1979 Topps #311 Gary Lavelle
About Gary Lavelle
In 1979 Lavelle appeared in 70 games for the Giants, going 7-9 with a 2.51 ERA. He saved 20 games and struck out 80 in 96 2/3 innings. His 1979 Topps card, #311, shows him in a San Francisco Giants uniform.
Gary Lavelle was a left-handed reliever who spent eleven of his thirteen major league seasons, 1974 through 1984, with the San Francisco Giants. He finished with an 80-77 record, a 2.93 ERA and 136 saves. He struck out 769 batters in 1,085 innings over 745 games, and he pitched for Toronto and Oakland before retiring in 1987. He made the National League All-Star team in 1977 and 1983, and in 1985 he appeared in the postseason with the Blue Jays, who lost the ALCS to Kansas City in seven games. As of 2023, he ranked 70th all-time in games finished by a pitcher. Lavelle was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, grew up in Bethlehem and attended Liberty High School there. He became a born-again Christian during his playing career and was regarded as the leader of the Giants' Christian players. After baseball he settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and took up coaching, winning his 500th game as head coach at Greenbrier Christian Academy in April 2014.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 72 | 5 | 38 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #356 San Francisco Giants / Joe Altobelli
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- #34 Rob Andrews
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- #84 Greg Minton
- #110 Vida Blue
- #142 Charlie Williams
- #167 Roger Metzger
- #195 Bill Madlock
- #215 Willie McCovey
- #236 Jim Dwyer
- #256 Mike Sadek
- #284 Johnnie LeMaster
- #338 Vic Harris
- #410 Darrell Evans
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #311 card?
It is card #311 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gary Lavelle of the San Francisco Giants.
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.