1977 Topps #278 Danny Frisella
About Danny Frisella
The 1976 Cardinals used Frisella as a right-handed specialist, and he held batters to a .190 average and a 1.45 ERA until two poor outings against Cincinnati's Big Red Machine pushed the ERA to 3.97. St. Louis then sent him to Milwaukee for a player to be named later. He earned his first Brewers save with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit ball against the California Angels and became manager Alex Grammas' favorite right-hander out of the bullpen. His 1977 Topps card, #278, shows him with the Brewers.
Danny Frisella was a right-handed relief pitcher who spent parts of ten major league seasons, from 1967 to 1976, with the Mets, Braves, Padres, Cardinals and Brewers. Born in San Francisco, he starred at Washington State University before the Mets drafted him in 1966. After early work as a starter, Frisella learned a forkball from Diego Segui during winter ball in Venezuela following the 1969 season, and the new pitch turned him into an effective reliever. From 1970 to 1972 he formed a right-handed complement to Tug McGraw in the Mets bullpen, posting his best season in 1971 with a 1.99 ERA and a team-leading twelve saves. Traded to Atlanta in November 1972, he later pitched for San Diego, then split the 1976 season between St. Louis and Milwaukee, leading the Brewers in saves that year. Frisella died in a dune buggy accident near his Phoenix home on January 1, 1977, at age 30.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 157 | 25 | 100 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 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 1977 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: #51 Milwaukee Brewers Team
More Milwaukee Brewers cards:
- #26 Ray Sadecki
- #79 Don Money
- #99 Tom Hausman
- #125 Bill Travers
- #159 Bernie Carbo
- #185 Sixto Lezcano
- #214 Darrell Porter
- #255 George Scott
- #307 Gary Sutherland
- #331 Jim Colborn
- #361 Eduardo Rodriguez
- #382 Charlie Moore
- #406 Tim Johnson
- #439 Gorman Thomas
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #278 card?
It is card #278 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Danny Frisella of the Milwaukee Brewers.
How many cards are in the 1977 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and distributed as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
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.