1978 Topps #37 Rick Waits
About Rick Waits
On the last day of the 1978 regular season, Waits beat the Yankees to force a one-game playoff between New York and Boston for the American League East title. Fenway Park's screen thanked him by name after Boston finished its own game. He ended the season 13-15 with a 3.20 ERA and 15 complete games. His Cleveland card that year was #37.
Rick Waits was a left-handed pitcher who worked as both a starter and a reliever for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers, going 79-92 with a 4.25 ERA in 317 games over 12 seasons. The Washington Senators drafted him in the fifth round in 1970, and he made his debut for the relocated Rangers on September 17, 1973. On June 13, 1975, he went to Cleveland with Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown and cash in the trade for Gaylord Perry, and he stayed until June 6, 1983, when he and Rick Manning were sent to Milwaukee for Gorman Thomas, Jamie Easterly and Ernie Camacho. Waits later led the Rimini Pirates of the Italian Baseball League to titles in 1987 and 1988 and a European Cup in 1989, and he was player-manager in 1988 and 1989. He also spent fifteen years in the New York Mets organization, including 2003 as bullpen coach, and was pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and for Taiwan's Chinatrust Brothers in 2017.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 205 | 33 | 129 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 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
Team card: #689 Cleveland Indians Team
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- #11 Rick Manning
- #61 Larvell Blanks
- #87 John Lowenstein
- #101 Sid Monge
- #122 Dennis Eckersley
- #148 Andre Thornton
- #174 Wayne Garland
- #198 Ron Pruitt
- #227 Al Fitzmorris
- #253 Jim Kern
- #280 Buddy Bell
- #305 Rico Carty
- #332 Duane Kuiper
- #351 Jeff Torborg
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #37 card?
It is card #37 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rick Waits of the Cleveland Indians.
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.