The 1977 season was Ron Guidry's first season as a starting pitcher. Ron moved into the starting rotation in late April and stayed there for the rest of the season (and as it turns out for the rest of his career). "Louisiana Lightning" won 16 games and led the Yankees in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: 16-7, 2.82 ERA, 1 save in 31 games (25 starts)
AL Championship Series: 1-0, 3.97 ERA in 2 starts
World Series: 1-0, 2.00 ERA in 1 start
1977 Highlights:
Apr 29 - Shut out the Seattle Mariners for 8 1/3 innings and earned the win in his first start of the season as the Yankees won 3-0.
Aug 28 - Pitched a 2-hit shutout against the Texas Rangers as the Yankees won 1-0. Ron struck out eight batters and didn't walk anyone.
Ken Holtzman had a strange 1977 season. There were no apparent injuries, but he was rarely used by manager Billy Martin. Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley didn't have anything nice to say about Holtzman in 1977.
Sparky Lyle had his best year in 1977. Lyle was the most dominant reliever in the league and won the AL Cy Young Award. Sparky was an AL All Star for the third and final time of his career (he allowed 2 runs in 2 innings pitched).
1977 Stats:
Regular Season: 13-5, 26 saves, 2.17 ERA in 72 games
Carlos May didn't get used very much by the Yankees in 1977. On September 15 the Yankees placed May on waivers. The California Angels claimed May and he finished the season (and as it turned out his major league career) with the club. The Yankees paid for the move in October -- they ended up playing the AL Championship Series with only 24 players since they waived May so late in the season.
After the 1977 season Carlos became a free agent and was not signed by a major league club. He went to Japan and played there from 1978-1981.
Ron Blomberg spent the entire 1977 season on the disabled list. He crashed into a wall in late March and had knee surgery in April. This was after playing in only one game in 1976 due to a shoulder injury. Even with the injuries Blomberg was voted a full world series share in both 1976 and 1977.
After the 1977 season Ron became a free agent and signed with the Chicago White Sox. Ron played in 61 games in 1978 but batted only .231 with 5 HR. He was released during spring training in 1979. The White Sox ended up eating three years of a four-year $600,000 contract.
Right before the 1977 season Oscar Gamble was traded (with Lamarr Hoyt, a minor leaguer, and $200,000) to the Chicago White Sox for Bucky Dent. The trade helped both teams -- Dent was the missing piece in the Yankee infield and Gamble became part of the "South Side Hit Men" in Chicago. Oscar led the White Sox in home runs with 31 in 1977.
Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
Bill Almon was the first player taken in the 1974 draft. Almon was in the minors from 1974-1976 and had brief call-ups in 1974 (.316 in 16 games), 1975 (.400 in 6 games), and 1976 (.246 in 14 games).
Almon became the starting shortstop for the Padres in 1977. He played in 155 games and batted .261 with 11 triples. Bill also led the NL with 20 sacrifice hits.
Ozzie Smith came up to the Padres in 1978, so Almon switched to third base. Bill batted .252 in 138 games but he wasn't a power hitter (.309 slugging percentage).
Bill was a utility player in 1979. He batted .227 in 100 games. After the 1979 season Almon was traded with Dan Briggs to the Montreal Expos for Dave Cash.
Almon didn't get a whole lot of playing time with the Expos (.263 in 18 games) and was granted free agency on July 7. The Expos had wanted to send him to AAA but Bill had the right to refuse the assignment and become a free agent. Bill signed with the New York Mets on July 11. Almon batted .170 in 48 games and was released after the 1980 season.
Bill, his wife, his parents, and all of the Almon siblings met after Christmas to discuss whether or not he should retire or give baseball another shot. They sent Bill back to baseball with their blessing. Almon signed with the Chicago White Sox and had a great season, batting .301 and finishing 18th in AL MVP voting.
Almon batted .256 in 111 games for the White Sox in 1982. After the 1982 season Bill became a free agent and signed with the Oakland A's.
Bill spent the next two seasons with Oakland, batting .266 in 143 games in 1983 and .223 in 106 games in 1984. Almon became a free agent after the 1984 season.
Almon was invited to the Pittsburgh Pirates' camp in 1985. Bill won a job with the Pirates and was a utility guy for the next two seasons. Almon batted .270 in 88 games in 1985 and .219 in 102 games in 1986.
