1971 Topps #218 Tony Cloninger
About Tony Cloninger
Cloninger finished 1970 at 9-7 with a 3.83 ERA in 30 games for the Reds, who won the pennant. He pitched 5 innings in the NLCS sweep of Pittsburgh and 7 1/3 innings in the World Series, where he took the loss as Baltimore won in five games. The #218 card, from the second series, lists him with Cincinnati. In 1971 he started eight of his 28 games and finished 3-6.
Tony Lee Cloninger was a North Carolina fireballer who signed with the Milwaukee Braves in the spring of 1958 for a $100,000 bonus and reached the majors on June 15, 1961, at age 20. As Warren Spahn's career wound down, Cloninger took over as staff ace and led the Braves in wins three straight seasons, peaking in 1965 at 24-11 with a 3.29 ERA and 211 strikeouts. He could swing a bat, too: on July 3, 1966 he hit two grand slams and drove in nine runs in a 17-3 rout of the Giants, and he remains the only pitcher in major-league history to hit two slams in a game. A pulled shoulder muscle, an eye ailment and a sore elbow cost him most of 1967, and Atlanta traded him to Cincinnati in June 1968. He started Game Three of the 1970 World Series for the pennant-winning Reds and closed out his playing days with the Cardinals in 1972, finishing 113-97 with a 4.07 ERA over twelve seasons. He then became a bullpen coach with the New York Yankees, a member of four World Series champions. The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2004. Cloninger died on July 24, 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 436 | 1 | 15 | 240 | 145 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 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: #357 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #14 Dave Concepcion
- #40 Lee May
- #64 1970 National League RBI Leaders
- #66 1970 National League Home Run Leaders
- #68 1970 National League ERA Leaders
- #75 Gary Nolan
- #100 Pete Rose
- #124 Don Gullett
- #164 Reds 1971 Rookie Stars
- #177 Hal McRae
- #190 Bob Tolan
- #199 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 1: Cline Pinch-Triple Decides It!
- #200 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 2: Tolan Scores For Third Time!
- #201 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 3: Cline Scores Winning Run!
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #218 card?
It is card #218 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tony Cloninger of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.