1979 Topps #253 Rick Wise
About Rick Wise
Wise pitched 211 2/3 innings for Cleveland in 1978. He followed with a 15-10 record and 3.73 ERA in 1979, the season of his Indians card, #253. That November he became a free agent and signed with San Diego, where he spent his final three major-league seasons.
Rick Wise pitched eighteen major-league seasons for Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston, Cleveland and San Diego. The right-hander finished with 188 victories, 138 complete games and 30 shutouts. He hit 15 home runs and was a National League All-Star in 1971 and 1973. On June 23, 1971, he no-hit Cincinnati and hit two home runs, driving in three of Philadelphia's four runs. Phillies scout Glenn Elliott had signed him from Portland's Madison High School for $12,000 in 1963. Wise later coached pitchers in affiliated and independent minor-league baseball, including Lancaster from 2005 through 2008, and served as that club's interim manager in 2007. The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 1987.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 57 | 1 | 20 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #96 Cleveland Indians / Jeff Torborg
More Cleveland Indians cards:
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- #38 Bernie Carbo
- #61 Bo Diaz
- #77 Dan Briggs
- #79 Ted Cox
- #122 Mike Paxton
- #146 Duane Kuiper
- #150 Wayne Cage
- #168 Dave Freisleben
- #226 Ron Pruitt
- #280 Andre Thornton
- #307 Larvell Blanks
- #332 Gary Alexander
- #359 Dan Spillner
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #253 card?
It is card #253 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rick Wise of the Cleveland Indians.
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.