Bill Bonham was traded to the Reds for pitchers Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill before the 1978 season. The Reds were in the running for Vida Blue, but they settled for Bonham instead.
Bill Bonham missed a total of seven weeks in 1978 due to elbow trouble. He was out for three weeks in late April and early May, and then Bill was sidelined for a month from early July to early August.
Bonham had a great start to the 1978 season. On June 7 he was 7-0 with a 2.60 ERA.
For some reason I used to get Dan Ford and Al Cowens mixed up. They were both American League outfielders. All of my favorite teams (the Giants and whoever Pete Rose played for) were in the National League, so I usually only became interested in the AL during spring training and when it got close to playoff time.
This was Dan Ford's last season in Minnesota. Dan was traded to the California Angels after the 1978 season.
I wonder if he still likes disco.
1978 Stats: .274, 11 HR, 82 RBI in 151 games
1978 Highlights:
April 26 - Had seven RBI in a 9-8 loss to the Oakland A's.
July 22 - Was 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI in Minnesota's 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Aug 17 - Singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th as the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5. Ford was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and knocked in two runs.
Fred Norman was the Reds' #2 starter in 1976. Norman was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA at the end of June, but he tailed off in the last three months of the season.
Fred was an important part of the Cincinnati pitching staff during the Big Red Machine years.
1978 Stats: 11-9, 1 save, 3.70 ERA in 36 games (31 starts)
1978 Highlights:
June 13 - Pitched 8 1/3 innings of shutout ball and earned the win in Cincinnati's 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs
July 22 - Allowed one run in seven innings as the Reds beat the Montreal Expos 2-1.
Carlton Fisk made his sixth AL All Star team in 1978 (he went 0 for 2). It would have been seven in a row if it weren't for an injury in 1975.
Fisk only led the team in one category (39 doubles), but he was a very important part of the Red Sox lineup. Carlton's last full day off was July 17. Pudge started 150 out of the team's 163 games.
Besides the oft-played 1975 World Series home run, the main memory I have of Fisk is the commercials he did for Copenhagen. He and Walt Garrison stand out for me with these ads. I wonder if he still chews the stuff.
1978 Stats: .284, 20 HR, 88 RBI in 157 games
1978 Highlights:
July 8 - Had three hits and five RBI to help Boston beat the Cleveland Indians 12-5.
July 24 - Homered and knocked in three runs in Boston's 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Wayne Twitchell was a starting pitcher until mid-June. He got off to a rough start (3-6, 5.40 ERA) and went to the bullpen in late June. Wayne made two more starts in July (both losses) and spent the rest of the season as a middle reliever.
Twitchell was released in February 1979. He pitched for two teams in 1979 and called it quits after the season.
1978 Stats: 4-12, 5.38 ERA in 33 games (15 starts)
1978 Highlights:
April 22 - Allowed one unearned run in seven innings as the Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3.
May 20 - Willie Stargell hit a 535-foot home run that was the only fair ball hit into the upper deck at Olympic Stadium. Wayne allowed six runs in five innings and took the 6-0 loss.
Gil Flores was signed by the Baltimore out of Puerto Rico in 1970. Flores was released by the Orioles in April 1971 and resigned in June. He played well in Rookie League in 1971, but Gil didn't show much in Class A Miami in 1972.
Flores was drafted out of the Baltimore system after the 1972 season. Gil put up good stats as a speedy outfielder in various minor league stops from 1973-1977.
Gil got off to a good start in AAA Salt Lake City in 1977 and was called up in early May. Gil batted .278 in 104 games for the Angels in 1977.
Flores started the 1978 season in Salt Lake City. On July 28 he was traded to the New York Mets for Pepe Mangual. He played for AAA Tidewater until the end of August and then was called up to the Mets. Gil batted .276 (8 for 29) in 11 games for the Mets.
Gil spent the entire 1979 season with the Mets, but he batted only .194 in 93 at bats. Gil played in 70 games, mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. That was the last major league action Flores would see.
Flores played in Tidewater from 1980-1984. He played in the Mexican League in 1985. Gil ended up with a .298 lifetime average in 14 minor league seasons.
1978 Stats:
Salt Lake City Gulls: .279, 2 HR, 33 RBI in 76 games
Tidewater Tides: .270, 0 HR, 6 RBI in 26 games
New York Mets: .276 (8 for 29) in 11 games
1978 Highlights:
Sept 15 - Had two hits and two runs scored to help the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4.
