FAVORITE BRAVES PLAYERS OF THE 1970'S
#29 ANDY MESSERSMITH
ATLANTA BRAVES 1976-1977
When Ted Turner and the Braves nabbed Andy Messersmith off the market in that first free agent year of 1976, it seemed like a major coup. A two-time twenty game winner, Andy appeared to be in his prime. He even got to temporarily wear the Channel 17 jersey (a great honor in my book) to promote Turner's superstation. The final results were less than spectacular: 11-11 in 1976 and 5-4 in 1977 before eventually going back to the Dodgers in 1979 before his career ended.
The game I remember most from Andy was a 1-0 win over the Montreal Expos on June 4, 1976. He had given up zero hits and only one walk until one out in the ninth when Pepe Mangual singled off him. Maybe things may have been different if Messersmith had completed that no-hitter. Maybe not. But he did live up to the hype at least for that night.
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