View source for 1977 Major League Baseball expansion

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}

The '''1977 Major League Baseball expansion''' resulted in the establishment of [[expansion team|expansion franchises]] in [[Seattle]] and [[Toronto]] in the [[American League]] of [[Major League Baseball]]. The [[Seattle Mariners]] and [[Toronto Blue Jays]] began play in the [[1977 Major League Baseball season|1977 season]], becoming the 25th and 26th teams in Major League Baseball.<!--
this conflicts with subsequent info; needs vetting
 The owners of each franchise paid an entry fee of $[[United States dollar|US]] 5.2 million.{{sfn|Holtzman|1997}}
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Seattle and Toronto were included in a list of potential expansion cities in a survey conducted by the American League in 1960.{{sfn|Sarasota Herald-Tribune|1960}} The others were [[Atlanta]], [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]], [[Denver]], [[Oakland]], and [[San Diego]] (all of which received MLB franchises eventually through expansion or relocation except Buffalo, which has a AAA team in the Blue Jays system.){{sfn|Sarasota Herald-Tribune|1960}}
	
{{AL Team Maps (1976)}}	
{{AL Team Maps (1977–1981)}}

==Seattle==
{{main|History of the Seattle Mariners}}
In the [[1969 Major League Baseball expansion]] (which had been originally planned to take place in 1971, but said date was moved up two years when [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Stuart Symington]] of [[Missouri]] demanded that a new team be placed in Kansas City at the earliest possible convenience), [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Montreal]], [[San Diego]], and Seattle were each granted franchises; the [[Kansas City Royals]] and [[Seattle Pilots]] were added to the [[American League]], while the [[Montreal Expos]] (now the [[Washington Nationals]]) and [[San Diego Padres]] joined the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]. The Seattle Pilots only played [[1969 Seattle Pilots season|one season]], during which they faced financial difficulties owing to no television coverage, a poorly performing team, a stadium with problems, and the highest ticket and [[Concession stand|concession]] prices in the league.{{sfn|Hogan|2007|p=128}} Owners of other American League teams wanted [[Dewey Soriano]] and [[William R. Daley]] to sell the team to a Seattle owner who would improve the team and address issues at [[Sick's Stadium]], particularly uncovered seats with bad views.{{sfn|Hogan|2007|p=128}} After several attempts to sell the team to a Seattle owner failed, on April 1, 1970, judge Sidney Volinn declared the team officially bankrupt; it was sold to [[Milwaukee]] car dealer (and future [[Commissioner of Baseball|MLB commissioner]]) [[Bud Selig]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Schabowski |first=Rick |year=2011 |title=April 7, 1970: Milwaukee Brewers make their debut at County Stadium |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-7-1970-milwaukee-brewers-make-their-debut-at-county-stadium/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=[[Society of American Baseball Research]]}}</ref> who moved the team to there and renamed it the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], who began play a week later on April 7.<ref>{{cite web|author=Muder, Craig |title=Bud Selig's work as commissioner leads him to Cooperstown's doorstep |publisher=Society of American Baseball Research |year=2011 |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/news/selig-bud |access-date=March 24, 2023}}</ref>{{sfn|Stone|2006}} Selig had negotiated a deal for the purchase with Soriano during [[1969 World Series#Game 1|Game 1 of the 1969 World Series]].{{sfn|Stone|2006}}

As a result of the relocation of the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee, in 1970 the city of Seattle, [[King County, Washington|King County]] and the state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] sued the American League for [[breach of contract]].{{sfn|Cour|1999|p=C16}} The $32.5 million lawsuit{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=802}} proceeded until 1976, when at trial the American League offered the city a franchise in exchange for the city, county, and state to drop the suit.{{sfn|Cour|1999|p=C16}} On November 2, 1972, King County had broken ground on the [[Kingdome]],{{sfn|MacIntosh|2000}} which would come to be used by the [[Seattle Mariners]] for [[baseball]] and by the [[Seattle Seahawks|Seahawks]] for [[American football|football]].

