1977 IN BASEBALL



Contents
Champions
Major League Baseball
Other champions
Awards and honors
MLB Statistical Leaders
Major League Baseball final standings
Events
January-March
April-June
July-September
October-December
Movies
Births
January-March
April-June
July-September
October-December
Deaths

Champions


Major League Baseball


World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2); Reggie Jackson, MVP

American League Championship Series MVP: None

National League Championship Series MVP: Dusty Baker

All-Star Game, July 19 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 7-5; Don Sutton, MVP
Other champions


Caribbean World Series: Tigres de Licey (Dominican Republic)

College World Series: Arizona State

Japan Series: Hankyu Braves over Yomiuri Giants (4-1)

Little League World Series: Li-Teh, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Awards and honors



★ 'Most Valuable Player'


Rod Carew (AL)


George Foster (NL)

★ 'Cy Young Award'


Sparky Lyle (AL)


Steve Carlton (NL)

★ 'Rookie of the Year'


Eddie Murray (AL)


Andre Dawson (NL)

MLB Statistical Leaders


' American League ' ' National League'
AVG Rod Carew .388 Dave Parker .338
HR Jim Rice 39 George Foster 52
RBI Larry Hisle 119 George Foster 149
Wins Dave Goltz,
Dennis Leonard
& Jim Palmer
20 Steve Carlton 23
ERA Frank Tanana 2.54 John Candelaria 2.34
Ks Nolan Ryan 341 Phil Niekro ATL 262

Major League Baseball final standings


'American League'
Rank Club Wins Losses Win % GB
'East Division'
1st New York Yankees 100   62 .617    --
2nd Baltimore Orioles   97   64 .602   2.5
2nd Boston Red Sox   97   64 .602   2.5
4th Detroit Tigers   74   88 .457 26.0
5th Cleveland Indians   71   90 .441 28.5
6th Milwaukee Brewers   67   95 .414 33.0
7th Toronto Blue Jays   54 107 .327 45.5
'West Division'
1st Kansas City Royals 102   60 .630    --
2nd Texas Rangers   94   68 .580   8.0
3rd Chicago White Sox   90   72 .556 12.0
4th Minnesota Twins   84   77 .522 17.5
5th California Angels   74   88 .457 28.0
6th Seattle Mariners   64   98 .395 38.0
7th Oakland Athletics   63   98 .391 38.5

{| cellpadding="10"
|- align="left" style="vertical-align: top"
|
{| cellpadding="1" width="350px" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid gray;"
|- align="center" style="font-size: larger;"
| colspan=6 | 'National League'
|- style="background:lightblue;"
| 'Rank' || 'Club' || 'Wins' || 'Losses' || 'Win %' ||   'GB'
|- align="center" style="vertical-align: middle;" style="background:lightblue;"
| colspan=6 | 'East Division'
|-
| 1st || Philadelphia Phillies || 101 ||  61 || .623 ||   --
|-
| 2nd || Pittsburgh Pirates ||  96 ||  66 || .593 ||  5.0
|-
| 3rd || St. Louis Cardinals ||  83 ||  79 || .512 || 18.0
|-
| 4th || Chicago Cubs ||  81 ||  81 || .500 || 20.0
|-
| 5th || Montreal Expos ||  75 ||  87 || .463 || 26.0
|-
| 6th || New York Mets ||  64 ||  98 || .395 || 37.0
|-
|- align="center" style="vertical-align: middle;" style="background:lightblue;"
| colspan=6 | 'West Division'
|-
| 1st || Los Angeles Dodgers ||  98 ||  64 || .605 ||   --
|-
| 2nd || Cincinnati Reds ||  88 ||  74 || .543 || 10.0
|-
| 3rd || Houston Astros ||  81 ||  81 || .500 || 17.0
|-
| 4th || San Francisco Giants ||  75 ||  87 || .463 || 23.0
|-
| 5th || San Diego Padres ||  69 ||  93 || .426 || 29.0
|-
| 6th || Atlanta Braves ||  61 || 101 || .377 || 37.0
|}

Events


January-March


January 2 - Not even a full season into owning the Atlanta Braves, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends TedTurner for tampering with the signing of Gary Matthews.

January 4 - Mary Shane is hired by the Chicago White Sox as the first woman TV play-by-play announcer.

