In 1976 Reuschel appeared in 50 games (2 starts ) and was 4-2 with 3 saves and had an ERA of 4.55
Paul was mostly a middle reliever for the Chicago Cubs in 1977. It would be his last full season as a member of the Cubs.
Reuschel started the 1978 season with the Cubs (2-0, 5.14 ERA in 20 games). On June 26 Paul was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Dennis DeBarr. Reuschel finished the 1978 season with the Indians and was 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 18 games (6 starts).
In 1979 Paul went 2-1 with 1 save and had a 7.94 ERA in 17 games. Reuschel was released by the Indians after the 1979 season and he retired.
1977 Stats: 5-6, 4.37 ERA, 4 saves in 69 games
1977 Highlights:
July 8 - Pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned the save in the Cubs' 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.
Jim Colborn pitched for the Kansas City Royals in 1977. Colborn was acquired by the Royals from the Milwaukee Brewers along with Darrell Porter for Jamie Quirk, Jim Wohlford, and Bob McClure in a deal that was generally viewed as a lopsided trade in favor of the Royals. Jim had his last good season in 1977 and pitched only one more year (1978).
Aug 29 - "Started" a game as the right fielder. Kansas City manager Whitey Herzog started three pitchers in fielding positions as a protest against a decision by AL President Lee MacPhail to have the Royals play a make-up game on an off day before an important series against the Texas Rangers. The Royals had played for 19 straight days before having to play the makeup game. Hal McRae pinch hit for Colborn in the top of the first inning, so Jim didn't actually play in the field.
I don't remember George Hendrick as a San Diego Padre. But he played for them for a season and a half in 1977 and 1978. After the 1976 season the Indians traded George to the Padres for Johnny Grubb, Fred Kendall, and Hector Torres. Hendrick had been expected to play out his option and become a free agent after the 1977 season.
Hendrick played pretty well for the Padres in 1977, but he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Eric Rasmussen after expressing unhappiness about being alternated with Oscar Gamble in the outfield..
1977 Stats: .311, 23 HR, 81 RBI
1977 Highlights:
May 30 / 30 - Homered in each game to help the Padres sweep the San Francisco Giants in a doubleheader.
Ron Hodges was a pinch hitter and occasional catcher for the New York Mets in 1977. Hodges appeared in a total of 66 games, but was behind the plate in only 27 of those games.
1977 Stats: .265 in 66 games
1977 Highlights:
Aug 28 - Went 3 for 4 in a 6-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Sept 3 - Was 2 for 3 with a run scored as the Mets beat the Braves 9-1.
It looks like the Texas Rangers didn't learn their lesson with David Clyde. Tommy Boggs was the second player selected in the 1974 draft. Boggs moved through the Texas system very quickly and came up to the Rangers as a 20-year-old in July 1976.
Tommy was 1-7 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts for the Rangers in 1976 and his future looked bright.
In 1977 Tommy had a rough start and was sent to AAA after six starts. Boggs spent the rest of the year in Tucson but fared poorly there.
Boggs was part of a complicated four-way trade that netted the Rangers Bert Blyleven. Boggs ended up with the Atlanta Braves and started the 1978 season with the major league club. He struggled and was sent down to AAA Richmond in late May. Tommy came back to the Braves in July and ended up 2-8 with a 6.71 ERA.
Tommy was in Richmond for most of the 1979 season. He started three games for the Braves in September and was 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA.
Things looked pretty bleak for Boggs in 1980, but he was able to have his best season in the majors. Tommy went 12-9 and had a 3.42 ERA in 32 games (26 starts).
Boggs had an about-face in 1981. He had a 3-13 record and had an ERA of 4.10 in 24 starts in the strike-shortened season.
Tommy was off to a good start in 1982 when he had a rotator cuff injury and had to miss much of the season. Boggs started three games and had to leave his third start after pitching 1 2/3 innings. After a rehab assignment in Richmond Tommy was reactivated in late August and had some good starts for the Braves down the stretch. Boggs ended up with a 2-2 record and had an ERA of 3.30 in 10 starts.
On September 6, 1982 (my 16th birthday) Boggs was removed from a game after six innings although he had a no-hitter going. The Braves were leading the Giants 2-0 at the time. The Giants came back against the Atlanta bullpen and ended up winning the game 8-2.
In 1983 Tommy appeared in only five games for the Braves (0-0, 5.68 ERA) and four games for Richmond (0-4, 14.25 ERA) as he tried to recover from shoulder surgery. Boggs was released after the season.
The Texas Rangers signed Boggs in 1984. He spent the 1984 season in the minors.
In 1985 Tommy was with the Rangers for about three weeks from mid-April to early May and was 0-0 with an 11.57 ERA in four games. He also spent some time in AAA and then retired after the season.
After his retirement as a player, Tommy started the Austin Slam Baseball Club in 1986. The club trains players to become college and professional players.
Bill Virdon had a long career in baseball as a player and as a manager.
Virdon came up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955 and was the NL Rookie of the Year.
Bill was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956 and played center field for them through the 1965 season. Virdon was a member of the 1960 World Champion Pirates and won a Gold Glove award in 1962.
Bill retired after the 1965 season and managed the AA Williamsport Mets in 1966
Bill coached for the Pirates for a few more seasons and then became the Pirates' manager after the resignation of Danny Murtaugh after the 1971 season.
Virdon managed the Pirates in 1972 and for most of the 1973 season until he was replaced by Murtaugh on September 6. The Pirates didn't play well in 1973, but a lot of that was due to the tragic loss of Roberto Clemente before the season.
Bill managed the Astros until the middle of the 1982 season. Virdon was the NL Manager of the Year in 1980. He took the Astros to the playoffs in 1980 and in 1981, but when the Astros struggled in 1982 Virdon was replaced. Bill is still the winningest manager in Houston history. He had a 544-522 record during his Houston tenure.
