1978 Topps Baseball #308 - Jim Rooker

• Jim Rooker was getting close to the end of the line in 1978. Rooker slipped to nine wins after five straight years of double figures in victories. He was the #4 starter in the rotation. 
• 1978 Stats: 9-11, 4.24 ERA in 28 starts
• 1978 Highlights:
• July 1 - Shut out the New York Mets for eight innings as the Pirates beat the Mets 1-0. It was Rooker's first win since May 7.
• Sept 14 - Allowed no earned runs in 7 2/3 innings in Pittsburgh's 7-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

1978 Topps Baseball #283 - Omar Moreno

• Omar Moreno led the NL with 71 stolen bases in 1978. Moreno batted only .235 but he had a career high with 81 walks.
• Moreno usually batted second behind leadoff man Frank Taveras.
• 1978 Stats: .235, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 95 runs scored in 155 games.
• 1978 Highlights: 
• April 23 - Scored three runs, stole two bases, and knocked in two runs as the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-7.
• Sept 2 - Had three hits and two walks in Pittsburgh's 4-3 12-inning win over the Atlanta Braves
• Sept 25 - Knocked in two runs, scored two runs, and had three hits to help the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4

1978 Topps Baseball #278 - Enrique Romo

• Enrique Romo didn't get to the major leagues until he was 29 years old. Romo pitched in the Mexican League from 1966-1976. 
• In April 1977 Romo was purchased by the Seattle Mariners. Romo had a good season -- he was 8-10 with a 2.83 ERA in 58 games (3 starts) and led the Mariners with 16 saves.
• Enrique had a higher ERA (3.69) in 1978, but he was 11-7 with 10 saves in 56 appearances.
• After the 1978 season Romo was traded (with Mike Jones) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mario Mendoza, Odell Jones, and Rafael Vasquez. Enrique was happy to go to the Pirates.
• Romo was part of an effective bullpen for the World Champion 1979 Pirates. Enrique went 10-5 with 5 saves and had a 2.99 ERA in 84 games during the regular season. He didn't get a decision in two games in the NL Championship Series (0.00 ERA) or in two games in the World Series (3.86 ERA).
• In 1980 Romo was 5-5 with 11 saves and had a 3.27 ERA in 74 games.
• Enrique got shelled in a few games in April and May and again in September of 1981. He had the roughest season on his career (1-3, 9 saves, 4.54 ERA in 33 games).
• Romo bounced back somewhat in 1982. He had a 9-3 record with 1 save and had a 4.36 ERA in 45 games. 
• Romo didn't report to camp in 1983. The Pirates were unable to locate him, and he was placed on the voluntary retired list. Manager Chuck Tanner had fined Romo heavily toward the end of the 1982 season for breaking training. Tanner was asked if he would take a look at Romo if he were to come back and he said, "I don't want him."
• Enrique was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
• 1978 Stats: 11-7, 10 saves, 3.69 ERA in 56 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 5 - Pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings and earned the save on opening day as the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2.
• July 15 - Shut out the Cleveland Indians for three innings to earn his 8th win of the year. The Mariners beat the Indians 7-6.

1978 Topps Baseball #255 - Jerry Reuss

• Jerry Reuss had shoulder problems in 1978. He missed almost three weeks in June. Jerry started a game in late June but couldn't get out of the first inning. Reuss then missed another 18 days. Jerry's ERA was above 5.00 for most of the season, which was uncharacteristic for him.
• On April 7, 1979 Reuss was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rich Rhoden. Reuss wanted to be a starter, but Pittsburgh manager Chuck Tanner wanted another right handed pitcher in his rotation. Jerry missed out on the 1979 World Champion Pirate team, but he would get his ring in 1981 with the Dodgers.
• 1978 Stats: 3-2, 4.90 ERA in 23 games (12 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• Aug 20 - Allowed nine hits and had a complete game victory as the Pirates beat the Houston Astros 3-1.
• Sept 27 - Allowed three runs in a complete game victory over the Chicago Cubs. It was Jerry's last start of the season and the outing finally got his ERA below 5.

1978 Topps Baseball #223 - Bruce Kison

• Bruce Kison started the 1978 season as a relief pitcher. He moved into the starting rotation after the All Star Break and was 4-4 as a starter.
• Kison had problems with a cracked fingernail during the previous season.
• 1978 Stats: 6-6, 3.19 ERA in 28 games (11 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• Aug 2: Pitched eight shutout innings and allowed three hits as the Pirates beat the Montreal Expos 3-0.
• Sept 1: Allowed two hits and no runs in 7 2/3 innings against the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates won the game 3-0.

