1973 Topps #523 Wayne Granger
About Wayne Granger
Granger opened 1972 with the Twins by retiring 19 of the first 22 left-handed batters he faced. He finished 4-6 with a 3.01 ERA and 19 saves. Over 63 games he struck out 45 batters in 89 2/3 innings. The Cardinals reacquired him from Minnesota on November 29, 1972 for Larry Hisle and John Cumberland, so #523, a fourth-series card, lists him with St. Louis.
Wayne Granger was a sidearm sinkerballer who built a nine-season career in the bullpen and never once started a big-league game. Signed by the Cardinals, he debuted in 1968 and was traded to Cincinnati that October. He set a National League record with 90 appearances in 1969 and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year award that year and again in 1970, in the early years of the Big Red Machine. Granger threw mostly one pitch, a low sinker that produced a lot of ground balls, and his light frame let him pitch on little rest. He also worked for the Twins, Cardinals again, Yankees, White Sox, Astros and Expos before arm trouble ended his career in 1976. He later returned often to Cincinnati for Reds Hall of Fame and reunion events.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 195 | 4 | 54 | 110 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 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: #219 St. Louis Cardinals
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- #47 Luis Melendez
- #64 1972 Stolen Base Leaders
- #85 Ted Simmons
- #104 Reggie Cleveland
- #128 Ted Sizemore
- #153 Al Hrabosky
- #171 Bernie Carbo
- #190 Bob Gibson
- #241 Dwain Anderson
- #269 Tim McCarver
- #292 Jose Cruz
- #320 Lou Brock
- #364 Rick Wise
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #523 card?
It is card #523 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wayne Granger of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.