1979 Topps #557 Ken Brett
About Ken Brett
After starting 34 games in 1977 and going 13-14 between the White Sox and Angels, Ken Brett moved mostly to the bullpen in 1978. With California he went 3-5 with a 4.95 ERA and one save. Ten of his 31 appearances were starts. In March 1978 he turned up with brother George in an episode of Fantasy Island. Card #557 shows him with the Angels. In 1979 he went 4-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 39 relief games for the Twins and Dodgers.
A hard-throwing lefty out of El Segundo, California, Ken Brett was the Red Sox's first-round pick in 1966. Fifteen months later he became the youngest pitcher ever to appear in a World Series, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in two relief outings against the Cardinals in 1967. Elbow trouble followed, but over fourteen seasons he pitched for ten major-league clubs, won the 1974 All-Star Game as the only Pirate selected that year, and twice carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He was also known as a hitting pitcher, batting .262 for his career and setting the major-league record for a pitcher with home runs in four straight starts in 1973. Brett was the second of four ballplaying brothers, the youngest being Hall of Famer George Brett, and the two were briefly teammates on the 1980-81 Royals. After retiring he worked in broadcasting and co-owned minor-league sports franchises with his brothers in Spokane, where he died of brain cancer in 2003.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 59 | 7 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 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
Team card: #424 California Angels / Jim Fregosi
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- #48 Merv Rettenmund
- #71 Brian Downing
- #115 Nolan Ryan
- #212 Carney Lansford
- #267 Joe Rudi
- #291 Tom Griffin
- #313 Dyar Miller
- #322 Danny Goodwin
- #339 Ron Jackson
- #368 Don Aase
- #402 Paul Hartzell
- #417 All-Time Record Holders: Strikeouts
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #557 card?
It is card #557 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Brett of the California Angels.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.