1978 Topps #565 Jerry Koosman
About Jerry Koosman
Koosman started 32 games for the 1977 Mets, working 226 2/3 innings with 192 strikeouts. His 1978 Topps card, #565, shows him with the Mets. In 1978 he went 3-15 with a 3.75 ERA. Seeing no imminent improvement for the club, he said, "Either trade me to the Twins or I'm out of here," and in December 1978 the Mets sent him to Minnesota, a deal that brought Jesse Orosco to New York.
Jerry Koosman pitched 19 major league seasons (1967-1985) for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, finishing 222-209 with a 3.36 ERA and 2,556 strikeouts. A Minnesota farm kid, he was pitching for an Army team at Fort Bliss, Texas, when his catcher's father, a Shea Stadium usher, passed word to Mets farm director Joe McDonald, and Koosman signed in 1964 for a $1,600 bonus. A slider learned from instructor Frank Lary kept him in the organization, and in 1968 the hard-throwing left-hander went 19-12 with a 2.08 ERA, setting franchise records and finishing one vote behind Johnny Bench for National League Rookie of the Year. He made the All-Star team in 1968 and 1969, and in 1969 he pitched behind Tom Seaver as the Mets won the World Series, winning two games against Baltimore. He won 21 games for the Mets in 1976 and 20 for the Twins in 1979 before closing out with Chicago and Philadelphia. The Mets inducted him into their team hall of fame in 1989 and retired his number 36 in 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 130 | 26 | 66 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #565 card?
It is card #565 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Koosman of the New York Mets.
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.