The 1977 Atlanta Braves season was the 107th season for the franchise and their 12th in Atlanta. The team finished in last place in the six-team National League West with a record of 61–101, 37 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves hit a major league-leading seven grand slams.
All Braves home and away games were broadcast on WTCG-TV which during the offseason, under its owner Ted Turner, became the pioneer superstation in the United States and thus making the Braves the first MLB team to have its games telecast to millions of television viewers around the country aside from the national broadcasts on ABC and NBC which had been the case before the team's opening series of the season.
The 1977 Braves had the fewest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of any team in a single season in major league history, at -10.0.
Offseason November 17, 1976: Gary Matthews was signed by the Braves as a free agent. December 9, 1976: Carl Morton, Adrian Devine, Ken Henderson, Dave May, Roger Moret, and $250,000 were traded by the Braves to the Texas Rangers for Jeff Burroughs.Carl Morton page at Baseball Reference
Regular season
Turner's one-day reign as manager Midway through the season, with the Braves mired in a 16-game losing streak, owner Ted Turner sent Dave Bristol on a 10-day "scouting trip" and took over as his own manager. This only lasted for one game (a 2–1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates) before National League president Chub Feeney ordered Turner to give up the reins, citing major league rules which forbid managers or players from owning stock in a team. After the Braves broke the skid under third-base coach Vern Benson, Bristol—who had spent the time at his offseason home in Andrews, North Carolina—was given his old job back for the remainder of the season.Hannon, Kent. Benched from the Bench. Sports Illustrated, 1977-05-23.
Notable events
September 15, 1977 - Dale Murphy hits two home runs in an 8–7 win over the San Diego Padres, the first home runs of his major league career.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Opening Day starters Jeff Burroughs Vic Correll Rod Gilbreath Gary Matthews Willie Montañez Rowland Office Pat Rockett Jerry Royster Dick Ruthven
Notable transactions April 30, 1977: Mike Marshall was purchased from the Braves by the Texas Rangers.Mike Marshall page at Baseball Reference June 7, 1977: Larry Owen was drafted by the Braves in the 17th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.Larry Owen page at Baseball Reference
Roster 1977 Atlanta Braves Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches
Player stats = Indicates team leader
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; SB = Stolen bases Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI SB C 113 321 93 .290 8 44 3 1B 136 544 156 .287 20 68 1 2B 128 407 99 .243 8 43 3 3B 112 361 94 .260 5 34 4 SS 93 264 67 .254 1 24 1 LF 148 555 157 .283 17 64 22 CF 124 428 103 .241 5 39 2 RF 154 579 157 .271 41 114 4
Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI SB 140 445 96 .216 6 28 28 100 360 108 .300 1 45 7 74 209 42 .201 3 15 0 72 155 37 .239 3 15 1 54 144 30 .208 7 16 2 83 124 26 .210 4 17 1 56 85 23 .271 3 21 1 62 82 23 .280 3 9 1 18 76 24 .316 2 14 0 27 29 6 .207 0 1 0 4 4 1 .250 0 1 0 6 1 0 .000 0 0 0
Pitching
= Indicates league leader
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 44 330.1 16 20 4.03 262 25 151.0 7 13 4.23 84 16 102.1 5 4 4.40 69 18 88.2 6 6 4.57 54 5 23.0 1 2 6.26 14
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 45 139.1 6 11 5.36 100 31 81.2 4 4 3.97 44 40 70.2 3 9 5.09 27 17 60.0 2 6 4.95 37 22 58.2 2 4 6.14 37 14 37.0 1 8 11.68 28 16 36.2 0 3 6.87 18 3 6.0 0 0 15.00 0
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 65 0 6 13 3.05 42 54 6 3 10 4.00 51 17 1 1 0 6.53 7 16 0 0 1 6.64 10 16 0 0 2 5.06 7 15 0 1 0 7.25 16 4 1 0 0 9.00 6 4 0 0 0 9.64 1 2 0 0 0 3.38 1
Farm system
Awards and honors
League leaders Phil Niekro, National League leader, LossesGreat Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 348, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York,
Notes
References
1977 Atlanta Braves season at Baseball Reference Atlanta Braves on Baseball Almanac