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1976 Detroit Tigers season

April 09, 2023

The 1976 Detroit Tigers season was the 76th season for the Detroit Tigers competing in Major League Baseball as a member of the American League. In their third season under manager Ralph Houk, the Tigers compiled a 74–87 record and finished in fifth place in the American League East, 24 games behind the New York Yankees. The team improved by 17 wins over its 1975 performance for the largest improvement by any team in the American League. The team played its home games at Tiger Stadium and attracted 1,467,020 fans, ranking fourth of the 12 teams in the American League.

1976 Detroit Tigers
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s)John Fetzer
General manager(s)Jim Campbell
Manager(s)Ralph Houk
Local televisionWWJ-TV
(George Kell, Larry Osterman, Don Kremer, Al Kaline)
Local radioWJR
(Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey)
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1976 "Tiger of the Year" Mark Fidrych

Rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych, known as "The Bird", became a sensation throughout baseball, both for his pitching prowess and for his unusual practices in talking to the ball and grooming the pitcher's mound. Fidrych finished the 1976 season with a 19-9 win–loss record and led the American League with a 2.34 earned run average (ERA). Fidrych won the American League Rookie of the Year and "Tiger of the Year" awards and finished second in the voting for the Cy Young Award.

The team's batting leaders included center fielder Ron LeFlore with a .316 batting average and 58 stolen bases, Jason Thompson with 17 home runs, and Rusty Staub with 96 RBIs and a .386 on-base percentage. Third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez also won the American League Gold Glove Award, breaking Brooks Robinson's streak of winning the award for 17 consecutive years.

Preseason

The 1975 Detroit Tigers compiled the worst record (57–102) in Major League Baseball and up to that time the worst season in franchise history. The team's poor performance prompted two major trades during the December 1975 Winter Meetings.

 
Pitcher Dave Roberts
  • On December 6, 1975, in their first major move, the Tigers dealt their starting rightfielder, Leon Roberts, and three other players (backup catcher Terry Humphrey rookie pitcher Gene Pentz and at-that-time minor league pitcher Mark Lemongello) to the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Milt May, starting pitcher Dave Roberts, and relief pitcher Jim Crawford.[1] Dave Roberts ended up leading the 1976 Tigers with 36 starts and 252 innings pitched. May began the season as the Tigers' starting catcher but fractured his ankle running into a wall in Oakland on April 20.[2]
  • Six days later, on December 12, 1975, the Tigers traded Mickey Lolich, the winningest left-handed pitcher in Detroit history, and rookie outfielder Billy Baldwin to the New York Mets for outfielder Rusty Staub and minor league pitcher Bill Laxton. Lolich initially vetoed the trade, but consented after receiving financial concessions from the Mets. Detroit general manager Jim Campbell said of the trade, "We got the one thing we were looking for -- a real sound RBI man."[3] Staub led the 1975 Tigers with 96 RBIs and was a key component in the team's 1976 turnaround.

The Tigers also brought in new talent through the draft. On January 7, 1976, the team drafted outfielder Steve Kemp with the No. 1 overall pick in the January phase of the MLB draft.[4] Kemp spent the 1976 season in the minors but became the Tigers' starting left fielder from 1977 to 1981.

The most significant preseason move involved the surprise promotion of little known pitcher Mark Fidrych. On April 5, 1976, the team announced that Fidrych would start the season with the team. He had not even been on the major league roster prior to the announcement.[5]

Regular season

 
Manager Ralph Houk

Season chronology

April

  • April 10: The Tigers opened the season with a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Starter Joe Coleman got the win and John Hiller the save. Willie Horton hit a towering two-run home run in the third inning.[6] The game was played in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium and drew a crowd of 65,000, the largest opening day crowd in the majors during the 1976 season.[7]
  • April 13: The Tigers lost their home opener by a 1-0 score against the Milwaukee Brewers before a crowd of 48,612 at Tiger Stadium. Detroit starter Ray Bare shut out the Brewers through eight innings, but Milwaukee scored the game-winning run in the ninth inning off reliever John Hiller. Jim Slaton pithed a two-hitter for the Brewers.[8]
  • April 14: Four Tigers were listed on the ballot for the 1976 American League All-Star team. Outfielder Ron LeFlore and second baseman Gary Sutherland were listed on the ballot for the first time. Outfielder Rusty Staub and catcher Milt May had previously been listed on the National League ballot.[9]
  • April 17: The Tigers defeated the California Angels, 2-0, in Anaheim. In his American League debut, Dave Roberts pitched a complete game shutout, had a no-hitter through six innings, and allowed only two singles.[10]
  • April 20: Mark Fidrych appeared in his first major league game.[11] Milt May‚ acquired by the Tigers in December‚ broke his ankle crashing into the wall behind home plate while chasing a foul ball. He did not play for the remainder of the season.
  • April 28: The Tigers defeated the Oakland A's, 8-1. Dave Roberts pitched a two-hitter and won his third consecutive game for the Tigers.[12]

May

  • May 15: Mark Fidrych won his first major league start. Fidrych pitched a complete game, allowing only two hits in a 2–1 victory over the Indians. Fidrych took a no-hitter through six innings, but gave up a single to Buddy Bell in the seventh. Aside from his fine pitching, Fidrych drew attention for talking to the ball during the game‚ and patting down the mound each inning. Tom Veryzer had the game-winning RBI for Detroit with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
  • May 25: Mark Fidrych pitched well in his second start, holding the Red Sox to six hits and two runs, but the Tigers were shut out, 2–0, by Luis Tiant.
  • May 28: After hitting safely in 30 straight games since April 17, Ron LeFlore went hitless in a 9–5 loss to the Yankees. LeFlore's hitting streak tied the third longest in team history.
  • May 31: Manager Ralph Houk let rookie Mark Fidrych go 11 innings for a complete game, 5–4 win over the Brewers. Fidrych gave up a run in the top of the 11th inning, but the Tigers rallied in the bottom of the 11th on singles by Chuck Scrivener, Jerry Manuel, and Tom Veryzer. Ron LeFlore had two triples in the game.

