1972 Topps #779 Tony Cloninger
About Tony Cloninger
Cincinnati traded Cloninger to St. Louis for infielder Julian Javier during spring training in 1972. With Rick Wise and Bob Gibson ahead of him in the rotation, the Cardinals used him in long relief, and he went 0-2 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 games. On July 22 at Atlanta he gave up a walk-off home run to Dusty Baker on his first pitch, and St. Louis released him four days later. The 1972 Topps #779, in the sixth series, lists him with the Cardinals.
Tony Lee Cloninger was a North Carolina fireballer who signed with the Milwaukee Braves in the spring of 1958 for a $100,000 bonus and reached the majors on June 15, 1961, at age 20. As Warren Spahn's career wound down, Cloninger took over as staff ace and led the Braves in wins three straight seasons, peaking in 1965 at 24-11 with a 3.29 ERA and 211 strikeouts. He could swing a bat, too: on July 3, 1966 he hit two grand slams and drove in nine runs in a 17-3 rout of the Giants, and he remains the only pitcher in major-league history to hit two slams in a game. A pulled shoulder muscle, an eye ailment and a sore elbow cost him most of 1967, and Atlanta traded him to Cincinnati in June 1968. He started Game Three of the 1970 World Series for the pennant-winning Reds and closed out his playing days with the Cardinals in 1972, finishing 113-97 with a 4.07 ERA over twelve seasons. He then became a bullpen coach with the New York Yankees, a member of four World Series champions. The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2004. Cloninger died on July 24, 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 295 | 7 | 69 | 158 | 41 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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: #688 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
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- #67 Red Schoendienst
- #85 1971 N.L. Batting Leaders
- #87 1971 N.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #107 Jose Cruz
- #130 Bob Gibson
- #154 Ted Simmons
- #200 Lou Brock
- #206 Dal Maxvill
- #243 Frank Linzy
- #278 Dennis Higgins
- #316 Cardinals 1972 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #779 card?
It is card #779 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tony Cloninger of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why is #779 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #657-787 - with the fifth series, the toughest to find, per PSA.
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.