1978 New York Yankees season

1978 New York Yankees
1978 AL East Champions 1978 AL Champions 1978 World Series Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Eastern Division (since 1969)
Location
Yankee Stadium (since 1976)
New York City (since 1903)
Other information
Owner(s)	George Steinbrenner
General manager(s)	Cedric Tallis
Manager(s)	Billy Martin, Dick Howser, Bob Lemon
Local television	WPIX (Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, Bill White)
Local radio	WINS (AM) (Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Fran Healy)
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The 1978 New York Yankees season was the 76th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 100-63, finishing one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox to win their third American League East title. The two teams were tied after 162 games, leading to a one-game playoff, which the Yankees won.

In the ALCS, they defeated the Kansas City Royals in 4 games. In the World Series, they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games in a rematch of the 1977 World Series. New York was managed by Billy Martin, Dick Howser and Bob Lemon. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.

The season was tumultuous for the Yankees, as Jackson was suspended in a midseason showdown with Billy Martin, which later resulted in Martin resigning mid-season.

Offseason

• November 22, 1977: Goose Gossage was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.^[1]
• December 5, 1977: Jesús Figueroa was drafted from the Yankees by the Chicago Cubs in the 1977 rule 5 draft.^[2]
• December 9, 1977: Sergio Ferrer was traded by the Yankees to the New York Mets for Roy Staiger.^[3]
• December 12, 1977: Stan Thomas and Ed Ricks (minors) were traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Jim Spencer, Tommy Cruz and Bob Polinsky (minors).^[4]

Regular season

During the season, Ron Guidry became the last pitcher to win at least 25 games in one season for the Yankees in the 20th century.^[5] Guidry won the Cy Young Award by unanimous vote. In 273 2/3 innings, he compiled a record of 25-3, with 248 strikeouts, 1.74 ERA, and 9 shutouts.

Relief pitcher Goose Gossage won Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award, leading the American League with 27 saves.

Season summary

In July, the team was 14 ¹⁄₂ games behind the Boston Red Sox, but rallied in the second half of the season to finish tied for first place. The Yankees were victorious over the Red Sox in the one-game playoff for the AL East title. This game featured Bucky Dent's famous 3-run go-ahead home run in the 7th inning.

Game log

AL East tie-breaker game

October 2, 1978 at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1	0	5	8	0
Boston Red Sox	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	4	11	0
WP: Ron Guidry (25-3)   LP: Mike Torrez (16-13)   Sv: Goose Gossage (27) Home runs: NYY: Bucky Dent, Reggie Jackson BOS: Carl Yastrzemski

Season standings

AL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	100	63	0.613	—	55–26	45–37
Boston Red Sox	99	64	0.607	1	59–23	40–41
Milwaukee Brewers	93	69	0.574	6½	54–27	39–42
Baltimore Orioles	90	71	0.559	9	51–30	39–41
Detroit Tigers	86	76	0.531	13½	47–34	39–42
Cleveland Indians	69	90	0.434	29	42–36	27–54
Toronto Blue Jays	59	102	0.366	40	37–44	22–58