June

 
Pitcher John Hiller
  • June 1: John Hiller won both games of a double header against the Brewers. The Tigers came from behind to win 8–7 and 7–5.
  • June 5: Mark Fidrych pitched his second straight 11-inning complete game, beating Bert Blyleven and the Texas Rangers, 3–2. Ben Oglivie scored the winning run in the top of the 11th, and The Bird pitched a 1–2–3 inning in the bottom of the 11th against the heart of the Rangers lineup (Mike Hargrove, Toby Harrah, and Jeff Burroughs).
  • June 8: The Tigers sold 29-year-old pitcher Joe Coleman to the Chicago Cubs for $100,000 and a player to be named at the end of the season.[13] Coleman won 62 games for the Tigers from 1971 to 1973. In the first two months of the 1976 season, he compiled a 2-5 record and 4.86 ERA.
  • June 8: The Tigers selected pitcher Pat Underwood with the second overall pick in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. The Tigers also selected shortstop Alan Trammell in the second round, pitchers Dan Petry in the fourth round and Jack Morris in the fifth round, and shortstop Ozzie Smith in the seventh round.[14] Three of the Tigers selections (Trammell, Morris, and Smith) ended up in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • June 11: "Bird"-mania began to take hold in Detroit. A crowd of 36,377 showed up in Detroit for a Friday night game, as Mark Fidrych faced Nolan Ryan. Fidrych gave up only one earned run, and the Tigers came out on top, 4–3. The Tigers won on a walk-off single by Alex Johnson in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Ron LeFlore scoring the winning run.
  • June 15: The Tigers lost to the Royals, 21–7. Four Detroit pitchers (Dave Lemanczyk, Bill Laxton, Ray Bare, and Steve Grilli) combined to allow 24 hits and 20 earned runs. George Brett went 4-for-5 and Amos Otis drove in five runs.
  • June 16: The Tigers drew 21,659 on a Wednesday night to watch Mark Fidrych win his fifth game. Fidrych held the Royals to five hits and two earned runs. The Tigers trailed 3–2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Tigers rallied for two runs off singles by Dan Meyer and Alex Johnson, and a walk by Aurelio Rodríguez. Mickey Stanley ended it with a walk-off single to right field, driving in Johnson.
  • June 20: The Tigers beat the Twins, 7–3, in Minneapolis, as Mark Fidrych extended his record to 6–1. Jason Thompson hit a three-run home run in the 3rd inning for the Tigers.
  • June 24: Mark Fidrych drew 26,293 fans to Fenway Park for a Thursday night game, as the Tigers won, 6–3. Jason Thompson homered and Fidrych pitched another complete game.
  • June 28: Mark Fidrych was in the spotlight, as the Tigers faced the Yankees on Monday Night Baseball. In front of a crowd of 47,855 at Tiger Stadium and a national television audience, "The Bird" talked to the ball and groomed the mound, as the Tigers won, 5–1 in a game that lasted only 1 hour and 51 minutes.

July

  • July 3: As the country prepared to celebrate the Bicentennial, Mark Fidrych shut out the Orioles 4–0 in front of a sell out crowd of 51,032 at Tiger Stadium. Fidrych gave up only four hits and extended his record to 9–1.
  • July 9: Pitching in front of another sell-out crowd (51,041) at Tiger Stadium, Mark Fidrych held the Royals to one run in nine innings, but Dennis Leonard shut out the Tigers. The final score was Royals – 1; Tigers – 0.
  • July 13: Three Tigers (Mark Fidrych, Ron LeFlore, and Rusty Staub) started for the American League in the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Fidrych gave up two runs and was the losing pitcher, as the National League defeated the American League, 7–1.[15]
  • July 16: Mark Fidrych won his 10th game, a 1–0 victory over the A's. Another big crowd (45,905) showed up to watch "The Bird" do his thing on the mound at Tiger Stadium.
  • July 20: A crowd of over 30,000 shows up on a Tuesday night in Minneapolis to watch "The Bird." Fidrych pitched another complete game and got his 11th win, 8–3. Rusty Staub and Ron LeFlore homered for the Tigers.
  • July 24: "The Bird" drew another big crowd to Tiger Stadium (37,405), but lasted only 4.1 innings. John Hiller got the win in relief, as Ben Oglivie hit a home run in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a 5–4 win over the Indians.
  • July 29: Mark Fidrych took a loss despite pitching a six-hit complete game and not allowing an earned run. The Orioles shut out the Tigers, 1–0, as Lee May scored an unearned run in the fourth inning on an error by Detroit second baseman Pedro García. Rusty Staub tripled in the bottom of the fourth, but did not score as Willie Horton and Alex Johnson followed with ground balls to third base.

August

  • August 7: The Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 6–1, before a crowd of 35,393 at Tiger Stadium. Mark Fidrych pitched a complete game and gave up only six hits, all singles. Ben Oglivie went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Dan Meyer and Ron LeFlore scored two runs each. Fidrych improved his record to 12-4 with a 1.91 ERA.[16]
  • August 11: The Tigers beat the Rangers, 4–3, as Mark Fidrych notched his 13th win over Gaylord Perry. The Tigers drew 36,523 for a Wednesday game in Detroit. Rusty Staub and Willie Horton both hit home runs for Detroit.
  • August 17: Despite a losing record, Mark Fidrych and the Tigers drew a season-high 51,822 fans to Tiger Stadium on a Tuesday night. It was the largest crowd at Tiger Stadium since July 17, 1973, and the largest for a night game since 1970. The Tigers won, 3-2, as catcher Bruce Kimm hit his first career home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Fidrych gave up only five hits and pitched his 16th complete game of the season. After the game, the crowd remained, chanting "We Want Bird" until Fidrych returned to the field "thrusting his fist into the air again and again." His record improved to 14–4 with a 1.97 ERA.[17]
  • August 18: The Tigers lost, 5–4, to the California Angels in 11 innings. Nolan Ryan struck out 17 Detroit batters.[18]
  • August 25: The Tigers beat the White Sox, 3–1, in front of 40,000 fans on a Wednesday night in Detroit. Rookie Mark Fidrych held the White Sox to five hits in a game that lasted only one hour and 48 minutes.
  • August 31: The Tigers lost to the California Angels, 6-3, at Anaheim. Nolan Ryan struck out 11 Detroit batters. Ron LeFlore for the 2000th strikeout of his career.[19] Ron LeFlore struck out twice, including Ryan's 2,000th career strikeout.[20]

