1979 Topps #279 Jerry Grote
About Jerry Grote
Grote's #279 lists him with the Dodgers, though he retired after the 1978 season. He had batted .271 with nine RBI in 41 games, most of them at catcher and some at third base. Kansas City brought him back to the majors in 1981, when he drove in seven runs in a June 3 game.
Jerry Grote learned to catch under former Tigers manager Del Baker while attending Trinity University in San Antonio. He signed with Houston in 1962 and built a batting cage from chicken wire and carpeting at his parents' farm, practicing against a pitching machine he and a friend assembled. His major league career covered 16 seasons with the Colt .45s, Mets, Dodgers and Royals. He caught every inning of New York's 1969 postseason and collected two hits that helped decide World Series games: a ninth-inning single in Game 2 and a leadoff double in the tenth inning of Game 4. Grote finished with 1,092 hits and a .252 average. After playing, he managed in the minors and later broadcast Round Rock Express games. The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 94 | 9 | 34 | 32 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #279 card?
It is card #279 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Grote of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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.