1978 Topps Baseball #207 - 1977 Earned Run Average Leaders

• In a hitter's year like 1977 it was rare to see low ERAs (especially in the American League).
• John Candelaria led the NL in ERA for the only time in his career in 1977. He had some nice years in his long career, but none of them was as good as his 1977 season.
• Frank Tanana also had his only ERA title in 1977. He had three really nice years in a row (1975-1977) during the fastball phase of his career. After an arm injury in 1979, Frank reinvented himself as an off-speed pitcher and enjoyed a long career.
• Hall of Fame count
• National League: 2 - Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton
• American League: 5 - Bert Blyleven, Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersley

1978 Topps Baseball #204 - 1977 Stolen Base Leaders

• Freddie Patek had a career high of 53 stolen bases in 1977. This was toward the end of a run of eight straight seasons of 30 or more stolen bases from 1971-1978.
• Frank Taveras also had a career high in stolen bases in 1977. After falling a little short in 1976, Frank got his only stolen base crown in 1977.
• Hall of Fame count:
• National League: 2 - Joe Morgan and Lou Brock
• American League: 0

1978 Topps Baseball #201 - Batting Leaders

• Rod Carew won the 1977 AL batting title by 52 points. That was the largest difference between the leader and the runner-up since 1901. Nap Lajoie batted .426 to win the title by 86 points over runner-up Mike Donlin.
• This was the sixth of Carew's seven AL batting titles. Rod would win his final batting title in 1978.
• Dave Parker won the NL batting championship in both 1977 and in 1978. Parker was a very dangerous hitter when you combine his batting average with his power. If it weren't for those lost years in the early 1980s Dave would have been a sure Hall of Famer.
• Hall of Fame count:
• National League - none.
• American League - four (Rod Carew, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, George Brett)

1978 Topps Baseball #190 - John Candelaria

• After shutting out the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day it appeared that John Candelaria was on his way to repeating his 20-5 season from 1977. John was roughed up in his next four starts and he finished the month of April with a 1-3 record. Candelaria improved in May (4-3) and in June (2-1, 1 save) before having a tough July (1-4). It looks like he was hurt for a short time in late July - there is an 18 day gap from July 28 to August 16.  From August 16 to the end of the season John was 4-0 in seven starts.
• John's relatively poor year was blamed on a few things: a divorce before the season, the loss of his curveball for much of the season, and some tendinitis in his elbow. There were also some rumors of a drinking problem stemming from the divorce.
• 1978 Stats: 12-11, 1 save, 3.24 ERA in 30 games (29 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 7 - Pitched a 1-0 shutout against the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day.
• June 21 - Allowed 1 run in a complete game 2-1 victory against the Cubs.

1978 Topps Baseball #165 - Rennie Stennett

• Rennie Stennett tried to bounce back from his 1977 ankle injury, but he wasn't able to play at the same level. Stennett batted .243 in 106 games for the Pirates in 1978. Rennie would be phased out as the Pittsburgh second baseman and he eventually finished his injury-shortened career with the San Francisco Giants in 1981.
• 1978 Stats:  .243, 3 HR, 35 RBI in 106 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• Apr 22 - Had three hits and two RBI in Pittsburgh's 8-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
• May 21 - Batted in the unfamiliar cleanup spot and contributed a grand slam as the Pirates beat the Montreal Expos 7-0.
• July 17 - Singled in the tying run in the 10th inning to help the Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 8-7 in 10 innings.

1978 Topps Baseball #138 - Larry Demery

• Larry Demery had alrready pitched in his last major league game when this card was produced. Demery was waived by the Pirates during spring training in 1978. He was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays but was returned to the Pirates a few days later. Larry pitched in the minors from 1978-1980, but it was only for 2-4 games a year. Demery called it quits after the 1980 season.

1978 Topps Baseball #84 - Kent Tekulve

• I wonder if the first team to do the "several different uniforms during a season thing" was the Pittsburgh Pirates. It seems like they had at least 3-4 different uniforms in this set.
• Kent Tekulve had a very nice year as the main reliever for the Pirates in 1978. Kent finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award balloting and 13th in NL MVP voting. Tekulve led the NL in appearances with 91 and had a career-high 31 saves. Kent started the 1978 season as a middle reliever and he didn't get his first save until May 7. 
• 1978 Stats: 8-7, 31 saves, 2.33 ERA in 91 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• June 14 - Had his longest outing of the season as he pitched 4 innings and earned the save. The Pirates beat the Houston Astros 6-4.
• Sept 1-3 - Pitched in four straight games (including both games in a doubleheader) and had two saves and a win during that span.

1978 Topps Baseball #53 - Phil Garner

• Phil Garner split time between second base and third base for the Pirates in 1978. He started the season playing mainly at third and finished playing mainly at second. 
• 1978 Stats: .261, 10 HR, 66 RBI in 154 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• June 21 - Scored both runs as the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
• Sept 2 - Went 3 for 4 and scored the winning run in Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves
• Sept 14 - Hit a grand slam in the 6th inning as the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4.
• Sept 15 - Hit a grand slam in the first inning to help the Pirates beat the Montreal Expos 6-1. It was the  first time in 77 years that a player hit a grand slam in consecutive games.

1978 Topps Baseball #28 - Ed Ott

• Ed Ott split time with Duffy Dyer at catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978. Ott started 92 games (usually against right-handed pitchers) behind the plate. Ed was below league average in fielding percentage (.975 compared to .985), but he improved his fielding in 1979 (.994).
• 1978 Stats: .269, 9 HR, 38 RBI in 112 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 26 - Hit his first home run of the season in the 11th inning of a 0-0 game. It was Bert Blyleven's first victory in the National League.
• July 16 - Appeared as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning of a 2-2 game. Ed doubled off of Rollie Fingers and came around to score the go ahead run on a single by John Milner. The Pirates won the game 3-2.
• Aug 28 - Singled in Dave Parker with two out in the 12th inning to win the game and keep the Pirates' 9-game winning streak going. The Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3.