Vol. I, Issue I
Sunday, April 3 - Saturday, April 9, 1977
Tuesday, April 5
The Chicago White Sox trades SS Bucky Dent (.246, 2 HR, 52 RBI in 1976) to the New York Yankees for OF Oscar Gamble (.232, 17 HR, 57 RBI in 1976), pitchers LaMarr Hoyt and Bob Polinsky and an estimated $200,000.
Wednesday, April 6 - Rudi Hits First 1977 Long Ball
California designated hitter Joe Rudi (1.000, 1 HR, 1 RBI) steals two bases and scores four runs while going 3-for-3, including the first home run of the 1977 season while Don Baylor (.500, 3 RBI) drives in three as the Angels beat Seattle 10-4. Julio Cruz has three hits in the loss.
Cincinnati pitcher Fred Norman (1-0, 0.00 ERA) gives up five hits in seven innings while striking out four Padres hitters in the Reds 2-0 shutout win over San Diego. Padres starter Randy Jones (0-1, 2.25 ERA) went the distance in the loss, scattering six hits.
Thursday, April 7 - Blue Jays Win In Regular Season Debut
Toronto right fielder Otto Velez (.750, 1 HR, 2 RBI) hits a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and give the Blue Jays a win over Chicago in their very first major league game. For the record books, Dave Lemanczyk (1-0, 3.38 ERA) gets the first win in club history, Pete Vukovich (1 SV) records the first save and White Sox second baseman Jorge Orta (.500, 1 HR, 2 RBI) hits the first home run in Exhibition Stadium.
Ed Figueroa (1-0, 1.13 ERA) throws eight innings of four hit baseball in a 4-1 win in the season opener at Yankee Stadium over the Brewers. Catcher Thurman Munson (1.000) goes 3-for-3 and Reggie Jackson (.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI) hits his first home run as a Yankee. The first four hitters have all of the Yankees six hits.
Jack Clark (.250, 1 HR, 4 RBI) hits a three-run home run off of Doug Rau (0-1, 16.20 ERA) while Bill Madlock (.750) and Darrell Evans (.600, 1 HR, 1 RBI) each have three hits as San Francisco pounds out 16 hits in a 9-3 win over the Dodgers.
Cubs CF Greg Gross (.500, 1 RBI) sends a one-out single to left field off of Mets reliever Bob Apodaca (0-1, 6.75 ERA) in the bottom of the 12th inning to score Brian Downing from second base to give Chicago a 4-3 win.
Gaylord Perry (1-0, 1.13 ERA) gives up 11 hits, but only lets in one run as he outduels Jim Palmer (0-1, 2.08 ERA) as the Rangers beat Baltimore, 2-1. Texas CF Juan Beniquez (.333) steals four bases off of Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey in five attempts.
Not really sure what Cleveland gained at all here. Trading someone who has played 150-plus games for the last two seasons for someone who will likely not even start has me really scratching my head. Dugout issues? Salary dump? The only one who knows is the front office in Cleveland. 'Beltin' Bill Melton will take over the starting 3B position vacated by Bell while Buddy becomes the Cardinals new starting third baseman forcing Ken Reitz into a utility infielder role.
Edge: St. Louis got the better end of this one by far.
Cleveland gets:
2B Mike Tyson (27) - $60,000 / 1
_ STL: 76 G / 245 AB / 70 H / 3 HR / 28 RBI / 3 SB / .286 AVG / .326 OBP / .455 SLG (in 1976)
SP Zhi Joe (22) - AA
St. Louis gets :
3B Buddy Bell (25) - $162,000 / 1
_ CLE: 159 G / 604 AB / 170 H / 7 HR / 60 RBI / 3 SB / .281 AVG / .329 OBP / .366 SLG (in 1976)
SP Mathys Toupin (22) - AA
Injuries
- CF Ron LeFlore is day-to-day for about 5 days with a bruised foot.Contract Signings
- Signed Gary Williams to a 3-year, $97,000 contract to become their new general manager.Major Transactions
- Optioned RF Mike Easler to Triple A Columbus.------------ Recalled LF Ed Kirkpatrick from Triple A Columbus.
- Optioned RF Ron Pruitt to Triple A Toledo.------------ Recalled RF Charlie Spikes from Triple A Toledo.
- C Steve Swisher was designated for assigment and placed on irrevocable waivers.------------ C George Mitterwald was designated for assigment and placed on waivers (from active).
------------ Purchased the contract of C Bill Nahorodny from Triple A Wichita.
------------ Purchased the contract of C Brian Downing from Triple A Wichita.
------------ LF Nyls Nyman was designated for assigment and placed on waivers.
