1976 Major League Baseball season

The 1976 Major League Baseball season was the last season of the expansion era (dating back to 1961) until 1993 in which the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) had the same number of teams. The season ended with the Cincinnati Reds taking the World Series Championship for the second consecutive season by sweeping the New York Yankees in four games; they are the only team to go undefeated in the postseason since the advent of the divisional era in 1969. It would be the Reds' last title until Lou Piniella guided the club in 1990, and the second time that the Yankees were swept in World Series history. The only team to do it before was the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers.

This article is about the 1976 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1976 in baseball.

1976 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 8 – October 21, 1976
Draft
Top draft pick	Floyd Bannister
Picked by	Houston Astros
Regular season
Season MVP	AL: Thurman Munson (NYY) NL: Joe Morgan (CIN)
Postseason
AL champions	New York Yankees
AL runners-up	Kansas City Royals
NL champions	Cincinnati Reds
NL runners-up	Philadelphia Phillies
World Series
Champions	Cincinnati Reds
Runners-up	New York Yankees
Finals MVP	Johnny Bench (CIN)

Regular season standings

American League AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road New York Yankees 97 62 0.610 — 45–35 52–27 Baltimore Orioles 88 74 0.543 10½ 42–39 46–35 Boston Red Sox 83 79 0.512 15½ 46–35 37–44 Cleveland Indians 81 78 0.509 16 44–35 37–43 Detroit Tigers 74 87 0.460 24 36–44 38–43 Milwaukee Brewers 66 95 0.410 32 36–45 30–50 AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road Kansas City Royals 90 72 0.556 — 49–32 41–40 Oakland Athletics 87 74 0.540 2½ 51–30 36–44 Minnesota Twins 85 77 0.525 5 44–37 41–40 Texas Rangers 76 86 0.469 14 39–42 37–44 California Angels 76 86 0.469 14 38–43 38–43 Chicago White Sox 64 97 0.398 25½ 35–45 29–52

National League NL East W L Pct. GB Home Road Philadelphia Phillies 101 61 0.623 — 53–28 48–33 Pittsburgh Pirates 92 70 0.568 9 47–34 45–36 New York Mets 86 76 0.531 15 45–37 41–39 Chicago Cubs 75 87 0.463 26 42–39 33–48 St. Louis Cardinals 72 90 0.444 29 37–44 35–46 Montreal Expos 55 107 0.340 46 27–53 28–54 NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road Cincinnati Reds 102 60 0.630 — 49–32 53–28 Los Angeles Dodgers 92 70 0.568 10 49–32 43–38 Houston Astros 80 82 0.494 22 46–36 34–46 San Francisco Giants 74 88 0.457 28 40–41 34–47 San Diego Padres 73 89 0.451 29 42–38 31–51 Atlanta Braves 70 92 0.432 32 34–47 36–45

Postseason

	League Championship Series TV: ABC					World Series TV: NBC
	East	NY Yankees	3
	West	Kansas City	2
						AL	NY Yankees	0
						NL	Cincinnati	4
	East	Philadelphia	0
	West	Cincinnati	3

Awards and honors

American League National League Award Player Position Team Player Position Team Most Valuable Player Thurman Munson C NYY Joe Morgan 2B CIN Cy Young Award Jim Palmer RHP BAL Randy Jones LHP SD Rookie of the Year Mark Fidrych RHP DET Butch Metzger Pat Zachry RHP RHP SD CIN Relief Man of the Year Bill Campbell RHP MIN Rawly Eastwick RHP CIN

