Braves - The Early Atlanta Years (1966-1979)
 
   
 

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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L                     1970  
        1966 5 85 77   1970 5 76 86   1975 5 67 94                     Decade  
        1967 7 77 85   1971 3 82 80   1976 6 70 92                     Click  
        1968 5 81 81   1972 4 70 84   1977 6 61 101                     on Logo  
        1969 1 93 69   1973 5 76 85   1978 6 69 93                        
                    1974 3 88 74   1979 6 66 94                        
                                                             
   
  Titles:  Top Atlanta Braves Players of the Sixties and Seventies  
  1969 - National League West (Lost to Mets)  
    Pitchers:  
  BallPark: Phil Niekro (78.73) -   150  
  Atlanta Fulton County Stadium  Pat Jarvis (13.67) -   47  
    Ron Reed (11.2) -   42  
  Team Name: Carl Morton (15.17) -   36  
  Braves    Ken Johnson (6.92) -   21  
    Cecil Upshaw (6.19) -   19  
  Owner:  George Stone (4.15) -   14  
  Bill Bartholomay (1966-1975) Dick Ruthven (8.76) -   14  
  Ted Turner (1976-1979) Buzz Capra (7.17) -   12  
    Gene Garber (2.03) -    11  
  General Managers: Andy Messersmith (8.03) -   8  
  John McHale (1966) Clay Carroll (1.39) -    7  
  Paul Richards (1967-1972)    
  Eddie Robinson (1972-1976) Catchers:  
  John Alevizos (1976) Joe Torre (13.71) -   34  
  Bill Lucas (1976-1979) Earl Williams (2.93) -   20  
  John Mullen (1979) Biff Pocoroba (0.16) -   18  
    Vic Correll (0.67) -   14  
  Managers:    
  Bpbbu Bragam (1966) First Basemen:  
  Billy Hitchcock (1966-1967) Darrell Evans (24.45) -   43  
  Ken Silvestri (1967) Orlando Cepeda (7.92) -   20  
  Lum Harris (1968-1972) Willie Montanez (0.5) -   13  
  Eddie Mathews (1972-1974)    
  Clyde King (1974-1975) Second Basemen:  
  Dave Bristol (1976-1977) Felix Millan (9.43) -   27  
  Ted Turner (1977) Marty Perez (0.72) -   17  
  Vern Benson (1977) Davey Johnson (5.93) -   14  
  Bobby Cox (1978-1979)    
    ShortStop:  
  Hall of Famers: Jerry Royster (1.25) -   24  
  Phil Niekro Sonny Jackson (0.73) -   15  
  Orlando Cepeda    
  Ed Mathews Third Base:  
  Hank Aaron Bob Horner (4.62) -   20  
  Joe Torre Cletis Boyer (8.58) -   17  
       
    MVP:  Outfield:  
  None Hank Aaron (54.12) -   111  
    Ralph Garr (12.66) -   45  
  Cy Young Dusty Baker (13.34) -   43  
  None Rico Carty (16.14) -   38  
    Mike Lum (5.4) -   37  
  No Hitters: Felipe Alou (14.4) -   33  
  Phil Niekro (1973) Gary Matthews (9.08) -   22  
    Jeff Burroughs (5.67) -   18  
  Rookie of the Year:  Rowland Office (3.95) -   18  
  Earl Williams (1971) Mack Jones (6.85) -   18  
  Bob Horner (1978) Tony Gonzalez (2.27) -   15  
    Barry Bonnell (0.58) -   14  
  Notable Events:    
  Notable Events:  
  1966 - The Braves move to Atlanta from Milwaukee. The club was making     
  money in Milwaukee and had a rabid fan base. This was bad. Bartholomay 1976 - Ted Turner buys the club. It doesn't help them on the field,  
  made the move to make a quick buck. This cynical approach to managing but it does make the Braves America's team. At the time, WTBS  
  franchises by owners was killing the game as interest in baseball was was the first local TV station to go national, which meant the   
   hitting new lows. You shouldn't expect loyalty when you don't give it.  Braves went national, as Turner owned both WTBS and the Braves.  
     
   1969 - The National League splts into two to accommodate new franchises 1976 - The Braves sign pitcher Andy Messersmith to a huge,  
   in San Diego and Montreal. The Braves win the first ever Western  at the time, contract of 1.75 million. Messersmith had been  
  Division title and then get swept by Eastern Division champs, the Mets, declared a free agent by an arbitrator, thus killing the reserve  
    in the first ever NLCS. clause and ultimately precipitating a strike. Unfortunately for  
    the Braves, Messersmith turned out to be a bad investment.  
  1969 - Atlanta improve twelve games in the standings from the previous    
   season to win the Division. They were in fifth place in August before 1976 - CF Dale Murphy, 20, is a rookie. He was the 5th overall pick in the   
    staging a a big rally to finish first. A similar occurrence happened in the  '74 draft.  He will go on to have a near HOF career with the Braves  
   East where the Mets came from way behind to catch the Cubs.    
   You could have made a lot of money in August betting that there 1977 - In the midst of a seventeen game losing streak, Ted Turner   
   would be a Braves-Mets NLCS fires his manager, Dave Bristol, and hires himself as manager.  
    Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, in a knee-jerk reaction,   
  1973 - The Braves have three players top forty homers (a record):  makes Turner step down - with no reason given.   
  Davey Johnson (43); Darrell Evans (41); Hank Aaron (40) There were, of course, other instances of owners managing,  
  the most notable being Connie Mack with the A's. Kuhn couldn't  
  1974 - Aaron surpasses Ruth's home run mark, hitting his 715th. find an issue that he couldn't get on the wrong side of.   
  Aaron, however, was suddenly washed up at the age of forty     
  and, of course, was immediately dealt away to the Brewers at 1978 - The Braves get first overall pick in the Amateur free agent draft  
  season's end. So much for loyalty.   after their dismal 61-101 record and select Bob Horner, who comes   
     to Atlanta directly out of college and promptly becomes Rookie of the Year.  
  1974 - The Braves have their one good season of the decade,  Bob had HOF talent, but injuries and salary disputes sabotaged him.  
  finishing a distant third to the Dodgers at 88-74.    
    1979 - Phil Niekro goes 21-20, not too many guys have won  
    and lost twenty in the same season in modern times