- MR Randy Wiles was designated for assigment and placed on waivers.Friday, April 8 - Royals Trade Leonard to Tigers
In a move that has left Kansas City fans dumbfounded, the Royals traded popular starting pitcher and 17-game winner Dennis Leonard and AA pitcher Fred Poulin to Motown in exchange for RF Bob Molinaro and AA pitcher Jesus Flores. While the Tigers were desperate for starting pitching, scoring a top end pitcher like Leonard for a little used outfielder is a steal. From my sources, Kansas City was not going to be able to resign Leonard for next year, but pulling the trigger this early seems questionable. Leonard will take over the #1 spot in the Detroit rotation, as the Tigers sent Fernando Arroyo down to Evansville to make room. The Tigers also called up Mickey Stanley to keep the spot warm where Molinaro used to sit on the bench. In the Royals camp, Molinaro will become the new starting right fielder and as a result, Al Cowens is expected to be placed on waivers. Doug Bird makes the move to the rotation and George Throop was brought up from Omaha to fill the remaining roster hole.
EDGE: Detroit gets the starter they desperatly needed and the contract that Kansas City didn't.
Detroit gets:
SP Dennis Leonard (25) - $269,790 / 1
_ KC: 35 G / 17-10 / 259 IP / 101 ER / 70 BB / 150 K / 3.51 ERA / .251 OAVG / 16 CG (in 1976)
SP Fred Poulin (23) - AA
Kansas City gets :
RF Bob Molinaro (26) - $59,885 / 1 (Auto)
_ DET: 6 G / 19 AB / 5 H / 0 HR / 1 RBI / 0 SB / .263 AVG / .300 OBP / .368 SLG (in 1976)
SP Mathys Toupin (22) - AA
California LF Don Baylor (.500, 1 HR, 9 RBI) hits a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning off of Mariners closer Enrique Romo (0-1, 108.11 ERA) to give the Angels a 6-3 victory over Seattle. Bruce Bochte (.400) collects three hits and 3B Ron Jackson (.500, 1 HR, 3 RBI) drives in two with his first home run of the year for the Angels. Ruppert Jones (.417, 2 RBI) goes 3-for-3 in a losing effort for the Mariners.
George Hendrick (.500) and Bobby Valentine (1.000, 1 RBI) each have three hits for the Padres but it still would not be enough as Cincinnati scores five times in the eighth inning sparked by doubles by pinch hitters Steve Henderson (.750, 1 RBI) and Bob Bailey (.500, 2 RBI) to give the Reds a 10-6 win.
While he didn't have his best stuff, Astros starter J.R. Richard (1-0, 3.38 ERA) had enough to defeat Phil Niekro (0-1, 5.63 ERA) and the Braves 5-3 in the Astrodome. Richard went eight innings giving up just four hits while striking out nine.
San Diego's search for a GM ends when the Board of Directors announce 51-year old Emory McCord will fill the position. Sources say the contract runs through the 1979 season with a salary of around $100,000.
Contract Signings
- MR Tom Walker signs a 1-year free agent contract worth a total of $59,885.------------ Optioned MR Roy Lee Jackson to Triple A Tidewater.
- Signed Emory McCord to a 3-year, $100,000 per year contract to become their new general manager.Major Transactions
- RF Al Cowens was designated for assigment and placed on irrevocable waivers.------------ 2B Dave Nelson was designated for assigment and placed on irrevocable waivers.
------------ Recalled 3B Cookie Rojas from Triple A Omaha.
------------ Recalled MR George Throop from Triple A Omaha.
- Optioned SP Fernando Arroyo to Triple A Evansville.------------ Recalled RF Mickey Stanley from Triple A Evansville.
- SS Tim Foli was designated for assignment and placed on irrevocable waivers.------------ Purchased the contract of 3B Kurt Bevacqua from Triple A Denver.
Saturday, April 9
Bert Blyleven (1-0, 0.00 ERA) kept Baltimore's bats quiet as he allowed just four hits while striking out eight in the Rangers 5-0 win. Texas only musters seven hits, but five of those occur in the five-run fourth inning to provide the only scoring. Rudy May (0-1, 5.00 ERA) goes the distance in the loss for the Orioles.
Steve Carlton (1-0, 0.00 ERA) tosses a four-hitter and Greg Luzinski (.500, 3 RBI) drives in three as Philadelphia crushes the Expos 8-0. Carlton strikes out seven while walking just one on the win.
Toronto 1B Doug Alt (.556, 1 HR, 1 RBI) collects five hits in five at-bats, but it is the heroics of defensive replacment Dave McKay (1.000, 1 RBI) , who hits a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth to score pinch runner John Scott and give the Blue Jays an amazing 6-5 win over Chicago. Alt scores four times and CF Gary Woods (.750, 2 RBI) adds three hits and two RBI. White Sox LF Ralph Garr (.556, 2 RBI) has four hits - including two doubles - in the loss.
