1974 Topps #499 Rusty Torres
About Rusty Torres
Torres dropped to fifth outfielder in Cleveland in 1974. On June 4, Ten Cent Beer Night against Texas, he pinch hit in the ninth and singled, then stood on second as the winning run after a John Lowenstein sacrifice fly tied it at 5-5. Fans poured onto the field, and umpire Nestor Chylak forfeited the game to the Rangers. Torres hit .187 for the year and went to the Angels on September 12 in the deal that brought Frank Robinson to Cleveland. His Indians card is #499.
Rusty Torres was a switch-hitting outfielder who played nine major league seasons between 1971 and 1980 for the Yankees, Indians, Angels, White Sox and Royals. Born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, he grew up in New York City, attended Queens Vocational High School and was drafted by the Yankees in the 54th round in 1966. He debuted on September 20, 1971, and hit .385 in nine games that fall, among them the Washington Senators' final home game, forfeited when fans stormed the field on his 23rd birthday. He was in the ballpark for three forfeits in the 1970s, the last of them Chicago's Disco Demolition Night in 1979. A November 1972 trade sent him with John Ellis, Charlie Spikes and Jerry Kenney to Cleveland for Graig Nettles and Jerry Moses. His career line was .212 with 35 home runs, his best power year being eight homers for the 1979 White Sox. He was inducted into the Stickball Hall of Fame in 2002 and received the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame Pioneer Award in 2007.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 201 | 14 | 84 | 86 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 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: #541 Cleveland Indians
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #13 Tom Hilgendorf
- #35 Gaylord Perry
- #58 Charlie Spikes
- #81 Frank Duffy
- #128 John Ellis
- #152 Oscar Gamble
- #176 John Lowenstein
- #199 Mike Kekich
- #231 Dick Tidrow
- #257 Buddy Bell
- #284 Dave Duncan
- #303 George Hendrick
- #327 Tom Timmermann
- #359 Brent Strom
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #499 card?
It is card #499 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rusty Torres of the Cleveland Indians.
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.