Ed Goodson was mainly used as a pinch hitter in 1977. He didn't get much of a chance to play in the field with Steve Garvey at first base and Ron Cey at third base.
Elias Sosa did a great job as a Dodger setup man in 1977. He had a rough start, allowing at least one earned run in four of his first five appearance (his ERA was 7.00 on May 22). But Sosa righted the ship and eventually ended up with a 1.98 ERA. Sosa was used mostly in games where the Dodgers were losing -- the team was 8-36 in his appearances. Something happened in the playoffs and Sosa got hit hard in the NLCS and the World Series. After the 1977 season Sosa was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates on waivers.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: 2-2, 1 save, 1.98 ERA in 44 games
NL Championship Series: 0-1, 10.13 ERA in 2 games
World Series: 0-0, 11.57 ERA in 2 games
1977 Highlights:
July 10 - Pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and struck out six batters in a losing cause (7-5) against the San Diego Padres.
The LA Dodgers were able to dethrone the two-time World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1977. The Dodgers had four 30 Home Run guys (Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Dusty Baker, and Reggie Smith) and they also had great pitching. The Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series and then lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Pitcher Tommy Lasorda was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945. Lasorda missed the 1946 and 1947 seasons due to military service. Tommy came back in 1948 and had some impressive games in the minors. The Brooklyn Dodgers got wind of Lasorda's pitching prowess and drafted him out of the Phillies chain.
Lasorda stayed in the minors for most of his pitching career. Although Tommy put up some good numbers in AAA, he couldn't stick in the majors. Lasorda had brief trials with the Dodgers in 1954 (5.00 ERA in 4 games) and in 1955 (13.50 ERA in 4 games/1 start).
The Kansas City A's purchased Lasorda during spring training in 1956. Tommy started the 1956 season with the A's but was 0-4 with a 6.15 ERA in 18 games (5 starts). On July 11 Lasorda was traded to the New York Yankees for Wally Brunette. Tommy pitched in the minors for the remainder of the 1956 season (and for the rest of his career as it turned out).
Tommy was purchased by the Dodgers in May 1957. Lasorda pitched for AAA Montreal through the 1960 season.
Lasorda was a scout for the Dodgers from 1961-1965. In 1965 Tommy started his managing career in the low minors. Lasorda worked his way up until he managed in AAA from 1969-1972.
Tommy joined Walter Alston's staff as the Dodger third base coach in 1973. He remained as third base coach until Alston retired toward the end of the 1976 season.
Lasorda managed the Dodgers for the last few games of the 1976 season. He continued to manage the Dodgers for the next 21 years (1976-1996). Lasorda won eight NL West titles, four NL pennants, and two World Championships (1981 and 1988) as manager of the Dodgers. Tommy retired in June 1996 after he had a heart attack. Tommy became a Dodger executive and was the General Manager for part of the 1998 season.
Tommy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Record: 98-64 (1st in NL West, 10 games ahead of Cincinnati Reds)
Attendance: 2,955,087 (1st in NL)
Team Batting: .266 (5th in NL)
Team HR: 191 (1st in NL)
Team Stolen Bases: 114 (7th in NL)
Team ERA: 3.22 (1st in NL)
Team Fielding: .981 (2nd in NL)
All Stars: Don Sutton (starting pitcher); Steve Garvey (starting 1B); Ron Cey (starting 3B); Reggie Smith (OF)
Awards: Steve Garvey (Gold Glove 1B); Dusty Baker (NL Championship Series MVP)
NL Leaders: Steve Garvey (games played - 162)
Batting Leader: Reggie Smith (.307)
Home Run Leader: Steve Garvey (33)
RBI Leader: Steve Garvey (115)
Stolen Base Leader: Davey Lopes (47)
Victories Leader: Tommy John (20)
Losses Leader: Charlie Hough (12)
Strikeout Leader: Burt Hooton (153)
Saves Leader: Charlie Hough (22)
ERA Leader (starters): Burt Hooton (2.62)
ERA Leader (relievers): Elias Sosa (1.98)
Players who could have had Dodgers cards in 1977 (batters with over 100 AB, pitchers with over 40 innings) :
Rick Monday (CF) - pictured with Chicago Cubs - .230, 15 HR, 48 RBI in 118 games
Ted Martinez (2B) - no card in 1977 - .299 in 137 AB
Johnny Oates (C) - pictured with Philadelphia Phillies - .269 in 156 AB
Glenn Burke (CF) - rookie card in 1978 - .254 in 169 AB
Mike Garman (P) - pictured with Chicago Cubs - 4-4, 12 saves, 2.73 ERA in 49 games
Burt Hooton was in the peak of his career in 1977. From 1975-1981 he had only one year that could be considered to be subpar (1980). In 1977 Hooton led the outstanding Dodger rotation with a 2.62 ERA.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: 12-7, 1 save, 2.62 ERA in 32 games (31 starts)
May 3 - Allowed only one unearned run, singled in a run, and went the distance as the Dodgers beat the New York Mets 4-1.
