- Jerry Reuss was the #2 starter for the Pirates in 1977. He won only ten games, down from his 14 wins from 1976.
- 1977 Stats: 10-13, 4.11 ERA in 33 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 24 - Won his first game of the season by beating the New York Mets 5-2. Jerry was 0-5 before this start.
- July 21 - After starting the season 4-10, Jerry said he wanted to make a fresh start after the All Star break. Reuss pitched a six-hitter and the Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2. Reuss was 6-3 in the second half of the season.
- Sept 12 - Gave up a 3-run home run to Davey Johnson as the Phillies beat the Pirates 6-2. Johnson expressed satisfaction about the feat after the game. Reuss had hit Johnson with a pitch late in the 1973 season and Johnson said that it cost him an opportunity for the NL home run title. Johnson finished the 1973 season with 42 home runs and Willie Stargell won the title with 44 home runs.
- Other card blogs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Kellogg's, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Larry Demery pitched in his final major league season in 1977. The Pirates mostly used him as a middle reliever, but he was a starter in the month of May. Demery spent three more seasons (1978-1980) in the minors, but he never got back to the majors.
- 1977 Stats: 6-5, 1 save, 5.08 ERA in 39 games (8 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 10 - Entered the game in the 18th inning and got the win as the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in 18 innings.
- Aug 25 - Allowed one run in four innings to save the win for starter John Candelaria. The Pirates beat the LA Dodgers 2-1.
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1978
- This was Ed Kirkpatrick's final major league season. Ed moved around a lot in 1977. On June 15 Kirkpatrick was traded to the Texas Rangers for Jim Fregosi. Then on August 20 Ed was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later (who turned out to be Gorman Thomas). Luckily for the Brewers they were able to get Thomas back later.
- Kirkpatrick was released during spring training in 1978. Ed spent half of the season in the Mexican league and then batted .325 for AAA Salt Lake City in the last half of the season.
- Ed Kirkpatrick passed away on November 15, 2010 after battling throat cancer.
- 1977 Stats:
- Pittsburgh Pirates - .143 (4 for 28) in 21 games
- Texas Rangers - .188 (9 for 48) in 20 games
- Milwaukee Brewers - .273 (21 for 77) in 29 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, Cardboard Gods
- Bruce Kison's 1977 season was the roughest one in his entire career with the Pirates. It was the only year in his entire Pittsburgh career (1971-1979) that his ERA was above 3.49.
- 1977 Stats: 9-10, 4.90 ERA in 33 games (32 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Gotta love the choking up on the bat. Frank Taveras stole a lot of bases for the Pirates in the mid-late 1970s. Taveras led the NL with 70 stolen bases in 1977.
- 1977 Stats: .252, 70 stolen bases in 147 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 10 - Went 3 for 4 and knocked in a run in Pittsburgh's 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
- July 6 - Fined an undisclosed amount for directing a "death wish" at umpire Ed Sudol.
- Aug 5 - Hit his first career home run (a grand slam) in the second inning off of Doug Capilla. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-6 in the second game of a doubleheader. Taveras would hit only two home runs in a career that spanned from 1971-1982.
- Aug 10 - Suspended for five games for throwing a bat at Cincinnati pitcher Joe Hoerner in the first game of a doubleheader on August 5. Hoerner had hit Taveras with a pitch in retaliation for an incident earlier in the game. Frank had stolen a base with the Pirates leading 7-1.
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980
- John Candelaria was at the beginning of a nice 19 year pitching career in 1977. John led the NL with a 2.34 ERA and won 20 games. It's interesting that he also led the NL with 29 home runs allowed. A lot of those home runs must have been solo shots.
- Candelaria was named to the NL All Star team, but he didn't pitch in the game. It was the only season that John was an All Star.
