1976 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1976 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1976 in baseball.

1976 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 8, 1976 – October 3, 1976
Regular season
Season MVP	AL: Thurman Munson (NYY) NL: Joe Morgan (CIN)
Postseason
AL champions	New York Yankees
AL runners-up	Kansas City Royals
NL champions	Cincinnati Reds
NL runners-up	Philadelphia Phillies
World Series
Champions	Cincinnati Reds
Runners-up	New York Yankees
Finals MVP	Johnny Bench (CIN)

The 1976 Major League Baseball season was the last season in which both the AL and the NL had the same number of teams until 1993. The season ended with the Cincinnati Reds taking the World Series Championship for the second consecutive season by sweeping the New York Yankees in four games. It would be the Reds' last title until Lou Piniella guided the club in 1990, and the second time that the Yankees were swept in World Series history. The only team to do it previously was the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Regular season standings

American League

AL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	97	62	0.610	—	45–35	52–27
Baltimore Orioles	88	74	0.543	10½	42–39	46–35
Boston Red Sox	83	79	0.512	15½	46–35	37–44
Cleveland Indians	81	78	0.509	16	44–35	37–43
Detroit Tigers	74	87	0.460	24	36–44	38–43
Milwaukee Brewers	66	95	0.410	32	36–45	30–50

AL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Kansas City Royals	90	72	0.556	—	49–32	41–40
Oakland Athletics	87	74	0.540	2½	51–30	36–44
Minnesota Twins	85	77	0.525	5	44–37	41–40
Texas Rangers	76	86	0.469	14	39–42	37–44
California Angels	76	86	0.469	14	38–43	38–43
Chicago White Sox	64	97	0.398	25½	35–45	29–52

National League

NL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Philadelphia Phillies	101	61	0.623	—	53–28	48–33
Pittsburgh Pirates	92	70	0.568	9	47–34	45–36
New York Mets	86	76	0.531	15	45–37	41–39
Chicago Cubs	75	87	0.463	26	42–39	33–48
St. Louis Cardinals	72	90	0.444	29	37–44	35–46
Montreal Expos	55	107	0.340	46	27–53	28–54

NL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Cincinnati Reds	102	60	0.630	—	49–32	53–28
Los Angeles Dodgers	92	70	0.568	10	49–32	43–38
Houston Astros	80	82	0.494	22	46–36	34–46
San Francisco Giants	74	88	0.457	28	40–41	34–47
San Diego Padres	73	89	0.451	29	42–38	31–51
Atlanta Braves	70	92	0.432	32	34–47	36–45

Postseason

	League Championship Series TV: ABC					World Series TV: NBC
	East	New York Yankees	3
	West	Kansas City	2
						AL	New York Yankees	0
						NL	Cincinnati	4
	East	Philadelphia	0
	West	Cincinnati	3

Awards and honors

American League National League Award Player Position Team Player Position Team Most Valuable Player Thurman Munson C NYY Joe Morgan 2B CIN Cy Young Award Jim Palmer RHP BAL Randy Jones LHP SD Rookie of the Year Mark Fidrych RHP DET Butch Metzger Pat Zachry RHP RHP SD CIN Relief Man of the Year Bill Campbell RHP MIN Rawly Eastwick RHP CIN

Statistical leaders

American League National League Type Name Stat Name Stat AVG George Brett KCR .333 Bill Madlock PIT .339 HR Graig Nettles NYY 32 Mike Schmidt PHI 38 RBI Lee May BAL 109 George Foster CIN 121 SB Billy North OAK 75 Davey Lopes LAD 63 Wins Jim Palmer BAL 22 Randy Jones SDP 22 ERA Mark Fidrych DET 2.34 John Denny STL 2.52 SO Nolan Ryan CAL 327 Tom Seaver NYM 235 SV Sparky Lyle NYY 23 Rawly Eastwick CIN 26

External links

• 1976 season at Baseball-reference.com