1978 Topps #373 Jim Willoughby
About Jim Willoughby
The Red Sox never officially told Willoughby they had sold him to the White Sox at the end of spring training in 1978, and he heard it from Peter Gammons. In Chicago he worked as a middle reliever and setup man for closer Lerrin LaGrow, appearing in 59 games with a 3.86 ERA and 13 saves. His final major-league game came on September 28. Topps issued his 1978 card, #373, with the Red Sox.
Jim Willoughby was a right-handed sinker and slider pitcher who threw from a three-quarters arm slot. He worked as a starter, long reliever and short man for the Giants, Red Sox and White Sox from 1971 to 1978. He finished 26-36 with a 3.79 ERA and 34 saves. San Francisco drafted him out of Gustine High School in the 11th round in 1967, and his signing package included the Professional Baseball Scholarship Plan, which he used for engineering classes at Cal-Berkeley and other schools while in the minors.
Boston made him a full-time reliever. He arrived from St. Louis in July 1975 as the player to be named later in the Mario Guerrero trade, saved eight games with a 3.54 ERA and helped the Red Sox to the pennant. In the World Series against Cincinnati he pitched in Games 3, 5 and 7, taking the loss in Game 3. In Game 7 he retired Johnny Bench with the bases loaded to end the seventh, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He was among the Red Sox dubbed the Buffalo Heads for their countercultural ways, and he pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and 1990.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 112 | 7 | 43 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 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 #373 card?
It is card #373 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Willoughby of the Boston Red Sox.
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.