1978 Topps #164 Bob Owchinko
About Bob Owchinko
Owchinko's rookie card follows a 1977 in which he went 9-12 with 101 strikeouts and was named National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year. In 1978 he made 36 appearances for the Padres and went 10-13 with a 3.56 ERA. His 202 1/3 innings were a career high. His Topps card that year is #164.
Bob Owchinko was a left-handed pitcher who worked as a starter and reliever across ten major league seasons with the Padres, Indians, Athletics, Pirates, Reds and Expos. At Eastern Michigan he went 29-9 with a 2.15 ERA and a school-record 309 strikeouts, reached the College World Series in 1975 and 1976, and helped the U.S. team to silver at the 1975 Pan American Games. San Diego took him fifth overall in the 1976 draft, and he debuted September 25 against Atlanta. Traded to Cleveland after 1979, he moved on to Pittsburgh in the six-player deal for Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen, then to Oakland, where he pitched 1 2/3 innings in the 1981 ALCS. He finished with a 37-60 record, a 4.28 ERA and seven saves, ending with three starts for Montreal in 1986. Eastern Michigan inducted him into its athletic hall of fame in 1989 and the Mid-American Conference hall of fame in 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 127 | 19 | 73 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #164 card?
It is card #164 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Owchinko of the San Diego Padres.
Is 1978 Topps #164 a rookie card?
Yes - #164 is the 1978 Topps rookie card of Bob Owchinko.
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.