1975 Topps #498 Al Downing
About Al Downing
Alphonso Erwin Downing signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1961 and reached the majors that July. A hard-throwing left-hander, he anchored New York's rotation through the 1960s, going 13-5 in 1963 as the Yankees won the pennant, then leading the American League with 217 strikeouts in 1964. He made his only All-Star team in 1967, and that August he threw an immaculate inning against Cleveland - nine pitches, three strikeouts - the majors' first since 1964. After stops in Oakland and Milwaukee, Downing was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971 and won 20 games that season, earning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors and a third-place finish in Cy Young voting. His most famous pitch came April 8, 1974, when he served up Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th career home run. Downing's 1975 Topps card (#498) shows him with the Dodgers the year after that moment, still holding a rotation spot in Los Angeles; he pitched two more full seasons before retiring in 1977 with 123 career wins and a 3.22 ERA.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 321 | 5 | 66 | 181 | 49 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #498 card?
It is card #498 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al Downing.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-08-20.