On January 15, 1976, the expansion franchise was approved, becoming the 13th franchise in the American League. It was owned by Lester Smith and [[Danny Kaye]],{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=802}} who paid an expansion fee of {{currency|6.5|USD}} million.{{sfn|Jozsa|2006|p=58}} Owing to the history surrounding the franchise, [[Sports journalism|sportswriter]] Emmett Watson of the [[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] joked that the team should be named the ''Seattle Litigants''.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=802}}

==Toronto==
{{main|History of the Toronto Blue Jays}}
Toronto had a long history of interest in baseball. Its first professional baseball team was established in 1885, and in 1886 [[Sunlight Park]] was built to host its games. In 1897, [[Hanlan's Point Stadium]] was built at the [[Toronto Islands]] for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs (International League)|Toronto Maple Leafs]] of the [[International League]], and on September 5, 1914 it was the site of baseball legend [[Babe Ruth]]'s first professional home run and only minor league home run.{{sfn|Creamer|2005|p=98}} In 1926, [[Maple Leaf Stadium]] was built for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team was successful, sometimes drawing more fans than established Major League Baseball teams.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=844}} The team was owned by [[Jack Kent Cooke]], who in the mid-1950s sought municipal financing of a major league baseball park on the grounds of the [[Canadian National Exhibition]].{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=844}} He was also involved in the failed attempt to establish the [[Continental League]] as a third league in Major League Baseball in the early 1960s.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=844}} Maple Leaf Stadium was demolished in 1968 after the Toronto Maple Leafs were sold to Walter Dilbeck and moved to [[Louisville, Kentucky]]. (The team has since relocated twice, and is now the [[Worcester Red Sox]].)

In the early 1970s, [[Toronto City Council]] alderman [[Paul Godfrey]] proposed a plan for a publicly financed domed stadium in the city, but it was opposed by taxpayers and amateur sports groups.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=844}} Undeterred, he proposed renovation of [[Exhibition Stadium]] to support baseball. The stadium was renovated in anticipation of the city being awarded a Major League Baseball team, costing {{CAD|15 million}}.{{sfn|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|2011|loc=Last audio clip in the post, from CBC Radio in 1977}} Half of the funds were provided by the municipal government, and the other half from an interest-free loan from the provincial [[Government of Ontario]].{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=844}} Its seating capacity was increased to 40,000.{{sfn|St. Petersburg Times|1976}}

There had been strong interest from several groups and individuals to own a Major League Baseball team in the city. The most prominent was [[Labatt Brewing Company]], who wanted to use ownership of a sports team as a means to establish a visible presence in the Toronto market.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=845}}

On January 9, 1976, the National Exhibition Company, owners of the [[San Francisco Giants]], established an [[agreement in principle]] to sell the franchise to a consortium owned by Labatt Brewing Company, Vulcan Assets, and the [[Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce]] for {{CAD|13,250,000}} ({{Inflation|CA|13500000|1976|fmt=eq}}.{{sfn|St. Petersburg Times|1976}} The Giants had failed to repay a {{currency|500,000|USD}} loan from Major League Baseball, and had experienced declining revenues since the relocation of the [[Kansas City Athletics]] to [[Oakland]] in 1968.{{sfn|St. Petersburg Times|1976}} Of the sale price, {{currency|5,250,000|USD}} was to be placed in [[escrow]] to "meet certain possible obligations with respect to the transaction", especially the lease of [[Candlestick Park]], which would expire in 1994.{{sfn|St. Petersburg Times|1976}}

The new owners of the Giants, led by [[Don McDougall (baseball)|Don McDougall]], would move the team to Toronto pending approval from the other eleven [[National League (baseball)|National League]] teams, which would be sought on January 14 at the [[Winter Meetings]] of [[General manager (baseball)|General managers]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]. The team would be known as the Toronto Giants{{sfn|St. Petersburg Times|1976}} and would begin play during the [[1976 Major League Baseball season]]. The deal was scuttled by a [[Superior Courts of California|Superior Court of California]], which issued an injunction blocking the sale on February 11, 1976; the injunction was requested by the city of [[San Francisco]] on January 10.{{sfn|Sakamoto|1976}} The National Exhibition Company eventually accepted a purchase proposal from [[Bob Lurie]] in a deal brokered by [[George Moscone]], the [[Mayor of San Francisco]]; Lurie elected to keep the team in San Francisco.{{sfn|Sakamoto|1976}} This was the third scuttled attempt by Labatt to bring an MLB team to Toronto, after failures to acquire the [[Baltimore Orioles]] and the [[Cleveland Indians]].{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=9}} Soon after, Godfrey received a phone call from [[Kansas City Royals]] owner [[Ewing Kauffman]] informing him that he supported a Toronto franchise for the American League.{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=10}}

