1977 – Houston bombs the Rangers in a 16-6 exhibition win in Oklahoma City. Willie Crawford drives in five runs but the moment nobody forgets is when Bob Watson doubles into a double play. Texas catcher Bill Fahey tags out both Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz at the plate.
1977 – An exhibition game with the Texas Rangers in Tulsa, OK, is halted when a part of the stand collapses, injuring 17 people. Players helped carry victims to aid, some making stretchers out of wooden planks.
The Cincinnati Reds send outfielder Joel Youngblood and pitcher Pat Darcy to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Bill Caudill and Mike Caldwell.
1977 – Astros obtain outfielder Willie Crawford and infielder Rob Sperring from San Francisco for infielder Rob Andrews. After the season, outfielder Art Gardner is sent to the Giants to complete the deal.
1977 – The Oakland A’s sell P Paul Lindblad to the Texas Rangers for $400,000, calling into question Bowie Kuhn’s policy on player sales. Kuhn had previously voided an Oakland sale of players (on June 18, 1976) as “not being in the best interest of baseball,” but had not specified the maximum amount allowable in a player sale.
1977 – The Chicago Cubs trade two-time National League batting champion Bill Madlock and infielder Rob Sperring to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bobby Murcer, third baseman Steve Ontiveros, and a minor league pitcher. In 1976, Madlock led the NL with a .339 mark, while Murcer hit 23 home runs and 90 RBI. Madlock leaves Chicago having hit .336 for them, which ties him with Riggs Stephenson for the top career average in team history.
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.
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.
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