1978 Topps #426 Fred Kendall
About Fred Kendall
Kendall shared the Cleveland catching job with Ray Fosse in 1977 until mid-August, when manager Jeff Torborg made him the first-stringer, and he hit .249 in 103 games. Torborg called him a pitchers' catcher who handled a staff superbly. Old high-school rival Dave LaRoche, a reliever, was his teammate in Cleveland. Card #426 lists him with the Indians.
Fred Kendall was a right-handed catcher who played 877 games over 12 seasons, from 1969 to 1980, for the Padres, Indians and Red Sox. A Torrance, California, native, he was drafted by Cincinnati in 1967, then taken by the new San Diego club in the October 1968 expansion draft after Sparky Anderson, hired onto the Padres staff, recommended him. He debuted September 8, 1969, and became the regular catcher in 1973, hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI and earning team MVP honors. In 1976 he led the National League in games caught. Traded to Cleveland in December 1976 for George Hendrick, he moved to Boston in 1978 and finished back in San Diego. He retired with a .234 average, 31 home runs and 244 RBI, later coached in the majors for the Tigers, Rockies and Royals, and is the father of three-time All-Star catcher Jason Kendall.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 125 | 34 | 76 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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 #426 card?
It is card #426 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Kendall of the Cleveland Indians.
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.