During an owners meeting held on March 20, 1976, the American League franchises voted 11-1 to expand the league with a Toronto franchise, to which National League owners resolved to consider a Toronto franchise to begin play in the [[1977 Major League Baseball season|1977 season]].{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=10}} [[Bowie Kuhn]], at the time the [[Commissioner of Baseball]], planned for the National League to expand with new franchises in Toronto and [[Washington, D.C.]], and for the American League to add a new franchise in [[New Orleans]] in addition to the already-awarded Seattle franchise.{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=10}}{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=12}} On March 29, National League owners met and voted in favour of the expansion plans, but they were rejected because the vote was not unanimous, with dissenting votes from the owners of the [[Cincinnati Reds]] and [[Philadelphia Phillies]].{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=12}} A subsequent vote on April 26 ended this plan with a 7–5 result in favour of the proposal, again failing to achieve unanimity.{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=12}}

Two groups bid for the rights to franchise ownership in the city,{{sfn|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|2011|loc=Last audio clip in the post, from CBC Radio in 1977}} which presented bids during an American League owner's meeting on March 26, 1976.{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=11}} Ultimately, an ownership group named Metro Baseball Ltd. consisting of Labatt Brewing Company, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and [[Imperial Trust]] won the bid for a franchise fee of {{CAD|7 million}}.{{sfn|Jozsa|2006|p=58}}{{sfn|Sgambati|1976}}{{sfn|Toronto Blue Jays: Franchise Timeline}}{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=845}} The other bid was made by Atlantic Packaging.{{sfn|Sgambati|1976}} The winning bid was represented by legal counsel [[Herb Solway]] and [[Gord Kirke]]. Kirke prepared the original documents which led to the foundation of the team in 1976.<ref name="Livesey">{{cite web|url=https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/article/the-champs-champion-8/|title=The champs' champion|last=Livesey|first=Bruce|date=January 25, 2006|website=Canadian Lawyer Magazine|access-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref>

After the city was awarded the franchise, [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Gerald Ford]] attempted to pressure Major League Baseball to instead award the franchise to Washington, D.C., which he claimed should have a team before Toronto. Both the American League and National League dismissed his request.{{sfn|Howden|1976}}

In 1974, the Toronto City Council approved a further {{CAD|2.8 million}} for renovations to Exhibition Stadium, retrofitting the stadium for baseball and would be ready in time for the [[1977 Toronto Blue Jays season|1977 season]].{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=845}} [[Paul Beeston]] was hired as the team's first employee on May 10, 1976, and [[Peter Bavasi]] was hired as the team's first president and general manager on June 18, 1976.{{sfn|Riess|2006|p=845}}{{sfn|Davidi|2016|p=12}}

==Expansion draft==
{{main|1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft}}

In order to stock the [[Schedule (workplace)|roster]] of each team, a draft was held on November 5, 1976 in which each of the extant teams would make available to the expansion franchises some of the players on their major league and minor league rosters. Each team was allowed to protect fifteen players on the major league roster, and an additional three players after each of the first and second round of the draft.{{sfn|Holtzman|1997}} The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays each selected 30 players in the draft.{{sfn|Holtzman|1997}}

==See also==
*[[1961 Major League Baseball expansion]]
*[[1962 Major League Baseball expansion]]
*[[1969 Major League Baseball expansion]]
*[[1993 Major League Baseball expansion]]
*[[1998 Major League Baseball expansion]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|3}}

