1977 Topps #119 John Stearns
About John Stearns
Stearns caught 127 games in 1977 and hit 12 home runs, a total shared with Steve Henderson and John Milner at the top of the Mets. His only career grand slam came against Montreal on June 1, and he was the lone Met chosen for the All-Star Game, where he caught the bottom of the ninth. He also tackled Atlanta's mascot, Chief Noc-A-Homa, before a game. His Topps #119 is a Mets card.
John Stearns was a catcher who spent ten years with the New York Mets after a single game for the Phillies in 1974. A shortstop in high school and a safety and punter at Colorado, he was the second overall pick of the 1973 draft, taken behind David Clyde, and the Phillies traded him to the Mets in December 1974. He took over as the regular catcher in 1977 and made four All-Star teams, in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1982, as the Mets lost close to 100 games a year. Stearns played hard, and he was involved in several brawls and tackles on and off the field. His teammates and opponents knew him as Bad Dude, a name he picked up while talking to a reporter in 1970. An elbow injury in 1982 ended his effectiveness, and he played only a handful of games over his last two seasons. He later coached for the Yankees, Reds, Orioles and Mets, and was the voice behind the 2000 NLCS cry that the monster was out of the cage when Mike Piazza doubled. He died in 2022 at age 71.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 128 | 20 | 61 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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: #259 New York Mets Team
More New York Mets cards:
- #6 1976 Strikeout Leaders
- #44 Bud Harrelson
- #65 Skip Lockwood
- #94 Craig Swan
- #150 Tom Seaver
- #172 John Milner
- #201 Ed Kranepool
- #225 Bob Apodaca
- #246 Mike Vail
- #281 Roy Staiger
- #300 Jerry Koosman
- #329 Ron Hodges
- #352 Mike Phillips
- #376 Nino Espinosa
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #119 card?
It is card #119 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Stearns of the New York Mets.
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.