- Rick Reuschel won 20 games for the only time in his career in 1977. He was named to the NL All Star team and pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Rick finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
- 1977 Stats: 20-10, 2.79 ERA, 1 save in 39 games (37 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1988
- Jim Essian was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969. Essian was mostly a minor leaguer from 1969-1974. Jim had a couple of short September stints with the Phillies in 1973 (0 for 3 in 2 games) and in 1974 (.100 in 17 games).
- Jim made the Phillies ballclub in 1975, although he went to the minors later. He played in only two games and was 1 for 1. On May 7 Jim was traded (with Barry Bonnell and $150,000) to the Atlanta Braves for Dick Allen and Johnny Oates. Then on May 15 Essian was sent to the Chicago White Sox as the player to be named later in a December 1974 deal that had brought Allen to the Braves in the first place. In all, Jim played in 52 games in the minors and batted .206.
- Essian was the backup catcher for the White Sox in 1976, batting .246 in 78 games. Jim became the regular catcher for the White Sox in 1977 and had his best year. Essian batted .277 with 10 HR and 44 RBI in 114 games.
- During spring training in 1978 Essian was traded (with Steve Renko) to the Oakland A's for Pablo Torrealba. Jim was the main catcher for the A's in 1978 and batted .223 in 126 games. Essian was a part-time catcher in 1979 (.243 in 98 games) and in 1980 (.232 in 87 games).
- After the 1980 season Essian became a free agent and signed with the White Sox. He thought he would be the #1 catcher for the White Sox, but Carlton Fisk became a free agent in March 1981. Essian wanted the White Sox to get Fisk, even though it would mean less playing time for him. The White Sox signed Fisk and Essian was relegated to the bench. Jim played in only 27 games in 1981 and batted .308 in 52 at bats.
- Essian was on the road again after the 1981 season. Jim was traded (with Rod Allen and Todd Cruz) to the Seattle Mariners for Tom Paciorek. Jim split time between AAA Salt Lake City (.226 in 10 games) and the Mariners (.275 in 48 games) in 1982. Jim had broken his leg in May and needed the time in AAA to do some rehabilitation.
- On January 21, 1983 Essian was traded to the Cleveland Indians for a minor leaguer. Jim backed up Ron Hassey behind the plate and batted .204 in 48 games.
- After the 1983 season Essian was traded back to Oakland for Luis Quinones. Jim batted .235 in 63 games for the A's in 1984.
- Essian was cut by the A's during spring training in 1985. Jim managed the Class A Miami Marlins in 1985. Essian then went to the Chicago Cubs organization and managed various minor league teams from 1985-1991.
- On May 22, 1991 Essian was promoted from AAA Iowa to manage the Cubs. The Cubs had been expected by many to win the NL East in 1991. The Cubs went 59-63 under Essian and finished with a disappointing 77-83 record. Jim was dismissed after the season.
- After his time with the Cubs Essian managed in the minors in 1995 and 1996. Jim also managed the Greek national team in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
- 1977 Stats: .273, 10 HR, 44 RBI in 114 games.
- 1977 Highlights:
- July 3 - Hit a 2-run home run to help the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 10-8.
- Sept 13 - Continued his hot hitting against the Twins by hitting a home run as the White Sox beat the Twins 6-1. Jim hit safely in all 12 of his games against the Twins, hit five HR, and batted .462 (18 for 39).
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985
- Bill Castro was the main right-handed closer for the Brewers in 1977. Bill had his highest ERA except for his final season in 1983. Castro pitched mainly in games that the Brewers were losing in August and September. Castro led the Brewers with 13 saves.
- 1977 Stats: 8-6, 13 saves, 4.15 ERA in 51 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1979, 1980
- Dan Meyer was selected from the Detroit Tigers by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft. This was Dan's best major league season. Meyer led the Mariners in RBI in 1977.
- 1977 Stats: .273, 22 HR, 90 RBI in 159 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, Cardboard Gods
- Larry Parrish was in his third season as the starting 3B for the Expos. Larry hadn't developed his power yet -- he was still only 23 years old. His fielding at third base was still below average. After the 1977 season Parrish played winter ball and worked on his hitting and his fielding. The work paid dividends in 1978 and beyond.
- Larry's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .246, 11 HR, 46 RBI in 123 games.
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988
- This was the last of Dennis Eckersley's three seasons in Cleveland. Dennis made the AL All Star team as a replacement for Nolan Ryan (he pitched two no-hit innings), but he pitched no complete games and the Indians were concerned about how his delivery would affect his arm. There was also an awkward situation caused by teammate Rick Manning having an affair with Eckersley's wife. After the 1977 season Eckersley was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
- Dennis Eckersley's SABR biography.
- 1977 Stats: 14-13, 3.53 ERA in 33 starts
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 30 - Pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the California Angels. A first inning walk to Tony Solaita was the only thing that kept Dennis from a perfect game.
