1973 Topps #174 Rich Gossage
About Rich Gossage
Gossage nearly missed the 1972 club: in spring training Chuck Tanner told him he was not going north, and Johnny Sain had to separate them. Tanner then sent him out to pitch, and by Tanner's account he struck out every batter he faced over three innings. His rookie year followed, a 7-1 record and a 4.28 ERA in 36 games. He had control trouble, walking five batters per nine innings. Topps #174, from the second series, is his White Sox rookie card and a key card of the set. In 1973 he went 0-4 with a 7.43 ERA and spent late July to mid-September at Triple-A Iowa.
Rich Gossage was one of the first modern closers, a right-hander with a rising 100 mph fastball, a bold mustache and a habit of pitching two or three innings to finish a game. Over 22 seasons, 1972 to 1994, he worked 1,002 games for nine clubs and saved 310. He went 124-107 with a 3.01 ERA, led the American League in saves three times and made nine All-Star teams. With the Yankees he saved a career-high 33 games in 1980 and finished third in both the MVP and Cy Young voting. He posted a 0.77 ERA in 1981, and in 1983 he broke Sparky Lyle's club record of 141 saves. He signed with San Diego for 1984 and saved Game 5 of the NLCS against the Cubs, sending the Padres to their first World Series, where Kirk Gibson homered off him in the deciding Game 5 after Gossage refused an intentional walk. On August 6, 1988, with the Cubs, he became the second pitcher to reach 300 saves. Later stops included the Giants, a second turn with the Yankees, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan, Texas, Oakland and Seattle, where on August 4, 1994 he became the third pitcher to appear in 1,000 games. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 3,431 | 12 | 234 | 952 | 770 | 633 | 380 | 444 | 6 |
| SGC | 833 | 0 | 8 | 117 | 179 | 205 | 155 | 151 | 18 |
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: #481 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #20 Stan Bahnsen
- #42 Mike Andrews
- #62 1972 Home Run Leaders
- #63 1972 Runs Batted In Leaders
- #66 1972 Victory Leaders
- #73 Ed Herrmann
- #105 Carlos May
- #129 Terry Forster
- #150 Wilbur Wood
- #194 Jorge Orta
- #238 Tony Muser
- #261 Pat Kelly
- #287 Eddie Leon
- #310 Dick Allen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #174 card?
It is card #174 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Gossage of the Chicago White Sox.
Is 1973 Topps #174 a rookie card?
Yes - #174 is the 1973 Topps rookie card of Rich Gossage.
What are the key cards in the 1973 Topps set?
#615 1973 Rookie Third Basemen, which carries Mike Schmidt's rookie card beside Ron Cey and John Hilton, is the headline card of the set. The other key cards are #50 Roberto Clemente and #305 Willie Mays, the last Topps cards of both as active players, #174 Rich Gossage, his rookie card, and #220 Nolan Ryan. The high numbers, #529-660, are 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.