January 19 - The Baseball Writers Association of America elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

January 31 - The Special Veterans Committee selects Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie and Al Lopez for the Hall of Fame.

February 3 - The Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues picks versatile Cuban star Martín Dihigo and shortstop John Henry Lloyd for induction. The committee then dissolves, its functions being taken over by the Veterans Committee.

March 21 - Mark Fidrych, the 1976 AL Rookie of the Year, rips the cartilage in his left knee and will undergo surgery in ten days. The injury will effectively end the fabled career of ''The Bird''.
April-June


April 6 - The Seattle Mariners open their existence and their home stadium, the Kingdome, with a 7-0 loss to the California Angels.

April 7 - The Toronto Blue Jays play their first game in franchise history, in the snow, defeating the Chicago White Sox 9-5 at Exhibition Stadium.

April 15 - The Montreal Expos play their first game at Montreal's Olympic Stadium before a crowd of 57,592, as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies win 7-2.

April 24 - Canadian Ferguson Jenkins throws the first shutout ever in Exhibition Stadium, as the visiting Boston Red Sox defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-0.

May 11 - Atlanta Braves' owner Ted Turner names himself manager, and manages the Braves to a loss today. He is ordered by National League president Chub Feeney to desist, and soon after, owners are banned from managing.

May 14 - Journeyman pitcher Jim Colborn throws a no-hitter as the Kansas City Royals defeat the Texas Rangers 6-0. Colborn is the first Royal to pitch a no-hitter at Royals Stadium, now Kauffman Stadium.

May 30 - At age 22, pitcher Dennis Eckersley fires a no-hitter as the Cleveland Indians top the California Angels 1-0. Eckersley walks one batter and strikes out 12.

June 7 - The Chicago White Sox select Harold Baines with the number one pick in the draft. White Sox owner Bill Veeck had first seen Baines play Little League ball and had followed his career. Pitcher Bill Gullickson is taken with the second pick by the Montreal Expos, and the Milwaukee Brewers take University of Minnesota infielder Paul Molitor with the third pick. Danny Ainge, a potential pro basketball player, is picked in the 15th round.

June 8 - For the fourth time in his career, Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 batters in a game (doing so against the Toronto Blue Jays.

June 15 - The New York Mets trade Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for four players. They then send Dave Kingman to the Padres in return for a minor league player and Bobby Valentine, who will one day manage the Mets.

June 18 - In the sixth inning of an NBC-televised game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, New York Yankee manager Billy Martin pulls right fielder Reggie Jackson after Jackson misplays Jim Rice's fly ball for a double. As Jackson returns to the dugout, he and Martin exchange words, Martin arguing that Jackson had shown him up by "not hustling" on the play. The Yankee manager lunges at Jackson (who is 18 years younger than Martin and outweighs him by about 40 pounds), and has to be restrained by coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard—with the NBC cameras showing the confrontation to the entire country. The Red Sox win, 10-4.

June 27 - The San Francisco Giants' Willie McCovey smashes two home runs, one a grand slam off reliever Joe Hoerner, in the sixth inning to pace a 14–9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. McCovey becomes the first player in major league history to twice hit two home runs in one inning (his first time was on April 12, 1973), and also becomes the all-time National League leader with 17 career grand slams. Andre Dawson, in both 1978 and 1986, will be the next player to hit two homers in the same inning.

June 29 - Willie Stargell hits his 400th career home run helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1.
July-September


July 19 - In the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, the National League defeats the American League for the 14th time in the last 15 encounters. Don Sutton of the Los Angeles Dodgers is named MVP.

August 12 - For the second consecutive day, Manny Sanguillén of the Oakland Athletics foils a no-hit bid with a single hit off the Baltimore Orioles' Jim Palmer, who settles for a two-hit 6-0 victory. Yesterday's hit was off the New York Yankees' Mike Torrez, who finished with a 3-0 two-hitter.

August 17 - Records fall as the Mexican League concludes its season. Ironman reliever Aurelio López of the Mexico City Reds racks up his 30th save to go with a record 19 victories in relief. Veteran Tampico first baseman Héctor Espino hits 14 home runs, raising his career total to 435, a new minor league record. Thirty-eight-year-old Vic Davalillo, the league's top hitter with a .384 batting average, is purchased by the Dodgers.

