1979 Topps #221 Jesse Jefferson
About Jesse Jefferson
Jefferson made 34 appearances for Toronto in 1979, 10 of them starts, won once in those and went back to the bullpen under manager Roy Hartsfield. He worked 116 innings to a 2-10 record and a 5.51 ERA. He struck out 43, saved one game, and in one loss pitched nine innings without a walk, the only time in his career. Card #221 carries the Blue Jays name.
Jesse Jefferson was a right-handed pitcher who worked nine seasons in the majors for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels, finishing 39-81 with a 4.81 ERA. Baltimore drafted him in the fourth round in 1968 out of Carver High School in Midlothian, Virginia, and he spent six seasons in the farm system before reaching the majors in 1973. Chicago acquired him for Tony Muser in June 1975, and Toronto took him in the 1976 expansion draft. He pitched for the Blue Jays from their first season, 1977, through 1980, and holds the club record for the most innings in a complete game, 12. His 1-0, 11-inning win over Oakland's Mike Norris on May 16, 1980, has been called the longest shutout duel between African-American pitchers in major league history. Pittsburgh claimed him on waivers in September 1980, and California signed him that winter. He died in Midlothian in 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 54 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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: #282 Toronto Blue Jays / Roy Hartsfield
More Toronto Blue Jays cards:
- #36 Alan Ashby
- #64 Tom Underwood
- #101 Roy Howell
- #131 Jim Clancy
- #152 Rick Cerone
- #178 Alvis Woods
- #182 Tim Johnson
- #207 Dave Lemanczyk
- #238 Balor Moore
- #239 Willie Horton
- #254 Luis Gomez
- #293 Jerry Garvin
- #329 Joe Coleman
- #341 Willie Upshaw
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #221 card?
It is card #221 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jesse Jefferson of the Toronto Blue Jays.
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.