September

  • September 3: The Tigers lost to the Brewers, 11–2, as Mark Fidrych had the worst outing of his young career, and Mike Hegan hit for the cycle for Milwaukee. Fidrych gave up nine runs (seven earned) in 3.2 innings.
  • September 12: The Tigers beat Dock Ellis, 3–0, in front of 52,707 fans at Yankee Stadium. Mark Fidrych pitched a complete game shutout for his 16th win.
  • September 21 - Mark Fidrych won his 17th game, pitching a complete game and limiting the Indians to three runs. The victory halted a six-game losing streak.[21]
  • September 22: The Tigers lost to the Indians, 3-0, before a crowd of 3,616 at Tiger Stadium. It was the smallest crowd of the season at Tiger Stadium.[22]
  • September 22 - Mark Fidrych had his hair cut while sitting in Ralph Houk's chair at Tiger Stadium. The trimmed hair was placed in small, white boxes to be auctioned for charity.[23]
  • September 24: Tigers starter Dave Roberts shut out the Yankees, 3–0. Roberts held the Yankees to five hits, as John Wockenfuss had a triple and Rusty Staub hit a home run.[24]
  • September 25 - The Yankees clinched the American League East title by defeating the Tigers, 10–6, in Detroit. After the game, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner threw a party for his team at a downtown Detroit restaurant.[25]
  • September 28 - Mark Fidrych won his 18th game of the season. He shut out the Indians and allowed only five singles. The game, played on a cold night in Cleveland, attracted only 3,394 fans -- the smallest crowd to watch Fidrych pitch. The game lasted only one hour and 48 minutes. In one of his final games as a Tiger, Willie Horton had a double, a home run, and two RBIs.[26]
  • September 28 - Quelling concerns that the Tigers would move out of the city, Tigers owner John Fetzer announced plans to renovate Tiger Stadium at cost of $15-$20 million. The proposed renovation included a new mercury vapor lighting system and new seats.[27]
  • September 29 - The Tigers defeated the Indians, 3–2, in Cleveland. Despite the loss, the Tigers clinched fifth place, ensuring that they would not finish in last place for a third consecutive year.[28]
  • September 30 - In his fourth start, rookie pitcher Ed Glynn got his first major league win. The Indians defeated the Tigers, 6–4, in Cleveland.[29]

October

 
Shortstop Tom Veryzer
  • October 1: John Hiller got a rare start when starter Vern Ruhle developed a sore shoulder. Hiller had not started a game since 1972. He pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout over the Brewers at County Stadium. The Tigers won by a 5-0 score.[30]
  • October 2: In his last start of the 1976 season, Fidrych got his 19th win, beating the Brewers, 4–1. Fidrych held the Brewers to five hits in a game that lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes.[31]
  • October 2: The Tigers signed Mark Fidrych to a three-year contract. The contract gave Fidrych a retroactive increase for his 1976 salary from $19,000 to an estimated $30,000. Fidrych's father negotiated the contract without using an agent. Fidrych said: "An agent probably could have gotten me more money. But then maybe I wouldn't have been happy. This way I got what I wanted.I'm happy."[32]
  • October 3: The Tigers defeated the Brewers, 5–2, in Milwaukee, closing their season with a four-game winning streak. For the year, the team improved to 74 victories, 17 more than in 1975, the largest improvement by any team in the American League. The game was Hank Aaron's last major league game. In his final major league at bat, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Aaron hit an infield single off Dave Roberts, driving in a run with his 2,297th RBI.[33]

Award season

Season standings

AL East 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 97 62 0.610 — 45–35 52–27
Baltimore Orioles 88 74 0.543 10½ 42–39 46–35
Boston Red Sox 83 79 0.512 15½ 46–35 37–44
Cleveland Indians 81 78 0.509 16 44–35 37–43
Detroit Tigers 74 87 0.460 24 36–44 38–43
Milwaukee Brewers 66 95 0.410 32 36–45 30–50

Record vs. opponents

1976 American League Records

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team BAL BOS CAL CWS CLE DET KC MIL MIN NYY OAK TEX
Baltimore — 7–11 8–4 8–4 7–11 12–6 6–6 11–7 4–8 13–5 4–8 8–4
Boston 11–7 — 7–5 6–6 9–9 14–4 3–9 12–6 7–5 7–11 4–8 3–9
California 4–8 5–7 — 11–7 7–5 6–6 8–10 4–8 8–10 5–7 6–12 12–6
Chicago 4–8 6–6 7–11 — 3–9 6–6 8–10 7–5 7–11 1–11 8–9 7–11
Cleveland 11–7 9–9 5–7 9–3 — 6–12 6–6 11–6 9–3 4–12 4–8 7–5
Detroit 6–12 4–14 6–6 6–6 12–6 — 4–8 12–6 4–8 9–8 6–6 5–7
Kansas City 6–6 9–3 10–8 10–8 6–6 8–4 — 8–4 10–8 7–5 9–9 7–11
Milwaukee 7–11 6–12 8–4 5–7 6–11 6–12 4–8 — 4–8 5–13 5–7 10–2
Minnesota 8–4 5–7 10–8 11–7 3–9 8–4 8–10 8–4 — 2–10 11–7 11–7
New York 5–13 11–7 7–5 11–1 12–4 8–9 5–7 13–5 10–2 — 6–6 9–3
Oakland 8–4 8–4 12–6 9–8 8–4 6–6 9–9 7–5 7–11 6–6 — 7–11
Texas 4–8 9–3 6–12 11–7 5–7 7–5 11–7 2–10 7–11 3–9 11–7 —


Roster

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 Bill Freehan 71 237 64 .270 5 27
1B Jason Thompson 123 412 90 .218 17 54
2B Pedro García 77 227 45 .198 3 20
3B Aurelio Rodríguez 128 480 67 .240 8 50
SS Tom Veryzer 97 354 83 .234 1 25
LF Alex Johnson 125 429 115 .268 6 45
CF Ron LeFlore 135 544 172 .316 4 39
RF Rusty Staub 161 589 176 .299 15 96
DH Willie Horton 114 401 105 .262 14 56

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
Ben Oglivie 115 305 87 .285 15 47
Dan Meyer 105 294 74 .252 2 16
Chuck Scrivener 80 222 49 .221 2 16
Mickey Stanley 84 214 55 .257 4 29
Bruce Kimm 63 152 40 .263 1 6
John Wockenfuss 60 144 32 .222 3 10
Gary Sutherland 42 117 24 .205 0 6
Mark Wagner 39 115 30 .261 0 12
Phil Mankowski 24 85 23 .271 1 4
Marvin Lane 18 48 9 .188 0 5
Jerry Manuel 54 43 6 .140 0 2
Milt May 6 25 7 .280 0 1

Pitching

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
Dave Roberts 36 252.0 16 17 4.00 79
Mark Fidrych 31 250.1 19 9 2.34 97
Vern Ruhle 32 199.2 9 12 3.92 88
Ray Bare 30 134.0 7 8 4.63 59
Joe Coleman 12 66.2 2 5 4.86 38
Frank MacCormack 9 32.2 0 5 5.79 14
Ed Glynn 5 23.2 1 3 6.08 17

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
Jim Crawford 32 109.1 1 8 4.53 68
Dave Lemanczyk 20 81.1 4 6 5.09 51

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
John Hiller 56 12 8 13 2.38 117
Steve Grilli 36 3 1 3 4.64 36
Bill Laxton 26 0 5 2 4.09 74

Awards and honors

 
 
Center fielder Ron LeFlore
 
Third baseman Aurelio Rodríguez
 
Right fielder Rusty Staub

League top ten finishers

Mark Fidrych

  • MLB leader in ERA (2.34)
  • MLB leader in Adjusted ERA+ (158)
  • AL leader in complete games (24)
  • #3 in AL in walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP) (1.079)
  • #4 in AL in wins (19)
  • #4 in AL in win percentage (.679)
  • #5 in AL in bases on balls per 9 inning pitched (1.91)
  • #5 in AL in shutouts (4)

