- Ramon Hernandez was at the end of the line. The 1977 season was his last one in the major leagues. Hernandez started the year with the Chicago Cubs. Ramon was traded to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Bobby Darwin on May 28. Hernandez pitched for the Red Sox for almost three months before being released on August 20.
- 1977 Stats:
- Chicago Cubs: 0-0, 1 save, 8.22 ERA in 6 games
- Boston Red Sox: 0-1, 1 save, 5.68 ERA in 12 games
- TOTAL: 0-1, 2 saves, 6.64 ERA in 18 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- July 13 - Retired the last four batters to earn his final major league save. The Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4.
- Other card blogs: 1967, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Danny Ozark had a long playing career in the minor leagues. He started in 1942 and then was in military service for the next three years. Ozark fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
- Danny came back after the war and resumed his playing career. Ozark spent his entire playing career (1942, 1946-1961, 1963) in the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers' organization, but he never made it to the majors.
- In 1956 Ozark started managing in the Dodger organization. He was a player-manager in Class B and A ball for four years and then managed the Dodgers' AAA affiliate from 1960-1964.
- In 1965 Ozark moved up to the LA Dodgers as a coach. He coached with the Dodgers from 1965-1972.
- After the 1972 season Danny was hired to manage the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were building a contender and they moved up the standings as their young players developed.
- The Phillies finished 6th in 1973, 3rd in 1974, and 2nd in 1975. They then won the NL East in three straight seasons (1976-1978). The team won 101 games in both 1976 and in 1977. Philadelphia lost in the NL Championship Series by the Cincinnati Reds in 1976 and by the LA Dodgers in 1977 and 1978.
- The Phillies signed Pete Rose as a free agent after the 1978 season. It was thought that Rose was the missing piece. Rose had a good year, but injuries and some off years by other players doomed the Phillies. Ozark was fired on August 31, 1979 after the Phillies were 65-67 and in fourth place. Danny was thought to be too soft on the players. Dallas Green took over the team and led it to the World Championship the following season.
- Danny coached with the Dodgers again from 1980-1982. He was not asked back to coach with the Dodgers after the 1982 season..
- Ozark joined the San Francisco Giants coaching staff in 1983. He coached with the Giants in 1983 and in 1984.
- Ozark managed the San Francisco Giants at the end of the 1984 season. Danny replaced Frank Robinson, who was fired on August 5. The Giants were 24-32 under Ozark. Danny said that he didn't want to manage in 1985. Ozark became a special assignment scout and consultant for the Giants.
- Danny retired to his home in Vero Beach. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 85.
- Record: 101-61, 1st in NL East, 5 games ahead of Pittsburgh Pirates
- Attendance: 2,700,070 (2nd in NL)
- Team Batting: .279 (1st in NL)
- Team HR: 186 (2nd in NL)
- Team Stolen Bases: 135 (4th in NL)
- Team ERA: 3.71 (4th in NL)
- Team Fielding: .981 (2nd in NL)
- All Stars: Greg Luzinski (starting LF); Mike Schmidt (3B); Steve Carlton (P)
- Awards: Steve Carlton (NL Cy Young Award, The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year); Jim Kaat (Gold Glove, P); Mike Schmidt (Gold Glove, 3B); Garry Maddox (Gold Glove, OF)
- NL Leaders: Steve Carlton (victories, 23)
- Batting Leader: Greg Luzinski (.309)
- Home Run Leader: Greg Luzinski (39)
- RBI Leader: Greg Luzinski (130)
- Stolen Base Leader: Larry Bowa (32)
- Victories Leader: Steve Carlton (23)
- Losses Leader: Jim Kaat (11)
- Strikeout Leader: Steve Carlton (198)
- Saves Leader: Gene Garber (19)
- ERA Leader (starters): Steve Carlton (2.64)
- ERA Leader (relievers): Gene Garber (2.35)
- Players who could have had Phillies cards in 1977 (batters with over 100 AB, pitchers with over 40 innings) :
- Bake McBride (OF) (pictured with Cardinals): .339, 11 HR, 41 RBI in 85 games
- Richie Hebner (1B) (pictured with Pirates): .285, 18 HR, 62 RBI in 118 games
- Ted Sizemore (2B) (pictured with Dodgers) : .281, 4 HR, 47 RBI in 152 games
- Davey Johnson (2B) (no 1977 card): .321, 8 HR, 36 RBI in 78 games
- Warren Brusstar (P) (no 1977 card - rookie card in 1978): 7-2, 3 saves, 2.65 ERA in 46 games
- This was the only season in Fred Holdsworth's career (1972-1980) that he spent the entire year in the majors. Fred started the season with the Orioles and was traded to the Montreal Expos for Dennis Blair in mid July.
- Fred spent some time on the disabled list in late May and in June. Holdsworth was a reliever for most of the season. He became a starter in mid-August and started six games for the Expos late in the season.
