1980 Topps Burger King Pitch, Hit, & Run

Description

1980 Burger King Pitch, Hit, & Run is a 34-card set issued by Topps. It was part of the promotion of Major League Baseball's Official Youth Program which tested the Pitching, Hitting, and Running skills of children ages 8 - 13. The winner of the National event went to a 1980 World Series game. Registration forms were at the participating Burger King's with local competitions being held during the week of July 7th - July 13th.

Collectors would receive a cellophane-wrapped pack of three cards plus one un-numbered checklist with the purchase of a large order of french fries. Like previous Topps Burger King sets, the design is identical to that of the 1980 Topps set, with the exception of a Burger King logo in the upper-left corner on the front. The backs are printed in red ink and have a "Pitch, Hit, & Run" logo, but are otherwise similar to the '80 Topps set.

This was the fourth, and final, year Topps produced baseball cards for Burger King; and was the only set that was (with the exception of the Greater Philadelphia area) distributed nationally. In lieu of the national Pitch, Hit, & Run set, a separate 1980 Topps Burger King Phillies 23-card Phillies team set was distributed to Burger King's in the Philadelphia region.

Cards 1-11 are pitchers, 12-22 are hitters, and 23-33 are runners. Within each subgroup, the players are numbered corresponding to the alphabetical order of their names. Those cards marked by an asterisk in the checklist contain a different photo from that found in the regularly issued Topps series.

As for the event itself, Eric Hosmer of the Royals was the first alumni of the program to make it to the big leagues. Mr. Hosmer was a finalist in 1998 (then known as Diamond Skills).

Distribution

A pack of three cards plus one un-numbered checklist per pack. One pack available with the purchase of a large order of french fries.

Checklist

NOTE: Cards with an asterisk feature a different photo than his 1980 Topps base card. Nolan Ryan and Joe Morgan's cards were the first issued by Topps to feature them in the uniforms of their new team, the Houston Astros.

• 1 Vida Blue *
• 2 Steve Carlton
• 3 Rollie Fingers
• 4 Ron Guidry *
• 5 Jerry Koosman *
• 6 Phil Niekro
• 7 Jim Palmer *
• 8 J.R. Richard
• 9 Nolan Ryan * (HOU)
• 10 Tom Seaver *
• 11 Bruce Sutter
• 12 Don Baylor
• 13 George Brett
• 14 Rod Carew
• 15 George Foster
• 16 Keith Hernandez *
• 17 Reggie Jackson *
• 18 Fred Lynn *
• 19 Dave Parker
• 20 Jim Rice
• 21 Pete Rose
• 22 Dave Winfield *
• 23 Bobby Bonds *
• 24 Enos Cabell
• 25 Cesar Cedeno
• 26 Julio Cruz
• 27 Ron LeFlore *
• 28 Davey Lopes *
• 29 Omar Moreno *
• 30 Joe Morgan * (HOU)
• 31 Bill North
• 32 Frank Taveras
• 33 Willie Wilson
• NNO Checklist Card TP