July–September

• July 8 – At Wrigley Field, Randy Jones wins his 16th game of the year for the San Diego Padres, a National League record for wins at the All-Star break. He beats the Chicago Cubs 6–3. In the second half of the season, Jones will lose seven games by one run, two of them by 1–0 scores.
• July 9 – In Montreal, the Houston Astros' Larry Dierker no-hits the host Montreal Expos, 6–0. He strikes out eight batters, including the first two in the ninth inning. Dierker had previously thrown two one-hitters.
• July 13 – The National League emerges victorious in the annual All-Star Game by a score of 7–1. George Foster, one of seven Cincinnati Reds position players on the squad, hits a home run with three RBI, and is named the MVP. Rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych gives up two runs and takes the loss. It is the NL's 13th win over the American League in the last 14 games.
• July 19 – Willie Davis of the San Diego Padres gets his 2500th hit versus the Chicago Cubs, a single in the 4th off of Bill Bonham at San Diego Stadium. The Padres won 3-2.
• July 20 – Hank Aaron hits the 755th and last home run of his career, connecting off Dick Drago of the California Angels.
• July 23 – In a game against the Taiyō Whales, Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants hits his 700th home run, the first player in Nippon Professional Baseball to do so.
• July 24 – In a 17-2 blowout of the Chicago White Sox, Lyman Bostock becomes the fourth Minnesota Twin to hit for the cycle. Batting fourth for the first time ever, he goes four-for-four, with four RBI and four runs scored.
• July 26 – Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox gets his 2500th hit versus the Cleveland Indians, a double in the 1st off of Stan Thomas at Fenway Park. The Red Sox lost 9-4. Yastrzemski was beaten to the milestone one week earlier by his contemporary, Willie Davis on July 19.
• July 28 – Blue Moon Odom and Francisco Barrios combine on a no-hitter as the Chicago White Sox top the Oakland Athletics 2–1. For Odom, this is his last major league victory.
• August 8 – The first game of today's Royals–White Sox double header at Comiskey Park sees the White Sox appear on the field in shorts. The Sox return to long pants for the second game, after stealing five bases and defeating the Royals, 5-2.
• August 9 – John Candelaria became the first Pirates pitcher in 69 years to throw a no-hitter in Pittsburgh by blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0. Candelaria's no-hitter came at Three Rivers Stadium. No Pirate ever threw a no-hitter at Forbes Field.
• September 3 – At Shea Stadium, Tom Seaver fans Tommy Hutton of the Phillies in the 7th inning of the Mets 1-0 victory. Hutton is Seaver's 200th strikeout victim of the season – the 9th straight year the Mets' right-hander has reached that mark.
• September 6 – Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager is seriously injured when the jagged end of a broken bat strikes him in the throat while he is waiting in the on-deck circle.
• September 10 – California's Nolan Ryan strikes out 18 White Sox hitters in a 9-inning 3-2 victory at Chicago.
• September 11 – Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso comes out of his twelve-year retirement. Playing at home for the White Sox, he goes 0-for-3 against Frank Tanana. The next day, he will single, becoming the oldest player to hit safely in a Major League game.
• September 18 – Player-Manager Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians inserts himself into the lineup as a pinch hitter in the eight inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles. He singles in what will be his final at-bat as a player. His influence as a manager and executive will continue for decades to come.
• September 21 – In Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Reds clinch the National League West title with a 9-1 pasting of the San Diego Padres.
• September 25 – The Yankees put an end to a 6-game losing streak with a 10-6 win over the Tigers to wrap up the Al East, the Yankees' first visit to the postseason since the 1964 World Series. Doyle Alexander gets the victory.
• September 26 – In the last big league games at Montreal's Jarry Park, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader to clinch the National League East title. Philly takes the nightcap, 2-1. Following the 2nd game, Dick Allen jumps the team in protest of the fact that veteran Tony Taylor is not listed on the post-season roster.
• September 28 – The Dodgers' Walter Alston, after 23 seasons and 2,040 victories, steps down as manager. Third base coach Tommy Lasorda is promoted to the post.
• September 29 – John Montefusco of the San Francisco Giants no-hits the Atlanta Braves 9-0 at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.

Statistical leaders

Statistic	American League		National League
AVG	George Brett KC	.333	Bill Madlock CHI	.339
HR	Graig Nettles NYY	32	Mike Schmidt PHI	38
RBI	Lee May BAL	109	George Foster CIN	121
SB	Billy North OAK	75	Davey Lopes LA	63
Wins	Jim Palmer BAL	22	Randy Jones SD	22
ERA	Mark Fidrych DET	2.34	John Denny STL	2.52
SO	Nolan Ryan CAL	327	Tom Seaver NYM	235
SV	Sparky Lyle NYY	23	Rawly Eastwick CIN	26

External links

• 1976 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference