1979 Topps #388 Jack Billingham
About Jack Billingham
Billingham pitched 201 2/3 innings and threw 4 shutouts for Detroit in 1978. His Tigers card for 1979 was #388. That season he rejoined former Reds manager Sparky Anderson, who took over in Detroit, and split his work between starting and relieving. His 10 wins completed 10 consecutive seasons in double figures.
Jack Billingham was a right-handed pitcher who spent 13 major league seasons, from 1968 to 1980, with the Dodgers, Expos organization, Astros, Reds, Tigers and Red Sox. Signed by Los Angeles out of Winter Park, Florida, he broke in as a bullpen arm before Harry Walker moved him into the Houston rotation in 1970. His best years came after a 1971 trade sent him to Cincinnati as part of the deal that also brought Joe Morgan, where he won 19 games in both 1973 and 1974 and made his only All-Star team in 1973. Over three World Series with the Big Red Machine he posted a 0.36 ERA, the lowest in Series history until Madison Bumgarner passed it in 2014. He closed his career with the Tigers and briefly the Red Sox, retiring with a 145-113 record and 1,141 strikeouts.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 63 | 3 | 16 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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: #66 Detroit Tigers / Les Moss
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #4 1978 Stolen Base Leaders
- #33 Dave Rozema
- #80 Jason Thompson
- #93 Phil Mankowski
- #123 Lou Whitaker
- #151 John Hiller
- #176 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #196 Steve Kemp
- #217 Steve Dillard
- #231 Johnny Wockenfuss
- #251 Jack Morris
- #272 Tim Corcoran
- #288 Milt Wilcox
- #316 Milt May
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #388 card?
It is card #388 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jack Billingham of the Detroit Tigers.
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.