- 1977 Stats:
- Baltimore Orioles: 0-1, 6.28 ERA in 12 games
- Montreal Expos: 3-3, 3.19 ERA in 14 games (6 starts)
- TOTAL: 3-4, 3.97 ERA in 26 games (6 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975
- Rico Carty actually played for the Cleveland Indians in 1977. The Toronto Blue Jays selected Carty in the expansion draft in November 1976 but a month later they traded him back to the Indians for Rick Cerone and John Lowenstein.
- Rico played in 123 games as a designated hitter and two games at first base.
- Carty clashed with Cleveland manager Frank Robinson. He was fined and sent home in early June. The team wanted to suspend Rico, but since he was already on the disabled list with a pulled hamstring they couldn't do it.
- 1977 Stats: .280, 15 HR, 80 RBI
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
- Randy Moffitt and Gary Lavelle combined for 31 saves in 1977. Lavelle had 20 and Moffitt had 11.
- There is a misprint on this card. Moffitt pitched in 58 games in 1976, not 5.
- 1977 Stats: 4-9, 11 saves, 3.59 ERA in 64 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983
- Jamie Quirk played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977. After the 1976 season Quirk was traded (with Bob McClure and Jim Wohlford) to the Brewers for Darrell Porter and Jim Colborn.
- Quirk spent most of the 1978 season in the minors. He was sent back to the Royals in August 1978 for a minor leaguer and cash.
- 1977 Stats: .217, 3 HR, 13 RBI in 93 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988
- In 1977 Don Baylor split time almost evenly between the outfield and designated hitter. Don also played in a few games at first base. Baylor was one of the big free agent signings by the California Angels after the 1976 season. Joe Rudi and Bobby Grich had injuries and didn't really pay immediate dividends. Baylor was ok in 1977 (but not all that great), but he had a good year in 1978 and an MVP year in 1979. Don was disappointed with himself and was the target of a few boos in Anaheim Stadium toward the end of the 1977 season.
- 1977 Stats: .251, 25 HR, 75 RBI
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Dick Tidrow did great work out of the Yankee bullpen in 1977. He appeared in 49 games and was a great setup man for closer and Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: 11-4, 5 saves, 3.16 ERA in 49 games (7 starts)
- AL Championship Series: 0-0, 3.86 ERA in 2 games
- World Series: 0-0, 4.91 ERA in 2 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983
- 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
- Steve Foucault pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 1977. Steve was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Tigers for Willie Horton on April 12. Steve was the Tigers' main closer and led the club with 13 saves.
- 1977 Stats: 7-7, 13 saves, 3.15 ERA in 44 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: Cardboard Gods, Cardboard Gods, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978
- Steve Luebber was drafted by the Minnesota Twins at the age of 17 in 1967. Steve slowly climbed up the Twins organization and made it to the majors in June 1971. Luebber was 2-5 with a 5.03 ERA in 18 games (12 starts) for the Twins in 1971.
- Luebber got a high number card in the 1972 Topps set. That was his only other card appearance.
- In 1972 Steve was back in the minors. He pitched in two games for the Twins late in September (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2.1 innings).
- From 1973-1975 Luebber pitched in AA and AAA. He put up some good numbers in AAA in 1975 (14-7, 2.39 ERA).
- Steve made the Minnesota staff in 1976 and stayed in the majors for the entire season. Luebber was 4-5 with 2 saves and had a 4.01 ERA in 38 games (12 starts).
- Luebber didn't make the Twins ballclub in 1977 and spent the entire season in AAA. He was 10-10 with a 4.63 ERA for the Tacoma Twins. Steve was released by the Twins after the 1977 season.
- Steve pitched in several other organizations from 1978-1983. Luebber pitched in one game for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979. He had an ERA of infinity due to allowing one run and not retiring any of the three batters he faced. In 1981 Luebber pitched in seven games for the Baltimore Orioles (0-0, 7.56 ERA in 16.2 innings).
- Steve was part of the longest game in baseball history (Rochester Red Wings vs. Pawtucket Red Sox) in 1981. Luebber entered the game in the 15th inning and allowed one run in eight innings before giving way to Jim Umbarger in the 23rd inning.
- After his playing career Steve became a minor league pitching coach. He is now the pitching coach for the class A Wilmington Blue Rocks, a position he has held for seven years.
- Luebber did some pitching in the minors in the late 1980s. He pitched in the minors for three seasons (1986-1988) but never made it back to the majors. Steve also pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and in 1990.
- 1977 Stats:
- Tacoma Twins (AAA): 10-10, 4.63 ERA in 27 games (25 starts)
- Other card blogs: 1972
- Leon Roberts started the season with the Astros. Roberts wasn't playing very much and was batting .095, so he was sent to AAA in early June. Leon came back to Houston for a few games in September.
- After the 1977 season Roberts was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Jimmy Sexton.
