1978 Topps #498 Joe Sambito
About Joe Sambito
Houston used Sambito in 62 games in 1978, all of them in relief, and he went 4-9 with a 3.07 ERA. His 96 strikeouts in 88 innings were a career high, and his 11 saves led the team. His Topps card that year is #498, printed with the Astros.
Joe Sambito was a left-handed reliever, a fastball and slider pitcher who threw for the Houston Astros, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox between 1976 and 1987. Born in Brooklyn, he pitched at Adelphi University, where he also played wide receiver, and was an All-American in 1973 before Houston drafted him in the 17th round. He started games in the minors and led the Southern League with 140 strikeouts at Double-A Columbus in 1975, then took to relief in the majors, a role he said he learned to love. He finished fifth in the 1980 Cy Young voting and pitched in the 1980 NLCS against Philadelphia and the 1981 division series against the Dodgers. He opened 1982 with four saves and a 0.71 ERA in nine April appearances, but bone chips were found to have damaged the ligaments of his elbow. Tommy John surgery cost him the rest of that season and all of 1983. In 1986 he went 12 for 12 in save chances for the Red Sox, who reached the World Series. He finished 37-38 with a 3.03 ERA and 84 saves in 461 games, and later worked as a players' agent whose clients included Andy Pettitte and Paul Goldschmidt.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 251 | 82 | 135 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 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: #112 Houston Astros Team
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- #64 Gene Pentz
- #91 Oscar Zamora
- #132 Enos Cabell
- #158 Joaquin Andujar
- #181 Ken Forsch
- #226 Joe Ferguson
- #263 Danny Walton
- #279 Bill Virdon
- #306 Joe Niekro
- #330 Bob Watson
- #358 Mark Lemongello
- #389 Julio Gonzalez
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #498 card?
It is card #498 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Sambito of the Houston Astros.
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.