1972 Topps #656 Rudy May
About Rudy May
May stood 2-7 in mid-July 1972, with the Angels having scored a total of six runs in his defeats. A season ticket holder gave him a horseshoe that had belonged to Seabiscuit, and he finished 12-11 with a 2.94 ERA and 169 strikeouts. He worked 205 1/3 innings with 10 complete games and 3 shutouts. His #656 is a fifth-series card showing him with the California Angels.
Rudy May pitched left-handed for the Angels, Yankees, Orioles and Expos across 16 major league seasons. He finished 152-156 with a 3.46 ERA. His 1,760 strikeouts came in 2,622 innings. A football injury broke both wrists at Oakland's Castlemont High School, leaving him unable to bend his pitching wrist fully; he threw his curveball using both wrist and elbow. He was attending the University of San Francisco on a sports scholarship when Minnesota signed him on November 5, 1962. After stops in the White Sox and Phillies organizations, Philadelphia sent him and Costen Shockley to the Angels for Bo Belinsky. Nicknamed "the Dude" for his sharp dressing, May led the American League with a 2.46 ERA for the 1980 Yankees. He pitched 6 1/3 innings in the 1981 World Series against Los Angeles.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 217 | 6 | 48 | 127 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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
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- #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 #656 card?
It is card #656 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rudy May 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.