- 1977 Stats: 20-5, 2.34 ERA in 33 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Tony Armas
- Debut: September 6, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Oakland A's: .240, 13 HR, 53 RBI in 118 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Tony Armas was traded to the Oakland A's during spring training in 1977. Tony was the regular center fielder for the A's for most of the season. Armas missed a month in August and September with an injury. Tony ended up batting .240 with 13 HR in 118 games.
- For the next two seasons Armas was a backup outfielder. He didn't put up very imposing stats (.213 with 2 HR in 91 games in 1978 and .248 with 11 HR in 1979).
- Tony had his breakout season in 1980, batting .279 with 35 HR and 109 RBI. Armas finished 12th in AL MVP voting in 1980.
- Armas led the AL with 22 home runs in the strike shortened 1981 season. He finished 4th in AL MVP voting that year. Tony had a great AL Divisional Series (.545, 6 for 11), but he didn't do much in the AL Championship Series (.167, 2 for 12).
- Tony's stats dropped off in 1982 (.233, 28 HR, 89 RBI). After the 1982 season Armas was traded (with Jeff Newman) to the Boston Red Sox for Carney Lansford, Garry Hancock, and a minor leaguer.
- In 1983 Tony's batting average dropped again, but he still had good power numbers (.218, 36 HR, 107 RBI).
- Armas bounced back in 1984, leading the AL in home runs and RBI. Tony batted .268 with 43 HR and 123 RBI. Tony was an AL All Star (he didn't play in the game) and finished 7th in AL MVP voting.
- Tony spent two more seasons with the Red Sox (.265, 23 HR, 64 RBI in 1985 and .264, 11 HR, 58 RBI in 1986). Tony batted .125 (2 for 16) in the AL Championship Series and went 0 for 1 in the World Series.
- Tony became a free agent after the 1986 season. Armas went unsigned until July 1987 when the California Angels signed him. Tony spent some time in AAA and then was brought up to the Angels in August. Tony batted only .198 in 28 games in 1987.
- Armas spent two more seasons with the Angels. He batted .272 with 13 HR and 49 RBI in 1988. Tony was a part time player in 1989, batting .257 with 11 HR. Armas retired after the 1989 season.
- Steve Kemp
- Debut: April 7, 1977
- 1977 Stats: .257, 18 HR, 88 RBI in 151 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Steve Kemp was the first player drafted in the 1976 draft. He spent only one year in the minors and then made the Detroit ballclub in 1977. Steve became the starting LF for the Tigers in 1977 and batted .257 with 18 HR and 88 RBI.
- Kemp batted .277 with 15 HR and 79 RBI in 1978.
- Steve had his best season in 1979. He made the AL All Star team (0 for 1 in a pinch hitting appearance) and batted .318 with 26 HR and 105 RBI.
- In 1980 Kemp split time between LF and DH. He batted .293 with 21 HR and 101 RBI.
- Steve's last season with the Tigers was in 1981 (.277, 9 HR, 49 RBI). After the 1981 season Kemp was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Chet Lemon.
- Kemp spent one year with the White Sox, batting .286 with 19 HR and 98 RBI. After the 1982 season Steve became a free agent and signed with the New York Yankees.
- Steve was injured by a line drive hit by teammate Omar Moreno during batting practice. The ball hit Kemp below the left eye, shattering his cheekbone. This injury, plus other injuries, helped hasten the end of Steve's career. Kemp batted .241 with 12 HR and 49 RBI in 1983 and batted .291 with 7 HR and 41 RBI in 1984. After the 1984 season Steve was traded (with Tim Foli) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dale Berra, Jay Buhner, and Alfonso Pulido.
- Kemp didn't do much with the Pirates in 1985 (.250, 2 HR , 21 RBI in 92 games). Steve was batting .188 in 13 games when he was released by the Pirates on May 8, 1986.
- Steve signed with the Texas Rangers in 1987 and played for AAA Oklahoma City in 1987 and in 1988. Kemp started the 1988 season with the Rangers, batting .222 in 16 games. He was sent down to AAA in May and didn't return. Steve retired after the 1988 season.