John Hiller

  • #4 in AL in games finished (46)

Ron LeFlore

  • AL leader in errors by an outfielder (11)
  • #2 in AL in stolen bases (58)
  • #3 in MLB in times caught stealing (20)
  • #4 in AL in singles (137)
  • #5 in AL in batting average (.316)
  • #5 in AL in runs scored (93)
  • #6 in AL in strikeouts (111)

Dave Roberts

  • #2 in MLB in losses (17)
  • #2 in MLB in earned runs allowed (112)
  • #5 in AL in shutouts (4)
  • #9 in AL in complete games (18)

Aurelio Rodríguez

  • AL leader in fielding percentage by a third baseman (.978)
  • #3 in AL in times grounded into double plays (19)

Rusty Staub

  • AL leader in games played (161)
  • AL leader in times grounded into double plays (23)
  • #2 in AL in times on base (266)
  • #2 in AL in sacrifice flies (11)
  • #3 in AL in plate appearances (690)
  • #4 in AL in on-base percentage (.386)
  • #4 in AL in bases on balls (83)
  • #4 in AL in runs created (99)
  • #5 in AL in RBIs (96)
  • #5 in AL in intentional walks (11)
  • #7 in AL in times hit by pitch (7)
  • #7 in AL in hits (7)
  • #8 in AL in OPS (.818)
  • #10 in AL in total bases (255)

Players ranking among top 100 all time at position

The following members of the 1977 Detroit Tigers were ranked among the Top 100 of all time at their position by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001:

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montgomery, Lakeland

Notes

  1. ^ Jim Hawkins (December 7, 1975). "Tigers Get 'No. 1 Catcher,' 2 Pitchers in Trade Coup". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 5E – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 22, 1976). "Tigers Lose May for 3-4 Months". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Jim Hawkins (December 13, 1975). "Tigers Trade Lolich for Rusty Staub". Detroit Free Press. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Brian Bragg (January 8, 1976). "Tigers Get Their Man: 'Great to Be with Detroit'". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 6, 1976). "Tigers Pull Surprise, Keep Mark Fidrych". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 11, 1976). "Tigers Open Season with a Bang, 3-1". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 11, 1976). "Tigers, Indians Set All-Time $$ Marks". Detroit Free Press. p. 4E – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 14, 1976). "Hectic Ninth Ruins Tiger Opener, 1-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Four Tigers Listed on All-Star Ballot: Willie Isn't One of Them". Detroit Free Press. April 15, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 18, 1976). "Roberts 2-Hits Angels, 2-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Mark Fidrych[permanent dead link] at Baseball Reference
  12. ^ Jim Hawkins (April 29, 1976). "Roberts Baffles A's For 3d in Row, 8-1". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Jim Hawkins (June 9, 1976). "Steady Loser Joe Coleman Dealt to Cubs". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Tigers Draft Lefthanded Pitcher". Detroit Free Press. June 9, 1976. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "How 3 Tigers Did In All-Star Game". Detroit Free Press. July 14, 1976. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Jim Hawkins (August 8, 1973). "Another Feather In The Bird's Cap! He Clips Tribe, 6-1". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Jim Hawkins (August 18, 1976). "It's Another Storybook Finish ... Kimm's HR Wins for Bird, 3-2". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Jim Hawkins (August 19, 1976). "'Ryan's Express' Fans 17 ... Tigers Lose in 11th, 5-4". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 1, 1976). "Tigers Surrender to Angels". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ . smackbomb.com/nolanryan. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  21. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 22, 1976). "Bird Wins 17th In Putting Down Indians, 5-3". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 23, 1976). "Only 3,616 Fans On Hand As Indians Chill Tigers, 3-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Brian Bragg (September 23, 1976). "The Bird Loses Some Curl . . . But Relax, It's for Good Cause". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 4F – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 25, 1976). "Tigers Split, Slow the Yankees' Flag Express". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 26, 1976). "Yanks Win . . Clinch AL East". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 2E – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 29, 1976). "Bird Wins 18th ... Tigers Split". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 3D – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Joe Falls (September 29, 1976). "Tigers to Fix Up Stadium: Minimum Cost to Be $15 Million". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1A, 2A – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Jim Hawkins (September 30, 1976). "Tigers Clinch 5th . . . Bow To Tribe, 3-2". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 9F – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Jim Hawkins (October 1, 1976). "It's Tigers, 6-4". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 4D – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Jim Hawkins (October 2, 1976). "Hiller Starts ... Zips Brewers, 5-0". Detroit Free Press. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Fidrych Hurls Five-Hitter, 4-1". News-Journal. UPI. October 3, 1976. p. 2E – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Jim Hawkins (October 3, 1976). "Tigers Give Bird a Bonus Plus Fat 3-Year Contract". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Jim Hawkins (October 4, 1976). "Tigers End Long Season With 5-2 Win". Detroit Free Press. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Jim Hawkins (October 31, 1976). "The Bird (Who Else?) Is Tiger of Year". Detroit free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Big Cy: Palmer Beats Bird to AL Award". Detroit Free Press. November 11, 1976 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "1976 MLB Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  37. ^ "Aurelio Named to Top Fielding Team". Detroit Free Press. November 20, 1976. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.

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.
  • 1976 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Statistics at Baseball Reference

