1977 Detroit Tigers season
| 1977 Detroit Tigers | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | John Fetzer |
| General manager(s) | Jim Campbell |
| Manager(s) | Ralph Houk |
| Local television |
WWJ-TV (George Kell, Larry Osterman, Joe Pellegrino, Al Kaline) |
| Local radio |
WJR (Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey) |
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The 1977 Detroit Tigers finished in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 74-88, 26 games behind the New York Yankees. They were outscored by their opponents 751 to 714. The Tigers drew 1,359,856 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1977, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League.
Offseason
- February 23, 1977: Tito Fuentes was signed as a free agent by the Tigers.[1]
Regular season
With 212 hits, 100 runs scored, and a .325 batting average, center fielder Ron LeFlore was the team's most valuable player, and the recipient of the "Tiger of the Year" award. First baseman Jason Thompson led the team with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs, and second baseman Tito Fuentes was the team's only other .300 hitter, with a .309 batting average and 190 hits. Designated hitter Rusty Staub also had a solid season with a .278 batting average, 173 hits, 22 home runs, and 101 RBIs. Highly touted rookie Steve Kemp (the first pick in the 1976 amateur draft) hit .257 with 18 home runs and 88 RBIs.
The rookie sensation of 1976, Mark Fidrych pitched well in 1977 (2.89 ERA), but tendinitis limited "The Bird" to 11 games. The pitching star of 1977 for Detroit was rookie Dave Rozema who went 15-7 with a 3.09 ERA and finished eight in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
1977 also saw the debut of Steve Kemp (debut April 7, 1977), Dave Rozema (debut April 11, 1977), Jack Morris (debut July 26, 1977), Lance Parrish (debut September 5, 1977), Alan Trammell (debut September 9, 1977), and Lou Whitaker (debut September 9, 1977).
Season standings
| AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 100 | 62 | 0.617 | — | 55–26 | 45–36 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 97 | 64 | 0.602 | 2½ | 54–27 | 43–37 |
| Boston Red Sox | 97 | 64 | 0.602 | 2½ | 51–29 | 46–35 |
| Detroit Tigers | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 26 | 39–42 | 35–46 |
| Cleveland Indians | 71 | 90 | 0.441 | 28½ | 37–44 | 34–46 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 33 | 37–44 | 30–51 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 54 | 107 | 0.335 | 45½ | 25–55 | 29–52 |
Record vs. opponents
1977 American League Records Sources: | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 6–8 | 5–6 | 5–5 | 11–4 | 12–3 | 4–7 | 11–4 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 8–2 | 7–3 | 4–6 | 10–5 |
| Boston | 8–6 | — | 7–3 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 4–6 | 8–7 | 8–3 | 10–1 | 6–4 | 12–3 |
| California | 6–5 | 3–7 | — | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 4–7 | 5–10 | 9–6 | 5–10 | 6–4 |
| Chicago | 5–5 | 7–3 | 7–8 | — | 6–4 | 4–6 | 8–7 | 6–5 | 10–5 | 3–7 | 10–5 | 10–5 | 6–9 | 8–3 |
| Cleveland | 4–11 | 7–8 | 4–6 | 4–6 | — | 8–7 | 3–7 | 11–4 | 2–9 | 3–12 | 7–3 | 7–3 | 2–9 | 9–5 |
| Detroit | 3–12 | 6–9 | 6–4 | 6–4 | 7–8 | — | 3–8 | 10–5 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 5–6 | 2–8 | 10–5 |
| Kansas City | 7–4 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 7–8 | 7–3 | 8–3 | — | 8–2 | 10–5 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 11–4 | 8–7 | 8–2 |
