1979 Topps #8 1978 Leading Firemen - Rich Gossage / Rollie Fingers
On this card: Rich Gossage, Rollie Fingers
About this card
Cards #1-8 are the 1978 League Leaders subset, two leaders on each card: batting (Rod Carew and Dave Parker), home runs (Jim Rice and George Foster), RBI (Jim Rice and George Foster), stolen bases (Ron LeFlore and Omar Moreno), victories (Ron Guidry and Gaylord Perry), strikeouts (Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard), ERA (Ron Guidry and Craig Swan) and the leading firemen (Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers).
The story on this card
The relief-saves board for 1978 closes the League Leaders subset (#1-8) of the 1979 Topps set, and #8 is printed with Rich Gossage of the New York Yankees and Rollie Fingers of the San Diego Padres. Gossage saved 27 games in 63 appearances with a 2.01 ERA. He also won a World Series game against the Dodgers as the Yankees took the series 4-2. Fingers saved 37 for the Padres, tying the National League single-season record, with a 2.52 ERA in 67 games. Each won his own league's Rolaids Relief Man Award for 1978.
Rich Gossage - right-handed reliever with a 100 mph fastball who saved 310 games over 22 seasons, led the American League in saves three times and closed for the Yankees from 1978 to 1983. Hall of Fame, 2008. Oakland reliever Rollie Fingers had been a pitcher-outfielder for Upland Post 73. He won MVP honors at the 1964 American Legion World Series and batted .450 in national competition, earning the Louisville Slugger Award.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject (Rich Gossage) · SABR BioProject (Rollie Fingers) · National Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 312 | 19 | 118 | 94 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 13 | 1 |
| SGC | 25 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 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 cards: #626 New York Yankees / Bob Lemon, #479 San Diego Padres / Roger Craig
More New York Yankees cards:
- #5 1978 Victory Leaders
- #7 1978 ERA Leaders
- #16 Fred Stanley
- #35 Ed Figueroa
- #60 Mickey Rivers
- #89 Dick Tidrow
More San Diego Padres cards:
- #5 1978 Victory Leaders
- #30 Dave Winfield
- #57 Eric Rasmussen
- #116 Ozzie Smith
- #138 Mark Lee
- #164 Mickey Lolich
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #8 card?
It is card #8 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers. Cards #1-8 are the 1978 League Leaders subset, two leaders on each card: batting (Rod Carew and Dave Parker), home runs (Jim Rice and George Foster), RBI (Jim Rice and George Foster), stolen bases (Ron LeFlore and Omar Moreno), victories (Ron Guidry and Gaylord Perry), strikeouts (Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard), ERA (Ron Guidry and Craig Swan) and the leading firemen (Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers).
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.