- June 3 - Gave up a home run to Ruppert Jones in the sixth inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners. Dennis fell 2/3 of an inning short of equalling Cy Young's record of 23 consecutive hitless innings.
- Aug 27 - Pitched a 4-hit shutout against the Mariners for his 13th win of the year.
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993
- Rowland Office started 99 games in center field for the Atlanta Braves. Rowland was a good defensive outfielder with an above average fielding percentage and range factor, but he wasn't known for his offense.
- Here is a good team blog called "Rowland's Office"
- 1977 Stats: .241, 5 HR, 39 RBI in 124 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, Cardboard Gods
- This is one of those rare instances where players of the same team had consecutive card numbers. Topps had Rollie Fingers planned as a member of the Oakland A's, but Rollie became a free agent after the 1976 season and signed with the San Diego Padres. Topps was able to change the team name and airbrush Fingers into a San Diego uniform, but Topps didn't change any card numbers.
- This was the first time in four years that Rollie Fingers wasn't selected to the All Star Game. Rollie still led the NL in appearances (78) and in saves (35).
- 1977 Stats: 8-9, 35 saves, 2.99 ERA in 78 games.
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1978, 1979, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Enzo spent most of the 1977 season on the disabled list with a bad back. He had surgery (against the advice of the Padres) in 1977. The back problems shortened his career.
- Enzo was released during spring training in 1978. He played in AAA and with the LA Dodgers briefly in 1978 before retiring.
- Enzo Hernandez was found dead of an apparent suicide in January 2013. He was being treated for depression at the time.
- 1977 Stats: .000 (0 for 3) in 7 games
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Bobby Grich was one of the many players who changed teams via free agency after the 1976 season.
- Although his card says second base, Grich played shortstop during the 1977 season.
- It took a while for Grich to pay dividends for the Angels. In 1977 Bobby didn't play after June 8. He had surgery for a herniated lumbar disc in his back in July and missed the rest of the season.
- 1977 Stats: .243, 7 HR, 23 RBI in 52 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1983, 1985, 1986, Cardboard Gods
- Garry Maddox had a solid year for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1977. He didn't hit as well as he did in 1976, but he was still a good offensive player and won a Gold Glove award.
- Maddox separated his shoulder in August and missed two weeks..
- Garry injured his knee and missed the first two games of the NL Championship Series.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .292, 14 HR, 74 RBI in 139 games
- NL Championship Series: .429 (3 for 7) in 2 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 7 - Hit a 2-run single in the 8th inning to tie the game for the Phillies. Threw Steve Yeager out at the plate in the 11th inning to keep the game alive for the Phillies. The Phillies beat the LA Dodgers 7-4 in 13 innings.
- May 25 - Made a shoestring catch in the 9th inning on a Lou Brock drive. The bases were loaded with one out. The Phillies won the game 2-1.
- Other card blogs: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Don Kirkwood was a reliever in 1977. He got roughed up in his first two appearances (5 runs in 2 innings) and had a 22.50 ERA after the two games. On June 15 Don was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He didn't do any better with the White Sox in 1977.
- 1977 Stats:
- California Angels: 1-0, 1 save, 5.09 ERA in 13 games
- Chicago White Sox: 1-1, 5.16 ERA in 16 games
- TOTAL: 2-1, 1 save, 5.15 ERA in 29 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- May 12: Earned his first win of the year by pitching three innings of relief in California's 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
- July 8: Pitched 6 2/3 innings and got his second win. The White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 10-7.
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1978, 1979
- Herman Franks started his career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization at the age of 18 in 1932. Franks played in the minors until 1939. Herman batted .059 in 17 games for the Cardinals in 1939 and then was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- Herman spent two seasons as a backup catcher with the Dodgers (.183 in 65 games in 1940 and .201 in 57 games in 1941) and then served in the military for the next three years.
- Franks played for AAA Montreal in 1946 was a player-manager for the AAA St. Paul Saints in 1947. Herman left the Dodger organization in 1947 to be a backup catcher for the Philadelphia A's for the rest of the 1947 season and for the 1948 season.
- Herman became a coach for the New York Giants under Leo Durocher in 1949. In the famous Bobby Thomson home run game in 1951 Franks was in the center field clubhouse in the Polo Grounds. He apparently was looking at the opposing catchers' signs with a telescope and then relaying them to bullpen catcher Sal Yvars, who would then relay the sign to the batter. Franks always denied being part of such an operation. Herman coached with the Giants until Durocher was fired in 1955.
- Franks was a Giants scout and the General Manager of the AAA Salt Lake City Bees from 1956-1964. Herman also coached under Giants' manager Alvin Dark in 1964.
