Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1975 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Herb Washington
Position/Team: Pinch Runner (PR) for Athletics
Card #: 407
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Herb Washington is one of the most fascinating anomalies in Major League Baseball history. A world-class track sprinter from Michigan State University who tied or broke world records in the 50- and 60-yard dashes, he was signed by Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley in 1974 for a singular, highly specific role: Designated Pinch Runner. What makes Washington’s career a legendary piece of baseball trivia is the sheer emptiness of his standard stat line. Over two seasons with the powerhouse 1974–1975 A’s, he appeared in 105 games but never once recorded a single plate appearance, never used a bat, never threw a pitch, and never played a position in the field.
Despite a regular season caught-stealing rate that hovered around 35%, Washington earned a World Series ring with the Athletics during their 1974 championship run, making three pinch-running appearances in the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 1975 Topps Card (#407): Washington’s unique place in the sport is perfectly captured by this 1975 Topps #407 rookie card. Topps had to invent an entirely custom position label just for him, printing “Pr” (Pinch Runner) right on the front of the card. Because of its novelty and its position within the beloved, brightly colored 1975 set design, the card remains a popular target for collectors.
Shop current listings for this card on ebay!
Clicking a link to eBay may result in a referral commission being paid if a purchase is made.
Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1975 Topps Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
More Rookies From 1975 Topps Baseball
