California Angels | narcissism

Going into 1978, Gene Autry's Halos hadn't had a winning season since 1970. In 1977, they finished 5th at 74-88, 28 games behind the division winning Royals. Still, the Old Cowboy felt good about the future. He attributed some of the team's recent unsuccessful seasons to bad luck (true enough - the team had muddled through a number of key injuries to prominent players in recent years), and he believed his open wallet would shortly compensate. There was cause for confidence. Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana were two flame-throwing hurlers who provided a foundation upon which build a great rotation. Dave LaRoche's arrival mid-'77 turned the bullpen - nicknamed "the Arson Squad" - into a respectable unit. The infield featured an established (if slightly banged-up) star in Bobby Grich, and 1978 would see the debut of an up-and-coming rookie named Carney Lansford. The outfield boasted 3-time all star Joe Rudi, future MVP Don Baylor, and soon-to-be Gold Glove winner Rick Miller. Putting all this together got the Angels to 87-75 in 1978, good for second place, just 5 games behind Kansas City. It was their best record ever to date, and the promise of even greater success in the future was in the air. What the players, coaches, ownership and the fans couldn't have known at the time was that although the team would win its first division title the very next season, success would come only in the wake of unthinkable tragedy. Lyman Bostock was the team's key off-season acquisition. Signed from the Twins, he was a young .300 hitter with speed and power. What's more, he was an outstanding young man. On a dark night in Gary, Indiana, following the Angels' game in Chicago on September 23, he was shot and killed by the estranged husband of a friend. The cliche was appropriate - he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Angels' farm system wasn't the best-stocked in baseball. Tom Brunansky was at Idaho Falls and future manager Joe Maddon was at Salinas.

Dave Garcia was back as manager after being brought in to replace Norm Sherry mid-way through 1977. He guided the team to a nice 25-21 record before being let go so that ex-Angel star and newly-retired Jim Fregosi could take over on June 2. Garcia had been criticized for leaving his starters in too long, and for failing to protest a recent questionable call which helped lead to a 17-2 defeat at the hands of the White Sox. But, Autry considered Fregosi one of his closest friends, and his hiring was probably pre-ordained regardless of anything Garcia did. Coaching were Bob Clear at 1st, John McNamara at 3rd, Marv Grissom for the pitchers, Bob Skinner for the hitters, and Jimmie Reese, one-time roommate of Babe Ruth, on the bench.

Opening Day Roster:

Don Aase, SP:

Acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for Jerry Remy in December of 1977, Aase had a lot to prove, at least in the eyes of Angels' fans. He gave the team what it needed - 29 starts, an 11-8 record and 93 Ks over 178.2 innings. He'd go on to be an all star closer with the Orioles in the mid-80s.

Ken Brett, SP:

Ken started the year in the rotation, going 1-3 in that role before being sent to the pen for the rest of the season in mid-May. He would do some spot starting the rest of the way, but 21 of his total 31 appearances were in relief. All told, he wound up 3-5 with 1 save and a disappointing 4.95 ERA.

Chris Knapp, SP:

Chris was acquired in December of 1977 with Brian Downing and Dave Frost for Bobby Bonds, Thad Bosley and Rich Dotson. He was 10-6 with 4 complete games when, against the advice of his agent, he refused to pitch on July 13, beginning a hold-out in a dispute over his contract. He was place on the disqualified list by the Angels on the 16th. After a number of days, he requested permission to return to the team, and was allowed to do so on the condition he apologize to his teammates. He was reinstated on July 26. He finished the season at 14-8, with 126 Ks and a 4.21 ERA in what was really his final productive year in the majors.

Frank Tanana, SP:

Entering only his 5th full season in 1978, Tanana already had 64 wins and almost 900 Ks and looked for all the world as if he was beginning to put together a hall-of-fame career. He started the season by winning his first 5 starts, including 2 complete games and a shut-out. His velocity wasn't what it had been in previous years, and he eventually settled for an 18-12 record and an inflated 3.65 ERA. At season's end, he admitted he was pitching with shoulder and forearm pain much of the year. He never regained the form of his initial years, but he still pitched through 1993.

Paul Hartzell, RP:

Paul was in his third year of being a bullpen workhorse and occasional starter for the Angels. He went 6-10 with 55 Ks in 157 innings, but compiled a 5-4 record (including 5 complete games) as a starter in the rotation from late July through mid-September.