| Milwaukee | 4–11 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 5–6 | 4–11 | 5–10 | 2–8 | — | 3–8 | 8–7 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 5–5 | 8–7 |
| Minnesota | 4–6 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 5–10 | 9–2 | 5–5 | 5–10 | 8–3 | — | 2–8 | 8–6 | 7–8 | 8–7 | 9–1 |
| New York | 7–8 | 7–8 | 7–4 | 7–3 | 12–3 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 8–2 | — | 9–2 | 6–4 | 7–3 | 9–6 |
| Oakland | 2–8 | 3–8 | 10–5 | 5–10 | 3–7 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 6–8 | 2–9 | — | 7–8 | 2–13 | 7–3 |
| Seattle | 3–7 | 1–10 | 6–9 | 5–10 | 3–7 | 6–5 | 4–11 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 8–7 | — | 9–6 | 4–6 |
| Texas | 6–4 | 4–6 | 10–5 | 9–6 | 9–2 | 8–2 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 3–7 | 13–2 | 6–9 | — | 7–4 |
| Toronto | 5–10 | 3–12 | 4–6 | 3–8 | 5–9 | 5–10 | 2–8 | 7–8 | 1–9 | 6–9 | 3–7 | 6–4 | 4–7 | — |
Notable transactions
- April 12, 1977: Willie Horton was traded by the Tigers to the Texas Rangers for Steve Foucault.[2]
Roster
| 1977 Detroit Tigers | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | May, MiltMilt May | 115 | 397 | 99 | .249 | 12 | 46 |
| 1B | Thompson, JasonJason Thompson | 158 | 585 | 158 | .270 | 31 | 105 |
| 2B | Fuentes, TitoTito Fuentes | 151 | 615 | 190 | .309 | 5 | 51 |
| 3B | Rodríguez, AurelioAurelio Rodríguez | 96 | 306 | 67 | .219 | 10 | 32 |
| SS | Veryzer, TomTom Veryzer | 125 | 350 | 69 | .197 | 2 | 28 |
| CF | LeFlore, RonRon LeFlore | 154 | 652 | 212 | .325 | 16 | 57 |
| LF | Kemp, SteveSteve Kemp | 151 | 552 | 142 | .257 | 18 | 88 |
| RF | Oglivie, BenBen Oglivie | 132 | 450 | 118 | .262 | 21 | 61 |
| DH | Staub, RustyRusty Staub | 158 | 623 | 173 | .278 | 22 | 101 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mankowski, PhilPhil Mankowski | 94 | 286 | 79 | .276 | 3 | 27 |
| Stanley, MickeyMickey Stanley | 75 | 222 | 51 | .230 | 8 | 23 |
| Wockenfuss, JohnJohn Wockenfuss | 53 | 164 | 45 | .274 | 9 | 25 |
| Corcoran, TimTim Corcoran | 55 | 103 | 29 | .282 | 3 | 15 |
| Scrivener, ChuckChuck Scrivener | 61 | 72 | 6 | .083 | 0 | 2 |
| Wagner, MarkMark Wagner | 22 | 48 | 7 | .146 | 1 | 3 |
| Parrish, LanceLance Parrish | 12 | 46 | 9 | .196 | 3 | 7 |
| Trammell, AlanAlan Trammell | 19 | 43 | 8 | .186 | 0 | 0 |
| Whitaker, LouLou Whitaker | 11 | 32 | 8 | .250 | 0 | 2 |
| Kimm, BruceBruce Kimm | 14 | 25 | 2 | .080 | 0 | 1 |
| Adams, BobBob Adams | 15 | 24 | 6 | .250 | 2 | 2 |
| Horton, WillieWillie Horton | 1 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 0 | 0 |
| Molinaro, BobBob Molinaro | 4 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 0 | 0 |
| Alvarado, LuisLuis Alvarado | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rozema, DaveDave Rozema | 28 | 218.1 | 15 | 7 | 3.09 | 92 |
| Arroyo, FernandoFernando Arroyo | 38 | 209.1 | 8 | 18 | 4.17 | 60 |
| Roberts, DaveDave Roberts | 22 | 129.1 | 4 | 10 | 5.15 | 46 |
| Fidrych, MarkMark Fidrych | 11 | 81 | 6 | 4 | 2.89 | 42 |
| Ruhle, VernVern Ruhle | 14 | 66.1 | 3 | 5 | 5.70 | 27 |
| Morris, JackJack Morris | 7 | 45.2 | 1 | 1 | 3.74 | 28 |
| Bare, RayRay Bare | 5 | 14.1 | 0 | 2 | 12.56 | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sykes, BobBob Sykes | 32 | 132.7 | 5 | 7 | 4.41 | 58 |
| Crawford, JimJim Crawford | 37 | 126 | 7 | 8 | 4.79 | 91 |
| Wilcox, MiltMilt Wilcox | 20 | 106.3 | 6 | 2 | 3.64 | 82 |
