1978 Topps Baseball #206 - 1977 Strikeout Leaders

• Fans of the Atlanta Braves didn't have much to cheer about in 1977. Phil Niekro led the NL in strikeouts for the only time in his career. He easily outdistanced hard-throwing J.R. Richard.
• Nolan Ryan led the AL in strikeouts for the fifth time in 1977. Ryan led the AL in strikeouts nine times and led the NL in strikeouts twice.
• Hall of Fame count:
• National League: 3 - Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver
• American League: 4 - Nolan Ryan, Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven, Gaylord Perry

1978 Topps Baseball #10 - Phil Niekro

• Here is Knucksie posing in Candlestick Park. The field had artificial turf from 1970-1978.
• Phil had a good year in 1978. He led the NL in losses (18) and in home runs allowed (41), but he also led the league in innings pitched (334.1), starts (42), and complete games. Niekro won the first of his five Gold Glove awards and appeared in the All Star Game
• 1978 Stats:
• 19-18, 1 save, 2.88 ERA in 44 games (42 starts)
• 1978 Highlights:
• Aug 8 - Drove in two runs and scored another as the Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.
• Aug 18 - Pitched a three-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs to improve his record to 15-12.
• Sept 28 - Received a surprise $100,000 bonus from Braves owner Ted Turner