1977 Topps #517 Pete Vuckovich
About Pete Vuckovich
Vuckovich, taken 19th in the November 1976 expansion draft, was the first player to report to the Blue Jays' first spring camp. In the club's first season he appeared in 53 games, starting eight. He went 7-7 with a team-best 3.47 ERA, recorded the franchise's first save on Opening Day, April 7, and threw its first shutout, a 2-0 win over Jim Palmer's Orioles on June 26. His rookie card was #517.
Pete Vuckovich was a right-handed pitcher who won the 1982 American League Cy Young Award with the Milwaukee Brewers and was known for his Fu Manchu moustache. In 11 seasons, 1975 to 1986, he went 93-69 with a 3.66 ERA and 882 strikeouts for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals and Brewers. A Johnstown, Pennsylvania native, he pitched at Clarion State and was a third-round White Sox pick in 1974. He went to Milwaukee with Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons in a seven-player trade in December 1980. He led the American League in winning percentage in 1981 and shared the lead with Jim Palmer in 1982. In the 1982 World Series, his former club, the Cardinals, beat him 6-2 in Game Three. A torn rotator cuff discovered in the spring of 1983 limited him to three starts that year and kept him out of 1984, before he returned to the rotation in 1985 and 1986. He played Clu Haywood, the Yankees slugger, in the 1989 film Major League, was a Brewers television announcer from 1989 to 1991, and was the Pirates' pitching coach from 1997 to 2000. He is in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. His sometimes strange behavior inspired the nickname Vuke the Spook.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 118 | 0 | 40 | 66 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #113 Toronto Blue Jays Team
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- #299 Otto Velez
- #326 Jesse Jefferson
- #346 Bill Singer
- #377 Dave McKay
- #392 Phil Roof
- #416 Chuck Hartenstein
- #465 Rico Carty
- #473 1977 Rookie Outfielders
- #474 1977 Rookie Shortstops
- #477 1977 Rookie Infielders
- #478 1977 Rookie Pitchers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #517 card?
It is card #517 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Pete Vuckovich of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Is 1977 Topps #517 a rookie card?
Yes - #517 is the 1977 Topps rookie card of Pete Vuckovich.
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.