1978 Topps #358 Mark Lemongello
About Mark Lemongello
Four young Astros pitchers, Lemongello among them, protested their renewed contracts in early 1978; his was $22,500 plus $5,000 in incentives. On May 31 he beat Vida Blue and the Giants 1-0, the only shutout of his career. His next start, at Wrigley Field, ended with his ejection for confronting plate umpire Dutch Rennert after a close pitch gave him a sixth walk and loaded the bases. He finished 9-14 again. His #358 card is printed with the Astros.
Mark Lemongello was a right-handed starter for the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays from 1976 to 1979, going 22-38 with a 4.06 ERA. He threw a sinker and slider. Out of Raritan High School in Hazlet, New Jersey, he signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1973. In 1975 he became close friends with Mark Fidrych, a teammate at Triple-A Evansville, and shut out Tidewater on three hits in the Junior World Series opener. Detroit sent him to Houston in a seven-player deal that December, and he won his September 14, 1976, debut in Atlanta, finishing 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA. He went 21-29 over three seasons with Houston before a trade to Toronto, where his major league career ended. He was known for slapping himself in the face after bad innings and for destroying clubhouse equipment after bad games. The Cubs bought his contract in 1980, and his career ended that year at Triple-A Wichita. In 1982 he pleaded no contest to charges over the kidnapping and robbery of his cousins, bowler Mike Lemongello and singer Peter Lemongello, and received seven years of probation. By 1989 he was living in Phoenix and working for Coca-Cola.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 195 | 49 | 113 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
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: #112 Houston Astros Team
More Houston Astros cards:
- #13 Art Howe
- #39 Floyd Bannister
- #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
- #389 Julio Gonzalez
- #437 Bo McLaughlin
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #358 card?
It is card #358 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mark Lemongello 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.