External links

    April 09, 2023
    1976, detroit, tigers, season, 76th, season, detroit, tigers, competing, major, league, baseball, member, american, league, their, third, season, under, manager, ralph, houk, tigers, compiled, record, finished, fifth, place, american, league, east, games, behi. The 1976 Detroit Tigers season was the 76th season for the Detroit Tigers competing in Major League Baseball as a member of the American League In their third season under manager Ralph Houk the Tigers compiled a 74 87 record and finished in fifth place in the American League East 24 games behind the New York Yankees The team improved by 17 wins over its 1975 performance for the largest improvement by any team in the American League The team played its home games at Tiger Stadium and attracted 1 467 020 fans ranking fourth of the 12 teams in the American League 1976 Detroit TigersMajor League affiliationsAmerican League since 1901 Eastern Division since 1969 LocationTiger Stadium since 1912 Detroit Michigan since 1901 Other informationOwner s John FetzerGeneral manager s Jim CampbellManager s Ralph HoukLocal televisionWWJ TV George Kell Larry Osterman Don Kremer Al Kaline Local radioWJR Ernie Harwell Paul Carey lt Previous season Next season gt 1976 Tiger of the Year Mark Fidrych Rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych known as The Bird became a sensation throughout baseball both for his pitching prowess and for his unusual practices in talking to the ball and grooming the pitcher s mound Fidrych finished the 1976 season with a 19 9 win loss record and led the American League with a 2 34 earned run average ERA Fidrych won the American League Rookie of the Year and Tiger of the Year awards and finished second in the voting for the Cy Young Award The team s batting leaders included center fielder Ron LeFlore with a 316 batting average and 58 stolen bases Jason Thompson with 17 home runs and Rusty Staub with 96 RBIs and a 386 on base percentage Third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez also won the American League Gold Glove Award breaking Brooks Robinson s streak of winning the award for 17 consecutive years Contents 1 Preseason 2 Regular season 2 1 Season chronology 2 1 1 April 2 1 2 May 2 1 3 June 2 1 4 July 2 1 5 August 2 1 6 September 2 1 7 October 2 1 8 Award season 2 2 Season standings 2 3 Record vs opponents 2 4 Roster 3 Player stats 3 1 Batting 3 1 1 Starters by position 3 1 2 Other batters 3 2 Pitching 3 2 1 Starting pitchers 3 2 2 Other pitchers 3 2 3 Relief pitchers 4 Awards and honors 4 1 League top ten finishers 4 2 Players ranking among top 100 all time at position 5 Farm system 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksPreseason EditThe 1975 Detroit Tigers compiled the worst record 57 102 in Major League Baseball and up to that time the worst season in franchise history The team s poor performance prompted two major trades during the December 1975 Winter Meetings Pitcher Dave Roberts On December 6 1975 in their first major move the Tigers dealt their starting rightfielder Leon Roberts and three other players backup catcher Terry Humphrey rookie pitcher Gene Pentz and at that time minor league pitcher Mark Lemongello to the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Milt May starting pitcher Dave Roberts and relief pitcher Jim Crawford 1 Dave Roberts ended up leading the 1976 Tigers with 36 starts and 252 innings pitched May began the season as the Tigers starting catcher but fractured his ankle running into a wall in Oakland on April 20 2 Six days later on December 12 1975 the Tigers traded Mickey Lolich the winningest left handed pitcher in Detroit history and rookie outfielder Billy Baldwin to the New York Mets for outfielder Rusty Staub and minor league pitcher Bill Laxton Lolich initially vetoed the trade but consented after receiving financial concessions from the Mets Detroit general manager Jim Campbell said of the trade We got the one thing we were looking for a real sound RBI man 3 Staub led the 1975 Tigers with 96 RBIs and was a key component in the team s 1976 turnaround The Tigers also brought in new talent through the draft On January 7 1976 the team drafted outfielder Steve Kemp with the No 1 overall pick in the January phase of the MLB draft 4 Kemp spent the 1976 season in the minors but became the Tigers starting left fielder from 1977 to 1981 The most significant preseason move involved the surprise promotion of little known pitcher Mark Fidrych On April 5 1976 the team announced that Fidrych would start the season with the team He had not even been on the major league roster prior to the announcement 5 Regular season Edit Manager Ralph Houk Season chronology Edit April Edit April 10 The Tigers opened the season with a 3 1 victory over the Cleveland Indians Starter Joe Coleman got the win and John Hiller the save Willie Horton hit a towering two run home run in the third inning 6 The game was played in Cleveland s Municipal Stadium and drew a crowd of 65 000 the largest opening day crowd in the majors during the 1976 season 7 April 13 The Tigers lost their home opener by a 1 0 score against the Milwaukee Brewers before a crowd of 48 612 at Tiger Stadium Detroit starter Ray Bare shut out the Brewers through eight innings but Milwaukee scored the game winning run in the ninth inning off reliever John Hiller Jim Slaton pithed a two hitter for the Brewers 8 April 14 Four Tigers were listed on the ballot for the 1976 American League All Star team Outfielder Ron LeFlore and second baseman Gary Sutherland were listed on the ballot for the first time Outfielder Rusty Staub and catcher Milt May had previously been listed on the National League ballot 9 April 17 The Tigers defeated the California Angels 2 0 in Anaheim In his American League debut Dave Roberts pitched a complete game shutout had a no hitter through six innings and allowed only two singles 10 April 20 Mark Fidrych appeared in his first major league game 11 Milt May acquired by the Tigers in December broke his ankle crashing into the wall behind home plate while chasing a foul ball He did not play for the remainder of the season April 28 The Tigers defeated the Oakland A s 8 1 Dave Roberts pitched a two hitter and won his third consecutive game for the Tigers 12 May Edit John Wockenfuss May 15 Mark Fidrych won his first major league start Fidrych pitched a complete game allowing only two hits in a 2 1 victory over the Indians Fidrych took a no hitter through six innings but gave up a single to Buddy Bell in the seventh Aside from his fine pitching Fidrych drew attention for talking to the ball during the game and patting down the mound each inning Tom Veryzer had the game winning RBI for Detroit with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning May 25 Mark Fidrych pitched well in his second start holding the Red Sox to six hits and two runs but the Tigers were shut out 2 0 by Luis Tiant May 28 After hitting safely in 30 straight games since April 17 Ron LeFlore went hitless in a 9 5 loss to the Yankees LeFlore s hitting streak tied the third longest in team history May 31 Manager