1977 Pittsburgh Pirates season
Encyclopedia
Offseason
- November 5, 1976: Manny SanguillénManny SanguillenManuel De Jesus Sanguillen Magan, better known as Manny Sanguillen or "Sangy" , is a former professional baseball player who was a catcher in the Major Leagues. He was named to the All-Star team three times, in , , and . He played primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but also for the Oakland...
was traded by the Pirates to the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for manager Chuck TannerChuck TannerCharles William "Chuck" Tanner was a left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979...
. - December 10, 1976: Richie ZiskRichie ZiskRichard Walter Zisk is a retired Major League Baseball player currently in charge of pro scouting in Florida for the Chicago Cubs.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
and Silvio MartínezSilvio MartínezSilvio Ramón Martínez Cabrera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Martínez pitched all or part of five seasons in the majors, from until , for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.-Sources:...
were traded by the Pirates to the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
for Goose GossageGoose GossageRichard Michael "Goose" Gossage is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 22-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1994 for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" is a play on his surname...
and Terry ForsterTerry ForsterTerry Jay Forster is a retired left-handed relief pitcher who played for 16 seasons in the Major Leagues. He played for five teams in his career and recorded 127 saves during his time in the majors....
. - March 15, 1977: Rick LangfordRick LangfordJames Rick Langford , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1976-1986...
, Tony ArmasTony ArmasAntonio Rafael Armas Machado is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was one of the top sluggers in the American League in the early 1980s. Twice Armas led the league in home runs, and led all of Major League Baseball in RBIs in...
, Doug BairDoug BairCharles Douglas Bair is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in the majors, from until , for seven different teams...
, Dave GiustiDave GiustiDavid John Giusti, Jr., is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1962 to 1977....
, Doc MedichDoc MedichGeorge Francis "Doc" Medich in Aliquippa, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1982...
, and Mitchell PageMitchell PageMitchell Otis Page is a former Major League Baseball player. He finished second to Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in American League Rookie of the Year balloting when he came up with the Oakland Athletics in .-Early years:...
were traded by the Pirates to the Oakland Athletics for Phil GarnerPhil GarnerPhilip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
, Tommy HelmsTommy HelmsTommy Vann Helms is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Over a fourteen year career , Helms played for four different teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Houston Astros, and one apiece with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox...
, and Chris BattonChris BattonChristopher Sean Batton is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played part of one season in Major League Baseball in 1976 for the Oakland Athletics....
.
Regular season
- May 11, 1977: Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
owner Ted TurnerTed TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
appointed himself managerManager (baseball)In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the team before a game against the Pirates. After losing the game 2-1, Turner stepped down.
Notable transactions
- June 7, 1977: Wayne TollesonWayne TollesonJimmy Wayne Tolleson is a former Major League Baseball player. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, Tolleson was listed at 5'9" tall and 160 pounds during his playing career.-Western Carolina University:...
was drafted by the Pirates in the 12th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft1977 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The White Sox raised some brows when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill Gullickson, a native of nearby Orland Park, IL, and selected outfielder Harold Baines as the number one...
, but did not sign. - June 15, 1977: Ed KirkpatrickEd KirkpatrickEdgar Leon Kirkpatrick , nicknamed "Spanky", was a baseball utility player for the Los Angeles/California Angels , Kansas City Royals , Pittsburgh Pirates , Texas Rangers , and Milwaukee Brewers .He helped the Pirates win the National League Eastern Division in 1974 and 1975...
was traded by the Pirates to the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Jim FregosiJim FregosiJames Louis Fregosi is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and manager. During an 18-year baseball career, he played from 1961–1978 for four different teams, primarily the Los Angeles and California Angels. In that franchise's first eleven years of play, he became its first star as the team's...
. - July 27, 1977: The Pirates traded a player to be named later to the Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
for Dave PaganDave PaganDavid Percy Pagan is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1973 until 1977, and was a member of the Seattle Mariners' 1977 inaugural season roster....
. The Pirates completed the deal by sending Rick HoneycuttRick HoneycuttFrederick Wayne "Rick" Honeycutt is the current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Honeycutt was a left-handed pitcher for 21 years from 1977 to 1997. He played with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and the St. Louis Cardinals...
to the Mariners on August 22.
Roster
| 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 153 | 585 | 152 | .260 | 17 | 77 | |
| RF | 159 | 637 | 215 | .338 | 21 | 88 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 186 | 51 | .274 | 13 | 35 | |
| 70 | 81 | 16 | .198 | 0 | 4 | |
| 36 | 56 | 16 | .286 | 3 | 16 | |
| 21 | 28 | 4 | .143 | 1 | 4 | |
| 15 | 12 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 230.2 | 20 | 5 | 2.34 | 133 | |
| 33 | 208 | 10 | 13 | 4.11 | 116 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 108 | 3 | 7 | 5.08 | 66 | |
| 39 | 90.1 | 6 | 5 | 5.08 | 35 | |
| 33 | 87.1 | 6 | 4 | 4.43 | 58 | |
| 5 | 15.2 | 1 | 0 | 3.45 | 10 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 1.62 | 151 | |
| 72 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 3.06 | 59 | |
| 49 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3.86 | 41 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 0 |
Awards and honors
1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 48th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 19, 1977, at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, New York the...
- Dave ParkerDave ParkerDavid Gene "The Cobra" Parker is an American former player in Major League Baseball. He was the 1978 National League MVP and a two-time batting champion. Parker was the first professional athlete to earn an average of one million dollars per year, having signed a 5-year, $5 million dollar contract...
, outfield, starter - John CandelariaJohn CandelariaJohn Robert Candelaria . He attended The Caton School P.S. 249. Nicknamed "The Candy Man," is a former professional left-handed pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles...
, reserve - Goose GossageGoose GossageRichard Michael "Goose" Gossage is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 22-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1994 for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" is a play on his surname...
, reserve