- In 1965 Franks became the manager of the Giants. The Giants finished second for four straight seasons (1965-1968). Herman stepped down as the Giants' manager after the 1968 season. Franks didn't really need the job -- he was making enough money outside of baseball to have a comfortable living.
- Herman was out of baseball and became a successful businessman between 1969 and 1976.
- Franks was hired to be the manager of the Chicago Cubs after the 1976 season. Herman managed the Cubs from 1977 until he stepped down in late September 1979. Franks served as the interim General Manager of the Cubs in 1981 before the Tribune Company bought the club.
- Franks had a good managerial career even though he never won a pennant. His teams finished at .500 or better in six of his seven years as a major league manager, and the other club (the 1978 Cubs) were just slightly below .500.
- Herman Franks passed away at the age of 95 in 2009.
- Record: 81-81, 4th in NL East, 20 games behind Philadelphia
- Attendance: 1,439,834 (5th in NL)
- Team Batting: .266 (5th in NL)
- Team HR: 111 (10th in NL)
- Team Stolen Bases: 64 (12th in NL)
- Team ERA: 4.01 (8th in NL)
- Team Fielding: .977 (8th in NL)
- All Stars: Jerry Morales (OF), Rick Reuschel (P), Bruce Sutter (P), Manny Trillo (2B)
- Awards: none
- NL Leaders: Bobby Murcer (sacrifice flies - 10)
- Batting Leader: Steve Ontiveros (.299)
- Home Run Leader: Bobby Murcer (27)
- RBI Leader: Bobby Murcer (89)
- Stolen Base Leader: Ivan DeJesus (24)
- Victories Leader: Rick Reuschel (20)
- Losses Leader: Ray Burris (16)
- Strikeout Leader: Rick Reuschel (166)
- Saves Leader: Bruce Sutter (31)
- ERA Leader (starters): Rick Reuschel (2.79)
- ERA Leader (relievers): Bruce Sutter (1.34)
- Players who could have had Cubs cards in 1977 (batters with over 100 AB, pitchers with over 40 innings) :
- Gene Clines (OF) (pictured with Texas Rangers) - .293, 3 HR, 41 RBI in 101 games
- Greg Gross (OF) (pictured with Houston Astros) - .322, 5 HR, 22 RBI in 115 games
- Donnie Moore (P) (first card 1978) - 4-2, 4.07 ERA in 27 games (1 start)
- Dave Roberts (P) (pictured with Detroit Tigers) - 1-1, 1 save, 3.23 ERA in 17 games (6 starts)
- Pete Vuckovich was a big dude -- 6'4" tall and 215 lbs. This picture was taken before Pete grew his hair and his intimidating Fu-Manchu mustache. Vuckovich was known for his ultracompetitiveness on the monund and for his mannerisms between pitched.
- Pete was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1974. Vuckovich pitched in the minors in 1974 and in 1975. Pete was called up at the end of the 1975 season and was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in four games.
- Vuckovich was a middle reliever and a spot starter for the White Sox in 1976. He went 7-4 and had a 4.65 ERA in 33 games (7 starts).
- After the 1976 season Pete was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays in the expansion draft. Vuckovich started the season in the bullpen. He started one game in May and then joined the Toronto rotation for five weeks in June and July. Vuckovich recorded the first save in Blue Jays history on April 7 and pitched the first Toronto shutout on June 26. Pete ended up with one of the better records for the expansion club (7-7, 8 saves, 3.47 ERA). After the 1977 season Vuckovich was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Vuckovich talks about some of his 1977 Blue Jays memories here.
- Pete had three pretty strong seasons for the Cardinals. In 1978 he went 12-12 and had a 2.54 ERA in 34 games (32 starts). Pete was 15-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 1979. Vuckovich had a 12-9 record with a 3.40 ERA in 1980. After the 1980 season Pete was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a seven-player deal.
- Vuckovich was an integral part of the Milwaukee staff in 1981 and 1982. In 1981 Pete led the NL with 14 wins and a .778 winning percentage. Vuckovich went 14-4 with a 3.55 ERA and finished 4th in AL Cy Young Award voting. In 1982 Pete won the AL Cy Young Award with a record of 18-6 and a league-leading .750 winning percentage.
- Vuckovich started and won game 3 of the 1981 AL Divisional Series. Pete was 0-1 in 2 starts in the 1982 AL Championship Series and 0-1 in 2 starts in the 1982 World Series.
- During spring training in 1983 it was discovered that Vuckovich had a torn rotator cuff. He tried an exercise program and made three starts during the 1983 season (0-2, 4.91 ERA).
- Pete missed the entire 1984 season and then attempted comebacks in 1985 (6-10, 5.51 ERA in 22 starts) and in 1986 (2-4, 3.06 ERA in 6 starts).
- Vuckovich was released after the 1986 season and retired.
- After his retirement Pete worked as an announcer (1989-1991) for the Brewers. He also had a role in the movie Major League (Yankee slugger Clu Haywood).
