1978 Topps #531 Tom Underwood
About Tom Underwood
On May 2, 1978 Underwood pitched a complete game and lost 2-1 to the Athletics; in his next start he shut them out for his first American League win. He had arrived from St. Louis with minor leaguer Victor Cruz for Pete Vuckovich and a player to be named later, which is why his #531 card still lists the Cardinals. He started 30 games for the 59-102 Blue Jays, went 6-14 with a 4.10 ERA, and his 139 strikeouts led the staff.
Tom Underwood was a left-handed pitcher who worked 11 seasons, 1974 to 1984, for six clubs: the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Yankees, Athletics and Orioles. He grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, where he went 17-3 with a 0.40 ERA over his junior and senior years of high school while also quarterbacking the football team. Phillies scout Tony Lucadello watched him strike out 25 batters in a tournament game on draft day 1972, and Philadelphia took him with the 27th pick. His debut came on August 19, 1974 at Riverfront Stadium: he struck out Dan Driessen, then six straight Reds reached base, ending with a Joe Morgan grand slam. Pete Rose called his fastball sneaky. He finished 86-87 with a 3.89 ERA and 948 strikeouts in 1,586 innings, and reached the postseason three times, each time in a championship series his team lost in a sweep. The Kokomo Tribune named him Howard County's greatest athlete of the 20th century, and he entered the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2010.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 101 | 5 | 51 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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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Team card: #479 St. Louis Cardinals Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #531 card?
It is card #531 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tom Underwood of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.