Record vs. opponents

1978 American League Records Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TEX	TOR
Baltimore	—	7–8	4–6	8–1	9–6	7–8	2–8	7–8	5–5	6–9	11–0	9–1	7–4	8–7
Boston	8–7	—	9–2	7–3	7–8	12–3	4–6	10–5	9–2	7–9	5–5	7–3	3–7	11–4
California	6–4	2–9	—	8–7	6–4	4–7	9–6	5–5	12–3	5–5	9–6	9–6	5–10	7–3
Chicago	1–8	3–7	7–8	—	8–2	2–9	8–7	4–7	8–7	1–9	7–8	7–8	11–4	4–6
Cleveland	6–9	8–7	4–6	2–8	—	5–10	5–6	5–10	5–5	6–9	4–6	8–1	1–9	10–4
Detroit	8–7	3–12	7–4	9–2	10–5	—	4–6	7–8	4–6	4–11	6–4	8–2	7–3	9–6
Kansas City	8–2	6–4	6–9	7–8	6–5	6–4	—	6–4	7–8	6–5	10–5	12–3	7–8	5–5
Milwaukee	8–7	5–10	5–5	7–4	10–5	8–7	4–6	—	4–7	10–5	9–1	5–5	6–4	12–3
Minnesota	5–5	2–9	3–12	7–8	5–5	6–4	8–7	7–4	—	3–7	9–6	6–9	6–9	6–4
New York	9–6	9–7	5–5	9–1	9–6	11–4	5–6	5–10	7–3	—	8–2	6–5	6–4	11–4
Oakland	0–11	5–5	6–9	8–7	6–4	4–6	5–10	1–9	6–9	2–8	—	13–2	6–9	7–4
Seattle	1–9	3–7	6–9	8–7	1–8	2–8	3–12	5–5	9–6	5–6	2–13	—	3–12	8–2
Texas	4–7	7–3	10–5	4–11	9–1	3–7	8–7	4–6	9–6	4–6	9–6	12–3	—	4–7
Toronto	7–8	4–11	3–7	6–4	4–10	6–9	5–5	3–12	4–6	4–11	4–7	2–8	7–4	—

Notable transactions

• June 10, 1978: Ken Holtzman was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later. The Cubs completed the deal by sending Ron Davis to the Yankees on June 12.^[6]
• June 14, 1978: Rawly Eastwick was traded by the Yankees to the Philadelphia Phillies for Bobby Brown and Jay Johnstone.^[7]
• June 15, 1978: Mickey Klutts, Dell Alston and $50,000 were traded by the Yankees to the Oakland Athletics for Gary Thomasson.^[8]

Draft picks

• June 6, 1978: 1978 Major League Baseball Draft
  • Rex Hudler was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (18th pick). Player signed June 20, 1978.^[9]
  • Steve Balboni was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round.^[10]

Roster

1978 New York Yankees
Roster
Pitchers 45 Jim Beattie 43 Ken Clay 53 Ron Davis 36 Rawly Eastwick 31 Ed Figueroa 54 Goose Gossage 49 Ron Guidry 35 Don Gullett 53 Ken Holtzman 29 Catfish Hunter 40 Bob Kammeyer 36 Paul Lindblad 28 Sparky Lyle 40,53 Larry McCall 47 Andy Messersmith 52 Dave Rajsich 19 Dick Tidrow		Catchers 40 Fran Healy 46 Mike Heath 41 Cliff Johnson 15 Thurman Munson Infielders 10 Chris Chambliss 20 Bucky Dent 25 Brian Doyle 23 Dámaso García 24 Mickey Klutts  9 Graig Nettles 26 Domingo Ramos 30 Willie Randolph 18 Dennis Sherrill 11 Fred Stanley 25 George Zeber		Outfielders  2 Paul Blair 44 Reggie Jackson 27 Jay Johnstone 14 Lou Piniella 17 Mickey Rivers 12 Jim Spencer 24 Gary Thomasson  6 Roy White Other batters 27 Dell Alston		Manager  1 Billy Martin 34 Dick Howser 21 Bob Lemon Coaches  8 Yogi Berra 42 Art Fowler (pitching) 32 Elston Howard (first base) 34 Dick Howser (third base) 48 Clyde King 33 Gene Michael

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Munson, ThurmanThurman Munson	154	617	183	.297	6	71
1B	Chambliss, ChrisChris Chambliss	162	625	171	.274	12	90
2B	Randolph, WillieWillie Randolph	134	499	139	.279	3	42
3B	Nettles, GraigGraig Nettles	159	587	162	.276	27	93
SS	Dent, BuckyBucky Dent	123	379	92	.243	5	40
LF	Piniella, LouLou Piniella	130	472	148	.314	6	69
RF	Jackson, ReggieReggie Jackson	139	511	140	.274	27	97

