1978 Topps #308 Jim Rooker


About Jim Rooker
Rooker closed 1977 at 14-9 with a 3.08 ERA over 204 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh. At the end of September he broke his arm in a car accident. His 1978 Topps card is #308, showing him with the Pirates. In 1978 he went 9-11 with a 4.24 ERA, his highest since the 4.38 of 1972.
Jim Rooker was a left-handed pitcher for Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh across 13 major league seasons. Detroit signed him as an outfielder in 1960; he converted to pitching full time in 1966. The Yankees acquired him in 1968 before Kansas City selected him in the expansion draft. He joined Pittsburgh after the 1972 season. Rooker went 15-11 with a 2.78 ERA in 1974 and also batted .305. He pitched in the 1974 and 1975 NLCS and allowed one run in five innings as Pittsburgh's Game 5 starter in the 1979 World Series, which the Pirates won. His career ended in 1980 with a 103-109 record, a 3.46 ERA and 976 strikeouts. He joined the Pirates' broadcast team in 1981.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 198 | 60 | 110 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #606 Pittsburgh Pirates Team
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- #28 Ed Ott
- #53 Phil Garner
- #84 Kent Tekulve
- #138 Larry Demery
- #165 Rennie Stennett
- #190 John Candelaria
- #201 1977 Batting Leaders
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #207 1977 ERA Leaders
- #223 Bruce Kison
- #255 Jerry Reuss
- #283 Omar Moreno
- #323 Jim Fregosi
- #383 Mario Mendoza
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #308 card?
It is card #308 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Rooker of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.