1972 Topps #471 Luke Walker
About Luke Walker
Walker made 24 starts for the 1971 Pirates and went 10-8 with a 3.55 ERA. He worked 159 2/3 innings and completed four starts, two of them shutouts. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in the World Series that Pittsburgh won over Baltimore. His 1972 Topps card, #471, is a fourth-series issue with the Pirates. In 1972 he moved mostly to relief, starting 12 of 26 games, and threw one scoreless inning in the NLCS loss to Cincinnati.
James Luke Walker, born September 2, 1943, in DeKalb, Texas, was a left-handed pitcher who spent nine major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and, in his final year, the Detroit Tigers. His best season came in 1970, when he went 15-6 with a 3.04 ERA as the Pirates won the National League East. He pitched in three postseasons with Pittsburgh, including the 1971 World Series, which Pittsburgh won over the Baltimore Orioles. He started Game Four and threw the first pitch of a night game in World Series history. On July 18, 1971, he lost a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers when Joe Ferguson homered with none out in the ninth inning, the only hit he allowed in a 7-1 win. Walker was also known for helping Roberto Clemente load a relief flight to Nicaragua on New Year's Eve 1972, the trip that killed Clemente; Clemente had urged Walker to stay behind instead. Walker finished his career with a 45-47 record, a 3.65 ERA and 558 strikeouts across 243 appearances.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 313 | 11 | 121 | 140 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 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: #1 World Champions (Pittsburgh Pirates)
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- #27 Bob Johnson
- #60 Manny Sanguillen
- #72 Bruce Kison
- #87 1971 N.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #89 1971 N.L. Home Run Leaders
- #125 Dave Cash
- #152 Gene Clines
- #179 Dock Ellis
- #180 Dock Ellis In Action
- #190 Dave Giusti
- #219 Rennie Stennett
- #221 1971 N.L. Playoffs: Bucs Champs!
- #225 1971 World Series Game No. 3
- #226 1971 World Series Game No. 4
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #471 card?
It is card #471 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Luke Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.