1978 Topps #45 Mark Fidrych
About Mark Fidrych
Fidrych opened 1978 with a complete-game win on Opening Day and followed it with another, but by the time he appeared on the April 24 cover of Sports Illustrated he had made his third and last start of the year. He finished 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA over 22 innings. Topps listed him as a Tiger at #45.
Mark Fidrych was a right-handed starter whose 1976 rookie season with the Detroit Tigers made him a national story. He went 19-9, led the majors with a 2.34 ERA, led the American League with 24 complete games, won Rookie of the Year and finished second to Jim Palmer for the Cy Young Award. On the mound he crouched to groom the dirt, talked to the ball, strutted a circle after every out and threw back balls he said had hits in them. Tiger Stadium crowds chanted until he came out of the dugout to tip his cap after home wins, and a June 28 game against the Yankees on ABC drew 47,855. A minor-league coach nicknamed him the Bird for his resemblance to Big Bird of Sesame Street. Injuries ended it: a torn rotator cuff went undiagnosed until 1985, and he finished 29-19 over five seasons through 1980. After a comeback attempt in the Red Sox system he retired in 1983. He settled on a farm in Northborough, Massachusetts, and hauled gravel in a ten-wheel truck. He died there in 2009 at 54. The Baseball Reliquary inducted him into its Shrine of the Eternals in 2002, and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame inducted him posthumously in 2009.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 382 | 23 | 153 | 130 | 26 | 15 | 24 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 25 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1978 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #404 Detroit Tigers Team
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #21 Steve Kemp
- #68 Steve Foucault
- #94 Chuck Scrivener
- #124 Dave Rozema
- #151 Milt Wilcox
- #176 Milt May
- #232 Mickey Stanley
- #258 John Hiller
- #286 Ben Oglivie
- #342 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #370 Rusty Staub
- #385 Tito Fuentes
- #456 Vern Ruhle
- #480 Ron LeFlore
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #45 card?
It is card #45 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers.
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.