August 27 - Toby Harrah and Bump Wills become the first players in Major League history to hit back-to-back inside the park home runs. They do so in a game agaisnt the New York Yankees.

August 29 - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock steals two bases in a 4–3 loss to the San Diego Padres. It is the 893rd career stolen base for Brock, breaking Ty Cobb's modern record.

August 31 - Hank Aaron's major league mark of 755 career home runs is tied by Sadaharu Oh in Japan. Three days later, Oh will hit his 756th homer to surpass Aaron's total, becoming the most prolific home run hitter in professional baseball history.

September 6 - The California Angels acquire slugger Dave Kingman for cash consideration. Nine days later, the New York Yankees will buy Kingman, making him the first player to wear four uniforms in four divisions during the same season. His 26 home runs will be the most by a player with more than two teams.

September 9 - In the second game of a double header in Boston, the Tigers debut their new second baseman, Lou Whitaker, and their new shortstop, Alan Trammel. They will play side by side for 19 years to establish a new Major League record for tandem play at those positions.

September 10 - Roy Howell hits two home runs, two doubles, and a single, and drives in nine runs, as Toronto beats the Yankees 19–3.

September 15 - Earl Weaver pulls his Baltimore Orioles from the field citing "hazardous conditions" caused by a small tarp weighed down by bricks covering the bullpen mound. This results in a forfeiture of the game.

September 22 - Bert Blyleven tossed a 6-0 no-hitter for the Texas Rangers against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.
October-December


October 7 - In Game Three of the National League Championship Series at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, the Los Angels Dodgers we're down 5-3 with 2 outs in the 9th inning, but the Dodgers catch lightning in a bottle. Pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo beats out a 2-strike drag bunt and pinch-hitter Manny Mota follows with a long double off Greg Luzinski's glove. Mota reaches 3rd on a throw that Ted Sizemore mishandles. Davey Lopes' grounder hits a seam in the carpet and caroms off Mike Schmidt's knee to Larry Bowa, and the shortstop's throw is ruled late although television replays and a scene from a 1977 Philadelphia Phillies highlight film showed that Lopes was out. Los Angeles pulls out a 6-5 victory over the Phillies.

October 18 - In Game Six of the World Series, Reggie Jackson becomes "Mr. October". His three home runs in three swings lead the New York Yankees to an 8–4, Series-clinching victory. Jackson is named Series MVP.

Movies



★ ''The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training''

