1978 Topps #25 Jon Matlack
About Jon Matlack
The 1977 season was his hardest with the Mets, who lost 98 games. He went 7-15 with a 4.21 ERA after entering the year with a career 2.88. His last Mets start came September 30, a 6-3 win over St. Louis in which he went 5 2/3 innings. The first four-team trade in major league history, involving 11 players among the Mets, Rangers, Braves and Pirates, then sent him to Texas. The #25 card still lists him with the Mets.
Jon Matlack was a left-handed starter who pitched 13 seasons, 1971 to 1983, for the Mets and the Rangers. New York took him fourth overall in the 1967 draft out of a Pennsylvania high school, and he won 14 games for Tidewater in 1969 as the Tides took the International League title. He won the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year award, and along with Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman he formed the rotation core of the 1973 pennant winners. He was an All-Star in 1974, 1975 and 1976, and he ranks among the top ten Mets pitchers in wins, complete games, ERA, strikeouts and innings. He spent his last six seasons with Texas, finishing 125-126 with a 3.18 ERA and 1,516 strikeouts. He later worked as a pitching coach for Detroit from 1996 and was named to the Mets Hall of Fame in 2020.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 130 | 13 | 89 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #25 card?
It is card #25 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jon Matlack 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.