# 1977 Southern League season

The 1977 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 12 and August 31. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Montgomery Rebels won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Jacksonville Suns in the playoffs.

## Teams

1977 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Orioles | Charlotte, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | Jim Crockett Memorial Park |
| East | Jacksonville Suns | Jacksonville, Florida | Kansas City Royals | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| East | Savannah Braves | Savannah, Georgia | Atlanta Braves | Grayson Stadium |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Oakland Athletics | Engel Stadium |
| West | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| West | Knoxville Sox | Knoxville, Tennessee | Chicago White Sox | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Montgomery Rebels | Montgomery, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Paterson Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Montgomery Rebels finished the season with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season.
* Despite finishing with the highest winning percentage in the East Division, the Orlando Twins failed to qualify for the post-season, as they did not win the division in either half of the season.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Orlando Twins | 76 | 61 | .555 | – |
| Savannah Braves | 77 | 63 | .550 | 0.5 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 72 | 66 | .522 | 4.5 |
| Charlotte Orioles | 69 | 71 | .493 | 8.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Montgomery Rebels | 86 | 51 | .628 | – |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 61 | 75 | .449 | 24.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 60 | 77 | .438 | 26 |
| Knoxville Sox | 50 | 87 | .365 | 36 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Mark Corey, Charlotte Orioles | .310 |
| H | Mark Corey, Charlotte Orioles | 152 |
| R | Lou Whitaker, Montgomery Rebels | 81 |
| 2B | Terrance Lynch, Montgomery Rebels | 28 |
| 3B | Alan Trammell, Montgomery Rebels | 19 |
| HR | Tom Chism, Charlotte Orioles Al Javier, Columbus Astros Jerry Keller, Savannah Braves | 17 |
| RBI | Jerry Keller, Savannah Braves | 86 |
| SB | Jeff Cox, Chattanooga Lookouts | 68 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bryn Smith, Charlotte Orioles | 15 |
| ERA | George Throop, Jacksonville Suns | 2.17 |
| CG | Sheldon Burnside, Montgomery Rebels Bryn Smith, Charlotte Orioles | 16 |
| SHO | Greg Field, Orlando Twins George Throop, Jacksonville Suns Gary Wilson, Columbus Astros | 4 |
| SV | Duane Theiss, Savannah Braves | 13 |
| IP | Bryn Smith, Charlotte Orioles | 206.0 |
| SO | Matt Keough, Chattanooga Lookouts | 153 |

## Playoffs

* The Montgomery Rebels earned a bye in the division finals, as they won the division in both halves of the season.
* The division finals is increased to a best-of-three series.
* The league finals is decreased to a best-of-three series.
* The Montgomery Rebels won their third consecutive, and fifth overall Southern League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Suns in two games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Savannah | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Jacksonville | 2 | | | |
| E2 | Jacksonville | 2 | E2 | Jacksonville | 0 |
| | | | W1 | Montgomery | 2 |
| W1 | Montgomery | bye | W1 | Montgomery | 2 |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Alan Trammell, Montgomery Rebels |
| Pitcher of the Year | Greg Field, Orlando Twins |
| Manager of the Year | Ed Brinkman, Montgomery Rebels |