1976 Pittsburgh Pirates season
Major League Baseball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1976 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 90th in the National League, and the 95th in franchise history. The Pirates compiled a 92–70 record during the season, as they finished in second place in the National League East, nine games behind their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. As a result, their run of five division titles in a six-year span came to an end. It was also the final season for Danny Murtaugh as the Pirates' manager.
| 1976 Pittsburgh Pirates | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Three Rivers Stadium |
| City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[1] |
| Record | 92–70 (.568) |
| Divisional place | 2nd |
| Owners | John W. Galbreath (majority shareholder); Bing Crosby, Thomas P. Johnson (minority shareholders) |
| General managers | Joe L. Brown, Harding "Pete" Peterson |
| Managers | Danny Murtaugh |
| Television | KDKA-TV Milo Hamilton, Lanny Frattare |
| Radio | KDKA Milo Hamilton, Lanny Frattare |
Offseason
- December 4, 1975: Rafael Vásquez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.[2]
- December 11, 1975: Dock Ellis, Ken Brett and Willie Randolph were traded by the Pirates to the New York Yankees for Doc Medich.[3]
- January 27, 1976: Pascual Pérez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.[4]
Regular season
- August 9, 1976: John Candelaria pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[5]
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 53–28 | 48–33 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 92 | 70 | .568 | 9 | 47–34 | 45–36 |
| New York Mets | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15 | 45–37 | 41–39 |
| Chicago Cubs | 75 | 87 | .463 | 26 | 42–39 | 33–48 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 72 | 90 | .444 | 29 | 37–44 | 35–46 |
| Montreal Expos | 55 | 107 | .340 | 46 | 27–53 | 28–54 |
Record vs. opponents
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||||
| Atlanta | — | 6–6 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 8–10 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 4–8 | |||||
| Chicago | 6–6 | — | 3–9 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 11–7 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 12–6 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 12–6 | 9–3 | — | 12–6 | 13–5 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–6 | |||||
| Houston | 11–7 | 7–5 | 6–12 | — | 5–13 | 10–2 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 2–10 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 9–3 | |||||
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 9–3 | 5–13 | 13–5 | — | 10–2 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 9–3 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 10–2 | |||||
| Montreal | 4–8 | 7–11 | 3–9 | 2–10 | 2–10 | — | 8–10 | 3–15 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–11 | |||||
| New York | 8–4 | 13–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 10–8 | — | 5–13 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 9–9 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 7-5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 15–3 | 13–5 | — | 8–10 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 12–6 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 9–3 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 10–2 | 3–9 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 | 9–3 | 12–6 | |||||
| San Diego | 8–10 | 6–6 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 4–8 | |||||
| San Francisco | 9–9 | 4–8 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 10–8 | — | 5–7 | |||||
| St. Louis | 8–4 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 2–10 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 8–4 | 7–5 | — | |||||
Game log
| 1976 Game Log: 92–70 (Home: 47–34; Away: 45–36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 8–8 (Home: 4–3; Away: 4–5)
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May: 17–11 (Home: 10–6; Away: 7–5)
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June: 16–10 (Home: 6–6; Away: 10–4)
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July: 15–15 (Home: 8–7; Away: 7–8)
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August: 16–13 (Home: 8–8; Away: 8–5)
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September: 17–13 (Home: 8–4; Away: 9–9)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss Bold = Pirates team member |
Opening Day lineup
Notable transactions
- June 8, 1976: Bob Long was drafted by the Pirates in the 24th round of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.[6]
- July 2, 1976: Albert Williams was released by the Pirates.[7]
- September 8, 1976: Ramón Hernández was purchased from the Pirates by the Chicago Cubs.[8]
Roster
| 1976 Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Manny Sanguillén | 114 | 389 | 52 | 113 | .290 | 2 | 36 | 2 |
| 1B | Willie Stargell | 117 | 428 | 54 | 110 | .257 | 20 | 65 | 2 |
| 2B | Rennie Stennett | 157 | 654 | 59 | 168 | .257 | 2 | 60 | 18 |
| 3B | Richie Hebner | 132 | 434 | 60 | 108 | .249 | 8 | 51 | 1 |
| SS | Frank Taveras | 144 | 519 | 76 | 134 | .258 | 0 | 24 | 58 |
| LF | Richie Zisk | 155 | 581 | 91 | 168 | .289 | 21 | 89 | 1 |
| CF | Al Oliver | 121 | 443 | 62 | 143 | .323 | 12 | 61 | 6 |
| RF | Dave Parker | 138 | 537 | 82 | 168 | .313 | 13 | 90 | 19 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg.= Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Robinson | 122 | 393 | 55 | 119 | .303 | 21 | 64 | 2 |
| Duffy Dyer | 69 | 184 | 12 | 41 | .223 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Ed Kirkpatrick | 83 | 146 | 14 | 34 | .233 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Bob Robertson | 61 | 129 | 10 | 28 | .217 | 2 | 25 | 0 |
| Omar Moreno | 48 | 122 | 24 | 33 | .270 | 2 | 12 | 15 |
| Mario Mendoza | 50 | 92 | 6 | 17 | .185 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Tommy Helms | 62 | 87 | 10 | 24 | .276 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Ed Ott | 27 | 39 | 2 | 12 | .308 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Miguel Diloné | 16 | 17 | 7 | 4 | .235 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Tony Armas | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .333 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Craig Reynolds | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .250 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Candelaria | 32 | 220.0 | 16 | 7 | 3.15 | 138 |
| Jerry Reuss | 31 | 209.1 | 14 | 9 | 3.53 | 108 |
| Jim Rooker | 30 | 198.2 | 15 | 8 | 3.35 | 92 |
| Bruce Kison | 31 | 193.0 | 14 | 9 | 3.08 | 98 |
| Doc Medich | 29 | 179.0 | 8 | 11 | 3.52 | 86 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Demery | 36 | 145.0 | 10 | 7 | 3.17 | 72 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Moose | 53 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 3.68 | 38 |
| Kent Tekulve | 64 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 2.45 | 68 |
| Dave Giusti | 40 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4.32 | 24 |
| Ramón Hernández | 37 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3.56 | 17 |
| Rick Langford | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.26 | 17 |
| Doug Bair | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.68 | 4 |