Bill wasn't playing much for the Pirates in 1987. In the first two months of the season he played in only 19 games (.200 in 20 at bats). On May 29 Almon was traded to the Mets for two players. He batted .241 in 49 games for the Mets to finish the 1987 season.
During spring training in 1988 Bill was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shawn Barton and a minor leaguer. Almon was batting .115 in 20 games on June 16 when he was released by the Phillies.
Mickey Klutts
Debut: July 7, 1976
1977 Stats:
Syracuse Chiefs (AAA): .288, 14 HR, 66 RBI in 85 games
New York Yankees: .267 (4 for 15) in 5 games
1977 Highlights:
Oct 2: Hit a home run in the final game of the season as the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 8-7.
Mickey Klutts was drafted by the New York Yankees at the age of 17 in 1972. He worked his way through the Yankee chain from 1972-1976. Mickey was the co-AAA-MVP (with Rich Dauer and Joe Lis) in 1976 when he batted .319 with 24 HR in Syracuse. Klutts was briefly called up in 1976 and was 0 for 3 in 2 games.
Mickey started the 1977 season in Syracuse. Klutts was batting .288 with 14 HR when he was called up to the Yankees in August 1977 after starting 3B Graig Nettles was injured. Klutts played in only five games, batting .267 with one home run.
Klutts made the Yankees club in 1978 but he played in only one game (2 for 2 on April 15). He was sent to AAA Tacoma in late May but didn't play for the club. On June 15 Mickey was traded (with Dell Alston and $50,000) to the Oakland A's for Gary Thomasson. The A's sent Klutts to AAA Vancouver. Mickey had either a broken thumb or a broken hand (or perhaps both) during the season. He played in only 11 games, batting .293.
Mickey made the Oakland ballclub in 1979. He started 24 games in the infield and batted .192. Mickey came out of the game in the second inning on May 24 and didn't play again for the rest of the season. He also had to be carried off of the field on April 14 after being hit in the chin by a batted ball.
Klutts had his best year in 1980. Mickey batted .269 in 75 games, but he was out for the entire months of July and August.
Mickey had knee problems in 1981 and started the season on the disabled list. The knee injury and the strike combined to pretty much wipe out his 1981 season. Klutts played in nine games in AAA after the strike and then came up to the A's in late August. Mickey batted .370 in 15 games for the A's as they qualified for the split season playoffs. Klutts was 1 for 7 in the AL Divisional Series and then was 3 for 7 in the AL Championship Series.
Klutts was invited to the Toronto Blue Jays camp and won a job. He was a backup third baseman and a pinch hitter for the Blue Jays in 1983. Mickey batted .256 in 22 games for the Blue Jays. He also had a brief stint in AAA Syracuse. That was it for Mickey's playing career.
Tommy McMillan
Debut September 17, 1977
1977 Stats:
Rochester Red Wings (AAA): .274 in 39 games
New Orleans Pelicans (AAA): .260 in 24 games
Seattle Mariners: .000 (0 for 5) in two games
Other card blogs: none
Tommy McMillan was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1973. He played in AA and AAA in the Cleveland organization from 1973-1976. McMillan also played in 23 games for the AAA Iowa Oaks (Chicago White Sox organization) in 1976. Perhaps Tommy was loaned to the Oaks since I don't see a transaction.
The Seattle Mariners drafted McMillan in the 1976 expansion draft. Tommy split time between two AAA clubs in 1977. The Mariners didn't have a AAA team yet, so they had their players play for other AAA teams. McMillan was called up in September 1977. He got into two games, going 0 for 5. That was it for Tommy's major league experience.
In 1978 McMillan played for AAA San Jose, batting .256 in 103 games.
After the 1978 season Tommy was traded (with Enrique Romo and Rick Jones) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Odell Jones, Mario Mendoza, and Rafael Vasquez. McMillan played for the AA Buffalo Bisons in 1979. Tommy retired after the 1979 season.
Mark Wagner was a 19th round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers in 1972. He worked his way up the Detroit system and was called up in August 1976. Mark started at shortstop for most of the last six weeks of the season and batted .261 in 39 games.
In 1977 Wagner started the season as the Tiger shortstop. Mark struggled at the plate, batting .146 in 22 games. In late May Wagner was sent to AAA Evansville, where he spent the rest of the season.