- 1977 Stats:
- Houston Astros: .074 (2 for 27) in 19 games
- Charleston Charlies (AAA): .299, 2 HR, 34 RBI in 73 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- Rick Wise didn't pitch very much in the first two months of the 1977 season. Rick was demoted to the bullpen for a couple of weeks in May. At the end of May he was 1-2 with a 13.21 ERA. Wise pitched much better from June until the end of the season. Rick had a 3-1 record in June and in July as well.
- Rick Wise's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: 11-5, 4.77 ERA in 26 games (20 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Kellogg's, 1979, 1980
- This was Andy Etchebarren's last full season as a player. Andy backed up starter Terry Humphrey. Etchebarren appeared in 80 games but had only 131 plate appearances.\
- Etchebarren was a player/coach for part of the season. Angels pitching coach Billy Muffett was fired in mid-July and Andy was called upon to assume the pitching coach duties for a few days.
- Andy was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers after the 1977 season.
- After his playing career, Etchebarren had a long career as a coach and a manager in the minors. He recently announced his retirement (effective after the 2012 season).
- 1977 Stats: .254, 0 HR, 14 RBI in 80 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: Cardboard Gods, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976,
- This was Pedro Garcia's last season in the majors. The Tigers released Pedro in December 1976 and he signed with the expansion Toronto Blue Jays in January 1977. The Blue Jays sent Garcia to the minors (Jersey City) on June 17, but he never played for the club. Pedro was released by Toronto on June 27. Garcia signed with the San Diego Padres on July 5 and played for the AAA Hawaii Islanders for the rest of the year.
- In late July Garcia and the Blue Jays were cited in Milwuakee County Court for failing to pay about $4,000 in taxes.
- 1977 Stats:
- Toronto Blue Jays - .208, 0 HR, 9 RBI in 41 games
- Hawaii Islanders (AAA) - .300, 10 HR, 30 RBI in 52 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1976
- Although he is pictured as a Cardinal, Mike Caldwell never pitched for the team. On October 20, 1976 Mike was traded (with Dave Rader and John D'Aquisto) to the St. Louis Cardinals for Willie Crawford, John Curtis, and Vic Harris. During spring training in 1977 Caldwell was traded from the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Darcy. Caldwell pitched well against the Reds in a spring training game on March 22, so the Reds may have seen something they liked.
- Mike pitched in 14 games for the Reds, but he wasn't being used very much. On June 15 Caldwell was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor leaguers. Mike pitched out of the bullpen for the rest of June, then he was used as a starter and occasional long reliever from July until the end of the 1977 season.
- 1977 Stats:
- Cincinnati Reds - 0-0, 1 save, 4.01 ERA in 14 games
- Milwaukee Brewers - 5-8, 4.58 ERA in 21 games (12 starts)
- TOTAL: 5-8, 4.46 ERA in 35 games (12 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- The subsets in this series are the World Series cards, the "Turn Back The Clock" set, and the reviled (at least by me) 4-player rookie cards
- Series All Star Team (excluding the rookie cards)
- C - Ted Simmons
- 1B - Willie Stargell, Steve Garvey
- 2B - Bob Grich
- SS - Freddie Patek
- 3B - Pete Rose
- OF - Carl Yastrzemski, Richie Zisk, Roy White, Garry Maddox, Ken Singleton
- SP - Fergie Jenkins, Jon Matlack, Dennis Eckersley, John Candelaria
- RP - Rollie Fingers
- Pete!!!!!
- Pete Rose's cards were probably the ones I looked forward to the most in the 1970s. He was my favorite player, and it took a long time for me to forgive the Reds for letting him go as a free agent after the 1978 season. Some of the luster of Pete's cards was lost when Topps double printed his card in 1978.
- Pete had a salary dispute with the Reds before the 1977 season. He finally signed just before the season.
- Rose led the NL in games played (162) and in at bats (655).
- 1977 Stats: .311, 9 HR, 64 RBI, 204 hits in 162 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1980, 1982, 1982, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1985, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1986, 1988
- Al Fitzmorris was a member of the original Toronto Blue Jays for a few hours. Al was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft. Later the same day, Fitzmorris was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Alan Ashby and Doug Howard.
- 1977 Stats: 6-10, 5.41 ERA in 29 games (21 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1979
- 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
- 1977
- Other card blogs: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Jerry Turner was used as a pinch hitter and as a backup outfielder in 1977.
- 1977 Stats: .246, 10 HR, 48 RBI in 118 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980
- Bill Bonham was the Cubs' #3 starter in 1977. Bonham had ten wins in 1977, but he had only one win in July, one win in August, and no victories in September. Bill was 2-7 from July until the end of the season.
- After the 1977 season Bill was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Bill Caudill, Woodie Fryman, and cash.
- 1977 Stats: 10-13, 4.36 ERA in 34 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980
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