1979 Topps #289 Jose Cruz
About Jose Cruz
A .315 average in 1978 came with 10 home runs, 83 RBIs and 37 stolen bases for Houston. The Astrodome held down his offensive numbers, and his road statistics were considerably better than those at home. His 1979 Topps #289 shows him with the Astros.
Jose Cruz was a left-handed hitting outfielder who played 19 seasons, 1970 to 1988, and spent 13 of them with the Houston Astros, mostly in left field. Born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, he signed with the Cardinals out of high school in 1966 with scout Chase Riddle. Houston bought him on October 24, 1974, and he stayed through 1987. He hit .284 for his career with 2,251 hits and 165 home runs. He also drove in 1,077 runs and stole 317 bases, was an All-Star in 1980 and 1985, and won Silver Slugger awards in 1983 and 1984. His 80 triples were still the Astros franchise record as of 2017, and Houston retired his number 25 in 1992. He finished with the Yankees in 1988 and returned to the Astros as first-base coach in 1997.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 59 | 4 | 37 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #381 Houston Astros / Bill Virdon
More Houston Astros cards:
- #6 1978 Strikeout Leaders
- #14 Rafael Landestoy
- #49 Vern Ruhle
- #68 Joe Niekro
- #107 Jesus Alou
- #130 Bob Watson
- #139 Luis Pujols
- #158 Joe Sambito
- #187 Mark Lemongello
- #203 J.R. Richard
- #232 Jimmy Sexton
- #268 Julio Gonzalez
- #306 Floyd Bannister
- #327 Art Howe
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #289 card?
It is card #289 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros.
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.