- Here is a "where are they now" article from 2011.
- Carlos Lopez
- Debut: September 17, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .283, 8 HR, 34 RBI in 99 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1978, 1979
- Carlos Lopez was signed by the California Angels from the Mexican League in 1973. Carlos played in the minors from 1974-1976 and earned a September call up (0 for 10 in 9 games) after batting .350 for AAA Salt Lake City.
- Lopez was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft. Carlos batted .283 with 8 HR and 34 RBI in 99 games for the Mariners in 1977.
- After the 1977 season Lopez was traded with Tommy Moore to the Baltimore Orioles for Mike Parrott. Carlos was used mainly as a defensive replacement and a pinch hitter in 1978, batting .238 in 129 games (193 at bats).
- Lopez spent the 1979 season in AAA Rochester. He then went back to the Mexican League and played there from 1980 through the 1985 season.
- Gary Woods
- Debut: September 14, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Toledo Mud Hens (AAA): .272, 4 HR, 33 RBI in 89 games
- Toronto Blue Jays: .216, 0 HR, 17 RBI in 60 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1983, 1985
- Gary Woods was signed by the Oakland A's in 1973. He played in the A's system from 1973-1976. Woods batted .308 for AAA Tucson in 1976 and was called up in September (1 for 8 in 6 games).
- Woods was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft. Gary started the 1977 season with Toronto but was sent down to AAA in late May. Woods came back up in September and ended up batting .216 in 60 games.
- Gary spent most of the 1978 season in AAA. He had a brief stint with Toronto in September and batted .158 in 8 games. After the 1978 season Woods was traded to the Houston Astros for a minor leaguer.
- Woods spent the entire 1979 season in AAA. Gary had a good year for AAA Tucson in 1980, batting .313 with 42 doubles and 36 stolen bases. Woods was called up in September and was a valuable part of Houston's drive to the NL West title. He batted .377 in 19 games and then batted .250 (2 for 8) in four games in the NL Championship Series.
- Gary was with the Astros for the entire 1981 season, but he didn't do much with the bat (.209 in 54 games). Woods was 0 for 2 in 2 games in the NL Divisional Series. After the 1981 season Woods was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Jim Tracy.
- Woods was used mostly as a backup outfielder and pinch hitter for the next four seasons. He had his best year for the Cubs in 1982, batting .269 in 117 games. Gary's playing time gradually went down (.242 in 190 AB in 1983, .235 in 98 AB in 1984, and .244 in 82 AB in 1985).
- During spring training in 1986 Woods was released. Larry Bowa got Woods to play for AAA Las Vegas in 1986. Gary batted .316 but he never got the call back to the majors. Woods is now the Southern California area scout for the Chicago White Sox.
- Wikipedia hack alert: Here is a line in Gary's Wikipedia entry -- "On May 12, 2013, the Oakland A's signed Woods as a nondrafted free agent. He spent 2013 killing zombies for the A's Lewiston minor league ballclub"
- Richie Zisk spent the 1977 season with the Chicago White Sox as one of the "South Side Hit Men." After the 1976 season Zisk was traded (with Silvio Martinez) to the White Sox for Terry Forster and Rich Gossage.
- Zisk was an AL All Star in 1977. He started in left field and went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. Richie enjoyed his finest season in 1977. He was able to cash in after the season, signing a contract with the Texas Rangers that quintupled his salary.
- Fun fact: As of 2008 Zisk would occasionally take jobs as a substitute teacher (history) at the high school where his wife works. I wonder how much teaching actually gets done in those days. All it would take is one kid to ask a few questions about baseball and "poof" - there goes the lesson plan. When I was in high school my geometry teacher was also our baseball coach. It was my "job" to derail the lesson as much as possible with baseball talk.
