1977 Kansas City Royals Season
The 1977 Kansas City Royals season was their ninth in Major League Baseball. The Royals' franchise-best 102–60 record led the majors and Kansas City won its second consecutive American League West title. Once again, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in the postseason, falling 3–2 in the 1977 American League Championship Series. Hal McRae led the American League in doubles, with 54. Al Cowens set a franchise single-season record with 112 runs batted in. Offseason * November 5, 1976: Ruppert Jones was drafted from the Royals by the Seattle Mariners with the first pick in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft. * December 6, 1976: Jamie Quirk, Jim Wohlford and a player to be named later were traded by the Kansas City Royals to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jim Colborn and Darrell Porter. The Kansas City Royals completed the trade by sending Bob McClure to the Brewers on March 15, 1977. * December 7, 1976: Frank Ortenzio was traded by the Royals to the Montreal Exp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the West Coast of the United States, west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago. From 1998 (when the NL West expanded to five teams) to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams. The current champion of this division is the Houston Astros. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams each. Division membership Current members * Houston Astros - Joined in 2013; formerly from the National League West, NL West (1969–1993) and National League Central, NL Central (1994–2012) * Los Angeles AngelsThe Angels were formerly known as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Al Cowens
Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. (October 25, 1951 – March 11, 2002) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals (1974–79), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Angels (1980), Detroit Tigers (1980–81) and Seattle Mariners (1982–86). He batted and threw right-handed. Baseball career A native of Los Angeles, California, Cowens was a product of the Kansas City Royals farm system, having been selected by the team in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft, 1969 MLB draft. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 1974 and played for them through 1979. His most productive season came in 1977, when he batting average (baseball), batted .312 with 23 home runs and 112 run batted in, RBI, earned a Gold Glove Award, Gold Glove, and finished second to Rod Carew in balloting for the MLB Most Valuable Player Award, American League MVP Award. Cowens was traded along with Todd Cruz from the Royals to the Los Angeles Angels, Ca ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pete LaCock
Ralph Pierre "Pete" LaCock Jr. (born January 17, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder. He batted and threw left-handed. In 1975, LaCock hit the only grand slam of his career in the final appearance of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson. Career LaCock was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1970 January Draft-Regular Phase out of William Howard Taft Charter High School. His minor league career included leading the Texas League with 84 bases on balls while playing for the San Antonio Missions in 1971 and with 13 triples and 93 bases on balls while playing for the Midland Cubs in 1972. Due to LaCock's success in the minor league system, he was promoted to the major leagues, where he played for the Cubs (1972–1976) and the Kansas City Royals (1977–1980). In 1981, he played in Japan for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. Over nine seasons (715 games), LaCock hit 27 home runs with 224 RBI and a batting average ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second-most by any third baseman in major league history (after only Adrian Beltre's 3,166) and rank 18th all-time. He is one of five players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average (the others being Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Miguel Cabrera, and Stan Musial). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 on the first ballot and is the only player in MLB history to win a batting title in three different decades. He was also a member of the Royals' 1985 World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Brett was named the Royals' interim hitting coach in 2013 on May 30, but stepped down from the position on July 25 in order to resume his position of vice president of baseball operations. Earl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (NL) East division from 1969 until 2004. Following the 2004 season, the franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals. Immediately after the minor league Triple-A Montreal Royals folded in 1960, political leaders in Montreal sought an MLB franchise, and when the National League evaluated expansion candidates for the 1969 season, it awarded a team to Montreal. Named after the Expo 67 World's Fair, the Expos originally played at Jarry Park Stadium before moving to Olympic Stadium in 1977. The Expos failed to post a winning record in any of their first ten seasons. The team won its only division title in the strike-shortened season, but lost the 1981 National League Championship Seri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frank Ortenzio
Frank Joseph Ortenzio Jr. (born February 24, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nine games for the Kansas City Royals in . He also played two seasons ( and ) in Japan for the Nankai Hawks. During his time with the Nankai Hawks, he was given the registered name, "Ohtenjoh (王天上)", which translates into the king above heaven. You would see this on scoreboards and in the newspaper. Normally foreign players in Japan are given names in katakana, but because his last name appeared close to Japanese sounds, the team decided to give him a kanji pictograph name. Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortenzio, Frank Major League Baseball first basemen Kansas City Royals players Nankai Hawks players Corning Royals players Billings Mustangs players San Jose Bees players Jacksonville Suns players Omaha Royals players Denver Bears players Hawaii Islanders players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from California Sportspeople from Fresno, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bob McClure
