1978 World Series
From BR Bullpen
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New York Yankees (100-63, AL) over Los Angeles Dodgers (95-67, NL)
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The 1978 World Series matched the defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of the 1977 Series, with the Yankees winning in six games to repeat as champions.
It wasn’t easy for these two teams to repeat as their respective league’s champions, both scrambling back to the Fall Classic late in the season. The New York Yankees were as far back as 14 games behind the Boston Red Sox at mid-July suffering from injuries to pitchers Catfish Hunter and Jim Beattie. A public display of antipathy between manager Billy Martin and slugger Reggie Jackson resulted in the replacement of Martin by the amenable, easygoing Bob Lemon on July 17. With time running out, the Yankees, four games behind the Red Sox in the American League East, began a crucial 4-game series in Boston. On September 7, the Yanks began the "Boston Massacre" with a 15–3 drubbing of the “Sox” with second baseman Willie Randolph driving in five runs. The assault continued with the Yankees winning game two, 13-2, game three, 7-0 (Ron Guidry winning his 21st – a 2-hitter) and game four, an 18-hit, 7-4 victory completing the sweep. The Yankees and Red Sox were now tied for first place with twenty games remaining for both clubs. Overall New York would win 48 of their last 68 games finishing the regular season in a dead-heat with Boston. The Yanks went on to win a one-game playoff (5-4) on October 2nd made famous by light-hitting Bucky Dent's clutch three-run homer in the 7th inning (his fifth of the year). Ron Guidry would win his 25th game (against only 3 losses); Goose Gossage pitching the last 2 and 2/3rds innings picking up his 27th save, retiring Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski with a man on base for the final out.
In the National League the Los Angeles Dodgers were locked in a tight 3 way race with the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds falling as far as 6 ½ games back. Taking a lesson from the in-fighting Yankees, this normally close-knit group caught fire after a clubhouse fight between teammates Steve Garvey and Don Sutton in August, ultimately finishing 2 ½ games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Unlike the 1977 Dodgers with four 30+ homerun hitters, this squad’s leader in homeruns was Reggie Smith with 29. No pitcher won 20 or more games but five pitchers did win. Rookie Bob Welch was a key after being promoted from the minors; he won 9 games while being utilized as both a starter and reliever.
In a repeat of the 1977 playoffs the New York Yankees again dispatched the Kansas City Royals, this time three games to one as the Los Angeles Dodgers did the same to the Philadelphia Phillies by the same margin. After losing the first two games of the World Series, the Yankees would become the first team ever to come back to win the Series in six.
This was the "bad luck" World Series year for the Dodgers. After convincing wins in games one and two, the Dodgers dropped the next four, though hardly indicative of their effort and reflected more the Yankees lucky breaks. Game three was the combination of overpowering pitching by Ron Guidry coupled with the phenomenal play of Graig Nettles. Game four included the infamous baserunning interference by Reggie Jackson (denied to the Dodgers). The Dodgers were flat in a game five loss. In game six, Don Sutton pitched well, but the game got out of hand with the surprising hitting of Brian Doyle and Bucky Dent. Lopes and Cey had a great series, but Smith and Garvey seemed to vanish when they were most needed offensively.
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[edit] Summary
| 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 |
[edit] Matchup
[edit] Game 1
October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
The Dodgers jumped on Yankee pitching for 3 home runs and 15 hits as they cruised to an easy 11-5 win to open the series.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 5 9 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 3 0 3 1 0 3 1 X 11 15 2
PITCHERS: NYY - Figueroa, Clay (2), Lindblad (5), Tidrow (7)
LAD - John, Forster (8)
WP - John
LP - Figueroa
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: NYY - Jackson
LAD - Baker, Lopes (2)
ATTENDANCE: 55,997
[edit] Game 2
October 11, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Perhaps the most memorable game of the series, as Ron Cey's 3-run homer in the sixth inning gave L.A. a 4-2 lead. The Yankees got a run in the 7th, and then with two men on and two out in the top of the 9th, Dodger rookie Bob Welch struck out Reggie Jackson (after Jackson had fouled off several pitches) to end the game.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 11 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 X 4 7 0
PITCHERS: NYY - Hunter, Gossage (7)
LAD - Hooton, Forster (7), Welch (9)
WP - Hooton
LP - Hunter
SAVE - Welch
HOME RUNS: NYY - none
LAD - Cey
ATTENDANCE: 55,982
[edit] Game 3
October 13, 1978 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York
Yankee ace Ron Guidry was hit hard by the Dodgers and walked seven batters, but numerous great plays and diving stops by Yankee 3rd baseman Graig Nettles saved at least four runs as the Yankees got back in the series. Sutton pitched well into the seventh, then several tough luck hits by the Yankees put the game out of reach.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0
New York Yankees 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 X 5 10 1
PITCHERS: LAD - Sutton, Rautzhan (7), Hough (8)
NYY - Guidry
WP - Guidry
LP - Sutton
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: LAD - none
NYY - White
ATTENDANCE: 56,447
[edit] Game 4
October 14, 1978 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York
