1972 Topps #394 Ken Forsch
About Ken Forsch
Forsch spent 1972 as the fifth starter in a Houston rotation that also held Don Wilson, Larry Dierker, Dave Roberts and Jerry Reuss. He went 6-8 with a 3.91 ERA and made 24 starts. He played under two managers when Leo Durocher replaced Harry Walker for the final 31 games. His #394 comes from the third series and lists him with the Astros.
Ken Forsch was a 6-foot-4 right-hander who pitched 16 seasons in the majors, most of them with the Houston Astros and the last five with the California Angels, and who moved between the rotation and the bullpen more than once. Houston drafted him in the 18th round in 1968 out of Oregon State, and he debuted on September 7, 1970, with a 10-5 complete-game win at San Diego. After starting in the early seventies he spent roughly five years as the Astros' closer, then returned to the rotation, where he no-hit the Atlanta Braves 6-0 at the Astrodome on April 7, 1979. His brother Bob Forsch threw two no-hitters for the Cardinals, making them the only brothers to pitch no-hitters in the majors. Forsch started Game 1 of the 1980 NLCS against Philadelphia, was traded to the Angels for Dickie Thon in April 1981, and made his second All-Star team that year. A dislocated shoulder limited him to two games in 1984. He finished 114-113 with a 3.37 ERA and 1,047 strikeouts, and later worked for the Angels as assistant general manager until 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 326 | 17 | 87 | 177 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 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: #282 Houston Astros
More Houston Astros cards:
- #20 Don Wilson
- #56 Rich Chiles
- #65 Cesar Cedeno
- #91 1971 N.L. E.R.A. Leaders
- #101 Astros 1972 Rookie Stars
- #132 Joe Morgan
- #155 Larry Dierker
- #202 Scipio Spinks
- #204 Tommy Helms
- #217 Roger Metzger
- #249 Harry Walker
- #339 Ron Cook
- #355 Bob Watson
- #360 Dave Roberts
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #394 card?
It is card #394 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros.
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.