99 under Preston Gomez. On July 21 he sent up a pinch-hitter for Clay Kirby with a no-hitter intact after eight innings, and San Diego lost. Card #737, his manager card in the sixth series, shows him with the Padres. The 1971 club went 61-100, and he was fired on April 26, 1972, after a 4-7 start, with Don Zimmer taking over.
Preston Gomez, born Pedro Gomez Martinez in Central Preston, Cuba, took his professional name from his birthplace. A right-handed infielder, he played eight major league games at shortstop and second base for the 1944 Washington Senators, batting .286 in seven at-bats with two RBI and two runs. He spent the next two decades in the minor leagues as a player and then a manager, winning an International League title and Junior World Series with the 1959 Havana Sugar Kings and a Pacific Coast League title with the 1960 Spokane Indians. He joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as third-base coach in 1965 under Walter Alston, working two pennant-winning clubs and a World Series champion. In August 1968 Padres president Buzzie Bavasi named him the first manager in San Diego Padres history. He managed the Houston Astros in 1974 and 1975, coached for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dodgers again, and managed the Chicago Cubs in 1980. He then coached for the California Angels, where he finished his career in the front office as a special assignments scout.
Sources: Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 337 | 1 | 11 | 99 | 152 | 43 | 20 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 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: #482 San Diego Padres
More San Diego Padres cards:
- #6 Ed Spiezio
- #25 Clarence Gaston
- #46 Dave Campbell
- #106 Tom Dukes
- #126 Danny Coombs
- #134 Jose Arcia
- #153 Gary Ross
- #179 Mike Corkins
- #214 Al Ferrara
- #235 Nate Colbert
- #262 Padres 1971 Rookie Stars
- #274 Ron Slocum
- #301 Earl Wilson
- #333 Clay Kirby
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #737 card?
It is card #737 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Preston Gomez of the San Diego Padres. Every club has its own manager card this year, separate from its team card, and every one pictures the manager alone. Nine of the 24 managers are Hall of Famers: Bob Lemon (#91), Gil Hodges (#183), Red Schoendienst (#239), Ted Williams (#380), Earl Weaver (#477), Walt Alston (#567), Leo Durocher (#609), Sparky Anderson (#688) and Dick Williams (#714).
Why is #737 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
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.