1979 Topps #83 Fred Kendall
About Fred Kendall
Boston manager Don Zimmer, his old Salt Lake City skipper, insisted on adding Kendall to the Eckersley deal on the eve of 1978. Behind Carlton Fisk he hit .195 in 20 games, 13 of them at first base. The Red Sox did not offer him a contract, and San Diego, with Gene Tenace as its starter, signed him for 1979. His #83 card pictures him with the Red Sox.
Fred Kendall was a right-handed catcher who played 877 games over 12 seasons, from 1969 to 1980, for the Padres, Indians and Red Sox. A Torrance, California, native, he was drafted by Cincinnati in 1967, then taken by the new San Diego club in the October 1968 expansion draft after Sparky Anderson, hired onto the Padres staff, recommended him. He debuted September 8, 1969, and became the regular catcher in 1973, hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI and earning team MVP honors. In 1976 he led the National League in games caught. Traded to Cleveland in December 1976 for George Hendrick, he moved to Boston in 1978 and finished back in San Diego. He retired with a .234 average, 31 home runs and 244 RBI, later coached in the majors for the Tigers, Rockies and Royals, and is the father of three-time All-Star catcher Jason Kendall.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 81 | 3 | 44 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #214 Boston Red Sox / Don Zimmer
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #2 1978 Home Run Leaders
- #3 1978 RBI Leaders
- #12 Dick Drago
- #40 Dennis Eckersley
- #63 Jack Brohamer
- #106 Frank Duffy
- #125 Rick Burleson
- #155 Dwight Evans
- #185 Mike Torrez
- #270 Butch Hobson
- #320 Carl Yastrzemski
- #349 Jim Wright
- #375 Bill Campbell
- #400 Jim Rice
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #83 card?
It is card #83 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Kendall of the Boston Red Sox.
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.