- Pete was a pitching instructor and a pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates for several years. He then worked as a special assistant in the Pirate front office. After the 2011 season Vuckovich was hired by the Seattle Mariners as a special assistant to the General Manager.
- Pete liked to wear two different brands of cleats during his games.
- 1977 Stats: 7-7, 8 saves, 3.47 ERA in 53 games (8 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986
- Bake McBride started the 1977 season with the Cardinals. On June 15 Bake was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. McBride had a great half season with the Phillies and was a vital part of the team's offensive attack through the 1981 season.
- 1977 Stats:
- St. Louis Cardinals: .262, 4 HR, 20 RBI in 43 games
- Philadelphia Phillies: .339, 11 HR, 41 RBI, 27 SB in 85 games
- TOTAL: .316, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 36 stolen bases in 128 games
- NL Championship Series: .222 (4 for 18) in 4 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1974, 1975, 1975 Hostess, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1979, 1980, 1983, Cardboard Gods
- Chris Speier was disgruntled with the Giants at the start of the 1977 season. He was at an impasse on contract negotiations and he wasn't helping his own cause by struggling at the plate in 1976 and early in 1977. Speier was benched in mid April. On April 27 Chris was traded to the Montreal Expos for shortstop Tim Foli. Speier started to hit better once he went to Montreal, but his stats weren't quite up to the level of his all-star years in the early 1970s.
- 1977 Stats:
- San Francisco Giants: .176 in 6 games
- Montreal Expos: .235, 5 HR, 38 RBI in 139 games
- TOTAL: ..234 in 145 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1976 Hostess, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, A Giant Blog
- Cliff Johnson started the 1977 season with the Astros. Cliff was traded to the New York Yankees on June 15 for three players. The Yankees needed a right-handed power hitter to do some pinch hitting and to be an occasional DH. Johnson was just what the Yankees needed in 1977. Cliff didn't fare so well in 1978 and after the famous fight with Goose Gossage in 1979 Johnson found himself traded to the Cleveland Indians.
- 1977 Stats:
- Houston Astros: .299, 10 HR, 23 RBI in 51 games
- New York Yankees: .296, 12 HR, 31 RBI in 56 games
- TOTAL: .297, 22 HR, 54 RBI in 107 games
- AL Championship Series: .400 (6 for 15) in 5 games
- World Series: .000 (0 for 1) in 2 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1985, Cardboard Gods
- Jack Billingham started to tail off in 1977. After several good seasons as one of the Reds' main starters, Jack slipped to 10-10 and his ERA jumped to 5.23. Billingham was in the starting rotation until July 3. After that Jack made only six starts and made 13 relief appearances.
- During spring training the following season Billingham was traded to the Detroit Tigers.
- 1977 Stats: 10-10, 5.23 ERA in 36 games (23 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980
- Bill Fahey was the third catcher behind Jim Sundberg and John Ellis in 1977. Sundberg didn't sit down very often, so Bill only got into 39 games.
- Fahey would spend the 1978 season in AAA before being traded to the San Diego Padres.
- 1977 Stats: .221 in 37 games (68 AB)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1983
- 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
- Here is another card of a player in his last season. At this point in his career Cookie Rojas was a backup at third base and at second base.
- 1977 Stats:
- Regular season: .250 in 64 games
- AL Championship Series: .250 (1 for 4) in 1 game
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Dave Pagan was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft (hence the bad airbrush job on this card). Pagan started the season with the Mariners but he struggled. Dave was sent to AAA in early July and then was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27 for Rick Honeycutt. Pagan pitched for AAA Columbus until the minor league season was over and then went up to Pittsburgh. He pitched in one game for the Pirates and that was it for his major league career.
- 1977 Stats:
- Seattle Mariners: 1-1, 6.14 ERA in 24 games (4 starts)
- Spokane Indians (AAA): 0-3, 7.56 ERA in 5 games (4 starts)
- Columbus Clippers (AAA): 2-1, 3.79 ERA in 8 games (5 starts)
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 game
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1975
- This was Mike Hegan's last season. Hegan was a pinch hitter and occasional outfielder by this point in his career. After batting .170 in 35 games Mike announced he would quit playing at the end of the season and become a broadcaster. Hegan was dissatisifed about his playing time and with manager Alex Grammas. The Brewers released Hegan on July 15.
- Mike Hegan's SABR biography
- 1977 Stats: .170, 2 HR, 3 RBI in 35 games
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968, 1967
- This was Steve Grilli's final full season in the major leagues. Steve wasn't used very much -- he had two appearances in April and two appearances in May. For the rest of the season Grilli averaged about two appearances a week.
- 1977 Stats: 1-2, 4.83 ERA in 30 games (2 starts)
- 1977 Highlights:
- Other card blogs: 1976