Behind 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, New York's Graig Nettles (.286, 1 HR, 3 RBI) hits a three-run drive to right off of Jim Slaton to give the Yankees a 6-4 victory over Milwaukee. Reggie Jackson (.571, 2 HR, 4 RBI) has three hits for New York, including his second homer in as many games and Don Money (.500, 2 RBI) has three as well for the Brew Crew.
Pittsburgh LF Al Oliver (.444, 1 HR, 4 RBI) has three hits and three RBI on the day, but none as important as his walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning off of Cardinals closer Al Hrabosky to give the Pirates a 4-3 triumph over St. Louis.
Braves CF Rowland Office (.429, 2 RBI) drives in two with three hits and Andy Messersmith (1-0, 1.00 ERA) throws a complete game four-hitter as Atlanta crushes the Astros 9-1.
After coming in to pinch run in the eighth inning, Rob Wilfong (1.000, 1 HR, 3 RBI) sends a Dave Giusti fastball over the right field wall to turn a 1-1 tie ballgame into a 4-1 Twins win. Oakland only manages five hits in the game, with DH Jim Tyrone (1.000) having three of those.
The Dodgers score twice in the bottom of the ninth on a single by Steve Garvey (.250, 2 RBI) to tie the game, then win the game one inning later with three consecutive hits off reliever Gary Lavelle (0-1, 1 BS, 3.00 ERA) for a 4-3 victory over the Giants.
Injuries
- SS Ivan DeJesus is day-to-day for about a week with a pinched nerve (neck).Contract Signings
- Signed Gary Williams to a 3-year, $97,000 contract to become their new general manager.Major Transactions
- Claimed 2B Tim Johnson off waivers from Milwaukee and placed on the active roster.------------ Optioned 1B Jack Baker to Double A Buffalo.
- Claimed C Ron Hodges off waivers from New York and placed on the active roster.------------ Optioned C Larry Haney to Double A Holyoke.
- Claimed MR Elias Sosa off waivers from Los Angeles and placed on the acive roster.------------ Optioned MR Doug Capilla to Triple A New Orleans.
American League Player of the Week:
RF Reggie Jackson - New York Yankees
He batted .571 (4-7), with 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, a .500 OBP and a 1.429 SLG.
National League Player of the Week
LF Darrell Evans - San Francisco Giants
He batted .556 (5-9), with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, a .556 OBP and a 1.222 SLG.
While St. Louis outfielder Lou Brock is only 28 stolen bases from being the all-time career leader in that category with 865, did you know that Lou is also the career leader in getting caught stealing with 266 - 50 more times than anyone else? How about that?
AL East W L PCT GB G Last 10 Streak
New York Yankees 2 0 1.000 -- 2 2-0 W2
Detroit Tigers 2 0 1.000 -- 2 2-0 W2
Baltimore Orioles 1 1 .500 1.0 2 1-1 L1
Boston Red Sox 1 1 .500 1.0 2 1-1 W1
Cleveland Indians 1 1 .500 1.0 2 1-1 L1
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 .000 2.0 2 0-2 L2
Toronto Blue Jays 0 2 .000 2.0 2 0-2 L2
_
AL West W L PCT GB G Last 10 Streak
Chicago White Sox 2 0 1.000 -- 2 2-0 W2
Oakland Athletics 1 0 1.000 .5 1 1-0 W1
California Angels 2 2 .500 1.0 4 2-2 w1
Seattle Mariners 2 2 .500 1.0 4 2-2 L1
Texas Rangers 1 1 .500 1.0 2 1-1 W1
Minnesota Twins 0 1 .000 1.5 1 0-1 L1
Kansas City Royals 0 2 .000 2.0 2 0-2 L2
__
NL East W L PCT GB G Last 10 Streak
Philadelphia Phillies 1 0 1.000 -- 1 1-0 W1
New York Mets 1 1 .500 .5 2 1-1 L1
St. Louis Cardinals 1 1 .500 .5 2 1-1 L1
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 1 .500 .5 2 1-1 W1
Chicago Cubs 1 1 .500 .5 2 1-1 W1
Montreal Expos 0 1 .000 1.0 1 0-1 L1
_
NL West W L PCT GB G Last 10 Streak
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 0 1.000 -- 2 2-0 W2
Houston Astros 2 0 1.000 -- 2 2-0 W2
Cincinnati Reds 2 1 .667 .5 3 2-1 L1
San Diego Padres 1 2 .333 1.5 3 1-2 W1
San Francisco Giants 0 2 .000 2.0 2 0-2 L2
Atlanta Braves 0 2 .000 2.0 2 0-2 L2
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