Mark Steven Fidrych,nicknamed "the Bird",was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire career for the Detroit Tigers (1976–1980).
Floyd Franklin Bannister is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (1977–1978),Seattle Mariners (1979–1982),Chicago White Sox (1983–1987),Kansas City Royals (1988–1989),California Angels (1991),and Texas Rangers (1992). Bannister also played for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB),in 1990.
James Howard Sundberg is an American former professional baseball player,television sports analyst and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1974 to 1989. A three-time All-Star player,Sundberg established himself as one of the top defensive catchers of his era by winning six consecutive Gold Glove Awards with the Texas Rangers. Later in his career,he won a World Series championship as a member of the Kansas City Royals in 1985. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs. Sundberg was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003.
Steven Lee "Buzz" Busby is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals. He batted and threw right-handed.
Paul William Splittorff Jr. was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals from 1970 to 1984. After his playing career,Splittorff became a television color commentator for the Royals. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987.
Richard William Tidrow was an American professional baseball pitcher and the senior vice president of player personnel and senior advisor to the general manager for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Patrick Paul Zachry is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1985. Zachry was awarded the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award for his play in the National League in 1976,but he is likely best remembered as one of the players the Cincinnati Reds sent to the New York Mets for Tom Seaver in one of the infamous Mets trades now referred to as the "Midnight Massacre".
Douglas Reid Jones was an American professional baseball player. During a 16-year career in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher,he played for the Milwaukee Brewers,Cleveland Indians,Houston Astros (1992–1993),Philadelphia Phillies (1994),Baltimore Orioles (1995),Chicago Cubs (1996) and Oakland Athletics (1999–2000). Jones was a five-time MLB All-Star and a member of the 300 save club.
Richard David Ruthven is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1973 through 1986 for the Philadelphia Phillies,Atlanta Braves,and Chicago Cubs. The two-time National League All-Star player was a member of the 1980 world champion Philadelphia Phillies team,as well as a member of the 1984 National League Eastern Division champion Chicago Cubs.
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1971 through 1983 for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
Richard Anthony Drago was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Royals (1969–1973),Boston Red Sox,California Angels (1976–1977),Baltimore Orioles (1977),and Seattle Mariners (1981). He batted and threw right-handed.
Charles Douglas Bair is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for 15 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons —from 1976 to 1990 —for seven teams.
Rawlins Jackson "Rawly" Eastwick,is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,St. Louis Cardinals,New York Yankees,Philadelphia Phillies,Kansas City Royals,and Chicago Cubs,from 1975 to 1981.
The 1979 Kansas City Royals season was their 11th season in Major League Baseball. The Royals finished second in the American League West at 85-77,three games behind the California Angels and ending Kansas City's run of three consecutive division titles. Darrell Porter tied a single-season franchise record with 112 runs batted in. George Brett led the American League in hits (212) and triples (20). Manager Whitey Herzog was fired following the season.
The 1976 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season in second place in the Western Division of the National League. The big news was when long-time manager of two decades Walter Alston resigned abruptly near the end of the season and was replaced by Tommy Lasorda who would manage the team for two decades himself.
The 1978 San Diego Padres season was the tenth in franchise history. They finished in fourth place in the National League West with a record of 84–78,eleven games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. This was the Padres' first-ever winning season.
The 1979 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fourth in the National League East,14 games behind the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1976 Detroit Tigers season was the 76th season for the Detroit Tigers competing in Major League Baseball as a member of the American League. In their third season under manager Ralph Houk,the Tigers compiled a 74–87 record and finished in fifth place in the American League East,24 games behind the New York Yankees. The team improved by 17 wins over its 1975 performance for the largest improvement by any team in the American League. The team played its home games at Tiger Stadium and attracted 1,467,020 fans,ranking fourth of the 12 teams in the American League.
The Bird:The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych is a 2013 book that documents the life of Mark Fidrych a former professional baseball player who was known for his exceptional ability as a pitcher,his joyous attitude,and his on-field idiosyncrasies. The author,Doug Wilson,is an ophthalmologist and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. As of 2014 Wilson was working on a biography of Brooks Robinson.
Jacob Timothy Bird is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins,and led the Pac-12 Conference in earned run average in 2018. He was selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2022.
