1972 Topps #38 Carl Yastrzemski In Action
About this card
This is one of the 72 In Action cards, each numbered right after the same man's card, in six blocks of twelve even numbers, one per series: #32-54, #164-186, #292-314, #426-448, #552-574 and #692-714 (#34 Billy Martin follows his #33 manager card). The backs of the 24 In Action cards in the fifth and sixth series piece together into pictures of Joe Torre and Carl Yastrzemski (fifth series) and Tony Oliva and Tom Seaver (sixth).
About Carl Yastrzemski In Action
Yastrzemski split 1972 between two positions, 83 games in the outfield and 42 at first base, 125 games in all. He hit .264 with 12 home runs and 68 RBI and was named to the American League All-Star team. Both of his 1972 Topps cards came in the first series: #37 with the Boston Red Sox and the In Action companion #38.
Carl Yastrzemski was born August 22, 1939, in Southampton, New York, and grew up on his father's Long Island potato farm before signing with the Boston Red Sox in 1958 after his freshman year at Notre Dame. He spent his entire 23-year career (1961-1983) with that one club, taking over left field from the retiring Ted Williams as a 21-year-old rookie and shifting later to first base and designated hitter. Nicknamed Yaz, he won three American League batting titles (1963, 1967, 1968), seven Gold Gloves and eighteen All-Star selections. His signature season came in 1967, when he took the Triple Crown by leading the league in average, home runs and runs batted in. He was voted American League Most Valuable Player, one vote short of unanimous, as the Impossible Dream Red Sox won their first pennant since 1946. He finished with 3,419 hits and 452 home runs, the first American League player to reach both 3,000 hits and 400 homers, and he is still the Red Sox all-time leader in games, hits, runs, runs batted in, doubles and total bases. Yastrzemski was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility, with 94.6 percent of the vote. His grandson Mike Yastrzemski later reached the majors as an outfielder.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,365 | 8 | 131 | 487 | 335 | 162 | 94 | 148 | 0 |
| SGC | 196 | 0 | 8 | 54 | 48 | 34 | 33 | 19 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1972 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
More Carl Yastrzemski in this set: #37 Carl Yastrzemski
Team card: #328 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #2 Ray Culp
- #30 Rico Petrocelli
- #37 Carl Yastrzemski
- #79 Red Sox 1972 Rookie Stars
- #88 1971 A.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #113 Rogelio Moret
- #144 Marty Pattin
- #199 Mike Fiore
- #218 Eddie Kasko
- #259 Sparky Lyle
- #266 Bobby Bolin
- #290 Sonny Siebert
- #313 Luis Aparicio
- #314 Luis Aparicio In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #38 card?
It is card #38 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox. This is one of the 72 In Action cards, each numbered right after the same man's card, in six blocks of twelve even numbers, one per series: #32-54, #164-186, #292-314, #426-448, #552-574 and #692-714 (#34 Billy Martin follows his #33 manager card). The backs of the 24 In Action cards in the fifth and sixth series piece together into pictures of Joe Torre and Carl Yastrzemski (fifth series) and Tony Oliva and Tom Seaver (sixth).
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.