1974 Topps #553 Jim Willoughby
About Jim Willoughby
A winter in Venezuela, where he finished 8-7 with an ERA under 3.00, left Willoughby wanting back into the Giants' rotation for 1974. "They can have all that long relief stuff they want," he said that March. He made four starts, went 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA and was sent outright to Phoenix. After the season San Francisco traded him to St. Louis for infielder Tom Heintzelman. His 1974 Topps card, #553, carries the Giants name.
Jim Willoughby was a right-handed sinker and slider pitcher who threw from a three-quarters arm slot. He worked as a starter, long reliever and short man for the Giants, Red Sox and White Sox from 1971 to 1978. He finished 26-36 with a 3.79 ERA and 34 saves. San Francisco drafted him out of Gustine High School in the 11th round in 1967, and his signing package included the Professional Baseball Scholarship Plan, which he used for engineering classes at Cal-Berkeley and other schools while in the minors.
Boston made him a full-time reliever. He arrived from St. Louis in July 1975 as the player to be named later in the Mario Guerrero trade, saved eight games with a 3.54 ERA and helped the Red Sox to the pennant. In the World Series against Cincinnati he pitched in Games 3, 5 and 7, taking the loss in Game 3. In Game 7 he retired Johnny Bench with the bases loaded to end the seventh, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He was among the Red Sox dubbed the Buffalo Heads for their countercultural ways, and he pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and 1990.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 176 | 5 | 83 | 75 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1974 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: #281 San Francisco Giants
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #18 Gary Thomasson
- #30 Bobby Bonds
- #54 Elias Sosa
- #78 Giants Field Leaders
- #104 Ron Bryant
- #129 Chris Speier
- #156 Randy Moffitt
- #178 Garry Maddox
- #205 1973 Victory Leaders
- #213 Dave Rader
- #233 Jim Barr
- #305 Tito Fuentes
- #330 Juan Marichal
- #335 All-Star Shortstops
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #553 card?
It is card #553 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Willoughby of the San Francisco Giants.
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.