1978 Topps #274 Freddie Patek
About Freddie Patek
An American League-leading 53 steals put Patek on 1978 Topps #204 with Pittsburgh's Frank Taveras. His regular Royals card was #274. Patek batted .262 with 60 RBI in 154 games at shortstop in 1977. On his 33rd birthday, he grounded into the double play that ended the ALCS against the Yankees.
Freddie Patek played shortstop for the Pirates, Royals and Angels over 14 major-league seasons. Listed at 5 feet 5 inches, he played baseball in the Air Force before Pittsburgh drafted him in the 22nd round in 1965. His father's illness brought a hardship discharge, and the Pirates let him attend to family business before beginning his professional career the following spring. Pittsburgh announcer Bob Prince called him the Cricket, a nickname fans echoed with metal noisemakers when he batted. Patek finished with 1,340 hits, 385 stolen bases and a .242 average. With California on June 20, 1980, he hit 3 home runs against Boston at Fenway Park. After retiring, he worked on Texas Rangers television broadcasts in 1985.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 147 | 20 | 83 | 32 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 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.
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Related cards
More Freddie Patek in this set: #204 League Leaders
Team card: #724 Kansas City Royals Team
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #19 Darrell Porter
- #46 Al Cowens
- #73 Andy Hassler
- #100 George Brett
- #129 Jim Colborn
- #157 Pete LaCock
- #183 Doug Bird
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #218 Marty Pattin
- #248 Frank White
- #299 Whitey Herzog
- #331 Mark Littell
- #336 Steve Busby
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #274 card?
It is card #274 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Freddie Patek of the Kansas City Royals.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.