1979 Topps #266 Jim Willoughby
About Jim Willoughby
On October 23, 1978 the White Sox sent Willoughby to the Cardinals organization for outfielder John Scott, and he was released in the spring of 1979. He made a deal with the Pirates and joined Triple-A Portland. Pittsburgh kept him on its active roster as bullpen insurance, and he received a $250 World Series share from the eventual champions. A diabetic coma in Venezuela late in the year led him to retire. His 1979 Topps card, #266, still carries the White Sox name.
Jim Willoughby was a right-handed sinker and slider pitcher who threw from a three-quarters arm slot. He worked as a starter, long reliever and short man for the Giants, Red Sox and White Sox from 1971 to 1978. He finished 26-36 with a 3.79 ERA and 34 saves. San Francisco drafted him out of Gustine High School in the 11th round in 1967, and his signing package included the Professional Baseball Scholarship Plan, which he used for engineering classes at Cal-Berkeley and other schools while in the minors.
Boston made him a full-time reliever. He arrived from St. Louis in July 1975 as the player to be named later in the Mario Guerrero trade, saved eight games with a 3.54 ERA and helped the Red Sox to the pennant. In the World Series against Cincinnati he pitched in Games 3, 5 and 7, taking the loss in Game 3. In Game 7 he retired Johnny Bench with the bases loaded to end the seventh, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He was among the Red Sox dubbed the Buffalo Heads for their countercultural ways, and he pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and 1990.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 45 | 0 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #266 card?
It is card #266 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Willoughby of the Chicago White Sox.
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.