1977 Topps Baseball #574 - Aurelio Rodriguez

• Aurelio Rodriguez had injury problems in 1977. He missed the entire month of May with an ankle injury. When Rodriguez returned in early June he split time with Phil Mankowski, who was hitting well in Aurelio's absence. Aurelio got the bulk of the starts at third base in August and September.
• 1977 Stats: .219, 10 HR, 32 RBI in 96 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 20 - His RBI single in the 7th inning broke a 1-1 tie and helped the Tigers beat the New York Yankees 2-1.
• July 27 - Hit a 2-run homer to lead the Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
• Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983

1977 Topps Baseball #573 - Joe Ferguson

• Joe Ferguson was the starting catcher for the Houston Astros in 1977. After the 1976 season the St. Louis Cardinals traded Ferguson to the Astros for Larry Dierker. Joe was probably glad for the trade since he wasn't getting much playing time with the Cardinals, who had Ted Simmons behind the plate. 
• Ferguson was a league-average fielder and had a slightly higher caught stealing percentage than average in 1977. He had a good on base percentage and his 16 home runs were third on the team behind Bob Watson and Jose Cruz.
• 1977 Stats: .275, 16 HR, 61 RBI, 85 walks in 132 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• May 7 - Hit a 2-run homer in the 11th inning as the Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1.
• July 10 - Appeared as a pinch hitter and singled in the eventual winning run in Houston's 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
• July 14 - Singled in Jose Cruz in the 8th inning to put the Astros ahead to stay as they beat the LA Dodgers 4-3.
• Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983

1977 Topps Baseball #572 - Ross Grimsley

• Ross Grimsley was playing out his option in 1977. Although he started 34 games and pitched 218 innings, Ross struck out only 53 batters. After the season Grimsley signed a six-year contract with the Montreal Expos.
• Grimsley is now the pitching coach for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels.
• An interview with Ross during spring training in 2012
• 1977 Stats: 14-10, 3.96 ERA in 34 starts
• 1977 Highlights:
• July 10 - Allowed five hits and no runs as the Orioles beat the New York Yankees 6-0.
• Sept 21 - Pitched a four-hit shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays to pull the Orioles within two games of the AL East leading Yankees.
• Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, Cardboard Gods, Number 5 Collection

1977 Topps Baseball #571 - Darrell Evans

• As this card indicates, Darrell Evans was slated to be the Giants' starting first baseman for 1977. The comeback of Willie McCovey caused Evans to be moved to left field. Darrell also saw some time at third base when Bill Madlock had some minor injuries.
• 1977 Stats: .254, 17 HR, 72 RBI, in 144 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• May 20 - Hit a 2-run double in the 9th inning to help the Giants to a 7-5 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals
• Aug 21 - Hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to break a tie, lifting the Giants to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Aug 31 - Had four hits, including a three-run homer, to help the Giants beat the Pirates 6-3.
• Other card blogs: 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, A Giant Blog

1977 Topps Baseball #570 - Bobby Bonds

• Bobby Bonds had a big year for the California Angels in 1977. His batting average was down a bit, but he had good power numbers and was a productive bat in the Angels' attack.
• After the 1977 season Bonds was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Bonds would play for a different team in each of his final four seasons from 1978 to 1981.
• 1977 Stats: .264, 37 HR, 114 RBI, 41 stolen bases in 158 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 19 - Hit a bases loaded double to spark a 7-run first inning as the Angels beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-0.
• Aug 3 - Hit a 2-run inside-the-park home run in the 8th inning to lead the Angels to a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees.
• Aug 11 - Homered and knocked in four runs in the Angels' 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
• Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980

1977 Topps Baseball #569 - Jim Lonborg

• Jim Lonborg was getting close to the end of his career in 1977, but in spots he was still effective. Jim didn't pitch until May 28 due to a sore shoulder but he went 10-2 in the second half of the season. 
• Lonborg had a tough time at the end of the season - he worked quickly to finish a game on September 2 (a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds) in order to be able to see his daughter Nora be born. He didn't have the time to ice his arm properly after the game. Jim was shelled in his next two starts and won only one more game in September. He then allowed five runs in four innings while taking the loss in game 2 of the NL Championship Series.
• Jim Lonborg's SABR biography
• 1977 Stats:
• Regular season: 11-4, 4.11 ERA in 25 starts
• NL Championship Series: 0-1, 11.25 ERA in 1 start
• 1977 Highlights:
• June 3 - In his second start of the season Jim pitched seven shutout innings against the New York Mets and got his first win as the Phillies beat the Mets 1-0.
• Sept 2 - Shut out the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 to win his 10th game of the season.
• Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979

1977 Topps Baseball #568 - Carlos May

• 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.
• 1977 Stats:
• New York Yankees - .227, 2 HR, 16 RBI in 65 games
• California Angels - .333 (6 for 18) in 11 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• April 21 - Went 2 for 4 and singled in the go-ahead run in the 7th inning of New York's 8-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
• May 24 - Homered during a 4-run 7th inning as the Yankees rallied to beat the Boston Red Sox 6-5.
• Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976