| Glynn, EdEd Glynn | 8 | 27.1 | 2 | 1 | 5.27 | 13 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | GF | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foucault, SteveSteve Foucault | 44 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 34 | 3.15 | 58 |
| Hiller, JohnJohn Hiller | 45 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 27 | 3.56 | 115 |
| Grilli, SteveSteve Grilli | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4.83 | 49 |
| Taylor, BruceBruce Taylor | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 3.38 | 19 |
Awards and honors
Award winners
- Tiger of the Year Award from the Detroit baseball writers
- Finished 20th in AL MVP voting
- Finished 8th in the AL Cy Young Award voting
- Finished 21st in AL MVP voting
All-Stars
Jason Thompson, reserve
League top ten finishers
- #4 in AL in losses (18)
- AL All Star Team, pitcher
- AL leader in innings played at second base (1327)
- AL leader in putouts at second base (379)
- AL leader in double plays at second base (115)
- AL leader in errors at second base (26)
- AL leader in complete games at second base (144)
- #2 in AL in singles (156)
- #8 in AL in hits (190)
- #8 in AL in triples (10)
- #9 in AL in sacrifice hits (13)
- AL leader in games in left field (148)
- AL leader in complete games in left field (146)
- AL leader in innings played in left field (1316)
- AL leader in assists by a center fielder (12)
- #2 in AL in hits (212)
- #2 in AL in singles (156)
- #2 in AL in at bats (652)
- #2 in AL in singles (156)
- #2 in AL in times caught stealing (19)
- #4 in AL in plate appearances (698)
- #4 in AL in strikeouts (121) (tied with Tito Fuentes)
- #5 in AL in batting average (.325)
- #5 in AL in stolen bases (39)
- #5 in AL in total bases (310)
- #6 in AL in Power/Speed Number (22.7)
- #8 in AL in triples (10)
- #8 in AL in times on base (253)
- #9 in AL in runs scored (100)
- #9 in AL in outs (475)
- #10 in AL in runs created (110)
- AL leader in bases on balls per 9 innings pitched (1.40)
- #5 in AL in Adjusted ERA+ (138)
- #6 in AL in strikeout to walk ratio (2.71)
- #7 in AL in ERA (3.09)
- #8 in AL in complete games (16)
- #9 in AL in win percentage (.682)
- #1 in AL in times grounded into double plays (27)
- #2 in AL in outs (490)
- #3 in AL in sacrifice flies (10)
- #5 in AL in plate appearances (695)
- #7 in AL in at bats per strikeout (13.3)
- #8 in AL in doubles (34)
- #6 in AL in home runs (31)
- #6 in AL in sacrifice flies (9)
- #8 in AL in RBIs (105)
- Youngest player in the AL (19)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1977 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001:
- Lance Parrish: 19th best catcher of all time (played 12 games as a rookie)
- Lou Whitaker: 13th best second baseman of all time (played 11 games as a rookie)
- Alan Trammell: 9th best shortstop of all time (played 19 games as a rookie)
- Aurelio Rodríguez: 91st best third baseman of all time
- Ron LeFlore: 80th best center fielder of all time
- Ben Oglivie: 64th best left fielder of all time
- Willie Horton: 55th best left fielder of all time (played one game for 1977 Tigers)
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Evansville Triplets | American Association | Les Moss |
| AA | Montgomery Rebels | Southern League | Eddie Brinkman |
| A | Lakeland Tigers | Florida State League | Jim Leyland |
| Rookie | Bristol Tigers | Appalachian League | Joe Lewis |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montgomery, Lakeland, Bristol
Notes
References
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- 1977 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Statistics