Nolan Ryan, SP:

The veteran Ryan was still in the first half of his hall-of-fame career in 1978. He had an off year - a 10-13 record, a 3.72 ERA and "only" 260 Ks. After pulling a hamstring he was placed on the DL on June 20, retroactive to the 14th, and came back on July 5. Later he'd miss time in late August and early September with a rib injury. He fanned 10 or more 14 times, struck out 13 4 times, and on April 24 K'd 15 Mariners, only to get a no-decision when the Angels lost the game in 12. He began talking about wanting to be traded to either the Rangers or the Astros, but that if the Angels showed they were committed to winning a pennant he'd be OK to stay around. At the end of the year, he said he wanted to sign a 4-year deal, and that if it didn't happen by opening day, he'd become a FA after 1979.

Tom Griffin, RP:

Signed as a free agent in January of 1978, the 10-year veteran appeared almost exclusively out of the pen in 1978 but did spend much of June in the rotation after Ken Brett went out to the pen. He compiled a 3-4 record to go with 35 Ks.

Dyar Miller, RP:

Dyar got into 41 games in relief, throwing 84.2 innings for a 6-2 record. He closed out 20 games and earned a save. Impressively, he had a 3.77 ERA towards the end of May, and managed to lower that to 1.79 by early July. It rose to 2.66 by the end of year, but still in all it was a good showing. After a plate collision with Jason Thompson in Detroit on July 23, he was on the DL with a shoulder injury from the 26th through August 16.

Dave LaRoche, CL:

Dave's arrival from Cleveland in May of 1977 rescued a bullpen in crisis. In 1978, he posted a record of 10-9 with a 2.82 ERA and a team record 25 saves.

Brian Downing, C:

Acquired in December of 1977 as part of the Bobby Bonds deal with the White Sox, Brian shared starting duties with Terry Humphrey through the beginning of June. At that time, because of his better bat, he became the starter outright. He would be an important part of the Angels' line-up there, in the OF and at DH for the next 12 seasons.

Ike Hampton, C:

Ike saw action in only 19 games as the Angels' third-string catcher before being sent to Salt Lake City on July 5 to make room for Nolan Ryan, who was coming off the DL. He remained in SLC the rest of the year.

Terry Humphrey, C:

The Angels' starting catcher in 1977, Terry faced competition when the team acquired Brian Downing for 1978. Having a better arm than his newly-arrived teammate, Terry was slated to catch pitchers who had more difficulty holding runners, notably Nolan Ryan. As it turned out, he caught Ryan's and Frank Tanana's starts through the beginning of June. At that time he was moved into a pure reserve role as his bat began to lag.

Dave Chalk, IF:

Dave had been the Angels' starting third baseman in 1977, and he began 1978 in that same role. The emergence of Carney Lansford pushed him over to short in May. He was the team's starting shortstop from then on, although he yielded a number of starts in August and September to Jim Anderson. He was forced to miss a number of games at the beginning of June after slicing open a finger while cutting a roll on a team flight.

Ron Fairly, IF:

The long-time Dodger and Expo wound down his career with the Angels in 1978. A lefty, he generally platooned at first base with Ron Jackson. The final game of his 21-year career came on September 3 when he grounded out in a pinch-hitting appearance against the White Sox.

Bob Grich, IF:

1978 saw Bob in the middle of an impressive run as one of the premier middle-infielders in baseball. As the Angels' starting second baseman, he entered the season recovering from back surgery, and there were suspicions the lingering effects of the operation limited his ranged and caused a couple key errors late in the seasons. Still, he was 8th in the Majors in fielding percentage, and had 122 hits and 42 RBI. He was fined $200 for charging the mound in Minnesota after getting plunked by Roger Erickson on April 22.

Ron Jackson, IF:

Ron was the righty component to the Angels' 1978 1st base platoon. He also started at third in June and July when Carney Lansford was on the DL. He was on the DL from July 31 through September 1 with a wrist injury. He had his best offensive season yet with a .297 average and 57 RBI, but was traded to Minnesota in the off-season. He'd go on to become a major league hitting coach, filling that role for the curse-breaking 2004 Red Sox.

Carney Lansford, IF:

The rookie made his major league debut on April 8, took over third base later that month, and never looked back. He lost time to the DL from June 11 through July 7 after hurting his thumb in a fight with Yankees' catcher Mike Heath, but still managed to hit .294 with 52 RBI and finish third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Rance Mulliniks, IF:

Rance started at shortstop for much of April before Dave Chalk settled in there. In May and June, he saw more limited action, and was ultimately sent to Salt Lake City on July 1 to make room for newly-promoted Jim Anderson. He returned to the club when rosters expanded in September.

Tony Solaita, IF:

Tony got into just 60 games in 1978. He was a general reserve, playing mostly first base and DH, and also was used as a pinch-hitter. In his limited time, he hit just .223.

