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1977 Houston Astros Season
The 1977 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The team finished third in the National League West with a record of 81–81, 17 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Offseason * December 8, 1976: Greg Gross was traded by the Astros to the Chicago Cubs for Julio González. * January 11, 1977: John Butcher was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round (5th pick) of the secondary phase of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. * January 25, 1977: Paul Siebert was traded by the Astros to the San Diego Padres for Mike Allen (minors). * March 26, 1977: Rob Andrews and cash were traded by the Astros to the San Francisco Giants for Willie Crawford and Rob Sperring. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions * June 7, 1977: Scott Loucks was drafted by the Astros in the 5th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. * June 15, 1977: Willie Crawford Willie Murphy Crawford (September 7, 1946 – Augus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a regular-season of 162 games, half of the teams were put into the new National League East, East Division and half into the new West Division. Within each division, the teams played 18 games each against their five division mates (90 games), and also 12 games against the teams in the opposite division (72 games), totaling 162 games. Geography Despite the geography, the owners of the Chicago Cubs insisted that their team be placed into the East Division along with the teams in New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Also, the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals wanted that team to be in the same division with their natural rivals of the Cubs. The league could have insisted on a purely geographical alignment like the American League did. But ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1977 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The White Sox surprised some 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 pick in the draft. White Sox owner Bill Veeck had seen Baines play little league baseball in Maryland and had followed his progress through the years. After spending three seasons in the minors, Baines was a fixture in the White Sox lineup for 10 seasons. With Gullickson available, Montreal selected the pitcher second overall, and eventually pitcher Scott Sanderson in the third round and outfielder Tim Raines in the fifth. Shortstop Tom Goffena from Sidney, Ohio became the Toronto Blue Jays' first draft pick as he was chosen 25th in the first round. The Seattle Mariners picked 26th and took outfielder Dave Henderson from Dos Palos, CA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Forsch
Kenneth Roth Forsch (born September 8, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from to , most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he helped the franchise win its first-ever National League Western Division title and postseason berth in . A two-time All-Star player, Forsch pitched a no-hitter for the Astros on April 7, 1979. He ended his baseball career playing for the California Angels. Career Forsch was born in Sacramento, California where he graduated from Hiram Johnson High School and later attended the Oregon State University where he played for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team through the 1967–1968 seasons. He was selected by the Houston Astros in the 18th round (399th overall) of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut on September 7, 1970 at the age of 23. Forsch was selected to the All-Star Game in 1976 and 1981. On April 7, 1979, Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Dixon (pitcher)
Thomas Earl Dixon (born April 23, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1977 to 1983 for the Houston Astros and 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 t .... External links Venezuelan Professional Baseball League 1955 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Cardenales de Lara players Charleston Charlies players Columbus Astros players Dubuque Packers players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Houston Astros players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players St. Petersburg Cardinals players Syracuse Chiefs players Tidewater Tides players Wichita Aeros players William R. Boone High ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floyd Bannister
Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (–), Seattle Mariners (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Kansas City Royals (–), California Angels (), and Texas Rangers (). Bannister also played for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), in . History In 1973, as a high school senior, Bannister led his Kennedy High School team to a state championship, pitching 15 wins and 0 losses with a season ERA of 0.00. Seattle Times, 2003 May 29"Seasons in the sun: Prep athletes who have left indelible marks"/ref> Bannister went on to attend Arizona State University, where he was named college player of the year by The Sporting News as a junior. This led to his selection by the Houston Astros as the first overall pick of the 1976 amateur draft. After pitching just seven games in the minors in , Bannister opened the season with the Astr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joaquín Andújar
