- Tom House started the 1977 season with the Boston Red Sox. Tom had knee surgery before the season. House wasn't used much and on May 28 he was sold to the Seattle Mariners.
- 1977 Stats:
- Boston Red Sox - 1-0, 12.91 ERA in 8 games
- Seattle Mariners - 4-5, 3.93 ERA in 26 games (11 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 29 - Won his first American League start by allowing one run in seven innings as the Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1.
- Sept 9 - Allowed three runs in a complete game 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976
- Tim McCarver caught Steve Carlton's starts (plus a few other games) in 1977. Tim was a pinch hitter in 48 of his 93 appearances.
- Tim's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season - .320, 6 HR, 30 RBI in 93 games
- NL Championship Series - .167 (1 for 6) in 3 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1980, 1979, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1965
- Here is an all-star team based on this series of cards:
- C - Gary Carter, Jim Sundberg
- 1B - Lee May, Mike Hargrove
- 2B - Willie Randolph, Jerry Remy
- SS - Bert Campaneris, Toby Harrah
- 3B - Brooks Robinson, Ken Reitz
- OF - Dave Winfield, Reggie Smith, Lou Brock, George Foster, Dave Parker, Ken Griffey
- Starting Pitcher - Mark Fidrych, John Montefusco, Jim Hunter, Jerry Koosman, Steve Rogers
- Relief Pitcher - Kent Tekulve, Gene Garber, Terry Forster, Rich Gossage
- This team would be loaded with outfielders. I didn't even include Rick Monday, Amos Otis, George Hendrick, Mickey Rivers, Larry Hisle, or Hal McRae. Perhaps some of them could be traded for some infield help
- Hall of Famers in this series (6): Jim Hunter, Brooks Robinson, Gary Carter, Rich Gossage, Lou Brock, Dave Winfield
- Lou Brock started to slow down in 1977. He stole 35 bases, his lowest total since 1963. Lou was caught stealing 24 times, leading the National League.
- After Frank Robinson was fired from his post as the manager of the Cleveland Indians, Brock said that he had no interest in ever becoming a manager. He said it would be too difficult to please everyone.
- 1977 Stats: .272, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 35 stolen bases
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1980, 1979, 1978, 1978, 1976, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1975, 1975, 1975, 1974, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967, 1966, 1965
- This was the start of Chuck Tanner's ten year run as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Chuck Tanner started his career as an outfielder. He started his major league career in 1955 with the Milwaukee Braves. He played for the Braves in from 1955-1957. Chuck was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 1955 season and played with them through the 1958 season. Tanner then played for the Cleveland Indians for two years and finished his major league career with the expansion Los Angeles Angels from 1961-1962. He was in the minors for most of the time from 1959-1962.
- Tanner retired as a player after the 1962 season and started managing in the minors. He managed in the Los Angeles / California Angels organization from 1963-1970. His 1970 Hawaii Islanders (AAA - Pacific Coast League) had a great record of 98-48, a .671 winning percentage)
- In September 1970 Chuck was hired to manage the Chicago White Sox. He finished the 1970 season and then continued to manage the team through the 1975 season.
- Tanner was named the AL Manager of the Year in 1972 as he managed the White Sox to a surprising second place finish in the AL West.
- After the 1975 season new White Sox owner Bill Veeck removed Tanner from the position of manager and hired Paul Richards for the job. Tanner was quickly hired by the Oakland A's as manager for the 1976 season.
- Tanner managed the A's to a second place finish in the AL West in 1976. The Pirates wanted Tanner as their manager and traded catcher Manny Sanguillen to the A's in exchange for Tanner's services.
- The Pirates finished second in the AL East in Tanner's first two seasons with the club. Chuck managed the Pirates to the World Championship in 1979.
- By the mid 1980s the Pirates had major problems. A big drug scandal brought down several players. Tanner was seen as being too lax in managing the club and was let go after the 1985 season.
- Again Chuck wasn't out of work for very long. A few weeks after being fired by the Pirates he was hired by the Atlanta Braves as manager.
- Tanner managed the Braves in 1986 and 1987. By May of 1988 he and General Manager Bobby Cox had deep philosophical disagreements about the direction of the ballclub. Cox fired Tanner in late May and replaced him with Russ Nixon.
- After his managing career Chuck worked in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for 11 years, as a special assistant for the Cleveland Indians for five years, and then for the Pirates for two years.
- Tanner passed away on 10 February 2011 at the age of 82.
