1977 in baseball

[edit] Events

[edit] January-March

• January 4 - Mary Shane is hired by the Chicago White Sox as the first woman TV play-by-play announcer.

• January 19 - The Baseball Writers Association of America elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

• January 31 - The Special Veterans Committee selects Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie and Al Lopez for the Hall of Fame.

• February 3 - The Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues picks versatile Cuban star Martin Dihigo and shortstop John Henry Lloyd for induction. The committee then dissolves, its functions being taken over by the Veterans Committee.

• March 21 - Mark Fidrych, the 1976 AL Rookie of the Year, rips the cartilage in his left knee and will undergo surgery in ten days. The injury will effectively end the fabled career of The Bird.

[edit] April-June

• April 7 - The Toronto Blue Jays play their first game in franchise history, defeating the Chicago White Sox 9-5 at Exhibition Stadium.

• April 15 - The Montreal Expos play their first game at Montreal's Olympic Stadium before a crowd of 57,592, as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies win 7-2.

• April 24 - Ferguson Jenkins throws the first shutout ever in Exhibition Stadium, as the visiting Boston Red Sox defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-0.

• May 30 - At age 22, pitcher Dennis Eckersley fires a no-hitter as the Cleveland Indians top the California Angels 1-0. Eckersley walks one batter and strikes out 12.

• June 7 - The Chicago White Sox select Harold Baines with the number one pick in the draft. White Sox owner Bill Veeck had first seen Baines play Little League ball and had followed his career. Pitcher Bill Gullickson is taken with the second pick by the Montreal Expos, and the Milwaukee Brewers take University of Minnesota infielder Paul Molitor with the third pick. Danny Ainge, a potential pro basketball player, is picked in the 15th round.

• June 27 - The San Francisco Giants' Willie McCovey smashes two home runs, one a grand slam, in the sixth inning to pace a 14–9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. McCovey becomes the first player in major league history to twice hit two home runs in one inning (his first time was on April 12, 1973), and also becomes the all-time National League leader with 17 career grand slams. Andre Dawson, in both 1978 and 1986, will be the next player to hit two homers in the same inning.

[edit] July-September

• July 14 - The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4, as Carl Yastrzemski's fifth inning single gives him a career total of 2,655 hits; he moves ahead of Ted Williams as Boston's all-time leader.

• July 19 - In the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, the National League defeats the American League for the 14th time in the last 15 encounters. Don Sutton of the Los Angeles Dodgers is named MVP.

• August 12 - For the second consecutive day, Manny Sanguillén of the Oakland Athletics foils a no-hit bid with a single hit off the Baltimore Orioles' Jim Palmer, who settles for a two-hit 6-0 victory. Yesterday's hit was off the New York Yankees' Mike Torrez, who finished with a 3-0 two-hitter.

• August 15 - In a 2–1 win over Kansas City, Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox hits a third inning double and becomes the first Boston player since Ted Williams in 1939 to hit 20 home runs, 20 doubles and 10 triples in a season. Besides Williams and Rice, only Charlie Keller (1946), Joe DiMaggio (1948, 1950) and Mickey Mantle (1955) had reached those levels in the majors.

• August 17 - Records fall as the Mexican League concludes its season. Ironman reliever Aurelio López of the Mexico City Reds racks up his 30th save to go with a record 19 victories in relief. Veteran Tampico first baseman Héctor Espino hits 14 home runs, raising his career total to 435, a new minor league record. Thirty-eight-year-old Vic Davalillo, the league's top hitter with a .384 batting average, is purchased by the Dodgers.

• August 29 - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock steals two bases in a 4–3 loss to the San Diego Padres. It is the 893rd career stolen base for Brock, breaking Ty Cobb's modern record.

• August 31 - Hank Aaron's major league mark of 755 career home runs is tied by Sadaharu Oh in Japanese baseball. Three days later, Oh will hit his 756th homer to surpass Aaron's total, becoming the most prolific home run hitter in professional baseball history.

• September 6 - The California Angels acquire slugger Dave Kingman for cash consideration. Nine days later, the New York Yankees will buy Kingman, making him the first player to wear four uniforms in four divisions during the same season. His 26 home runs will be the most by a player with more than two teams.

• September 10 - Roy Howell hits two home runs, two doubles, and a single, and drives in nine runs, as Toronto beats the Yankees 19–3.

