1979 – Philip Barzilla is born in Houston, TX. The lefthander tosses 1/3rd of an inning for the hometown team in 2006, much to the joy of his family, including one proud uncle.
Lorinda de Roulet replaces the very unpopular M. Donald Grant as the Mets’ Chairman of the Board. The daughter of franchise founder Joan Payson became the first woman to direct the day-to-day operations of an MLB club when elected as the team president and named to its board of directors following the death of her…
1978 – Alan Ashby is acquired from Toronto for pitcher Mark Lemongello, outfielder Joe Cannon and a minor leaguer. Ashby becomes a stalwart in Houston for the next decade, hitting .252 and providing steady defense behind the plate.
1978 – Ford Motor Credit Company buys full control of the Astros by purchasing remaining shares from General Electric Credit Company. They intend to look for a new buyer, while rumors swirl that the franchise may be moved out of Houston.
1978 – Todd Self is born in Shreveport, LA. The outfielder appears in 21 games during 2005 before being released, batting .200 with one homer.
On October 1, 1978, the Boston Red Sox win their eighth consecutive game to force a playoff game that will decide the American League East. Luis Tiant turned in one of the greatest clutch pitching performances in Red Sox history — shutting out Toronto, 5-0, on the final day of the regular season. The…
1978 – J.R. Richard becomes the first righthander in league history to reach 300 strikeouts during a 4-3 victory over Atlanta. He whiffs six to tally 303 for the season . J.R. also belts a homer off Larry McWilliams in the third. A double by Reggie Baldwinand a single by Rafael Landestoy in the seventh key the winning rally.
1978 – Joe Niekro outduels his brother Phil in a 2-0 whitewash of the Braves and denies Phil a 20-win season. Joe allows seven hits then gives way to Ken Forsch in the ninth. Jose Cruz and Julio Gonzalez drive in the game’s only runs.
On September 5, 1978, the Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos set a major league record by combining to use 45 players. The Cubs and Expos, managed by Herman Franks and Dick Williams respectively, also tie a record by using 14 pitchers. The Expos win the game, 10-8…
1978 – Local Houstonians replace striking umpires during a 7-5 victory over Pittsburgh. Murray Strey, a superintendent for Entex, rings up Dave Parker on strikes with the bases loaded in the ninth to kill the last Pirate chance. Parker later admits the last pitch could have been a strike. The union umps are back the next day.
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