1979 Topps #284 Johnnie LeMaster
About Johnnie LeMaster
The Giants finished 71-91 in fourth place in 1979. LeMaster, who hit .254 with 3 home runs in 108 games, took much of the booing. On July 23 against the Dodgers he started the first inning in a jersey with BOO across the back, drew a $500 fine, and heard less from the crowd afterward. His card that year is #284.
Johnnie LeMaster was a shortstop who played for the San Francisco Giants from 1975 until a May 1985 trade to Cleveland, then passed through Pittsburgh and Oakland and retired in 1987. The Giants took him sixth overall in the 1973 draft out of Paintsville High School in Kentucky, where he lettered in four sports, ahead of Kansas City, which held the ninth pick and had wanted him as a pitcher. He debuted on September 2, 1975, and hit an inside-the-park home run off Don Sutton in his first major-league at-bat, the third player in history to do so. His career line was .222 with 22 home runs and 229 RBI. He played 1,039 games and stole 94 bases. In 1983 he set career highs with 128 hits and 39 stolen bases. In 1987, while with Oakland, Reggie Jackson told him, "People don't boo nobodies. You're somebody." After baseball he coached at Pikeville College from 1994 to 2006, and the school named its ballfield for him.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 37 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1979 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #356 San Francisco Giants / Joe Altobelli
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #11 Marc Hill
- #34 Rob Andrews
- #62 Randy Moffitt
- #84 Greg Minton
- #110 Vida Blue
- #142 Charlie Williams
- #167 Roger Metzger
- #195 Bill Madlock
- #215 Willie McCovey
- #236 Jim Dwyer
- #256 Mike Sadek
- #311 Gary Lavelle
- #338 Vic Harris
- #410 Darrell Evans
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #284 card?
It is card #284 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Johnnie LeMaster of the San Francisco Giants.
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.