1978 Topps #190 John Candelaria
About John Candelaria
Candelaria reported to 1978 spring training 21 pounds lighter, hoping to ease his back, and a sore left elbow in August cost him a few turns in the rotation. He finished 12-11 with a 3.24 ERA. Topps gave him two cards: #190 on his own, and #207, an ERA League Leaders card shared with Frank Tanana of the Angels.
John Candelaria was a 6-foot-7 left-handed starter who pitched 19 major league seasons (1975-1993) for eight teams. Nicknamed the Candy Man, he was born in Brooklyn, became La Salle's all-time leading basketball scorer, and signed with Pittsburgh as a second-round pick in 1972, reportedly on advice from Roberto Clemente to hold out for more money. He debuted in June 1975 and struck out 14 Reds in the NLCS that October. He won a World Series with the 1979 Pirates, then moved to the bullpen in 1985 and was traded to the Angels, later pitching for the Mets, Yankees, Expos, Twins, Blue Jays and Dodgers before finishing in Pittsburgh in 1993. He retired with 177 wins, a 3.33 ERA and 1,673 strikeouts. Recurring back pain shaped much of his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 157 | 25 | 71 | 45 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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
More John Candelaria in this set: #207 League Leaders
Team card: #606 Pittsburgh Pirates Team
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #28 Ed Ott
- #53 Phil Garner
- #84 Kent Tekulve
- #138 Larry Demery
- #165 Rennie Stennett
- #201 1977 Batting Leaders
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #207 1977 ERA Leaders
- #223 Bruce Kison
- #255 Jerry Reuss
- #283 Omar Moreno
- #308 Jim Rooker
- #323 Jim Fregosi
- #383 Mario Mendoza
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #190 card?
It is card #190 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Candelaria 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.