The Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 season was the 90th in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

, and the 95th in franchise history. The Pirates compiled a 92-70 record during the season, as they finished in second place in the NL East

National League East

The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...

, nine games behind their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies

1976 Philadelphia Phillies season

The Philadelphia Phillies season was the 94th season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies won their first National League East title, as they compiled a record of 101-61, nine games ahead of the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates....

. As a result, their run of five division titles in a six-year span came to an end. It was also the final season for Danny Murtaugh

Danny Murtaugh

Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...

 as the Pirates' manager.

Offseason

• December 4, 1975: Rafael Vásquez
  Rafael Vásquez (baseball)
  Rafael Vásquez Santiago is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Vásquez pitched in 9 games for the Seattle Mariners in .-Sources:...
  
   was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.
• December 11, 1975: Dock Ellis
  Dock Ellis
  Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. was a professional baseball player who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, among other teams in Major League Baseball. His best season was 1971, when he won 19 games for the World Series champion Pirates and was the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star...
  
  , Ken Brett
  Ken Brett
  Kenneth Alven Brett was a Major League Baseball pitcher and the second of four Brett brothers who played professional baseball, the most notable being the youngest, George Brett.Ken played for 10 teams in his 14-year MLB career.Born in Brooklyn, Ken Brett grew up in southern California and was an...
  
   and Willie Randolph
  Willie Randolph
  Willie Larry Randolph is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and manager, most recently the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles...
  
   were traded by the Pirates to the New York Yankees
  New York Yankees
  The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
  
   for Doc Medich
  Doc Medich
  George Francis "Doc" Medich in Aliquippa, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1982...
  
  .
• January 27, 1976: Pascual Pérez
  Pascual Pérez (baseball)
  Pascual Gross Perez was a right-handed baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, and New York Yankees....
  
   was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.

Regular season

• August 9, 1976: John Candelaria
  John Candelaria
  John Robert Candelaria . He attended The Caton School P.S. 249. Nicknamed "The Candy Man," is a former professional left-handed pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles...
  
   pitched a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
  
  .

Notable transactions

• June 8, 1976: Bob Long
  Bob Long (baseball)
  Robert Earl Long is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He had two separate stints in the majors, four years apart. Long appeared in five games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in , then after three seasons in the minors, made 28 appearances for the Seattle Mariners in .-Sources:...
  
   was drafted by the Pirates in the 24th round of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft
  1976 Major League Baseball Draft
  -First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by many to be the best collegiate team ever, played a major role in the draft. Floyd Bannister was picked number one...
  
  .
• July 2, 1976: Albert Williams
  Albert Williams (baseball)
  Albert Hamilton Williams DeSouza is an Afro-Nicaraguan former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball, from until , all for the Minnesota Twins....
  
   was released by the Pirates.
• September 8, 1976: Ramón Hernández was purchased from the Pirates by the Chicago Cubs
  Chicago Cubs
  The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
  
  .

Roster

1976 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; R = Runs scored; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
C		114	389	52	113	.290	2	36	2
1B		117	428	54	110	.257	20	65	2
2B		157	654	59	168	.257	2	60	18
3B		132	434	60	108	.249	8	51	1
SS		144	519	76	134	.258	0	24	58
LF		155	581	91	168	.323	21	89	1
CF		121	443	62	143	.323	12	61	6
RF		138	537	82	168	.313	13	90	19

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; R = Runs scored; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
	122	393	55	119	.303	21	64	2
	69	184	12	41	.223	3	9	0
	48	122	33	.270	2	12
	27	39	2	12	.308	0	5	0
	16	17	7	4	.235	0	0	5
	4	6	0	2	.333	0	1	0
	7	4	1	1	.250	1	1	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	32	220	16	7	3.15	138
	31	209.1	14	9	3.53	108
	31	193	14	9	3.08	98
	29	179	8	11	3.52	86

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	36	145	10	7	3.17	72

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	64	5	3	9	2.45	68
	53	3	9	10	3.68	38
	40	5	4	6	4.32	24
	37	2	2	3	3.56	17
	12	0	1	0	6.26	17
	4	0	0	0	5.68	4

Farm system