Joaquín Andújar (; December 21, 1952 – September 8, 2015) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Oakland Athletics from 1976 through 1988. Andújar was a four-time MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner.Schudel, Matt (September 11, 2015) "Pitcher reveled in tough, fiery image" ''The Washington Post'', page B-/ref> Early years Andújar signed with the Cincinnati Reds in , one month shy of his 17th birthday. He posted a 33–41 record with a 4.33 earned run average over six seasons in the Reds' farm system. Following the season, he was dealt to the Houston Astros for two players to be named later (on December 12, 1975, the Reds received reliever Luis Sanchez and third baseman and catcher Carlos Alfonso). Playing career Houston Astros (1976–1981) Andújar made his Major League debut in the season opener against his former franchise. After two relief appearances against ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denny Walling
Dennis Martin Walling (born April 17, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball player. Walling played all or parts of 18 seasons in the majors, from 1975 to 1992. His most frequent position was third base, but he also saw significant time as an outfielder and first baseman. Walling may be best known as a pinch-hitting specialist for the Houston Astros. Nicknamed "Good Wood", Walling was a valuable bat off the bench for most of his career. Entering the 2009 season, his 108 career pinch hits are tied for 13th all-time. He hit .271 with 799 hits in 2,945 lifetime at bats with 49 home runs and 380 RBI in 1,271 games. Walling served as the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles before Butch Davis Amateur career Walling grew up in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and played baseball at Howell High School in New Jersey. Walling played college baseball at Clemson University. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8th round of the 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum. Throughout their history, the Athletics have won nine World Series championships. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team was founded in Philadelphia in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. They won three World Series championships in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. The team's owner and manager for its first 50 years was Connie Mack and Hall of Fame players included Chief Bender, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove. The team left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1955 and became the Kansas City Athletics before moving to Oakland in 1968. Nicknamed the " Swingin' A's", they won three consecutive World Series in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Loucks
Scott Gregory Loucks (born November 11, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of five seasons in the majors between and . In none of those seasons did he accumulate more than 49 at bats or 11 hits. Both of those high-water marks came in for the Houston Astros, when he was used in 44 games, mainly as a pinch hitter, pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ... and/or defensive replacement. Sources Major League Baseball outfielders Houston Astros players Pittsburgh Pirates players Gulf Coast Astros players Daytona Beach Astros players Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm baseball players Columbus Astros players Tucson Toros players Indianapolis Indians players Hawaii Islanders players Baseball players from Alaska 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Sperring
Robert Walter Sperring (born October 10, 1949) is a former professional baseball player who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1974 to 1976 and the Houston Astros in 1977. He was involved in a pair of transactions separated by months of each other just before the start of the season. He was traded along with Bill Madlock from the Cubs to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Murcer, Steve Ontiveros and minor-league right-handed pitcher Andy Muhlstock on February 11. He never appeared in a regular-season game with the Giants who dealt him along with Willie Crawford to the Astros for Rob Andrews Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. Early life, ... and cash during spring training on March 26. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Crawford
Willie Murphy Crawford (September 7, 1946 – August 27, 2004) was a professional baseball outfielder. He played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1964–1975), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Houston Astros (1977) and Oakland Athletics (1977) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford was born in Los Angeles, California. He batted and threw left-handed. He was the father of former UCLA football player Willie Crawford who graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1988. At Fremont High School in Los Angeles, Crawford was All-City in both football (1963) and baseball. Able to run 100 yards in 9.7 seconds, he was a highly recruited to play college football as a running back. Al Campanis signed Crawford for the Dodgers for $100,000 two days after he graduated from high school in 1964. Because of the Bonus Rule in existence at the time, Crawford had to play for the Dodgers' major league team in both 1964 and 1965. As a major league baseball player, defensively, he played in a shallow manne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, and renamed three years later the New York Giants, the team eventually moved from New York City to San Francisco in 1958. The franchise is one of the oldest and most successful in professional baseball, with more wins than any team in the history of major American sports. The team was the first major-league organization based in New York City, most memorably playing home games at several iterations of the Polo Grounds. The Giants have played in the World Series 20 times. In 2014, the Giants won their then-record 23rd National League pennant; this mark has since been equaled and then eclipsed by the rival Dodgers, who as of 2022 lay claim to 24 NL crowns. The Giants' eight World Series championships are second-most in the NL ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