- 1977 Stats: .290, 30 HR, 101 RBI
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983
- Bob Bailor
- Debut: September 6, 1975
- 1977 Stats: .310, 5 HR, 32 RBI in 122 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Bob Bailor was signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1969.
- Bob played in the minors from 1970-1976, spending the last four of those seasons in AAA Rochester. He had two brief trials with the Orioles in 1975 (1 for 7 in 5 games) and in 1976 (2 for 6 in 9 games)
- Bailor was the first player picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft.
- In 1977 Bailor didn't have a regular position, but he led the Blue Jays in hits, stolen bases, and runs scored. Bob actually appeared in more games as an outfielder than he did as a shortstop.
- For the next two seasons Bailor was the main starter in right field. In 1978 he batted .264 in 154 games and in 1979 Bob batted .229 in 130 games.
- Bailor lost his starting right fielder job to Lloyd Moseby in 1980 and was used as a fourth outfielder and a utility man. He batted .236 in 117 games. After the 1980 season Bob was traded to the New York Mets for Roy Lee Jackson.
- Bob played five different positions for the Mets in each of the three seasons he spent there. In 1981 Bob batted .284 in 51 games. Bailor batted .277 in 110 games in 1982 and in 1983 he batted .250 in 118 games.
- After the 1983 season Bailor was traded (with Carlos Diaz) to the New York Mets for Sid Fernandez and Ross Jones.
- Bailor spent his last two season with the Dodgers. In 1984 Bob batted .275 in 65 games and in 1985 he batted .246 in 74 games. Bailor missed the first month of the 1984 season with a shoulder injury and he had knee surgery in August that shelved him for the rest of the year.
- Bailor was released during spring training in 1986. After his retirement Bob coached and managed in the minors for a few years. Bailor coached with the Blue Jays from 1992-1995.
- Kiko Garcia
- Debut: September 11, 1976
- 1977 Stats: .221, 2 HR in 65 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- Kiko Garcia was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1971. He played in the minors from 1971-1976. Kiko was called up in September 1976 and batted .219 in 11 games.
- In 1977 (.221 in 65 games) and in 1978 (.263 in 79 games) Garcia backed up Mark Belanger at shortstop.
- Kiko won the starting shortstop job in 1979 and batted .247 in 126 games. Garcia batted .273 (3 for 11) in the AL Championship Series and batted .400 (8 for 20) in the World Series.
- Garcia split time with Belanger at shortstop in 1980. His offensive numbers slipped -- Kiko batted .199 in 111 games.
- During spring training in 1981 the Orioles traded Kiko to the Houston Astros for Chris Bourjos and cash. Garcia was a utility infielder for the Astros in 1981 (.272 in 48 games) and in 1982 (.211 in 34 games).
- After the 1982 season Kiko became a free agent. He signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies' AAA Portland club during spring training in 1983. After Garcia batted .345 in 35 games, the Phillies bought his contract in mid-May. Kiko played well for the Phillies as a utility man (.288 in 84 games) but he didn't appear in the post season.
- Garcia batted .233 in 57 games in 1984.
- Kiko was released and then re-signed in early April 1985. He wasn't used much (0 for 3 in four games) and he was released again in mid-May.
- After his retirement Garcia went into coaching high school and travel baseball teams in California. He is now the president of KG Hitters.
- Craig Reynolds
- Debut: August 1, 1975
- 1977 Stats: .248, 4 HR, 28 RBI in 135 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Craig Reynolds actually played for the Seattle Mariners in 1977. Craig was traded (with Jimmy Sexton) to the Mariners for Grant Jackson in December 1976.
- Reynolds was given a chance to play for the expansion Mariners and was their starting shortstop.
- Alex Taveras
- Debut: September 9, 1976
- 1977 Stats:
- Columbus Astros (AA) - .216 in 49 games
- Charleston Charlies (AAA) - .149 in 47 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: none
- Alex Taveras was signed by the Houston Astros from the Dominican Republic in 1974. Taveras played in the minors from 1974-1976 and then batted .217 in 14 games as a September call-up in 1976.
