1972 Topps #515 Bert Blyleven
About Bert Blyleven
The 1971 season behind this card was his first full year: 16-15 with a 2.81 ERA and 224 strikeouts for a Twins club that finished fifth at 74-86. He stood 10-15 after a loss at Baltimore on August 22, with 12 of those defeats coming on three or fewer runs of support, then closed with six straight wins and a 1.69 ERA. Topps issued him as #515 in the fourth series, again as a Twin.
Bert Blyleven was a right-handed starter whose curveball carried him to 287 wins, 3,701 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA over 22 seasons, pitching for the Twins, Rangers, Pirates, Indians and Angels. Born Rik Aalbert Blijleven in Zeist, Netherlands, he became the first Netherlands-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, elected in 2011 on his 14th ballot with 79.7 percent of the vote. He debuted with Minnesota at 19 in 1970. He won World Series rings with Pittsburgh in 1979 and Minnesota in 1987, went 19-7 for Cleveland in 1984, and in 1985 completed 24 games over 293 2/3 innings. He became the tenth member of the 3,000-strikeout club in 1986, and his 60 career shutouts rank ninth all-time. His first two full seasons back in Minnesota, 1986 and 1987, produced major-league records of 50 home runs allowed in a season and 96 over two seasons. A dugout prankster who set teammates' shoelaces on fire, he was known as the Frying Dutchman. After retiring he called Twins television games from 1996 to 2020, and the club retired his number on July 16, 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 626 | 8 | 88 | 269 | 113 | 70 | 38 | 40 | 0 |
| SGC | 85 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 24 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 1 |
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: #156 Minnesota Twins
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #28 Twins 1972 Rookie Stars
- #51 Harmon Killebrew
- #52 Harmon Killebrew In Action
- #66 Ray Corbin
- #86 1971 A.L. Batting Leaders
- #88 1971 A.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #131 Jim Nettles
- #201 Phil Roof
- #220 Jim Perry
- #244 Steve Braun
- #275 Cesar Tovar
- #301 George Mitterwald
- #302 George Mitterwald In Action
- #352 Dave LaRoche
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #515 card?
It is card #515 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bert Blyleven of the Minnesota Twins.
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.