Oct 12 - Allowed five hits and one run in a complete game 5-1 win over the New York Yankees in game 2 of the World Series. Hooton struck out eight batters and walked only one.
Gary Alexander was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1972. Gary worked his way up the Giants' chain from 1972-1977. Alexander hit a lot of home runs, drew a lot of walks, and struck out a lot. Gary had brief stints in San Francisco in 1975 (0 for 3 in 3 games) and in 1976 (.178 in 23 games).
In 1977 Alexander started in AAA Phoenix. He batted .341 with 7 home runs in 59 games and earned a call to San Francisco. Gary also hit well in San Francisco (.303 with 5 HR in 51 games).
Gary was supposed to be the Giants' starting catcher in 1978, but the Giants had the opportunity to acquire Vida Blue. Gary was traded (with Mario Guerrero, Dave Heaverlo, Phil Huffman, John Henry Johnson, Gary Thomasson, Alan Wirth, and $300,000) to the Oakland A's for Blue on March 15.
Alexander was with the A's for only half a season. He batted .207 with 10 HR and 22 RBI for the A's and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Joe Wallis on June 15. Gary batted .235 with 17 HR and 62 RBI for the Indians. All told, Gary hit 27 home runs but led the AL with 166 strikeouts. On September 26Alexander broke up a no-hit bid by Baltimore's Mike Flanagan by hitting a home run with two out in the 9th inning.
In 1979 Alexander shared catching duties with Ron Hassey. Gary had some power but he struck out a lot and also had trouble defensively. Alexander batted .225 with 15 HR and 54 RBI in 110 games.
Alexander was used more as a DH and pinch hitter in 1980. In 79 games Gary batted .225 with 5 HR and 31 RBI
After the 1980 season Gary (along with Victor Cruz, Bob Owchinko and Rafael Vasquez) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen. In 1981 Alexander was used mostly as a pinch hitter. He batted .213 in 21 games.
The Pirates released Gary at the end of spring training in 1982. Alexander played in the Mexican League in 1982 and in 1983.
Rick Cerone:
Debut: August 17, 1975
1977 Stats:
Toronto Blue Jays - .200, 1 HR, 10 RBI in 31 games
Charleston Charlies (AAA) - .234, 6 HR, 40 RBI in 70 games
Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
Rick Cerone was the first round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He had two brief stints with the Indians in 1975 (3 for 12 in 7 games) and in 1976 (2 for 16 in 7 games).
After the 1976 season Cleveland traded Rick (with John Lowenstein) to the Toronto Blue Jays for Rico Carty.
Rick started the 1977 season with the Blue Jays but he was injured on April 12 when a foul tip broke his right thumb. He spent time recovering from the injury and then played in AAA until mid August. Rick was recalled when starting catcher Ernie Whitt was injured. Cerone batted .200 in 31 games for the Blue Jays.
In 1978 Cerone split time with Alan Ashby behind the plate and batted .223 in 88 games.
Rick became the full time starting catcher in 1979. He batted .239 with 7 HR in 136 games. After the 1979 season Cerone was traded (with Tom Underwood and Ted Wilborn) to the New York Yankees for Chris Chambliss, Damaso Garcia, and Paul Mirabella. Since Cerone grew up in New Jersey, he was happy about the trade.
Cerone had his "career year" for the Yankees in 1980. He batted .277 with 14 HR and 85 RBI and finished 7th in AL MVP voting. Rick batted .333 (4 for 12) in the AL Championship Series.
Rick's production dropped in 1981 (.244 in 71 games). He batted .333 (6 for 18) in the AL Divisional Series, .100 in the AL Championship Series, and .190 in the World Series.
In the next few seasons Rick's playing time dropped as he split time behind the plate with Butch Wynegar. He batted .227 in 89 games in 1982 and batted .220 in 80 games in 1983. Wynegar became the full time catcher in 1984 and Rick batted .208 in 38 games. He spent two months on the disabled list with a tender elbow. After the 1984 season the Yankees traded Cerone to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Brian Fisher.