- Taveras split the 1977 season between AA and AAA. He didn't hit well at either level and was traded (with Bob Detherage) to the LA Dodgers for Danny Walton
- Alex spent the next seven seasons (1978-1984) shuttling between AA San Antonio and AAA Albuquerque. Taveras had brief stints with the Dodgers in 1982 (1 for 3 in 11 games) and in 1983 (0 for 4 in 10 games).
- In 1985 Alex played for AAA Buffalo (Chicago White Sox organization). Taveras batted .218 in 109 games and retired after the season.
- Alex currently coaches for Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League.
- After the 1977 season it looked like Willie Stargell was on the decline. He had two straight seasons in which he struggled with injuries. In 1977 Willie was on the 15-day disabled list in April -- he had persistent headaches and dizziness. Stargell then went out for the season in mid July after injuring his elbow in a bench-clearing brawl.
- Stargell bounced back in 1978 and had a good year. His 1979 season was a memorable one as he led the Pirates to the World Championship and finally won the MVP award that eluded him in 1971 and 1973.
- Willie Stargell's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .274, 13 HR, 35 RBI in 63 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1976 Kellogg's, 1979, 1980
- Leading the league in anything for seven straight years is quite an accomplishment.
- The closest streaks I could find were:
- Walter Johnson - AL strikeout leader for 8 straight years (1912-1919)
- Dazzy Vance - NL strikeout leader for 7 straight seasons (1922-1928)
- Lefty Grove - AL strikeout leader for 7 straight years (1925-1931)
- Rogers Hornsby - NL Batting Average leader for 6 years in a row (1920-1925)
- Ty Cobb led the AL in batting average every year from 1907-1919 except for 1910 (Nap Lajoie led) and 1916 (Tris Speaker was the BA champion).
- Sandy Koufax - NL ERA leader for 5 straight years (1962-1966)
- Kent Tekulve was the setup man for closer Goose Gossage in 1977. It wasn't Kent's preferred role. After Gossage left via free agency Tekulve became the closer in 1978.
- Kent's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: 10-1, 7 saves, 3.06 ERA in 72 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 14 - Earned the save in Pittsburgh's 6-3 victory over the New York Mets. It was the Pirates' 20th home win in 21 games.
- Sept 18 - Allowed one run in four innings and earned his 10th win as the Pirates beat the Montreal Expos 7-5 in 11 innings.
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- 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)
- 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
- Duffy Dyer split time with Ed Ott behind the plate in 1977. Dyer started 84 games and Ott started 78. Duffy got the majority of the playing time early in the season but later in the season Ott started to establish himself as the primary catcher.
- Duffy Dyer's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .241, 3 HR, 19 RBI in 94 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
.
- Although he spent only one of his 11 seasons with Pittsburgh, I've always thought of Doc Medich as a Pirate. The 1977 set apparently have left its mark on me (along with the 1976 traded card).
- Doc Medich moved around a lot in 1977. During spring training he was involved in a big trade. The Pirates got Phil Garner, Tommy Helms, and Chris Batton. The Oakland A's got Medich, Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, and Mitchell Page.
- Doc feuded with A's owner Charlie Finley and the A's sold him to the Seattle Mariners on September 13.
- On September 26 Medich was waived again and claimed by the New York Mets. Doc took the loss against his old team (Pittsburgh) in his only appearance for the Mets.
- After the 1977 season Medich started his first year of residency at Allegheny General Hospital.
- Medich signed a 4-year contract with the Texas Rangers in November 1977.
- 1977 Stats:
- Oakland A's - 10-6, 4.69 ERA in 26 games (25 starts)
- Seattle Mariners - 2-0, 3.63 ERA in 3 starts
- New York Mets - 0-1, 3.86 ERA in 1 start
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 31 - Allowed six hits and three runs in 8 1/3 innings and earned the win in Oakland's 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.