==References==
{{refbegin|2}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/75/2011/08/blue-jays-fever-sweeps-toronto.html|title=Blue Jays fever sweeps Toronto|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=August 18, 2011|access-date=February 27, 2013|ref={{harvid|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|2011}} }}
*{{cite news|title=Good riddance|last=Cour|first=Jim|work=[[Austin American-Statesman]]|date=June 27, 1999}}
* {{cite book|title=Babe: The Legend Comes to Life|last=Creamer|first=Robert W.|author-link=Robert Creamer|year=2005|orig-year=1974|series=Fireside sports classics|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=0-671-76070-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/babelegendcomest00crea_0}}
*{{cite book|title=The Big 50: The men and moments that made the Toronto Blue Jays|last=Davidi|first=Shi|publisher=[[Triumph Books]]|date=2016|isbn=978-1-62937-208-2}}
*{{cite book|title=The 1969 Seattle Pilots: Major League Baseball's One-Year Team|last=Hogan|first=Kenneth|publisher=McFarland|year=2007|isbn=9780786427864}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/13/expansion-draft-no-joke-anymore/|title=Expansion Draft No Joke Anymore|series=On Baseball|last=Holtzman|first=Jerome|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 13, 1997|access-date=February 27, 2013}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/baseball/major-league-baseball-comes-to-canada/will-toronto-ever-get-a-franchise.html|title=Will Toronto ever get a baseball franchise?|last=Howden|first=Suzanne|publisher=[[CBC News]]|date=April 4, 1976|access-date=February 27, 2013}}
*{{cite book|title=Big Sports, Big Business: A Century of League Expansions, Mergers, and Reorganizations|last=Jozsa|first=Frank P.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|isbn=0275991342}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=2164|title=Kingdome: The Controversial Birth of a Seattle Icon (1959–1976)|last=MacIntosh|first=Heather|publisher=[[HistoryLink]]|date=March 1, 2000|access-date=March 12, 2013}}
*{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs|last=Riess|first=Steven A.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2006|isbn=0313329915}}
*{{cite news|title=Giants will stay in San Francisco|last=Sakamoto|first=Gordon|agency=[[United Press International]]|publisher=[[The Bryan Times]]|date=February 12, 1976}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/baseball/major-league-baseball-comes-to-canada/toronto-joins-the-big-leagues.html|title=Toronto joins baseball's big leagues|last=Sgambati|first=Fred|publisher=CBC News|date=May 1, 1976|access-date=February 27, 2013}}
*{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/mariners/2003114503_pilots09.html|title=Endearing & enduring: The 1969 Seattle Pilots|last=Stone|first=Larry|publisher=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=July 9, 2006|access-date=March 12, 2013}}
*{{cite news|title=Giants moving: Toronto|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=January 9, 1976|ref={{harvid|St. Petersburg Times|1976}} }}
*{{cite news|title=Boston move in 1953 key to expansion|agency=United Press International|newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]|date=October 31, 1960|ref={{harvid|Sarasota Herald-Tribune|1960}} }}
*{{cite web|url=http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/tor/history/timeline1.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015063835/http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/tor/history/timeline1.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 15, 2007|title=1976–1979|work=Franchise Timeline|publisher=[[Toronto Blue Jays]]|access-date=February 27, 2013|ref={{harvid|Toronto Blue Jays: Franchise Timeline}} }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Major League Baseball Expansions and Relocations: A History, 1876–2008|last=Jozsa|first=Frank P.|publisher=McFarland & Company|year=2010|isbn=9780786457236}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Columbia Magazine|url=http://www.wshs.org/wshs/columbia/articles/0200-a2.htm|title=Play Ball!|last=Schaefer|first=Kurt|publisher=Washington State Historical Society|date=Summer 2000|volume=14|issue=2|access-date=March 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422003453/http://www.wshs.org/wshs/columbia/articles/0200-a2.htm|archive-date=April 22, 2008|ref=Schaefer}}

{{MLB}}
{{Seattle Mariners}}
{{Toronto Blue Jays}}

[[Category:1977 Major League Baseball season|Expansion]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball expansion]]
[[Category:Seattle Mariners|Expansion]]
[[Category:Toronto Blue Jays|Expansion]]
[[Category:1977 in Canadian sports]]
[[Category:1977 in sports in Washington (state)]]