1977 Topps Baseball #650 - Nolan Ryan

• Nolan Ryan had one of his typical seasons in 1977. Ryan led the AL in strikeouts (341), walks (204), wild pitches (21), and complete games (22).
• Before the 1977 season Ryan signed a three-year contract and was happy with the terms.
• At the All Star break Ryan had 13 wins but was bypassed for the All Star team in favor of teammate Frank Tanana. Tanana was unable to play due to injury and manager Billy Martin tried to add Ryan to the team. Ryan refused to go and Martin wasn't happy about it.
• 1977 Stats: 19-16, 2.77 ERA, 341 strikeouts in 37 starts
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 15 - Came within one batter of pitching his fifth no-hitter. Bob Stinson's 5th inning single was the only hit in the game for the Seattle Mariners. The Angels won the game 7-0.
• June 8 - Struck out 19 batters in 10 innings and got a no decision. The Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in 13 innings.
• July 12 - Won his 12th game of the year by pitching a 4-hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins. During the game Ryan passed Juan Marichal for #19 on the all-time strikeout list.
• Other card blogs: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1975, 1975, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993

1977 Topps Baseball #620 - Don Sutton

• Don Sutton's win total was down a bit in 1977, but he had a good year for the Dodgers. Don started the All Star Game (he was the winning pitcher) and had a win in the NL Championship Series and the World Series.
• 1977 Stats:
• Regular Season: 14-8, 3.18 ERA in 33 starts
• NL Championship Series: 1-0, 1.00 ERA in 1 start
• World Series: 1-0, 3.94 ERA in 2 starts
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 29 - Allowed two runs in seven innings and knocked in three runs with  a single and a double as the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 13-7.
• Aug 18 - Pitched his fifth one-hitter of his career. The Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 7-0.
• Oct 5 - Allowed 1 run in a complete game 7-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in game 2 of the NL Championship Series.
• Other card blogs: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1985, 1986, 1988

1977 Topps Baseball #615 - Phil Niekro

• Phil Niekro had a hard time winning games for the awful Atlanta Braves teams of the late 70s. Niekro led the NL in losses (20), complete games (20), innings pitched (330), hits allowed (315), earned runs allowed (148), wild pitches (17), walks (164), and strikeouts (262). It was the first of four straight years (1977-1980) that Niekro would lead the NL in losses. Phil had a decision in 36 of his 43 starts.
• When the 1977 season started Phil was just turning 38 and he had 162 career wins. Niekro finished with 318 career wins, which means that he had 156 wins after his 38th birthday. Remarkable.
• After the 1977 season Braves' manager Dave Bristol was fired. Phil expressed his interest in the job, but the Braves hired Bobby Cox instead.
• 1977 Stats: 16-20, 4.03 ERA in 44 games (43 starts)
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 9 - Shut the Philadelphia Phillies out on four hits. Phil struck out 13 batters and walked only one.
• June 30 - Went the distance and beat fellow knuckleballer Charlie Hough as the Braves beat the LA Dodgers 5-4. Niekro had an RBI single as well.
• July 29 - Struck out four batters in one inning. The Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3.
• Other card blogs: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988