- Sept 16 - Allowed one run in his first start as a Seattle Mariner. Medich pitched a complete game as the A's beat the AL West leading Kansas City Royals 4-1.
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982
- Big Dave Parker was starting to get recognition for his ability when this card came out. The kid across the street was from the Pittsburgh area and the Pirates were his "second team" (after the Reds), so we got to know about the Pirates players through him.
- Dave led the NL in batting (.338), hits (215), and doubles (44). Parker started in right field for the NL in the All Star Game and was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Parker won the first of three Gold Glove awards and finished third in MVP voting.
- 1977 Stats: .338, 21 HR, 88 RBI, 107 runs scored
- 1977 Highlights:
- April 22 - Hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning off of Tom Seaver to help the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the New York Mets. Parker was fooled on the low and outside pitch and hit the homer with one hand.
- May 8 - Doubled home two runs and had a single as the Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 and swept a 3-game series. After the game Parker was batting .422.
- May 22 - Hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to help the Pirates give Don Sutton his first loss of the season. The Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 and Sutton's record dropped to 6-1.
- July 12 - Was reported to be disgruntled about his three-year contract for $200,000 that he had signed before the season. Dave acknowledged that he probably signed the contract too early. Parker eventually signed a new contract after the 1978 season after winning the NL MVP award.
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Kellogg's, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Ed Ott was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1970. Ed was 18 when he started playing in A ball in 1970. He stayed at the single-A level through the 1972 season and then spent three years (1973-1975) at AAA Charleston. Ott had two short looks by the Pirates in 1974 (0 for 5 in 7 games) and in 1975 (1 for 5 in 5 games).
- Ott stayed with the Pirates for the entire 1976 season, but he wasn't used much. Ed batted .308 (12 for 39) in 27 games.
- Ed split time with Duffy Dyer behind the plate in 1977 and batted .264 in 104 games.
- Ott batted .269 with 9 HR and 38 RBI as the starting catcher in 1978.
- Ed had his best year and was part of the "We Are Family" Pirates in 1979. He batted .273 with 7 HR and 51 RBI during the regular season. He didn't do a lot in the NLCS (3 for 13 in 3 games), but Ed went 4 for 12 (.333) in three games in the World Series.
- Ott played in a career-high 120 games in 1980 and batted .260 with 6 HR and 33 RBI.
- Just before the 1981 season Ott was traded to the California Angels for Jason Thompson and Mickey Mahler. Ed caught the majority of the games for the Angels in the strike-shortened season, but batted only .217 in 75 games.
- Ott injured his rotator cuff during spring training in 1982 and missed the entire season. Ed tried to come back and played two seasons in the minors, but his major career was done.
- After his playing career Ott coached and managed in the minor leagues. He also coached with the Houston Astros from 1989-1993.
- Here is a 2010 interview with Ed.
- 1977 Stats: .264, 7 HR, 38 RBI in 104 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Aug 10 - Appeared as a pinch hitter and hit a sacrifice fly to win the game for the Pirates. Pittsburgh beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in 18 innings.
- Aug 12 - Made a hard slide into New York 2B Felix Millan to break up a double play. Millan shouted at Ott and hit him with the baseball. Ott responded by body slamming Millan into the turf. Millan hurt his shoulder and his career was essentially over.
- Sept 23 - Hit a 2-run homer to account for the only scoring in a 2-0 Pirate victory over the Chicago Cubs. Only 3,757 fans attended the game at Wrigley Field.
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983
- Richie Hebner became a free agent before the 1977 season and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Hebner was the starting firstbaseman and also played a few games at third base during the 1977 season.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .285, 18 HR, 62 RBI in 118 games (also had a .381 on base percentage)
- NL Championship Series: .357 (5 for 14) in four games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1986, 1985, 1983, 1982, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, Cardboard Gods