- Team Highlights:
- Record: 96-66, 2nd in NL East, 5 games behind Philadelphia
- Attendance: 1,237,349 (8th in NL)
- Team Batting: .274 (2nd in NL)
- Team HR: 133 (7th in NL) - I'm surprised the "Lumber Company" was this low
- Team Stolen Bases: 260 (1st in NL)
- Team ERA: 3.61 (3rd in NL)
- Team Fielding: .977 (8th in NL)
- All Stars: Dave Parker (starting RF); John Candelaria (P); Goose Gossage (P)
- Awards: Dave Parker (Gold Glove - OF);
- NL Leaders: Dave Parker (Batting - .338; Hits - 215; Doubles - 44); Frank Taveras (Stolen Bases - 70); John Candelaria (ERA - 2.34; Winning Percentage - .800; Home Runs Allowed - 29)
- Batting Leader: Dave Parker - .338
- Home Run Leader: Bill Robinson - 26
- RBI Leader: Bill Robinson - 104
- Stolen Base Leader: Frank Taveras - 70
- Victories Leader: John Candelaria - 20
- Losses Leader: Jerry Reuss - 13
- Strikeout Leader: Rich Gossage - 151
- Saves Leader: Rich Gossage - 26
- ERA Leader (starters): John Candelaria - 2.34
- ERA Leader (relievers): Rich Gossage - 1.62
- Players who could have had Pirates cards in 1977 (batters with over 100 AB, pitchers with over 40 innings) :
- Fernando Gonzalez (IF/OF) - .276, 4 HR, 27 RBI in 80 games
- Rich Gossage - (pictured with Chicago White Sox) - 11-9, 1.62 ERA, 26 saves in 72 games
- Grant Jackson (pictured with Seattle Mariners) - 5-3, 3.86 ERA, 4 saves in 49 games (2 starts)
- Odell Jones - 3-7, 5.08 ERA in 33 games (15 starts)
- Terry Forster (pictured with Chicago White Sox) 6-4, 4.43 ERA in 33 games (6 starts)
- This was Stan Thomas' final season in the majors. Thomas was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft. Stan pitched for the Mariners until being sent to the New York Yankees on August 2 as part of a conditional deal. Thomas spent the rest of August in AAA Syracuse and then was brought up to the Yankees in September.
- Stan was traded (with cash) to the Chicago White Sox for Jim Spencer after the 1977 season. He was cut in spring training in 1978 and spent two seasons in the minors before retiring after the 1979 season.
- 1977 Stats:
- Seattle Mariners - 2-6, 6.02 ERA in 13 games (9 starts)
- Syracuse (AAA) - 2-2, 5.14 ERA in 9 games (6 starts)
- New York Yankees - 1-0, 7.11 ERA in 3 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, Cardboard Gods
- Mike Phillips started the 1977 season with the New York Mets. On June 15 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joel Youngblood.
- 1977 Stats:
- New York Mets - .209 in 38 games
- St. Louis Cardinals - .241 in 48 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 22 - Singled in Dave Kingman in the 11th inning to win the game. The Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2.
- June 11 - Went 3 for 4 in the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros.
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
- Jim Sundberg won the second of six straight gold gloves in 1977. Jim also had career highs in batting average (.291) and RBI (65) and finished 15th in AL MVP voting.
- 1977 Stats: .291, 6 HR, 65 RBI in 149 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- After the 1976 season Larry Dierker was traded (with Jerry DaVanon) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joe Ferguson and Bob Detherage.
- Dierker didn't pitch for the Cardinals until late May due to a broken fibula suffered in spring training. Larry then was out from mid-July until October 1 with a shoulder injury.
- Larry was released during spring training in 1978 and at the age of 31 that was it for his career.
- 1977 Stats: 2-6, 4.58 ERA in 11 games (9 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978
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- This was the last set in which George Foster didn't get a "0" or "5" number. After his monster year in 1977 George got the honored numbers until the end of his career.
- I wonder where Foster's 1977 season ranks in terms of the best seasons of the decade. Aside from the great hitting stats, George also led the NL in fielding at left field.
- 1977 Stats: .320, 52 HR, 149, 124 runs, 388 total bases, .631 slugging
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
- One would think the airbrush artist could have at least gotten rid of the striped collar.
- Bill Singer was at the end of his career at this point. Singer was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft. He made 11 starts for the Blue Jays before going on the disabled list for six weeks in June and July. Bill made one start and one relief appearance in July and that was it for his career.
- Bill had back surgery in 1977 but was unable to return to pitching. The Blue Jays released Singer after the 1978 season.
- 1977 Stats: 2-8, 6.79 ERA in 13 games (12 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976
- Reggie Smith was a valuable part of the Dodger attack in 1977. He led the NL in on base percentage and was one of four Dodgers to hit 30 or more home runs. Smith was an All Star for the fifth time in 1977.
- Here is Reggie Smith's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .307, 32 HR, 87 RBI, .427 OBP, 104 runs, 104 walks
- NL Championship Series: .188 (3 for 16) in 4 games
- World Series: .273 (6 for 22), 3 HR in 6 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 19 - Was ejected from the game after a benches clearing brawl. Chicago Cubs pitcher Rick Reuschel hit Smith on the ankle with a slider and Smith charged the mound. It was the second time in eight days that Reggie fought a pitcher (he was in a fight with John Denny earlier).
- July 19 - Appeared as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning of the All Star Game and singled off of Sparky Lyle.
- Aug 29 - Hit a two run homer in the 7th inning to lead the Dodgers to a 4-1 win over the Cubs. Just before the home run Cubs manager Herman Franks asked the umpire to check Smith's bat. Reggie had to get a new bat but it didn't deter him as he hit Mike Krukow's first pitch into the seats.
