1976 Pacific Coast League season
From BR Bullpen
The 1976 Pacific Coast League season was the 73rd in the league's history, and ended with the Hawaii Islanders winning their second straight league championship.
Hawaii and Tacoma finished the season tied, so a one-game playoff took place September 7 in Tacoma, WA for the Western Division title. The Islanders won 3-1, and this result is reflected in the standings below.
Originally, the championship finals were supposed to be a best-of-seven series. But due to the Hawaii franchise's financial troubles, the series was shortened to a best-of-five format and all games were played in Salt Lake City. The two teams decided to alternate home and away status throughout the series.
This was the final season for the Sacramento Solons.
Contents |
[edit] Final standings
Playoff teams in bold.
| East Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | Manager | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City Gulls | 90 | 54 | .625 | - | Jimy Williams | California Angels |
| Phoenix Giants | 75 | 67 | .528 | 14 | Rocky Bridges | San Francisco Giants |
| Albuquerque Dukes | 66 | 78 | .458 | 24 | Stan Wasiak | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Tucson Toros | 54 | 88 | .380 | 35 | Harry Bright/Lee Stange | Oakland Athletics |
| West Division | W | L | Pct. | GB | Manager | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii Islanders | 77 | 68 | .531 | - | Roy Hartsfield | San Diego Padres |
| Tacoma Twins | 76 | 69 | .524 | 1 | Cal Ermer | Minnesota Twins |
| Sacramento Solons | 71 | 72 | .497 | 5 | Rich Donnelly | Texas Rangers |
| Spokane Indians | 65 | 78 | .455 | 11 | Frank Howard | Milwaukee Brewers |
[edit] Championship Finals
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[edit] League Leaders
[edit] Batting
- Batting Average Paul Dade, Salt Lake City, .363
- Runs Scored Doug Ault, Syracuse, 112
- Hits Gene Richards, Hawaii, 173
- Doubles Rich McKinney, Tucson, 34
- Triples Jack Clark, Phoenix, 16
- Home Runs Bob Gorinski, Tacoma, 28
- Runs Batted In Gorinski, 110
- Stolen Bases Glenn Burke, Albuquerque, 63
[edit] Pitching
- Wins Four tied with 15
- Earned Run Average Diego Segui, Hawaii, 3.18
- Complete Games Tom Dettore, Hawaii; Mark Wiley, Tacoma, 16
- Shutouts Bob Knepper, Phoenix; Mike Pazik, Tacoma, 3
- Strikeouts Gary Wheelock, Salt Lake City, 138
- Saves Tommy Toms, Phoenix, 21
[edit] All-Star Team
- First Base Doug Ault, Sacramento
- Second Base Bump Wills, Sacramento
- Shortstop Johnnie LeMaster, Phoenix
- Third Base Wayne Gross, Tucson
- Outfield Jack Clark, Phoenix; Rod Gaspar, Hawaii; Carlos Lopez, Salt Lake City
- Catcher Gary Alexander, Phoenix
- Designated Hitter Bob Gorinski, Tacoma
- Pitcher Mark Wiley, Tacoma; Bob Knepper, Phoenix
- Manager Jimy Williams, Salt Lake City
[edit] References
The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. W. Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff, editors. Baseball America, 1993.
1977 Baseball Guide
