1979 Topps #96 Cleveland Indians / Jeff Torborg
About this card
This is one of the 26 team cards, one for each club, and each also carries the club's manager - there are no separate manager cards in 1979.
The story on this card
Cleveland's 1978 season ended at 69-90, sixth in the American League East and the 24th straight year without a playoff berth. Jeff Torborg, the former Dodgers and Angels catcher, managed the full season, having replaced Frank Robinson in June 1977 with the club at 26-31. The Indians scored 639 runs and allowed 694, and 800,584 came through the gates at Cleveland Stadium. The 1979 Topps team card, #96, pairs the club with Torborg. His job ran out the following summer: the Indians were 32-30 on June 16, 1979, then lost ten straight, and president Gabe Paul courted Bob Lemon as a replacement before Lemon declined. Torborg was fired on July 23 with the club at 43-52.
Jeff Torborg - Catcher for the Dodgers and Angels from 1964 to 1973 who caught three no-hitters, including Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game against the Cubs, and later managed Cleveland, the White Sox and the Mets.
Sources: Wikipedia (1978 Cleveland Indians season) · Wikipedia (Jeff Torborg) · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 76 | 4 | 31 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #96 card?
It is card #96 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing the Cleveland Indians. This is one of the 26 team cards, one for each club, and each also carries the club's manager - there are no separate manager cards in 1979.
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.