Ralph Houk let rookie Mark Fidrych go 11 innings for a complete game 5 4 win over the Brewers Fidrych gave up a run in the top of the 11th inning but the Tigers rallied in the bottom of the 11th on singles by Chuck Scrivener Jerry Manuel and Tom Veryzer Ron LeFlore had two triples in the game June Edit Pitcher John Hiller June 1 John Hiller won both games of a double header against the Brewers The Tigers came from behind to win 8 7 and 7 5 June 5 Mark Fidrych pitched his second straight 11 inning complete game beating Bert Blyleven and the Texas Rangers 3 2 Ben Oglivie scored the winning run in the top of the 11th and The Bird pitched a 1 2 3 inning in the bottom of the 11th against the heart of the Rangers lineup Mike Hargrove Toby Harrah and Jeff Burroughs June 8 The Tigers sold 29 year old pitcher Joe Coleman to the Chicago Cubs for 100 000 and a player to be named at the end of the season 13 Coleman won 62 games for the Tigers from 1971 to 1973 In the first two months of the 1976 season he compiled a 2 5 record and 4 86 ERA June 8 The Tigers selected pitcher Pat Underwood with the second overall pick in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft The Tigers also selected shortstop Alan Trammell in the second round pitchers Dan Petry in the fourth round and Jack Morris in the fifth round and shortstop Ozzie Smith in the seventh round 14 Three of the Tigers selections Trammell Morris and Smith ended up in the Baseball Hall of Fame June 11 Bird mania began to take hold in Detroit A crowd of 36 377 showed up in Detroit for a Friday night game as Mark Fidrych faced Nolan Ryan Fidrych gave up only one earned run and the Tigers came out on top 4 3 The Tigers won on a walk off single by Alex Johnson in the bottom of the ninth inning with Ron LeFlore scoring the winning run June 15 The Tigers lost to the Royals 21 7 Four Detroit pitchers Dave Lemanczyk Bill Laxton Ray Bare and Steve Grilli combined to allow 24 hits and 20 earned runs George Brett went 4 for 5 and Amos Otis drove in five runs June 16 The Tigers drew 21 659 on a Wednesday night to watch Mark Fidrych win his fifth game Fidrych held the Royals to five hits and two earned runs The Tigers trailed 3 2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning but the Tigers rallied for two runs off singles by Dan Meyer and Alex Johnson and a walk by Aurelio Rodriguez Mickey Stanley ended it with a walk off single to right field driving in Johnson June 20 The Tigers beat the Twins 7 3 in Minneapolis as Mark Fidrych extended his record to 6 1 Jason Thompson hit a three run home run in the 3rd inning for the Tigers June 24 Mark Fidrych drew 26 293 fans to Fenway Park for a Thursday night game as the Tigers won 6 3 Jason Thompson homered and Fidrych pitched another complete game June 28 Mark Fidrych was in the spotlight as the Tigers faced the Yankees on Monday Night Baseball In front of a crowd of 47 855 at Tiger Stadium and a national television audience The Bird talked to the ball and groomed the mound as the Tigers won 5 1 in a game that lasted only 1 hour and 51 minutes July Edit July 3 As the country prepared to celebrate the Bicentennial Mark Fidrych shut out the Orioles 4 0 in front of a sell out crowd of 51 032 at Tiger Stadium Fidrych gave up only four hits and extended his record to 9 1 July 9 Pitching in front of another sell out crowd 51 041 at Tiger Stadium Mark Fidrych held the Royals to one run in nine innings but Dennis Leonard shut out the Tigers The final score was Royals 1 Tigers 0 July 13 Three Tigers Mark Fidrych Ron LeFlore and Rusty Staub started for the American League in the 1976 Major League Baseball All Star Game Fidrych gave up two runs and was the losing pitcher as the National League defeated the American League 7 1 15 July 16 Mark Fidrych won his 10th game a 1 0 victory over the A s Another big crowd 45 905 showed up to watch The Bird do his thing on the mound at Tiger Stadium July 20 A crowd of over 30 000 shows up on a Tuesday night in Minneapolis to watch The Bird Fidrych pitched another complete game and got his 11th win 8 3 Rusty Staub and Ron LeFlore homered for the Tigers July 24 The Bird drew another big crowd to Tiger Stadium 37 405 but lasted only 4 1 innings John Hiller got the win in relief as Ben Oglivie hit a home run in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a 5 4 win over the Indians July 29 Mark Fidrych took a loss despite pitching a six hit complete game and not allowing an earned run The Orioles shut out the Tigers 1 0 as Lee May scored an unearned run in the fourth inning on an error by Detroit second baseman Pedro Garcia Rusty Staub tripled in the bottom of the fourth but did not score as Willie Horton and Alex Johnson followed with ground balls to third base August Edit Willie Horton August 7 The Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians 6 1 before a crowd of 35 393 at Tiger Stadium Mark Fidrych pitched a complete game and gave up only six hits all singles Ben Oglivie went 3 for 4 with two RBIs Dan Meyer and Ron LeFlore scored two runs each Fidrych improved his record to 12 4 with a 1 91 ERA 16 August 11 The Tigers beat the Rangers 4 3 as Mark Fidrych notched his 13th win over Gaylord Perry The Tigers drew 36 523 for a Wednesday game in Detroit Rusty Staub and Willie Horton both hit home runs for Detroit August 17 Despite a losing record Mark Fidrych and the Tigers drew a season high 51 822 fans to Tiger Stadium on a Tuesday night It was the largest crowd at Tiger Stadium since July 17 1973 and the largest for a night game since 1970 The Tigers won 3 2 as catcher Bruce Kimm hit his first career home run in the bottom of the eighth inning Fidrych gave up only five hits and pitched his 16th complete game of the season After the game the crowd remained chanting We Want Bird until Fidrych returned to the field thrusting his fist into the air again and again His record improved to 14 4 with a 1 97 ERA 17 August 18 The Tigers lost 5 4 to the California Angels in 11 innings Nolan Ryan struck out 17 Detroit batters 18 August 25 The Tigers beat the White Sox 3 1 in front of 40 000 fans on a Wednesday night in Detroit Rookie Mark Fidrych held the White Sox to five hits in a game that lasted only one hour and 48 minutes August 31 The Tigers lost to the California Angels 6 3 at Anaheim Nolan Ryan struck out 11 Detroit batters Ron LeFlore for the 2000th strikeout of his career 19 Ron LeFlore struck out twice including Ryan s 2 000th career strikeout 20 September Edit Jason Thompson September 3 The Tigers lost to the Brewers 11 2 as Mark Fidrych had the worst outing of his young career and Mike Hegan hit for the cycle for Milwaukee Fidrych gave up nine runs seven earned in 3 2 innings September 12 The Tigers beat Dock Ellis 3 0 in front of 52 707 fans at Yankee Stadium Mark Fidrych pitched a complete game shutout for his 16th win September 21 Mark Fidrych won his 17th game pitching a complete game and limiting the Indians to three runs The victory halted a six game losing streak 21 September 22 The Tigers lost to the Indians 3 0 before a crowd of 3 616 at Tiger Stadium It was the smallest crowd of