1973 Topps #551 Mike Kilkenny
About Mike Kilkenny
In 1972 Kilkenny threw one inning for Detroit on April 30, then went to Oakland in a May 9 trade for Reggie Sanders. San Diego and Cleveland followed. He went 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 29 games. Card #551 in 1973 Topps is a high number from the fifth series and shows the Ontario-born left-hander with the Indians.
Mike Kilkenny was a left-handed pitcher from Bradford, Ontario who reached the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 1969 after signing out of high school in 1964 for a then-record bonus for a Canadian amateur. A swingman who worked mostly in relief but could start, he leaned on a sharp curveball and could vary his arm slot from three-quarters to overhand or sidearm. His best season came as a rookie in 1969, when he finished 8-6 with a 3.37 ERA and closed the year with four shutouts over his last nine starts, earning Tigers Rookie of the Year honors. He stayed with Detroit into 1972, then appeared for Oakland, San Diego and Cleveland that same season, one of the few players to play for four teams in a single year. He finished his five-year career in 1973 with a 23-18 record, a 4.43 ERA and 301 strikeouts. Away from the mound, Kilkenny owned harness racehorses and later worked as a golf coach.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 151 | 0 | 31 | 98 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 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: #629 Cleveland Indians
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #11 Chris Chambliss
- #31 Buddy Bell
- #53 Steve Dunning
- #66 1972 Victory Leaders
- #86 Tom McCraw
- #134 Milt Wilcox
- #157 Denny Riddleberger
- #181 Jack Brohamer
- #226 Ray Fosse
- #247 Del Unser
- #272 Ed Farmer
- #297 Walt Williams
- #327 John Lowenstein
- #339 Dick Tidrow
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #551 card?
It is card #551 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Kilkenny of the Cleveland Indians.
Why is #551 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the fifth and last print series, #529-660 - the scarce end of the set.
How many cards are in the 1973 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 679 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, in five series of 132 - #1-132, #133-264, #265-396, #397-528 and the high numbers, #529-660, printed in lower quantities; 19 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fifteen Field Leaders cards, the #20 Stan Bahnsen, #31 Buddy Bell and #504 Earl Williams border-gap pairs and the two #280 Al Kaline printings.
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.