1972 Topps #521 Alan Foster
About Alan Foster
Foster started 26 of his 36 games for the 1971 Indians and worked 181 2/3 innings. He struck out 97 and completed three games. At the plate he collected 2 hits in 51 at-bats. After that one season in Cleveland he went to California, with Vada Pinson and Frank Baker, in a trade that brought Alex Johnson and Jerry Moses to the Indians. Card #521, from the fourth print series, lists him with the California Angels.
Alan Benton Foster was a right-handed pitcher born December 8, 1946, in Pasadena, California. He attended Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1965 draft. Foster reached the majors in 1967 and spent ten seasons in the big leagues with the Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, California Angels, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, retiring after the 1976 season. On August 6, 1969, at Dodger Stadium, he gave up a 507-foot home run to Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell, the first ball ever hit completely out of the seven-year-old ballpark and the longest ever hit there. Foster's best season came in 1973 for St. Louis, when he set a personal best with 13 wins in 22 decisions and a 3.14 ERA. Over his career he went 48-63 with a 3.74 ERA in 217 games. He started 148 of them and struck out 501 in 1,025 1/3 innings.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 231 | 10 | 64 | 116 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 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
Team card: #71 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
- #19 Billy Cowan
- #55 Clyde Wright
- #102 Lloyd Allen
- #115 Jim Fregosi
- #135 Vada Pinson
- #160 Andy Messersmith
- #196 Mel Queen
- #213 Angels 1972 Rookie Stars
- #253 Sandy Alomar
- #272 Mickey Rivers
- #289 Syd O'Brien
- #354 Tom Murphy
- #379 Ken Berry
- #404 Jeff Torborg
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #521 card?
It is card #521 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Alan Foster of the California Angels.
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.