the season at Tiger Stadium 22 September 22 Mark Fidrych had his hair cut while sitting in Ralph Houk s chair at Tiger Stadium The trimmed hair was placed in small white boxes to be auctioned for charity 23 September 24 Tigers starter Dave Roberts shut out the Yankees 3 0 Roberts held the Yankees to five hits as John Wockenfuss had a triple and Rusty Staub hit a home run 24 September 25 The Yankees clinched the American League East title by defeating the Tigers 10 6 in Detroit After the game Yankees owner George Steinbrenner threw a party for his team at a downtown Detroit restaurant 25 September 28 Mark Fidrych won his 18th game of the season He shut out the Indians and allowed only five singles The game played on a cold night in Cleveland attracted only 3 394 fans the smallest crowd to watch Fidrych pitch The game lasted only one hour and 48 minutes In one of his final games as a Tiger Willie Horton had a double a home run and two RBIs 26 September 28 Quelling concerns that the Tigers would move out of the city Tigers owner John Fetzer announced plans to renovate Tiger Stadium at cost of 15 20 million The proposed renovation included a new mercury vapor lighting system and new seats 27 September 29 The Tigers defeated the Indians 3 2 in Cleveland Despite the loss the Tigers clinched fifth place ensuring that they would not finish in last place for a third consecutive year 28 September 30 In his fourth start rookie pitcher Ed Glynn got his first major league win The Indians defeated the Tigers 6 4 in Cleveland 29 October Edit Shortstop Tom Veryzer October 1 John Hiller got a rare start when starter Vern Ruhle developed a sore shoulder Hiller had not started a game since 1972 He pitched a complete game four hit shutout over the Brewers at County Stadium The Tigers won by a 5 0 score 30 October 2 In his last start of the 1976 season Fidrych got his 19th win beating the Brewers 4 1 Fidrych held the Brewers to five hits in a game that lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes 31 October 2 The Tigers signed Mark Fidrych to a three year contract The contract gave Fidrych a retroactive increase for his 1976 salary from 19 000 to an estimated 30 000 Fidrych s father negotiated the contract without using an agent Fidrych said An agent probably could have gotten me more money But then maybe I wouldn t have been happy This way I got what I wanted I m happy 32 October 3 The Tigers defeated the Brewers 5 2 in Milwaukee closing their season with a four game winning streak For the year the team improved to 74 victories 17 more than in 1975 the largest improvement by any team in the American League The game was Hank Aaron s last major league game In his final major league at bat in the bottom of the sixth inning Aaron hit an infield single off Dave Roberts driving in a run with his 2 297th RBI 33 Award season Edit October 30 Mark Fidrych was named as the winner of the Tiger of the Year award In voting by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America Fidrych received 31 of the 35 votes cast The other four votes went to Ron LeFlore 34 November 10 The American League Cy Young Award was presented to Jim Palmer who received 108 points in the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America Mark Fidrych finished second in the voting with 51 points 35 November 19 After compiling a league best 978 fielding percentage at third base Aurelio Rodriguez received the American League Gold Glove Award at third base Rodriguez was the first American League third baseman other than Brooks Robinson to win the award since 1959 36 37 Season standings Edit vteAL East W L Pct GB Home RoadNew York Yankees 97 62 0 610 45 35 52 27Baltimore Orioles 88 74 0 543 10 42 39 46 35Boston Red Sox 83 79 0 512 15 46 35 37 44Cleveland Indians 81 78 0 509 16 44 35 37 43Detroit Tigers 74 87 0 460 24 36 44 38 43Milwaukee Brewers 66 95 0 410 32 36 45 30 50Record vs opponents Edit 1976 American League RecordsvteSources 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Team BAL BOS CAL CWS CLE DET KC MIL MIN NYY OAK TEXBaltimore 7 11 8 4 8 4 7 11 12 6 6 6 11 7 4 8 13 5 4 8 8 4Boston 11 7 7 5 6 6 9 9 14 4 3 9 12 6 7 5 7 11 4 8 3 9California 4 8 5 7 11 7 7 5 6 6 8 10 4 8 8 10 5 7 6 12 12 6Chicago 4 8 6 6 7 11 3 9 6 6 8 10 7 5 7 11 1 11 8 9 7 11Cleveland 11 7 9 9 5 7 9 3 6 12 6 6 11 6 9 3 4 12 4 8 7 5Detroit 6 12 4 14 6 6 6 6 12 6 4 8 12 6 4 8 9 8 6 6 5 7Kansas City 6 6 9 3 10 8 10 8 6 6 8 4 8 4 10 8 7 5 9 9 7 11Milwaukee 7 11 6 12 8 4 5 7 6 11 6 12 4 8 4 8 5 13 5 7 10 2Minnesota 8 4 5 7 10 8 11 7 3 9 8 4 8 10 8 4 2 10 11 7 11 7New York 5 13 11 7 7 5 11 1 12 4 8 9 5 7 13 5 10 2 6 6 9 3Oakland 8 4 8 4 12 6 9 8 8 4 6 6 9 9 7 5 7 11 6 6 7 11Texas 4 8 9 3 6 12 11 7 5 7 7 5 11 7 2 10 7 11 3 9 11 7 Roster Edit 1976 Detroit TigersRosterPitchers 21 Ray Bare 15 Joe Coleman 28 Jim Crawford 20 Mark Fidrych 48 Ed Glynn 49 Steve Grilli 18 John Hiller 27 Bill Laxton 19 Dave Lemanczyk 29 Frank MacCormack 17 Dave Roberts 31 Vern Ruhle Catchers 11 Bill Freehan 46 Bruce Kimm 12 Milt May 45 John WockenfussInfielders 3 Pedro Garcia 2 Phil Mankowski 1 Jerry Manuel 4 Aurelio Rodriguez 9 Chuck Scrivener 3 Gary Sutherland 30 Jason Thompson 7 Tom Veryzer 5 Mark Wagner Outfielders 33 Alex Johnson 34 Marvin Lane 8 Ron LeFlore 25 Dan Meyer 22 Ben Oglivie 24 Mickey Stanley 10 Rusty StaubDesignated hitters 23 Willie Horton Manager 35 Ralph HoukCoaches 52 Fred Gladding 50 Jim Hegan 51 Joe Schultz 53 Dick TracewskiPlayer stats EditBatting Edit Starters by position Edit 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 RBIC Bill Freehan 71 237 64 270 5 271B Jason Thompson 123 412 90 218 17 542B Pedro Garcia 77 227 45 198 3 203B Aurelio Rodriguez 128 480 67 240 8 50SS Tom Veryzer 97 354 83 234 1 25LF Alex Johnson 125 429 115 268 6 45CF Ron LeFlore 135 544 172 316 4 39RF Rusty Staub 161 589 176 299 15 96DH Willie Horton 114 401 105 262 14 56Other batters Edit 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 RBIBen Oglivie 115 305 87 285 15 47Dan Meyer 105 294 74 252 2 16Chuck Scrivener 80 222 49 221 2 16Mickey Stanley 84 214 55 257 4 29Bruce Kimm 63 152 40 263 1 6John Wockenfuss 60 144 32 222 3 10Gary Sutherland 42 117 24 205 0 6Mark Wagner 39 115 30 261 0 12Phil Mankowski 24 85 23 271 1 4Marvin Lane 18 48 9 188 0 5Jerry Manuel 54 43 6 140 0 2Milt May 6 25 7 280 0 1Pitching Edit Starting pitchers Edit Note G Games pitched IP Innings pitched W Wins L Losses ERA Earned run average SO Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SODave Roberts 36 252 0 16 17 4 00 79Mark Fidrych 31 250 1 19 9 2 34 97Vern Ruhle 32 199 2 9 12 3 92 88Ray Bare 30 134 0 7 8 4 63 59Joe Coleman 12 66 2 2 5 4 86 38Frank MacCormack 9 32 2 0 5 5 79 14Ed Glynn 5 23 2 1 3 6 08 17Other pitchers Edit Note G Games pitched IP Innings pitched W Wins L Losses ERA Earned run average SO Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SOJim Crawford 32 109 1 1 8 4 53 68Dave Lemanczyk 20 81 1 4 6 5 09 51Relief pitchers Edit Note G Games pitched W Wins L Losses SV Saves ERA Earned run average SO Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SOJohn Hiller 56 12 8 13 2 38 117Steve Grilli 36 3 1 3 4 