1979 Topps #6 1978 Strikeout Leaders - Nolan Ryan / J.R. Richard
On this card: Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard
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
Topps #6 in the 1979 League Leaders subset pairs the two strikeout leaders of 1978. Nolan Ryan, printed with the California Angels, led the American League with 260 strikeouts in 234 2/3 innings over 31 starts, going 10-13 with a 3.72 ERA. J.R. Richard, printed with the Houston Astros, led the National League with 303 strikeouts in 275 1/3 innings and went 18-11 with a 3.11 ERA.
Nolan Ryan was the flame-throwing "Ryan Express," a Mets farmhand who became baseball's all-time strikeout king, setting career records for strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (seven) over 27 seasons with the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers. J.R. Richard - Right-handed Houston Astros starter, 6 feet 8 inches, who led the National League in strikeouts twice and won 18 or more games four years running from 1976 to 1979. A stroke on July 30, 1980 ended his career at 107-71.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference (Nolan Ryan) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,811 | 90 | 625 | 577 | 222 | 132 | 95 | 69 | 1 |
| SGC | 189 | 2 | 23 | 59 | 48 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 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: #424 California Angels / Jim Fregosi, #381 Houston Astros / Bill Virdon
More California Angels cards:
- #18 Tony Solaita
- #48 Merv Rettenmund
- #71 Brian Downing
- #115 Nolan Ryan
- #212 Carney Lansford
- #267 Joe Rudi
More Houston Astros cards:
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #6 card?
It is card #6 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard. 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.