1977 Topps #41 Jim Kern
About Jim Kern
Dave LaRoche was traded to the Angels early in 1977, and Kern inherited the closer's job in Cleveland. He went 8-10 with a 3.42 ERA. His 18 saves ranked fourth in the American League, and he struck out 91 in 92 innings. Kern and teammate Dennis Eckersley were picked for the All-Star Game, where he pitched a perfect inning and struck out two. His #41 is printed with the Indians.
Jim Kern was a 6-foot-5 right-handed reliever who saved 88 games in 13 seasons with Cleveland, Texas, Cincinnati, the White Sox, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Cleveland signed him from Midland High School in Michigan in 1967. He missed the 1969 baseball season while serving in the Marines. Joe Horlen helped him improve his control at San Antonio in 1973, and Kern won the Allie Reynolds Award as the American Association's best pitcher at Oklahoma City in 1974. He debuted on September 6, 1974, with a complete game in a 1-0 loss to Baltimore. Cleveland used him primarily in relief from 1976. His nickname Emu dated to that season: Fritz Peterson and Pat Dobson were working a clubhouse crossword while Kern ran around crowing and flapping his arms. A hyperextended elbow and a neck injury interrupted his 1980 season, and he dislocated his elbow in 1983. On May 6, 1985, he turned an unassisted double play for Milwaukee, the first by a pitcher since Jim Umbarger in 1975. Kern started the Emu Outfitting Company in Arlington, Texas, in 1987, arranging hunting, fishing and photography trips.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 116 | 14 | 57 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 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: #18 Cleveland Indians Team
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- #85 Duane Kuiper
- #115 Rick Manning
- #147 Jackie Brown
- #168 Charlie Spikes
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- #236 Tom Buskey
- #267 Ray Fosse
- #296 Don Hood
- #306 Rick Waits
- #330 George Hendrick
- #385 Dave LaRoche
- #393 John Lowenstein
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #41 card?
It is card #41 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Kern of the Cleveland Indians.
How many cards are in the 1977 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and distributed as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
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.