1973 Topps #22 Ted Abernathy
About Ted Abernathy
Abernathy went 3-4 with five saves for Kansas City in 1972, then was released by the Royals. He was perplexed by the release, having posted a low ERA that season, and assumed his age was the reason. At 40 he ended his professional career in 1973 with the Wilson Pennants of the Carolina League. Card #22 pictures him with the Royals.
Ted Abernathy was a submarine-style relief pitcher who spent 14 major league seasons, from 1955 to 1972, with seven clubs. Born in Stanley, North Carolina, he broke into the big leagues with the Washington Senators, but a serious arm injury in 1956 left him with arm pain for the next three seasons. After elbow surgery in 1959, he adopted an underhand submarine motion copied from Senators teammate Dick Hyde, and returned as a full-time relief specialist. Pitching for the Indians, Cubs, Braves, Reds, Cardinals and Royals, Abernathy twice led the National League in saves, in 1965 and 1967, and won The Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year award both years. He set a then-record for games pitched in a season with 84 appearances in 1965. He finished with a 63-69 record, 148 saves and a 3.46 ERA.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 317 | 14 | 147 | 124 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1973 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #347 Kansas City Royals
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #48 Paul Splittorff
- #78 Richie Scheinblum
- #99 Carl Taylor
- #118 John Mayberry
- #140 Lou Piniella
- #164 Monty Montgomery
- #188 Cookie Rojas
- #233 Ed Kirkpatrick
- #251 Roger Nelson
- #282 Steve Hovley
- #306 Tom Burgmeier
- #334 Freddie Patek
- #392 Dick Drago
- #416 Paul Schaal
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #22 card?
It is card #22 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Abernathy of the Kansas City Royals.
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.