In the next eight years Rick played for six teams. In 1985 (.216 in 96 games) Cerone shared catching duties with Bruce Benedict. Rick moved to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1986 (.259 in 68 games) and split time with Charlie Moore behind the plate. In 1987 Cerone was back with the Yankees and was a starting catcher for the last time in his career (.243 in 113 games). Rick was released by the Yankees during spring training in 1988. He signed with the Boston Red Sox and he spent the next two seasons there (.269 in 84 games in 1988 and .243 in 102 games in 1989). Cerone went back to the Yankees (signed as a free agent) in 1990 (.302 in 49 games) and then played for the New York Mets (.273 in 90 games) in 1991. Rick finished his career with the Montreal Expos in 1992 (.270 in 33 games).
In 1998 Cerone founded the Newark Bears, an independent team. He sold the club in 2003.
Richmond Braves (AAA) - .305, 22 HR, 90 RBI in 127 games
1977 Highlights:
Sept 15 - Hit two home runs, including the game-winner in the 10th inning off of Rollie Fingers, as the Braves beat the San Diego Padres 8-7.
Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993
Dale Murphy was the first round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1974. He started out as a catcher and steadily moved up the Atlanta system during the next four years. Dale had brief stints with the Braves in 1976 (.262 in 19 games) and in 1977 (.316 in 18 games).
Murphy's fielding behind the plate was below average so the Braves sought to find him another position. In 1978 Dale spent most of the season at first base. He hit 23 home runs but batted only .223 and struck out a league-leading 145 times in 151 games.
In 1979 Murphy hit 21 home runs in 104 games and batted .276. This was the last year that the Braves tried to use Dale behind the plate. He threw out only six of the 38 runners who attempted to steal against him and his fielding percentage was below league average.
The Braves moved Murphy to center field in 1980. Dale had his breakout season, batting .281 with 33 HR and 89 RBI. Murphy was selected to his first all star team and finished 12th in NL MVP voting.
Murphy slipped in 1981 and batted .247 with 13 HR.
Dale had a great six-year run from 1982-1987:
1982 - .281, 36 HR, 109 RBI, NL MVP
1983 - .302, 36 HR, 120 RBI, NL MVP
1984 - .290, 36 HR, 100 RBI
1985 - .300, 37 HR, 111 RBI
1986 - .265, 29 HR, 83 RBI (the only off year during this run)
1987 - .295, 44 HR, 105 RBI
Murphy was an NL All Star in each of these seasons and won a Gold Glove every year from 1982-1986
In 1988 at the age of 32 Murphy started to have a dramatic drop-off in his production. He dropped to .226 with 24 HR and 77 RBI in 1988 and then batted .228 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 1989.
Murphy started the 1990 season with similar stats. Dale was batting .232 with 17 HR on August 2 when he was surprisingly traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for four players. Dale hit seven more home runs with the Phillies and finished the 1990 season with 24 HR.
In 1991 Dale improved his batting average a bit, but the rest of his stats were similar to the previous three seasons. He batted .252 with 18 HR and 81 RBI.
Dale was released by the Phillies on April 3, 1993. On the same day Murphy signed with the expansion Colorado Rockies. He played in 26 games but batted only .143. Murphy retired on June 1.
Murphy finished his career with 398 lifetime home runs. If he would have had a couple more good years or if the decline of his career wouldn't have been so steep Dale would probably be in the Hall of Fame today.
Dale was known for his clean living and high personal standards. After his playing career Murphy was a mission president in the LDS church in Boston for three years and has a lot of charity work.
Kevin Pasley
Debut: October 2, 1974
1977 Stats:
Los Angeles Dodgers - .333 (1 for 3) in 2 games
Albuquerque Dukes (AAA) - .304, 1 HR, 60 RBI in 96 games
Kevin Pasley was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972. Kevin worked his way up the Dodgers' system in the next few years. He played in on October game for the Dodgers in 1974 but didn't bat.
Pasley spent four years (1974-1977) playing for AAA Albuquerque. The Dodgers called Kevin up in September 1976 and he got a month-long look. Pasley batted .231 in 23 games.
In 1977 Kevin spent most of the season in Albuquerque. He played in two games for the Dodgers in August, going 1 for 3. On September 8 Kevin was sold to the Seattle Mariners. He played in five games for the Mariners, batting .385.
Pasley started the 1978 season with the Mariners but was sent to AAA San Jose in May after batting .115 in 10 games. Kevin came back up to Seattle in late August and improved his hitting. Pasley ended up batting .241 in 55 games. This was his last season as a major leaguer.
Kevin was released during spring training in 1979. He hooked on with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for the 1979 season and then spent 1980 and 1981 playing in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Pasley signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1982. He played in 25 games in AA and AAA before retiring.