Births


January-March


January 2 - Scott Proctor

January 3 - A.J. Burnett

January 10 - Rick Bauer

January 12 - Reggie Taylor

January 17 - Rob Bell

January 28 - Lyle Overbay

February 2 - Adam Everett

February 5 - Abraham Núñez

February 15 - Alex González

February 22 - J.J. Putz

February 24 - Bronson Arroyo

February 26 - Josh Towers

February 27 - Craig Monroe

March 2 - Jay Gibbons

March 5 - Mike MacDougal

March 6 - Marcus Thames

March 10 - Ben Davis

March 10 - Tike Redman

March 18 - Fernando Rodney

March 18 - Terrmel Sledge

March 19 - Dave Ross

March 31 - Jamie Brown
April-June


April 2 - Mike Gallo

April 4 - Eric Valent

April 19 - Dennys Reyes

April 21 - Kip Wells

April 23 - Andruw Jones

April 23 - Jason Tyner

April 24 - Carlos Beltrán

April 28 - Jorge Sosa

May 2 - Luke Hudson

May 3 - Ryan Dempster

May 14 - Roy Halladay

May 19 - Brandon Inge

May 24 - Jae Weong Seo

May 25 - Fernando Lunar

June 1 - Brad Wilkerson

June 3 - Travis Hafner

June 6 - Mark Ellis

June 7 - Odális Pérez

June 15 - Bret Prinz

June 16 - Kerry Wood

June 19 - Bruce Chen
July-September


July 22 - Ryan Vogelsong

July 24 - Jason Smith

August 2 - Julio Mateo

August 5 - Eric Hinske

August 5 - Mark Mulder

August 7 - Tyler Yates

August 9 - Jason Frasor

August 13 - Will Ohman

August 14 - Juan Pierre

August 17 - Mike Maroth

August 27 - Justin Miller

August 29 - Roy Oswalt

August 29 - Aaron Rowand

August 30 - Marlon Byrd

September 3 - Nate Robertson

September 4 - Sun-Woo Kim

September 9 - Kyle Snyder

September 10 - Danys Báez

September 13 - Grant Roberts

September 15 - Damian Rolls

September 18 - Jody Gerut

September 21 - Brian Tallet

September 23 - Brent Abernathy

September 26 - Aaron Myette

September 27 - Vicente Padilla

September 29 - Heath Bell

September 29 - Jake Westbrook

October 3 - Eric Munson
October-December


October 9 - Brian Roberts

October 11 - Ty Wigginton

October 24 - Rafael Furcal

November 4 - Larry Bigbie

November 8 - Nick Punto

November 9 - Peter Bergeron

November 19 - Justin Duchscherer

November 23 - Adam Eaton

November 27 - Willie Bloomquist

December 3 - Chad Durbin

December 6 - Kevin Cash

December 7 - Eric Chavez

December 10 - Dan Wheeler

December 12 - Orlando Hudson

December 21 - D'Angelo Jiménez

December 21 - Freddy Sánchez

December 23 - Shawn Chacon

December 29 - Jack Wilson

December 30 - Grant Balfour

December 31 - Chris Reitsma

Deaths



January 1 - Danny Frisella, 30, relief pitcher who saved 57 games for five teams

January 11 - Tex Carleton, 70, pitcher who won 100 games, including a no-hitter, for Cardinals, Cubs and Dodgers

January 16 - Baby Doll Jacobson, 86, center fielder for the St. Louis Browns who batted .311 lifetime

January 29 - Hod Ford, 79, infielder for fifteen seasons with five NL teams

February 4 - Nemo Leibold, 84, outfielder for four AL teams batted .300 twice; later a minor league manager

April 12 - Philip K. Wrigley, 82, owner of the Chicago Cubs since 1932, and vice president of the National League from 1947 to 1966; also organized the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943

April 28 - Al Smith, 69, All-Star pitcher who won 99 games for Giants, Phillies and Indians

June 10 - Turk Farrell, 43, All-Star pitcher who won 106 games, mainly with the Phillies and Astros

June 15 - Big Bill Lee, 67, All-Star pitcher who had two 20-win seasons for the Chicago Cubs

July 16 - Milt Stock, 84, third baseman who batted .300 five times

September 2 - Chucho Ramos, 59, Venezuelan outfielder who played 4 games for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds

September 8 - Oral Hildebrand, 70, All-Star pitcher who won 83 games for the Indians, Browns and Yankees

September 14 - Beau Bell, 70, All-Star right fielder who led AL in hits and doubles in 1937; later coached at Texas A&M

September 24 - Sherm Lollar, 53, 7-time All-Star catcher for the Chicago White Sox who won first three Gold Gloves awarded

September 26 - Ernie Lombardi, 69, 8-time All-Star catcher, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants, who batted .306 lifetime and won 1938 MVP award; only catcher to win two batting titles, he caught Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters in 1938

September 30 - Del Pratt, 89, second baseman for four AL teams who led AL in RBI in 1916 with St. Louis Browns; batted .300 in his last five seasons

October 17 - Cal Hubbard, 76, Hall of Fame umpire in the American League from 1936 to 1951 who developed modern systems of umpire positioning

November 8 - Bucky Harris, 81, Hall of Fame manager of five teams who won 3rd most games (2157) in history; managed Senators three times, winning 1924 World Series as rookie skipper, and also led Yankees to 1947 title; as second baseman, led AL in double plays five times

November 9 - Fred Haney, 79, manager who won World Series with Milwaukee Braves in 1957; was Angels' first general manager from 1960-68

November 17 - Roger Peckinpaugh, 86, shortstop for four AL teams who was named the 1925 MVP in his last full season; became manager and general manager of the Indians

November 24 - Mayo Smith, 62, manager of the Phillies, Reds and Tigers who led Detroit to the 1968 World Series title

November 28 - Bob Meusel, 81, outfielder, mainly with the Yankees, who batted .309 lifetime and led AL in HRs and RBI in 1925; hit for the cycle three times

December 1 - Dobie Moore, 82, star shortstop for the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs

December 29 - Jimmy Brown, 67, All-Star infielder and leadoff hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals

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