1978 Topps #70 Rich Gossage
About Rich Gossage
#70 shows Gossage in pinstripes after he signed a six-year, $3.6 million contract with George Steinbrenner on November 22, 1977. He lost three of his first four games in New York and heard boos at Yankee Stadium, then settled in to lead the league with 27 saves and post a 2.01 ERA over 134 1/3 innings. On October 2 he closed the one-game playoff against Boston, getting Carl Yastrzemski to pop up to Graig Nettles for the final out of a 5-4 win. He won a game in both the ALCS and the World Series, and took the Rolaids Relief Man Award.
Rich Gossage was one of the first modern closers, a right-hander with a rising 100 mph fastball, a bold mustache and a habit of pitching two or three innings to finish a game. Over 22 seasons, 1972 to 1994, he worked 1,002 games for nine clubs and saved 310. He went 124-107 with a 3.01 ERA, led the American League in saves three times and made nine All-Star teams. With the Yankees he saved a career-high 33 games in 1980 and finished third in both the MVP and Cy Young voting. He posted a 0.77 ERA in 1981, and in 1983 he broke Sparky Lyle's club record of 141 saves. He signed with San Diego for 1984 and saved Game 5 of the NLCS against the Cubs, sending the Padres to their first World Series, where Kirk Gibson homered off him in the deciding Game 5 after Gossage refused an intentional walk. On August 6, 1988, with the Cubs, he became the second pitcher to reach 300 saves. Later stops included the Giants, a second turn with the Yankees, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan, Texas, Oakland and Seattle, where on August 4, 1994 he became the third pitcher to appear in 1,000 games. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 602 | 33 | 240 | 215 | 42 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 1 |
| SGC | 51 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
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
Team card: #282 New York Yankees Team
More New York Yankees cards:
- #2 Sparky Lyle
- #7 Reggie Jackson
- #16 Roy White
- #35 Sparky Lyle
- #60 Thurman Munson
- #89 Ken Clay
- #114 Paul Blair
- #135 Ron Guidry
- #159 Lou Piniella
- #179 Dick Tidrow
- #200 Reggie Jackson
- #225 Don Gullett
- #250 Graig Nettles
- #309 Cliff Johnson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #70 card?
It is card #70 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Gossage of the New York Yankees.
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.