- Oct 12 - Homered off of Catfish Hunter to help the Dodgers to a 6-1 victory in game 2 of the World Series
- Other card blogs: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983
- Brian Downing served as the backup catcher to starter Jim Essian in 1977. Interestingly, Downing and Essian had very similar stats. Both had an OPS+ of 121, both threw out 39% of opposing base runners, and they were within three points of each other in fielding percentage.
- Downing was traded to the Calfornia Angels after the season as part of a deal that sent Bobby Bonds to the White Sox.
- 1977 Stats: .284, 4 HR, 25 RBI in 69 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- The 1977 season was Ed Halicki's biggest year. He had career highs in wins, starts, innings, and strikeouts.
- 1977 Stats: 16-12, 3.32 ERA in 37 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
- The 1977 season was Jerry Remy's last one as a California Angel. After the season he was Traded to the Boston Red Sox for Don Aase and Rick Miller. The Angels had signed Bobby Grich so Jerry was expendable.
- 1977 Stats: .252, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 41 stolen bases
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985
- Joe Kerrigan was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1974. Kerrigan was a big guy -- he was 6'5" and weighed 205 lbs during his playing days. Joe had a less than stellar record as a starter in 1974 and was converted to a reliever. He put up good stats in the minors in 1975 and in 1976.
- Joe was called up to the Expos in July 1976. He appeared in 38 games (all in relief) and was 3-6 with one save and had a 3.81 ERA.
- Kerrigan had his best year in 1977. He and Don Stanhouse alternated between the setup role and the closer's role. Joe led the Expos with 11 saves.
- After the 1977 season Joe was traded (with Gary Roenicke and Stanhouse) to the Baltimore Orioles for Rudy May, Randy Miller, and Bryn Smith.
- In 1978 Kerrigan appeared in 26 games (2 starts) for the Orioles. He was 3-1 with two saves and had an ERA of 4.77.
- Joe played for AAA Rochester in 1979.
- Kerrigan started the 1980 season with the Orioles but made only one appearance before being sent back to Rochester. That appearance on April 13 (2.1 innings, 1 run allowed) was the last major league game of his career.
- After the 1980 season Joe was traded with a minor leaguer to the Cincinnati Reds for Mike Grace and John Hale. Kerrigan spent the 1981 season with AAA Indianapolis. After the 1981 season Joe was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for a minor leauger.
- In 1982 Joe pitched in AAA for the Phillies and Rangers organizations, but he had a 5.38 ERA and retired after the season.
- Kerrigan started a long coaching career in 1983 when he was named the bullpen coach for the Expos. Joe was a pitching coach in the Expos system from 1987-1991 and became the pitching coach for the major league club in 1992.
- Joe went with Jimy Williams to the Boston Red Sox in 1997 and was the pitching coach from 1997-2001. When Williams was fired in 2001 Kerrigan finished the season as the Red Sox manager. The Red Sox went 17-26 during Kerrigan's tenure and he was replaced by Grady Little in 2002.
- Kerrigan later served as the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, the bullpen coach for the New York Yankees, and the pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2008-2010).
- 1977 Stats: 3-5, 11 saves, 3.22 ERA in 66 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979
- Hal McRae had a nice year as the Royals' DH in 1977. He led the AL in games played (162), doubles (54), and hit by pitch (13). McRae also had career highs in home runs and RBI.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .298, 21 HR, 92 RBI
- AL Championship Series: .444 (6 for 21), 1 HR, 6 runs scored in 5 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Adrian Devine was one of the players traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Jeff Burroughs before the 1977 season. The Rangers were high on Adrian and considered him the key to the deal.
- Devine had a pretty good year as a reliever for the Rangers in 1977, but he was traded back to the Braves as part of a complex 4-team trade after the season.
- 1977 Stats:11-6, 15 saves, 3.58 ERA in 56 games (2 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- June 24 - Pitched two scoreless innings and earned the win. Gaylord Perry and California starter Frank Tanana were in a 0-0 duel after eight innings. Adrian pitched the 9th and 10th innings and the Rangers finally broke through in the 10th inning.
- Aug 24 - Combined with Gaylord Perry on a three-hitter as the Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 3-0. Devine came in after a two-hour rain delay and shut down the Red Sox the rest of the way.
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1979, 1980
- Dave Duncan was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Pat Kelley after the 1976 season. Duncan was released during spring training in 1977. Duncan went into coaching and had a long career as a pitching coach.
- 1977 Stats: none
- 1977 Highlights: none
- Other card blogs: 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Just from looking at the stats, it looks like a wash on whether or not Bill Robinson had a better year in 1976 or in 1977. Since 1976 was more of a pitcher's year, I would give the nod to 1976. But Robinson's 1977 season was a good one -- he finished 11th in NL MVP voting that year and led the Pirates in home runs and in RBI.
- Bill was disappointed when the Pirates acquired Phil Garner to play third base before the season. Robinson split time between 1B (86 games), LF (43 games), and 3B (17 games). His bat was too good to keep out of the lineup.
- 1977 Stats: .304, 26 HR, 104 RBI in 137 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983
