1972 Topps #460 Al Downing
About Al Downing
The first series of 1972 Topps put Downing on #93, a League Leaders card shared with Fergie Jenkins of the Cubs, Steve Carlton of the Cardinals and Tom Seaver of the Mets, with Downing printed as a Dodger. His own card, #460, came in the fourth series, also with Los Angeles. On the field that summer he struck out 117 batters in 31 games, down from 136 in 1971.
Alphonso Erwin Downing, a left-handed pitcher born June 28, 1941, in Trenton, New Jersey, signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1961 and made his major league debut on July 19 of that year. He spent parts of nine seasons in pinstripes, going 13-5 with a 2.56 ERA in 1963 and leading the American League with 217 strikeouts in 1964. On August 11, 1967, the year of his only All-Star selection, he struck out the side on nine pitches against Cleveland, the majors' first immaculate inning since 1964. Traded to Oakland before 1970 and to Milwaukee that June, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971, winning 20 games with a league-leading five shutouts and taking National League Comeback Player of the Year honors. On April 8, 1974, he gave up Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. He finished 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA and 1,639 strikeouts and later broadcast for the Dodgers.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · Retrosheet
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 173 | 4 | 42 | 96 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 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
More Al Downing in this set: #93 League Leaders
Team card: #522 Los Angeles Dodgers
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #11 Bobby Valentine
- #25 Bill Singer
- #63 Duke Sims
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #114 Bill Buckner
- #151 Jim Brewer
- #198 Dodgers 1972 Rookie Stars
- #264 Tommy John
- #265 Wes Parker
- #297 Claude Osteen
- #298 Claude Osteen In Action
- #322 Jose Pena
- #369 Jim Lefebvre
- #390 Willie Davis
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #460 card?
It is card #460 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, 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.