Robert Craig McClure (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1975 to 1993, most notably as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers with whom he won the 1982 American League pennant. Following his playing career, he has served as a coach for several MLB teams. Playing career Kansas City Royals McClure was born in Oakland, California, and attended Terra Nova High School in Pacifica, California, and College of San Mateo in San Mateo, California. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round of the January phase of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft, however chose not to sign. Instead, he signed with the Kansas City Royals, who selected him in the secondary phase of the draft that June, also in the third round. The Royals used McClure as a starting pitcher his first professional season in the Pioneer League in 1973. He went 10–2 with a 2.11 earned run average ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Darrell Porter
Darrell Ray Porter (January 17, 1952 – August 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1971 to 1987 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. The four-time All-Star was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting ability. He struggled but was never able to overcome a substance abuse problem, yet went on to become the most valuable player of the 1982 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Porter died from an accidental drug overdose in 2002 at the age of 50. Biography Playing career Born in Joplin, Missouri, Porter was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (4th overall) of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft out of Southeast High School in Oklahoma City, OK. He made his major league debut on September 2, 1971, with the Brewers at age 19. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. Porter was selected to the American League ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jim Colborn
James William Colborn (born May 22, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-handed Colborn pitched for the Chicago Cubs (-), Milwaukee Brewers (-), Kansas City Royals (-) and Seattle Mariners (1978). Biography After graduating from Whittier College with a degree in sociology, Colborn studied for his master's degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where he also starred in basketball as well as baseball, being named all-Scotland. In 1967, the Chicago Cubs signed Colborn as an amateur free agent. He found himself in Leo Durocher's doghouse after struggling as a young relief pitcher for three years. Colborn was traded along with Brock Davis and Earl Stephenson to the Brewers for José Cardenal on December 3, 1971. Colborn was the Brewers' first-ever 20-game winner in 1973, posting a 20-12 record with a 3.18 ERA. He also was named to the American League All-Star team, but did not pitch in the game. Over the next three seasons, however, Colborn posted ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association with the brewing industry. Since 2001, they have played their home games at American Family Field, which was named Miller Park through the 2020 season and has a seating capacity of 41,900 people. The team was founded in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, an expansion team of the American League (AL), in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The Pilots played their home games at Sick's Stadium. After only one season, the team relocation of professional sports teams, relocated to Milwaukee, becoming known as the Brewers and playing their home games at Milwaukee County Stadium. In 1998, the Brewers joined the National League. They are the only franchise to play in four different divisions since the advent of divisional play ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jim Wohlford
James Eugene Wohlford (born February 28, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1972 to 1986 for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, and the Montreal Expos. Baseball career Wohlford spent most of his career as a reserve outfielder, typically in left field. He was often used as a defensive replacement due to his fielding skills. With the 1974 Kansas City Royals, he had a batting average of .271. 1974 was the only year Wohlford ever had more than 500 at bats. He had a .260 career batting average. He signed a five-year free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants on December 12, 1979. During his Major League career, he became notable for saying the line, "Ninety percent of this game is half-mental." Post playing career After his playing career ended, Wohlford has worked as a financial planner in Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jamie Quirk
James Patrick Quirk (; born October 22, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1992. Quirk was a member of the world champion 1985 Kansas City Royals team. Playing career Quirk was born in Whittier, California. He was a ''Parade'' All-America quarterback at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California where, upon graduation, he was offered a four-year football scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. Quirk attended Whittier College. Quirk played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles in a career that spanned the years 1975–1992. On September 27, 1984, Quirk hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Cleveland Indians in a game against the Minnesota Twins. It was the only plate appearance Quirk had for the Indians, and was mean ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |