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  
    Cletis Boyer (8.58) -   17  
    MVP:     
  None Outfield:  
    Hank Aaron (54.12) -   111  
  Cy Young Ralph Garr (12.66) -   45  
  None Dusty Baker (13.34) -   43  
    Rico Carty (16.14) -   38  
  No Hitters: Mike Lum (5.4) -   37  
  Phil Niekro (1973) Felipe Alou (14.4) -   33  
    Gary Matthews (9.08) -   22  
  Rookie of the Year:  Jeff Burroughs (5.67) -   18  
  Earl Williams (1971) Rowland Office (3.95) -   18  
  Bob Horner (1978) Mack Jones (6.85) -   18  
    Tony Gonzalez (2.27) -   15  
  Notable Events: Barry Bonnell (0.58) -   14  
     
  1966 - The Braves move to Atlanta from Milwaukee. The club was making  Notable Events:  
  money in Milwaukee and had a rabid fan base. This was bad. Bartholomay    
  made the move to make a quick buck. This cynical approach to managing 1976 - Ted Turner buys the club. It doesn't help them on the field,  
  franchises by owners was killing the game as interest in baseball was but it does make the Braves America's team. At the time, WTBS  
   hitting new lows. You shouldn't expect loyalty when you don't give it.  was the first local TV station to go national, which meant the   
  Braves went national, as Turner owned both WTBS and the Braves.  
   1969 - The National League splts into two to accommodate new franchises    
   in San Diego and Montreal. The Braves win the first ever Western  1976 - The Braves sign pitcher Andy Messersmith to a huge,  
  Division title and then get swept by Eastern Division champs, the Mets, at the time, contract of 1.75 million. Messersmith had been  
    in the first ever NLCS. declared a free agent by an arbitrator, thus killing the reserve  
    clause and ultimately precipitating a strike. Unfortunately for  
  1969 - Atlanta improve twelve games in the standings from the previous the Braves, Messersmith turned out to be a bad investment.  
   season to win the Division. They were in fifth place in August before    
    staging a a big rally to finish first. A similar occurrence happened in the 1976 - CF Dale Murphy, 20, is a rookie. He was the 5th overall pick in the   
   East where the Mets came from way behind to catch the Cubs.  '74 draft.  He will go on to have a near HOF career with the Braves  
   You could have made a lot of money in August betting that there    
   would be a Braves-Mets NLCS 1977 - In the midst of a seventeen game losing streak, Ted Turner   
    fires his manager, Dave Bristol, and hires himself as manager.  
  1973 - The Braves have three players top forty homers (a record): Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, in a knee-jerk reaction,   
  Davey Johnson (43); Darrell Evans (41); Hank Aaron (40)  makes Turner step down - with no reason given.   
  There were, of course, other instances of owners managing,  
  1974 - Aaron surpasses Ruth's home run mark, hitting his 715th. the most notable being Connie Mack with the A's. Kuhn couldn't  
  Aaron, however, was suddenly washed up at the age of forty  find an issue that he couldn't get on the wrong side of.   
  and, of course, was immediately dealt away to the Brewers at    
  season's end. So much for loyalty.  1978 - The Braves get first overall pick in the Amateur free agent draft  
     after their dismal 61-101 record and select Bob Horner, who comes   
  1974 - The Braves have their one good season of the decade,   to Atlanta directly out of college and promptly becomes Rookie of the Year.  
  finishing a distant third to the Dodgers at 88-74. Bob had HOF talent, but injuries and salary disputes sabotaged him.  
       
    1979 - Phil Niekro goes 21-20, not too many guys have won  
    and lost twenty in the same season in modern times