• September 22 - Bert Blyleven tossed a 6-0 no-hitter for the Texas Rangers against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

• September 24 - Jack Brohamer of the Chicago White Sox becomes the first White Sox player since Ray Schalk in 1922 to hit for the cycle as Chicago whips the Seattle Mariners 8–3.

[edit] October-December

• October 7 - In Game Three of the National League Championship Series at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, the Los Angels Dodgers we're down 5-3 with 2 outs in the 9th inning, but the Dodgers catch lightning in a bottle. Pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo beats out a 2-strike drag bunt and pinch-hitter Manny Mota follows with a long double off Greg Luzinski's glove. Mota reaches 3rd on a throw that Ted Sizemore mishandles. Davey Lopes' grounder hits a seam in the carpet and caroms off Mike Schmidt's knee to Larry Bowa, and the shortstop's throw is ruled late although television replays and a scene from a 1977 Philadelphia Phillies highlight film showed that Lopes was out. Los Angeles pulls out a 6-5 victory over the Phillies.

• October 18 - In Game Six of the World Series, Reggie Jackson becomes "Mr. October". His three home runs in three swings lead the New York Yankees to an 8–4, Series-clinching victory. Jackson is named Series MVP.

[edit] Movies

• The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training

[edit] Births

[edit] Deaths

• January 1 - Danny Frisella, 30, relief pitcher who saved 57 games for five teams
• January 11 - Tex Carleton, 70, pitcher who won 100 games, including a no-hitter, for Cardinals, Cubs and Dodgers
• January 16 - Baby Doll Jacobson, 86, center fielder for the St. Louis Browns who batted .311 lifetime
• January 29 - Hod Ford, 79, infielder for fifteen seasons with five NL teams
• February 4 - Nemo Leibold, 84, outfielder for four AL teams batted .300 twice; later a minor league manager
• April 12 - Philip K. Wrigley, 82, owner of the Chicago Cubs since 1932, and vice president of the National League from 1947 to 1966; also organized the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943
• April 28 - Al Smith, 69, All-Star pitcher who won 99 games for Giants, Phillies and Indians
• June 10 - Turk Farrell, 43, All-Star pitcher who won 106 games, mainly with the Phillies and Astros
• June 15 - Big Bill Lee, 67, All-Star pitcher who had two 20-win seasons for the Chicago Cubs
• July 16 - Milt Stock, 84, third baseman who batted .300 five times
• September 2 - Chucho Ramos, 59, Venezuelan outfielder who played 4 games for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds
• September 8 - Oral Hildebrand, 70, All-Star pitcher who won 83 games for the Indians, Browns and Yankees
• September 14 - Beau Bell, 70, All-Star right fielder who led AL in hits and doubles in 1937; later coached at Texas A&M
• September 24 - Sherm Lollar, 53, 7-time All-Star catcher for the Chicago White Sox who won first three Gold Gloves awarded
• September 26 - Ernie Lombardi, 69, 8-time All-Star catcher, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants, who batted .306 lifetime and won 1938 MVP award; only catcher to win two batting titles, he caught Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters in 1938
• September 30 - Del Pratt, 89, second baseman for four AL teams who led AL in RBI in 1916 with St. Louis Browns; batted .300 in his last five seasons
• October 17 - Cal Hubbard, 76, Hall of Fame umpire in the American League from 1936 to 1951 who developed modern systems of umpire positioning
• November 8 - Bucky Harris, 81, Hall of Fame manager of five teams who won 3rd most games (2157) in history; managed Senators three times, winning 1924 World Series as rookie skipper, and also led Yankees to 1947 title; as second baseman, led AL in double plays five times
• November 9 - Fred Haney, 79, manager who won World Series with Milwaukee Braves in 1957; was Angels' first general manager from 1960-68
• November 17 - Roger Peckinpaugh, 86, shortstop for four AL teams who was named the 1925 MVP in his last full season; became manager and general manager of the Indians
• November 24 - Mayo Smith, 62, manager of the Phillies, Reds and Tigers who led Detroit to the 1968 World Series title
• November 28 - Bob Meusel, 81, outfielder, mainly with the Yankees, who batted .309 lifetime and led AL in HRs and RBI in 1925; hit for the cycle three times
• December 1 - Dobie Moore, 82, star shortstop for the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs
• December 29 - Jimmy Brown, 67, All-Star infielder and leadoff hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals