1974 Topps #98 Bert Blyleven
About Bert Blyleven
Blyleven set Twins records in 1973, the season on this card, with 258 strikeouts, 25 complete games and a major-league-leading nine shutouts. Seven of the shutouts came in a stretch that included a one-hitter against Kansas City on May 24. He went 20-17 with a career-low 2.52 ERA and was chosen for his first All-Star Game, where he worked one inning at Kansas City and took the loss. His 1974 Topps card, #98, shows him with Minnesota.
Bert Blyleven was a right-handed starter whose curveball carried him to 287 wins, 3,701 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA over 22 seasons, pitching for the Twins, Rangers, Pirates, Indians and Angels. Born Rik Aalbert Blijleven in Zeist, Netherlands, he became the first Netherlands-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, elected in 2011 on his 14th ballot with 79.7 percent of the vote. He debuted with Minnesota at 19 in 1970. He won World Series rings with Pittsburgh in 1979 and Minnesota in 1987, went 19-7 for Cleveland in 1984, and in 1985 completed 24 games over 293 2/3 innings. He became the tenth member of the 3,000-strikeout club in 1986, and his 60 career shutouts rank ninth all-time. His first two full seasons back in Minnesota, 1986 and 1987, produced major-league records of 50 home runs allowed in a season and 96 over two seasons. A dugout prankster who set teammates' shoelaces on fire, he was known as the Frying Dutchman. After retiring he called Twins television games from 1996 to 2020, and the club retired his number on July 16, 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 609 | 10 | 162 | 304 | 63 | 34 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| SGC | 54 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 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: #74 Minnesota Twins
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #26 Bill Campbell
- #50 Rod Carew
- #122 Jim Holt
- #143 Dick Woodson
- #168 Danny Thompson
- #190 Tony Oliva
- #201 1973 Batting Leaders
- #232 Steve Brye
- #249 George Mitterwald
- #271 Bill Hands
- #296 Ray Corbin
- #321 Steve Braun
- #333 All-Star Second Basemen
- #366 Larry Hisle
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #98 card?
It is card #98 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bert Blyleven of the Minnesota Twins.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.