1971 Topps #436 Wilbur Wood


About Wilbur Wood
General manager Roland Hemond wanted to trade Wood to the Angels before 1971, but California was not interested, and new manager Chuck Tanner wanted him starting. An injury to Joe Horlen settled it. Wood started 42 of his 44 games. He went 22-13 with a 1.91 ERA and earned the first of his All-Star selections. He pitched 334 innings, struck out 210 and threw 7 shutouts. Card #436 pictures him with Chicago.
Wilbur Wood grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, starring as a pitcher, quarterback and hockey defenseman before signing with his hometown Boston Red Sox in 1960. Relying on a fastball and curveball, he pitched sparingly over parts of four seasons with Boston and two with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After he was named the International League's most outstanding pitcher in 1966, the Chicago White Sox acquired him, and knuckleball specialist Hoyt Wilhelm taught him to throw the pitch full time. Wood set a major league record with 88 appearances in 1968, including 2 starts. He moved into the rotation in 1971 and won 20 or more games four straight years, leading the American League in wins twice and in starts for four consecutive seasons. He pitched 17 seasons in the majors, three times an All-Star, before retiring after the 1978 season and settling back in the Boston area.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 314 | 0 | 6 | 156 | 119 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 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: #289 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #13 White Sox 1971 Rookie Stars
- #37 Rich McKinney
- #56 Duane Josephson
- #80 Bill Melton
- #113 Jerry Crider
- #156 Bart Johnson
- #169 Ed Herrmann
- #186 Bob Spence
- #227 Floyd Weaver
- #243 Carlos May
- #267 Rich Morales
- #292 Jay Johnstone
- #311 Lee Stange
- #345 Joe Horlen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #436 card?
It is card #436 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox.
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.