64 36Bill Laxton 26 0 5 2 4 09 74Awards and honors Edit Center fielder Ron LeFlore Third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez Right fielder Rusty Staub Mark Fidrych AL Rookie of the Year Award Mark Fidrych Finished 2nd in AL Cy Young Award voting Mark Fidrych Finished 11th in AL MVP Award voting Aurelio Rodriguez AL Gold Glove Award at third baseLeague top ten finishers Edit Mark Fidrych MLB leader in ERA 2 34 MLB leader in Adjusted ERA 158 AL leader in complete games 24 3 in AL in walks plus hits per innings pitched WHIP 1 079 4 in AL in wins 19 4 in AL in win percentage 679 5 in AL in bases on balls per 9 inning pitched 1 91 5 in AL in shutouts 4 John Hiller 4 in AL in games finished 46 Ron LeFlore AL leader in errors by an outfielder 11 2 in AL in stolen bases 58 3 in MLB in times caught stealing 20 4 in AL in singles 137 5 in AL in batting average 316 5 in AL in runs scored 93 6 in AL in strikeouts 111 Dave Roberts 2 in MLB in losses 17 2 in MLB in earned runs allowed 112 5 in AL in shutouts 4 9 in AL in complete games 18 Aurelio Rodriguez AL leader in fielding percentage by a third baseman 978 3 in AL in times grounded into double plays 19 Rusty Staub AL leader in games played 161 AL leader in times grounded into double plays 23 2 in AL in times on base 266 2 in AL in sacrifice flies 11 3 in AL in plate appearances 690 4 in AL in on base percentage 386 4 in AL in bases on balls 83 4 in AL in runs created 99 5 in AL in RBIs 96 5 in AL in intentional walks 11 7 in AL in times hit by pitch 7 7 in AL in hits 7 8 in AL in OPS 818 10 in AL in total bases 255 Players ranking among top 100 all time at position Edit The following members of the 1977 Detroit Tigers were ranked among the Top 100 of all time at their position by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001 Aurelio Rodriguez 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 timeFarm system EditSee also Minor League Baseball Level Team League ManagerAAA Evansville Triplets American Association Fred HatfieldAA Montgomery Rebels Southern League Les MossA Lakeland Tigers Florida State League Jim LeylandRookie Bristol Tigers Appalachian League Joe LewisLEAGUE CHAMPIONS Montgomery LakelandNotes Edit Jim Hawkins December 7 1975 Tigers Get No 1 Catcher 2 Pitchers in Trade Coup Detroit Free Press pp 1E 5E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 22 1976 Tigers Lose May for 3 4 Months Detroit Free Press p 1F via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins December 13 1975 Tigers Trade Lolich for Rusty Staub Detroit Free Press p 1C via Newspapers com Brian Bragg January 8 1976 Tigers Get Their Man Great to Be with Detroit Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 6 1976 Tigers Pull Surprise Keep Mark Fidrych Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 11 1976 Tigers Open Season with a Bang 3 1 Detroit Free Press p 1E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 11 1976 Tigers Indians Set All Time Marks Detroit Free Press p 4E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 14 1976 Hectic Ninth Ruins Tiger Opener 1 0 Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Four Tigers Listed on All Star Ballot Willie Isn t One of Them Detroit Free Press April 15 1976 p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins April 18 1976 Roberts 2 Hits Angels 2 0 Detroit Free Press p 1E via Newspapers com Mark Fidrych permanent dead link at Baseball Reference Jim Hawkins April 29 1976 Roberts Baffles A s For 3d in Row 8 1 Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins June 9 1976 Steady Loser Joe Coleman Dealt to Cubs Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Tigers Draft Lefthanded Pitcher Detroit Free Press June 9 1976 p 3D via Newspapers com How 3 Tigers Did In All Star Game Detroit Free Press July 14 1976 p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins August 8 1973 Another Feather In The Bird s Cap He Clips Tribe 6 1 Detroit Free Press p 1E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins August 18 1976 It s Another Storybook Finish Kimm s HR Wins for Bird 3 2 Detroit Free Press pp 1D 4D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins August 19 1976 Ryan s Express Fans 17 Tigers Lose in 11th 5 4 Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 1 1976 Tigers Surrender to Angels Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com The Nolan Ryan Express The Strikeout King smackbomb com nolanryan Archived from the original on July 16 2011 Retrieved July 28 2008 Jim Hawkins September 22 1976 Bird Wins 17th In Putting Down Indians 5 3 Detroit Free Press pp 1D 4D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 23 1976 Only 3 616 Fans On Hand As Indians Chill Tigers 3 0 Detroit Free Press p 1F via Newspapers com Brian Bragg September 23 1976 The Bird Loses Some Curl But Relax It s for Good Cause Detroit Free Press pp 1F 4F via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 25 1976 Tigers Split Slow the Yankees Flag Express Detroit Free Press pp 1B 3B via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 26 1976 Yanks Win Clinch AL East Detroit Free Press pp 1E 2E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 29 1976 Bird Wins 18th Tigers Split Detroit Free Press pp 1D 3D via Newspapers com Joe Falls September 29 1976 Tigers to Fix Up Stadium Minimum Cost to Be 15 Million Detroit Free Press pp 1A 2A via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins September 30 1976 Tigers Clinch 5th Bow To Tribe 3 2 Detroit Free Press pp 1F 9F via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins October 1 1976 It s Tigers 6 4 Detroit Free Press pp 1D 4D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins October 2 1976 Hiller Starts Zips Brewers 5 0 Detroit Free Press p 1C via Newspapers com Fidrych Hurls Five Hitter 4 1 News Journal UPI October 3 1976 p 2E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins October 3 1976 Tigers Give Bird a Bonus Plus Fat 3 Year Contract Detroit Free Press p 1E via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins October 4 1976 Tigers End Long Season With 5 2 Win Detroit Free Press p 1D via Newspapers com Jim Hawkins October 31 1976 The Bird Who Else Is Tiger of Year Detroit free Press p 1E via Newspapers com Big Cy Palmer Beats Bird to AL Award Detroit Free Press November 11 1976 via Newspapers com 1976 MLB Fielding Leaders Baseball Reference com Sports Reference LLC Retrieved July 23 2019 Aurelio Named to Top Fielding Team Detroit Free Press November 20 1976 p 5C via Newspapers com References EditJohnson Lloyd Wolff Miles eds 1997 The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball 2nd ed Durham North Carolina Baseball America ISBN 978 0 9637189 8 3 1976 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Statistics at Baseball Reference 1976 Detroit Tigers Game by Game at BaseballLibrary comExternal links Edit Baseball portal1976 Charlton s Baseball Chronology Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1976 Detroit Tigers season amp oldid 1115907958, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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