Mark was a utility infielder for the Tigers from 1978-1980. With Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker starting in the middle infield playing time was hard to come by for Wagner. Mark batted .239 in 39 games in 1978, .274 in 75 games in 1975, and .236 in 45 games in 1980.
After the 1980 season Mark was traded to the Texas Rangers for Kevin Saucier. Wagner played a utility role with the Rangers in 1981 (.259 in 50 games) and in 1982 (.240 in 60 games).
Mark went down with an injury in July 9, 1982 and didn't play again until June 18, 1983. Mickey Rivers said, "He was lost out there. He was the Lost Mohican." Wagner played in only two games for the Tigers in 1983 and went 0 for 2. Mark played in 36 games in AAA (I don't know if it was before or after his two games in June). After the 1983 season Wagner became a free agent.
In 1984 Mark won a job in spring training with the Oakland A's. He played in 82 games but batted only 100 times (20 for 87 with 13 walks - .230). Mark played in AAA in 1985 and then retired.
Wagner went into coaching and managing in the minors. He managed various teams for five years from 1992-1996.
Roy White was the Yankees' regular left fielder in 1977. White was benched in the playoffs -- Lou Piniella started in LF and Cliff Johnson was used as the designated hitter. Roy wasn't happy about it.
June 26 - Scored the winning run in the 9th inning as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4. The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox.
Don Aase was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1972. He had a rough time in his first two seasons in the minors. Don was 0-10 with a 5.81 ERA in 1972 and he led the Florida State League in losses (15) in 1973. Aase turned things around in 1974 and moved up the Boston Red Sox system for the next few years.
Aase was brought up to the majors on July 24, 1977 to shore up Boston's starting pitching. The 22-year-old Aase paid immediate dividends by winning his first three starts. Don ended up pitching much better for the Red Sox than he did in AAA.
Don was a starting pitcher in 1978 (11-8, 4.03 ERA in 29 starts). Aase was a starter for most of the 1979 season (9-10, 4.81 ERA in 37 games/28 starts), but he went to the bullpen in mid August after having some trouble with the wear and tear of starting every fourth day. Don appeared in two games for the Angels in the 1979 AL Championship Series and was 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 5 innings.
In 1980 (8-13, 4.06 ERA in 40 games/21 starts) Don was a starter through the end of July and then was moved to the bullpen. Aase ended up being a reliever for the rest of his career.
Aase had a good year as a reliever in 1981 (4-4, 2.34 ERA, 11 saves in 39 games).
Don had injury problems in 1982 (3-3, 3.46 ERA, 4 saves in 24 games). He was on the disabled list for much of June and then went out for the remainder of the season in mid-July. Aase had elbow surgery in October 1982 and missed all of the 1983 season.
After a rehab assignment in the minors, Don came back to the Angels in June 1984. Aase had a good year, going 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 23 games. After the 1984 season Don signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. The Orioles made a much better offer (4 years, $2.4 million guaranteed) than the Angels did (2 years, $475,000 per year, only one of the years guaranteed).
For two seasons Aase was able to be a dependable pitcher from the bullpen. He was 10-6 with 14 saves and had a 3.78 ERA in 54 games in 1985.
Don was an AL All Star for the only time in his career in 1986. Don got Chris Brown to hit into a game-ending double play and earned the save in the AL's 3-2 win. Aase was 6-7 with 34 saves and had a 2.98 ERA in 66 games in 1986.
Aase had an injury-riddled 1987 season (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 2 saves in 7 games). He was placed on the disabled list in April with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Don came back in May but was shut down at the end of May when the tendinitis came back. Don had shoulder surgery in July and missed the rest of the season.
Aase came back in May 1988. He was bombed in his first game back -- he allowed four runs without retiring a batter. But as the year went on Don's ERA steadily decreased. He ended up with a 0-0 record and had a 4.05 ERA in 35 games.
Don was released after the 1988 season. Aase tried out with the New York Mets in 1989 and made the team. He was used mostly as a setup man in 1989 and was 1-5 with 2 saves and had an ERA of 3.94 in 49 games.
After the 1989 season Aase became a free agent and signed with the LA Dodgers. In 1990 Don was 3-1 with 3 saves and had a 4.97 ERA in 32 games. He spent six weeks on the disabled list in July and August. After the 1990 season Don became a free agent rather than report to the Dodgers' AAA club in Albuquerque. After due consideration Don decided to retire.