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Spencer, JimJim Spencer	71	150	34	.227	7	24
Doyle, BrianBrian Doyle	39	52	10	.192	0	0
Sherrill, DennisDennis Sherrill	2	1	0	.000	0	0
Healy, FranFran Healy	1	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Guidry, RonRon Guidry	35	273.2	25	3	1.74	248
Figueroa, EdEd Figueroa	35	253	20	9	2.99	92
Tidrow, DickDick Tidrow	31	185	7	11	3.84	73
Beattie, JimJim Beattie	25	128	6	9	3.73	65
Hunter, CatfishCatfish Hunter	21	118	12	6	3.58	56

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Clay, KenKen Clay	28	75.2	3	4	4.28	32
Holtzman, KenKen Holtzman	5	17.2	1	0	4.08	3

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Gossage, GooseGoose Gossage	63	10	11	27	2.01	122
Lyle, SparkySparky Lyle	59	9	3	9	3.47	33
Eastwick, RawlyRawly Eastwick	8	2	1	0	3.28	13
Kammeyer, BobBob Kammeyer	7	0	0	0	5.82	11
Davis, RonRon Davis	4	0	0	0	11.57	0

Postseason

ALCS

Game 1

October 3: Royals Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	3	0	7	16	0
Kansas City	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	2
W: Jim Beattie (1-0)  L: Dennis Leonard (0-1)  S: Ken Clay (1)
HRs: NYY – Reggie Jackson (1)

Game 2

October 4: Royals Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	12	1
Kansas City	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	2	X	10	16	1
W: Larry Gura (1-0)  L: Ed Figueroa (0-1)
HRs: KCR – Freddie Patek (1)

Game 3

October 6: Yankee Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	5	10	1
New York	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	2	X	6	10	0
W: Goose Gossage (1-0)  L: Doug Bird (0-1)
HRs: KCR – George Brett 3 (3)   NYY – Reggie Jackson (2) Thurman Munson (1)

Game 4

October 7: Yankee Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
New York	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	2	4	0
W: Ron Guidry (1-0)  L: Dennis Leonard (0-2)  S: Goose Gossage (1)
HRs: NYY – Graig Nettles (1) Roy White (1)

World Series

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Los Angeles Dodgers (2)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Time of Game
1	Yankees – 5, Dodgers – 11	October 10	Dodger Stadium	55,997	2:48
2	Yankees – 3, Dodgers – 4	October 11	Dodger Stadium	55,982	2:37
3	Dodgers – 1, Yankees – 5	October 13	Yankee Stadium	56,447	2:27
4	Dodgers – 3, Yankees – 4 (10 inns)	October 14	Yankee Stadium	56,445	3:17
5	Dodgers – 2, Yankees – 12	October 15	Yankee Stadium	56,448	2:56
6	Yankees – 7, Dodgers – 2	October 17	Dodger Stadium	55,985	2:34

Awards and honors

• Gold Glove Awards
  • Chris Chambliss, first baseman
  • Graig Nettles, third baseman
• Bucky Dent, Babe Ruth Award
• Bucky Dent, World Series MVP
• Goose Gossage, Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
• Ron Guidry, AL Cy Young

Franchise records

• Ron Guidry, Yankees single season record, most strikeouts in a season (248)

All-Stars

All-Star Game

• Guidry, Gossage, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles all represented the Yankees.

Other team leaders

• Stolen Bases – Willie Randolph, 36
• Walks – Willie Randolph, 82

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Tacoma Yankees	Pacific Coast League	Mike Ferraro
AA	West Haven Yankees	Eastern League	Stump Merrill
A	Fort Lauderdale Yankees	Florida State League	Doug Holmquist
A-Short Season	Oneonta Yankees	New York–Penn League	Art Mazmanian

LEAGUE CO-CHAMPION: Tacoma^[11]

Notes

1. Goose Gossage page at Baseball Reference
2. Jesús Figueroa page at Baseball Reference
3. Sergio Ferrer page at Baseball Reference
4. Stan Thomas page at Baseball Reference
5. Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 99, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
6. Ken Holtzman page at Baseball Reference
7. Bobby Brown page at Baseball Reference
8. Mickey Klutts page at Baseball Reference
9. Rex Hudler page at Baseball Reference
10. Steve Balboni page at Baseball Reference
11. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

References

• 1978 New York Yankees
• 1978 World Series
• 1978 New York Yankees team page at www.baseball-almanac.com