The most controversial game of the series. Reggie Smith's home run gave the Dodgers the lead in the 5th, but some bad judgement and a bad call turned the series in the Yankees favor in the 6th. With Roy White at first and one out, Thurman Munson walked and Jackson followed with a run-scoring base hit. Lou Piniella came up next and knocked a sinking liner toward Bill Russell. As the Dodgers shortstop went to play the ball it glanced off of his glove and fell to the ground. Munson, who had hesitated, moved back toward second thinking initially that the ball had been caught, but Russell, instead of tagging Munson (who was on second and turning toward third) and stepping on second to force Jackson and complete an unassisted, inning-ending, momentum-killing double play, stepped on second and threw to first to complete the double-play. Realizing Russell's mental mistake, seeing Munson on his way to third and sensing the opportunity, Jackson, who was already caught in no-man's land, stopped about 20 feet between first base and second, stuck his hip out slightly, deflecting the ball into right field and Munson scored the Yanks second run. The Dodgers argued (to no avail) that Jackson had intentionally interfered and should have been ruled out. The Yankees tied the game in the 8th and ultimately won in it in the 10th. The series was tied but the Dodgers' backs were broken as they were blown out in the next two games.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 1
New York Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 4 9 0
PITCHERS: LAD - John, Forster (8), Welch (8)
NYY - Figueroa, Tidrow (6), Gossage (9)
WP - Gossage
LP - Welch
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: LAD - Smith
NYY - none
ATTENDANCE: 56,445
[edit] Game 5
October 15, 1978 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York
Dodgers were understandably "flat" after the disappointing umpiring in game four which cost them the game. Yankees "singled" Dodgers pitching unrelentingly.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 3
New York Yankees 0 0 4 3 0 0 4 1 X 12 18 0
PITCHERS: LAD - Hooton, Rautzhan (3), Hough (4)
NYY - Beattie
WP - Beattie
LP - Hooton
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: LAD - none
NYY - none
ATTENDANCE: 56,448
[edit] Game 6
October 17, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Lopes had another superlative game. Sutton kept the Dodgers in it until the sixth inning, when the unlikely heroics of Doyle and Dent took over.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Yankees 0 3 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 7 11 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 1
PITCHERS: NYY - Hunter, Gossage (8)
LAD - Sutton, Welch (6), Rau (8)
WP - Hunter
LP - Sutton
SAVE - none
HOME RUNS: NYY - Jackson
LAD - Lopes
ATTENDANCE: 55,985
[edit] Composite Box
1978 World Series (4-2): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 68 | 2 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 52 | 7 |
| Total Attendance: 335,304 Average Attendance: 55,884 | |||||||||||||
| Winning Player’s Share: – $31,236, Losing Player’s Share – $25,483 * Includes Playoffs and World Series | |||||||||||||
[edit] Trivia
- 1978 was the first of ten consecutive years that saw ten different teams win the World Series, a string unprecedented in Major League Baseball history. The Los Angeles Dodgers would break the string with a World Series win in 1988.
World Series Winner Opponent
1987 Minnesota Twins (AL) St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
1986 New York Mets (NL) Boston Red Sox (AL)
1985 Kansas City Royals (AL) St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
1984 Detroit Tigers (AL) San Diego Padres (NL)
1983 Baltimore Orioles (AL) Philadelphia Phillies (NL)
1982 St. Louis Cardinals (NL) Milwaukee Brewers (AL)
1981 Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) New York Yankees (AL)
1980 Philadelphia Phillies (NL) Kansas City Royals (AL)
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) Baltimore Orioles (AL)
1978 New York Yankees (AL) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
- This Series became most well-known for a controversial play in which Reggie Jackson broke up a double play by using his hip to deflect the ball heading to first base, allowing Thurman Munson to score from second base on the error.
- The Yankees became the last repeat World Champions until fifteen years later (1992-1993; Toronto Blue Jays).
- The Yankees won the last four (4) games of the series after losing the first two (2). Coincidentally, the Dodgers would do that against them three years later.
- This would be the last time the New York Yankees would win a World Series until 1996, the longest drought for the franchise, to date.
- This Series had two memorable confrontations between Dodger rookie pitcher Bob Welch and the Yankees' Reggie Jackson. In Game 2, Welch struck Jackson out in the top of the ninth with two outs and the tying and winning runs on base to end the game. Jackson would get his revenge in Game 6 by smashing a two-run homer off Welch in the seventh to increase the Yankees' lead from 5-2 to 7-2 and put a final "exclamation point" on the Yankees' victory.
- During the series the Dodgers wore black armbands in dedication to coach Jim Gilliam who died from a brain hemorrhage two (2) days before the start of the Series. His uniform number 19 was also retired by the Dodgers two days after his death.
[edit] Stats
[edit] New York Yankees
[edit] Batting
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 |
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[edit] Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers
[edit] Batting
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 |
|---|
[edit] Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
[edit] Reference(s)
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 371-376)
[edit] External links
- 1978 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
- 1978 AL East Playoff at MLB.com
- 1978 World Series at Baseball-Almanac.com
- The Yankee D Boys did Double Duty at SI.com
- 1978 World Series box scores and play-by-play at Retrosheet.org
- History of the World Series - 1978 at SportingNews.com
- The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Over the Green Monster at SportingNews.com
- The 1978 New York Yankees at baseballlibrary.com
- The 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers at baseballlibrary.com
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NL Championship Series (3-1) Dodgers over Phillies | |||
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World Series (4-2) Yankees over Dodgers | |||
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AL Championship Series (3-1) Yankees over Royals |
| Modern Major League Baseball World Series
Pre-1903 Postseason Series |