This was Bob McClure's first full season in the majors. Bob was sent from the Kansas City Royals to the Milwaukee Brewers as the player to be named later in a trade made in December 1976.
I remember Bob McClure as one of those left-handed relievers who would come in to face 1-2 batters. Bob was actually a starting pitcher for a few years in the 1980s.
McClure had a 19-year pitching career, pitching from 1975-1993. Except for a few years in the early 1980s, Bob was a reliever for his entire career.
Bob was a pitching coach in the minors and majors for several clubs from 1999-2012.
McClure was the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox in 2012, but he and manager Bobby Valentine clashed. Bob took a two-week leave of absence to tend to a child's medical emergency. McClure was let go as pitching coach in mid-August.
Gil Patterson
Debut: April 19, 1977
1977 Stats:
New York Yankees: 1-2, 1 save, 5.40 ERA in 10 games (6 starts)
Syracuse Chiefs (AAA): 2-1, 4.82 ERA in 7 starts
1977 Highlights:
May 25: Allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings and earned his only major league victory as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers (and starter Bert Blyleven) 3-2.
Other card blogs: none
Gil Patterson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1975 draft. Gil had two good seasons in the minor leagues and was brought up to the Yankees in 1977.
Patterson pitched sparingly for the Yankees in 1977. He spent some time in AAA Syracuse in the middle of the season.
Gil was injured and missed the entire 1978 and 1979 seasons. He tried to come back a few times from 1980-1982, but never again rose above Class A level.
Patterson has spent time as a coach and as a minor league pitching coordinator for several years after his playing career. Here is an interview with Gil from 2012.
Dave Wehrmeister
Debut: April 16, 1976
1977 Stats:
San Diego Padres: 1-3, 6.07 ERA in 30 games (6 starts)
Hawaii Islanders (AAA): 2-2, 2.54 ERA in 5 starts
1977 Highlights:
May 30: Allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings and earned the win in San Diego's 9-8 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Other card blogs: none
Dave Wehrmeister pitched for 14 seasons, mostly at the AAA level. Dave was drafted in the first round (3rd overall) by the San Diego Padres in 1973. Wehrmeister made the San Diego ballclub in 1976, but was sent back down in late May after going 0-4 with a 7.45 ERA in seven games.
Dave started the 1977 season in AAA and was brought up in late May. Wehrmeister saw the most major league action of his career in 1977, appearing in 30 games (1-3, 6.07 ERA).
In 1978 Wehrmeister started the season with the Padres but was sent down in late April after only four appearances (0-1, 6.14 ERA).
Dave started the 1979 season in AAA Hawaii. On June 15 he was traded to the New York Yankees for Jay Johnstone. Wehrmeister stayed in the minors (AAA Columbus) for the rest of the 1979 season and for the entire 1980 season.
After the 1980 season Wehrmeister was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 draft. Dave was returned to the Yankees in April 1981. He spent most of the 1981 season in Columbus, but he made five appearances for the Yankees (0-0, 5.14 ERA) in August after the strike.
Wehrmeister pitched in Columbus for the entire 1982 season. He started the 1983 season in Columbus but was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 17 for two minor leaguers. Dave finished the 1983 season in AAA Portland.
In 1984 Wehrmeister mostly pitched in Portland. He was brought up to Philadelphia for about a month in June and July (0-0, 7.20 ERA in 7 games). A 1984 Topps Traded card was created for him by Jim at The Phillies Room.
Dave became a free agent after the 1984 season and signed with the Chicago White Sox. He pitched for AAA Buffalo for the first four months of the season. Dave was brought up to the White Sox in August and was 2-2 with 2 saves and had a 3.43 ERA in 20 games.
Wehrmeister was in Buffalo again in 1986 and then retired after the season.
Billy Martin started his major league career in 1950 as a second baseman with the New York Yankees. Martin was a favorite of manager Casey Stengel.
In 1953 Billy set a record for a six-game World Series with 12 base hits.
Martin played for the Yankees until 1957. Several Yankee players were involved in an altercation at the Copacabana nightclub during a celebration of Billy's 29th birthday. Martin was traded to the Kansas City A's on June 15.
Billy was heartbroken over being traded from the Yankees. He played for six teams from 1957-1961.