Ellie Rodriguez had played in his final major league game by the time this card was produced. Ellie was released by the Dodgers on May 2, 1977. He hooked on with the AAA Columbus Clippers in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and spent the 1977 season there. Rodriguez then played in the Mexican League from 1978-1980 and again in 1982.
1977 Stats:
Columbus Clippers (AAA) - .224, 3 HR, 16 RBI in 49 games
Stealing 104 bases in a season, especially in that era, was a great accomplishment. The running game had been virtually nonexistent for over 40 years when this mark was set.
I'm pretty sure this picture is from the October 3 game against the San Francisco Giants. In the bottom of the 7th inning Wills singled, stole second, and then stole third base. That's Jim Davenport at third base catching the throw.
Doug Rau had another solid year in 1977. The Dodgers had a great rotation that season --Rau was only 4th on the team with 14 wins. Doug started the season 11-1 before tailing off because of a sore shoulder in August and September.
July 29 - Allowed four hits in six innings to get his record to 12-2. The Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos 4-1. The game was called in the 7th inning because of rain.
Even though none of the boys in my little collecting group were Dodger fans, Steve Garvey cards were still considered to be of high value. Steve hit a career-high 33 home runs and hit well in the NL Championship Series and in the World Series. Garvey was an NL All Star for the fourth of eight straight seasons and was the fourth player to receive over 3 million fan votes.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: .297, 33 HR, 115 RBI
NL Championship Series: .308 (4 for 13) in 4 games
Manny Mota was a pinch hitter by this time in his career. He made only one appearance in the field in 1977 -- the rest of his appearances were as a pinch hitter. Mota made the most of his appearances, batting .395 in 38 at bats.
On December 20, 1976 Ted Sizemore was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Johnny Oates and a minor leaguer. Ted was the starting 2B for the Phillies in '77.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: .281, 4 HR, 47 RBI in 152 games
NL Championship Series: .231 (3 for 13) in 4 games
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.
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.
Bill Russell was quite durable in 1977, starting 149 games at shortstop for the LA Dodgers. He batted second for most of the season. This was a bit of a drain on the Dodger attack, as Russell had only a .304 on base percentage.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: .278, 4 HR, 51 RBI, 84 runs in 153 games
NL Championship Series: .278 (5 for 18) in 4 games
Charlie Hough was in his fifth full season as a Dodger reliever in 1977. Charlie got the majority of the save opportunities for Los Angeles
At first I was surprised that Charlie didn't have any saves in the 1977 playoffs, but I later noticed that all of the Dodger wins but one were complete games by their starters. I kind of wonder why Hough didn't pitch in game 3 of the NLCS. The Dodgers won the game in 12 innings and used five pitchers, but Charlie wasn't one of them.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: 6-12, 21 saves, 3.32 ERA in 70 games (1 start)
June 28 - Shut the Braves down in the 9th inning and preserved a 3-2 Dodger win. The Dodgers had taken the lead in the top of the 9th inning.
July 7 - Saved the game for starter Doug Rau by pitching 1 1/3 innings and allowing no runs. Charlie's wife had noticed a flaw in his pitching while watching a game on TV. Charlie heeded her advice and pitched well.
John Hale was a backup outfielder for the Dodgers in 1977. He was used mostly as a defensive replacement -- Hale started only three games in the first two months of the season. In late July Hale was sent to the minors. John really had nothing to prove at the AAA level, but the Dodgers didn't have room for him on their major league roster. On September 2 Hale was placed on waivers and claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays. Hale didn't play for the Blue Jays in 1977--he was sold to the Seattle Mariners on September 14. Hale played two seasons with the Mariners and then finished his career in the minors.
1977 stats:
Los Angeles Dodgers: .241, 2 HR, 11 RBI in 79 games (108 AB)
Oct 11 - Took the loss in game 1 of the 1977 World Series. Willie Randolph knocked in the winning run in the 12th inning. Rick allowed a walk and two hits without retiring a batter.
It's interesting how Mr. Lopes signs his name "Davey" and yet Topps always put "Dave Lopes" on his cards.
Davey Lopes had some pretty solid years in the mid to late 1970s. He was overshadowed by Joe Morgan, but once Morgan started to slow down Davey started getting All-Star nods.
Sept 16 - Singled in the game-winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Dodgers won the game 3-2 and their magic number for clinching the NL West was reduced to 3.
Oct 7 - Hit an infield single that scored Manny Mota with the tying run in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series. Lopes later scored the winning run on a single by Bill Russell. The hit was disputed by the Phillies, but the call stood.
Dusty Baker helped to solidify the outfield for the LA Dodgers of the late 1970s. He had a big year in 1977. Baker was one of four Dodger starters to hit over 30 or more home runs during the 1977 season.
