1978 Topps #657 Bombo Rivera
About Bombo Rivera
Rivera led off the Twins' home opener on April 14, 1978, going 2-for-4 with two walks and three runs, and Garrison Keillor released "The Ballad of Bombo Rivera" the next day. His best day came May 19 at Kansas City, 4-for-4 with a home run. He finished at .271 with 3 homers and 23 RBI in 101 games. Card #657 is his Twins issue.
Bombo Rivera was a Puerto Rican outfielder from Ponce who played 335 major league games between 1975 and 1982 for the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals, hitting .265 with 10 home runs. Signed by Montreal in 1970 for a $3,000 bonus, he was a cult favorite in Minnesota from 1978 through 1980. On April 28, 1980 he fractured a kneecap running into the right-field foul pole at Metropolitan Stadium and missed about two and a half months; the Twins released him in spring training 1981. His power showed up elsewhere: 27 homers for Omaha in 1982, 29 for Aguascalientes in Mexico in 1984, and 31 for Japan's Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1985. He played 18 winter seasons in Puerto Rico, won five league titles and appeared in three Caribbean Series.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 153 | 15 | 82 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 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: #451 Minnesota Twins Team
More Minnesota Twins cards:
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- #81 Pete Redfern
- #113 Don Carrithers
- #137 Craig Kusick
- #162 Paul Thormodsgard
- #193 Rich Chiles
- #201 1977 Batting Leaders
- #203 1977 RBI Leaders
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #219 Mike Cubbage
- #249 Dave Goltz
- #275 Dan Ford
- #307 Glenn Borgmann
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #657 card?
It is card #657 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bombo Rivera of the Minnesota Twins.
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.