1978 Topps #181 Ken Forsch
About Ken Forsch
In 1978 Forsch worked both ends of the Houston staff, making 52 appearances, six of them as a starter. He finished 10-6 with a 2.70 ERA over 133 1/3 innings. Two of his four complete games were shutouts. His Astros card is #181.
Ken Forsch was a 6-foot-4 right-hander who pitched 16 seasons in the majors, most of them with the Houston Astros and the last five with the California Angels, and who moved between the rotation and the bullpen more than once. Houston drafted him in the 18th round in 1968 out of Oregon State, and he debuted on September 7, 1970, with a 10-5 complete-game win at San Diego. After starting in the early seventies he spent roughly five years as the Astros' closer, then returned to the rotation, where he no-hit the Atlanta Braves 6-0 at the Astrodome on April 7, 1979. His brother Bob Forsch threw two no-hitters for the Cardinals, making them the only brothers to pitch no-hitters in the majors. Forsch started Game 1 of the 1980 NLCS against Philadelphia, was traded to the Angels for Dickie Thon in April 1981, and made his second All-Star team that year. A dislocated shoulder limited him to two games in 1984. He finished 114-113 with a 3.37 ERA and 1,047 strikeouts, and later worked for the Angels as assistant general manager until 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 99 | 21 | 56 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 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
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- #358 Mark Lemongello
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #181 card?
It is card #181 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Forsch 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.