1977 – Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Sewell batted .312 over 14 seasons with the Indians and Yankees. Rusie won 246 games over nine seasons from 1889 to 1898. Lopez won four fielding titles in 19 years as a catcher, but it is his .584 winning percentage in 17 seasons as a manager that got him into Cooperstown.
1977 – Edward W. Stack is elected president of the Hall of Fame. He succeeds Paul Kerr, who is retiring.
1977 – Boston sports writers honor Luis Tiant as the Red Sox’s most valuable pitcher. This is the fifth year in a row that Tiant has won this honor, a record for the award begun in 1952.
1977 – The Yankees obtain outfielder Paul Blair from Baltimore for two prospects. Blair will prove a fine defensive addition to the Yankees.
On January 19, 1977, former Chicago Cub standout Ernie Banks is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Known as “Mr. Cub,” Banks played his entire 19-year major league career in Chicago, Banks hit 512 home runs, had 11 All-Star selections, and won back-to-back National League MVP Awards,
1977 – The Kansas City Royals release veteran outfielder Tommy Davis, ending his 18-year career. In 1962, Davis led the National League in batting average with a .346 mark, and in RBI with 153. In 1963, Davis again won the batting crown, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers to capture the World Series. Two years later, he fractured an ankle, curtailing his production for the rest of his career.
Houston trades catcher Alfred Henry “Skip” Jutze to Seattle for a minor leaguer and cash. After being brought to Houston with high expectations in 1973, Jutze finds himself unable to hold the job and is quietly dispatched to an expansion team in the other league. He ends with a .215 career average.
1977 – The Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Rick Monday to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a five-man deal that brings Bill Buckner and Ivan DeJesus to the Windy City. In 1976, Monday gained national fame when he saved an American flag from being burned during a game in Los Angeles. The trade solidifies the Cubs infield for the next five years, and Buckner will hit .300 for the team over the next seven seasons, but the Dodgers will win three National League pennants in that span, with Monday a major contributor.
David Matranga is born in Orange, CA. The injury call-up is 1-for-5 in his big league career but he is only the second Astro to homer in his first major league at bat.
1977 – California Angels reserve shortstop Mike Miley is killed in an auto crash in Baton Rouge, LA, at age 23. Miley had been a star football player for the LSU Tigers and was chosen twice in the first round of the June free agent draft.
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