1978 Topps #205 1977 Victory Leaders - Steve Carlton / Dave Goltz / Dennis Leonard / Jim Palmer
On this card: Steve Carlton, Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard, Jim Palmer
About this card
Cards #201-208 are the League Leaders subset on the 1977 season - batting, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, victories, strikeouts, ERA and the leading firemen - each card naming the National League leader first and the American League leader second. #205 Victory Leaders names four pitchers: Steve Carlton for the National League and Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the American League.
The story on this card
Four pitchers share the 1977 victory board on #205. Steve Carlton of the Phillies won 23 games in the National League and took the Cy Young Award, which he had also won in 1972. Three American League starters tied for the lead: Dave Goltz of the Twins at 20-11, Dennis Leonard of the Royals at 20-12, and Jim Palmer of the Orioles at 20-11. Palmer won 20 games in every season from 1970 to 1978 except 1974. The card sits in the League Leaders subset of the 1978 Topps set, with each man printed with his own club.
Phillies left-hander Steve Carlton included martial arts and meditation in his training. One exercise involved twisting his fist down through a five-gallon bucket of rice. He worked with trainer Gus Hoefling on his conditioning routine. Dave Goltz was a right-handed Twins starter from Minnesota who won 20 games in 1977 and posted a 2.49 ERA in 1978. He signed with the Dodgers as a free agent, pitched in the 1981 World Series, and finished 113-109. Dennis Leonard - right-hander for the Kansas City Royals from 1974 to 1986 who won 20 games three times, went 144-106 with a 3.70 ERA, and returned from a torn knee tendon to win the 1986 Hutch Award. Jim Palmer was Baltimore's ace right-hander, a three-time Cy Young winner and four-time Gold Glover who worked on three World Series champions, beat Sandy Koufax in Koufax's final appearance, and reached the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Sources: Wikipedia (Steve Carlton) · Wikipedia (Jim Palmer) · Wikipedia (Dave Goltz) · Wikipedia (Dennis Leonard) · SABR BioProject (Steve Carlton) · SABR BioProject (Dave Goltz) · SABR BioProject (Dennis Leonard) · SABR BioProject (Jim Palmer) · National Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 550 | 54 | 239 | 152 | 43 | 30 | 18 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 39 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 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 cards: #381 Philadelphia Phillies Team, #451 Minnesota Twins Team, #724 Kansas City Royals Team, #96 Baltimore Orioles Team
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #27 Geoff Zahn
- #54 Tom Johnson
- #81 Pete Redfern
- #113 Don Carrithers
- #137 Craig Kusick
- #162 Paul Thormodsgard
More Kansas City Royals cards:
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #4 Brooks Robinson
- #9 Doug DeCinces
- #36 Eddie Murray
- #65 Ken Singleton
- #119 Denny Martinez
- #160 Jim Palmer
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #205 card?
It is card #205 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Carlton, Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer. Cards #201-208 are the League Leaders subset on the 1977 season - batting, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, victories, strikeouts, ERA and the leading firemen - each card naming the National League leader first and the American League leader second. #205 Victory Leaders names four pitchers: Steve Carlton for the National League and Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the American League.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.