Lyman Bostock, OF:

In 1978, Lyman was in only the 4th year of a career with seemingly endless potential. He was the Angels' starting center fielder from opening day through June, when a slight arm injury forced a move to right. He was a fine young man and was one of the brightest young stars in baseball. After signing a large contract for 1978, and producing only a .147 average with no HR and 8 RBI in April, he tried returning his salary for that month. Mr. Autry wouldn't take it, so he donated it to charity instead. On the night of September 23, following a game in Chicago, he was in Gary, IN, visiting family and friends. He was shot and killed by the estranged husband of a friend.

Rick Miller, OF:

Signed as a free agent in December of 1977, Rick began the year as the starting right fielder. When Lyman Bostock hurt his arm in June and had to move from center to right, Rick shifted to center and stayed there the rest of the year. He batted .263 on the year, and won a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess.

Don Baylor, OF:

Aside from occasional time at first base and in left, when Joe Rudi was hurting, Don spent 1978 as California's DH. Like many who transitiond to DH during the position's first few years, Don wasn't please and asked to be traded (to KC or Texas). However, he stayed and wound up leading the team in HR with 34 and RBI with 99. In 1979, playing much more in the outfield, he won the AL MVP as the Angels won their first AL West title.

Ken Landreaux, OF:

Ken was 1977's Minor League Player of the Year, splitting time between El Paso and Salt Lake City, with a September audition in Anaheim. In 1978, he was an outfield reserve for the Angels, seeing action in 93 games split among all three positions. Despite his limited playing time, he managed to hit 5 HR and gather 23 RBI.

Joe Rudi, OF:

Rudi, a veteran of 3 Oakland championship teams from earlier in the decade, was California's starting left fielder in 1978. Although a calf injury forced him to miss 19 of the first 37 games, he managed to hit 17 HR to go with 79 RBI (both second on the team to Baylor), and led major league left fielders in fielding percentage.

Merv Rettenmund, OF:

Playing in his 11th major league season, the veteran of Baltimore, Cincinnati and San Diego was a reserve outfielder and sometime-DH for the Angels in 1978. On May 6 against the Indians, he hit a pinch-hit grand slam off Dennis Kinney in the 6th, which proved the difference in the Angels' 7-3 win.

In-Season Moves:

Dave Machemer, IF:

Dave was brought up from Salt Lake City when Carney Lansford went to the DL on June 11. He made his major league debut on June 21 by hitting a home run in his first major league at-bat in Minnesota. He got into another 9 games, primarily at second and third, until being sent back to SLC when Lansford returned to the line-up on July 7. He was recalled in September.

Dave Frost, SP:

Dave was called up from Salt Lake City on June 20 when Nolan Ryan went to the DL. He went 3-4 in 8 starts until being sent back to SLC when Dyar Miller came off the DL on August 16. Recalled in September, he won both starts he made during the last month of the season.

Jim Anderson, IF:

Jim was brought up from Salt Lake City when Rance Mulliniks was sent down on July 1. He made his major league debut on July 2, starting at short against the Rangers. The rest of the way, Jim was an infield reserve, getting into 47 games almost exclusively at short.

John Caneira, SP:

Summoned from Salt Lake City when Chris Knapp was placed on the disqualified list on July 16, John made two starts, including his final major league appearance on July 22 at Detroit. In that effort, he gave up 3 earned runs in 2 innings pitched. He was sent back to SLC when Al Fitzmorris was called up on July 23.

Al Fitzmorris, RP:

Signed on July 13 and sent to Salt Lake City after having been released by Cleveland, Al came up from SLC on July 23 when John Caneira was sent down. He got into 9 games, including 2 starts, the rest of the way. His final major league appearance was on September 29, when he pitched 3 innings of relief against the White Sox.

Danny Goodwin, IF:

Picked #1 overall by the White Sox in 1971, Danny didn't sign. He did sign after being drafted #1 overall again by the Angels in 1975. In 1978, he was called up from AA El Paso when Ron Jackson went to the DL on July 31. He got into 24 games the rest of the way, primarily as DH, and managed to post a .276 average to go with 16 hits, 2 HR and 10 RBI in that limited action.

Mike Barlow, RP:

After spending more than half the season with the Angels in 1977, Mike only made it back to the big club as a September call-up in 1978. Only getting into a single game, he pitched 2 innings to close out a loss against Texas on September 6.

Tom Donohue, C:

A 7-year veteran of the Angels' system, Tom was called up from Salt Lake City in September, but never saw any action. He'd finally get a chance to play at the major league level in 1979 and again in 1980, when he started 72 games behind the plate. 1980 was his final year in pro ball.