Timothy John Keefe was one of baseball's first great pitchers. From 1885 through 1889, Keefe never won fewer than 28 games in a season, leading the league with 35 in 1888, and leading all major leagues with 42 in 1886. He won two of his three career ERA titles in that stretch, winning the Pitching Triple Crown in 1888. He led the New York Giants to back-to-back World Series titles in 1888 and 1889, ending the most dominant 5-year run of his Hall of Fame career.

Keefe has a total of nine poses in the N172 set, seven of which feature the pitcher by himself and two as multi-player cards. This example depicts the New York Pitcher at the plate, with his bat at the ready at a 30-degree angle. The contrast of the printing is phenomenal, with Keefe's dark socks, dark bat, and dark stripes on his shirt drawing your attention nearly as much as his glorious mustache. The right border is cut a bit diagonal, tapering out wider as it gets closer to the bottom. Rounded corners at the top and some edge chipping, along with a minor stain on the top border keep this card from grading even higher than it already has. Some staining on the back also affects the grade, but not the front of the card, which has tremendous eye appeal, thanks to a bold image.