Super Rare "K-Zone" Die-Cut Inserts Debut in 2025 Topps Series 2 Baseball
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Topps Series 2 Baseball offers collectors the opportunity to chase not just a super rare insert card, but its exceptionally scarce SP variation. When it comes to fresh new looks and super exciting cards, Topps is no newcomer to driving both anticipation across the hobby and innovation across its products. With that said, it’s latest insert set, which has been aptly named “K-Zone”, includes a star-studded cast of modern hurlers and legendary icons as possesses some of the highest “odds-per-pack” of any insert throughout Series 2 Baseball.
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The insert set, which was formally announced in a recent tweet via X, celebrates the art of the strikeout by offering collectors two unique versions of the card. For starters, there is a base or “Forward K” version of the card representing swinging strikeouts that falls 1-in-2,032 hobby packs and then there is an SP variation or “Backward K” version of the card representing looking strikeouts which fall 1-in-10,152 hobby packs.
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FIRST LOOK: Brand new K-Zone cards will appear for the first time in 2025 Series 2.
— Topps (@Topps) May 26, 2025
Both cards are tough pulls, with the "Backwards K" being especially rare. pic.twitter.com/HwgJfyTBk8
According to an unofficial checklist posted by Checklist Insider, the 25-card set consists of present-day flamethrowers such as Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, and Blake Snell and as well as such legendary icons as Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Satchel Paige.
Here’s the complete list:
KZ-1 Randy Johnson - Arizona Diamondbacks
KZ-2 Greg Maddux - Atlanta Braves
KZ-3 Chris Sale - Atlanta Braves
KZ-4 Roger Clemens - New York Yankees
KZ-5 Pedro Martinez - Boston Red Sox
KZ-6 Shota Imanaga - Chicago Cubs
KZ-7 Tarik Skubal - Detroit Tigers
KZ-8 Nolan Ryan - Houston Astros
KZ-9 Justin Verlander - San Francisco Giants
KZ-10 Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-11 Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-12 Yoshinobu Yamamoto - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-13 Sandy Koufax - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-14 Gerrit Cole - New York Yankees
KZ-15 Paul Skenes - Pittsburgh Pirates
KZ-16 Jackson Jobe - Detroit Tigers
KZ-17 Kumar Rocker - Texas Rangers
KZ-18 Blake Snell - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-19 Satchel Paige - St. Louis Browns
KZ-20 Spencer Strider - Atlanta Braves
KZ-21 Max Scherzer - Toronto Blue Jays
KZ-22 Jacob deGrom - Texas Rangers
KZ-23 Yu Darvish - San Diego Padres
KZ-24 Roki Sasaki - Los Angeles Dodgers
KZ-25 Aaron Nola - Philadelphia Phillies
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This particular mix of legends, active stars, and prospects reads like the menu at a Michelin star restaurant and provides collectors with significant upside potential across such secondary markets as eBay and Facebook.
Although fans of the digital generation are now able to track strikeouts across many of the mobile scoring apps that we have at our fingertips, there are at least seven pitching legends within the heart of this set that take us back to a more simpler time in the game. A time where fans got just excited about big plays as they did marking down strikeouts (both frontwards and backwards) on a scoresheet with a pencil.
Passionate sports card collector and writer based in Queens, NY. Lifelong fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. Covering sports cards and collectibles with deep industry knowledge and enthusiasm, while bringing a fresh perspective to the ever-evolving hobby world on http://SI.com/collectibles.
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