1979 Topps #678 Geoff Zahn
About Geoff Zahn
Minnesota got 35 starts from Zahn in 1978, and he worked 252 1/3 innings. His 14-14 record came with a 3.03 ERA and 12 complete games. In 1979 he went 13-7 with a 3.57 ERA in 24 starts. His 1979 Topps card, #678, has him with the Twins.
Geoff Zahn was a left-handed starter who pitched thirteen seasons in the majors, 1973 to 1985, for the Dodgers, Cubs, Twins and Angels, and finished 111-109 with a 3.74 ERA. Out of the University of Michigan, he was a Dodgers fifth-round pick in the January 1968 draft. Six minor league years followed while the club pushed him to throw harder and find a trick pitch, and Roger Craig, then a minor league pitching instructor, taught him a forkball. He debuted on September 2, 1973.
Zahn won ten or more games in six consecutive seasons, 1977 to 1982, for 81 victories, the last two with California, which signed him as a free agent on December 2, 1980. His 18-8 season in 1982 helped California win the AL West, and the Sporting News named him its AL All-Star left-handed pitcher; he went 0-1 in the ALCS against Milwaukee. He announced his retirement before spring training in 1986 because a torn rotator cuff required the eighth surgery of his professional career.
He coached at The Master's College and, from 1994, as a Pepperdine assistant, where Randy Wolf credited him with helping his mechanics. As Michigan's head coach he went 163-169-2 over six seasons, won the 1999 Big Ten Tournament and resigned in 2002.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 79 | 12 | 47 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #41 Minnesota Twins / Gene Mauch
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #1 1978 Batting Leaders
- #27 Dave Goltz
- #58 Bob Randall
- #81 Roger Erickson
- #113 Pete Redfern
- #137 Larry Wolfe
- #162 Tom Johnson
- #193 Glenn Adams
- #219 Roy Smalley
- #246 Darrell Jackson
- #249 Paul Thormodsgard
- #274 Willie Norwood
- #300 Rod Carew
- #362 Mike Cubbage
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #678 card?
It is card #678 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Geoff Zahn of the Minnesota Twins.
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.