After his playing carer Martin went into coaching. He was the third base coach for the 1965 AL pennant-winning Minnesota Twins.
The Twins won the AL West in 1969, but they were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Championship Series and Martin was fired after the season. Billy flattened one of his pitchers (Dick Bosman) after he had gone after pitching coach Art Fowler. Bosman was upset with Fowler after he had reported to Martin that Bosman hadn't run all of his sprints. Teammate Bob Allison was involved as well and sustained some damage while trying to break things up.
Billy was hired to manage the Detroit Tigers in 1971. He ran the club for three years and won the AL East title in 1972. Martin resigned as manager during spring training in 1973 but was talked into returning to the team. In September 1973 the Tigers fired Martin. Martin had been suspended for ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against the Cleveland Indians in response to Gaylord Perry being "allowed" to throw the spitter.
The Yankees won the AL Pennant in 1976 but were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
The 1977 New York Yankees got a lot of ink in the press. They were controversial and they didn't get along well, but they were a great team. The Yankees fought off late season challenges by the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles to win the AL East by 2 1/2 games. The Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals in the AL Championship Series and the LA Dodgers in the World Series to claim their first World Championship since 1962.
The Oakland A's hired Martin to manage the team in 1980. Billy injected new life into the club and the A's finished above .500 in 1980. The A's won the AL East during the 1981 strike season but were knocked out of the playoffs by the Yankees.
The A's faltered in 1982 as several pitchers were injured. Billy was fired by the A's after the season. Soon after his firing by the A's, Martin was hired to manage the Yankees again for the 1983 season.
During this stint as Yankee manager, Martin was involved in the infamous "Pine Tar Game" when he protested a home run hit by George Brett of the Kansas City Royals. The umpires upheld Martin's protest, which caused a memorable reaction by Brett. Martin was suspended twice during the season for run-ins with umpires. After the 1983 season Martin was transferred to an "adviser" for the Yankees and was replaced as manager by Yogi Berra.
Billy became manager of the Yankees again in 1985 after the controversial firing of Yogi Berra. He missed some time while recovering from a punctured lung suffered when he was getting an injection for back spasms. Martin suffered a broken arm during an altercation with pitcher Ed Whitson in a hotel barroom in September. Even with all of these incidents, the Yankees won 97 games and finished second in the AL East.
June 18 - Martin and Reggie Jackson almost come to blows in the dugout during a nationally televised game. Jackson didn't hustle while retrieving a base hit and Martin sent Paul Blair out to replace Reggie in the middle of the inning. Martin came close to losing his job because of the incident and because of feuds with several players, but he survived and finished the season with the club.
July 19 - Reggie Jackson is accused by a 13-year-old boy of roughing him up after the All Star Game in New York.
Record: 100-62, .617, 1st in AL East, 2 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore and Boston
Attendance: 2,103,092 (1st in AL)
Team Batting: .281 (2nd in AL)
Team HR: 184 (3rd in AL)
Team Stolen Bases: 93 (7th in AL)
Team ERA: 3.61 (3rd in AL)
Team Fielding: .979 (3rd in AL)
All Stars: Willie Randolph (starting 2B), Reggie Jackson (starting RF), Thurman Munson (C), Graig Nettles (3B), Sparky Lyle (P)
Elliott Maddox played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1977. On January 20 Maddox was traded (with Rick Bladt) from the Yankees to the Orioles for Paul Blair.
Elliott didn't play in his first game until July 14 due to a knee injury. He played in only 49 games and was a pinch hitter or a defensive replacement in several of those games.
Except for his batting average, most of Mickey Rivers' stats were down in 1977. But "Mick the Quick" was still an important part of the Yankees' first World Championship team in 15 years.
1977 Stats:
Regular season: .326, 12 HR, 69 RBI, 11th in AL MVP voting
AL Championship Series: .391 (9 for 23) in 5 games
This is a good picture of the Chris Chambliss home run that ended the AL Championship Series and sent the New York Yankees to their first World Series since 1964.
As shown on the back of the card, Chambliss led the Yankees in hits, runs, and home runs in the five game series. If a series MVP award were given out, Chambliss would have been the runaway winner.
I remember being shocked at the behavior of the fans after the ball cleared the right field fence. It was pandemonium at Yankee Stadium. The home run is shown in the video below (Phil Rizzuto announcing).
