1978 Major League Baseball season

The 1978 Major League Baseball season saw the New York Yankees defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win their second consecutive World Series, and 22nd overall, in a rematch of the prior season's Fall Classic. The Yankees overcame clubhouse turmoil, a mid-season managerial change, and a 14-game mid-July deficit in the American League East en route to the championship. All four teams that made the playoffs in 1977 returned for this postseason; none of the four would return to the postseason in 1979.

1978 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 5 – October 17, 1978
Number of games162
Number of teams26
Draft
Top draft pickBob Horner
Picked byAtlanta Braves
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Jim Rice (BOS)
NL: Dave Parker (PIT)
Postseason
AL championsNew York Yankees
  AL runners-upKansas City Royals
NL championsLos Angeles Dodgers
  NL runners-upPhiladelphia Phillies
World Series
ChampionsNew York Yankees
  Runners-upLos Angeles Dodgers
World Series MVPBucky Dent (NYY)

Standings

Postseason

Bracket

  League Championship Series
(ALCS, NLCS)
World Series
                 
East NY Yankees 3  
West Kansas City 1  
    AL NY Yankees 4
  NL Los Angeles 2
East Philadelphia 1
West Los Angeles 3  

Awards and honors

Major Awards

1978 Award Winners
 American LeagueNational League
AwardPlayerPositionTeamPlayerPositionTeam
Most Valuable PlayerJim RiceLFBOSDave ParkerRFPIT
Cy Young AwardRon GuidryLHPNYYGaylord PerryRHPSD
Rookie of the YearLou Whitaker2BDETBob Horner3BATL
Relief Man of the YearGoose GossageRHPNYYRollie FingersRHPSD

Gold Glove Awards

1978 Gold Glove Awards
 American LeagueNational League
PositionPlayerTeamPlayerTeam
PJim PalmerBALPhil NiekroATL
CJim SundbergTEXBob BoonePHI
1BChris ChamblissNYYKeith HernandezSTL
2BFrank WhiteKCDavey LopesLA
3BGraig NettlesNYYMike SchmidtPHI
SSMark BelangerBALLarry BowaPHI
OFDwight EvansBOSGarry MaddoxPHI
OFFred LynnBOSDave ParkerPIT
OFRick MillerCALEllis ValentineMTL

Statistical leaders

Statistic American League National League
AVGRod Carew, MIN.333Dave Parker, PIT.334
HRJim Rice, BOS46George Foster, CIN40
RBIJim Rice, BOS139George Foster, CIN120
SBRon LeFlore, DET68Omar Moreno, PIT71
WinsRon Guidry, NYY25Gaylord Perry, SD21
ERARon Guidry, NYY1.74Craig Swan, NYM2.34
KsNolan Ryan, CAL260J. R. Richard, HOU303
SVGoose Gossage, NYY27Rollie Fingers, SD37

Feats

No-Hitters

Cycles

Records

American League

  • Most Strikeouts in a Game: 18, Ron Guidry, NYY (June 17 vs. California Angels)
  • Most Shutouts in a Season by a Left-Handed Pitcher: 9, Ron Guidry, NYY (tied record set in 1916 by Babe Ruth, BOS)

National League

  • Longest Modern Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: 44, Pete Rose, CIN (June 14 – July 31)
  • Most Strikeouts in a Season by a Right-Handed Pitcher: 303, J. R. Richard, HOU

Career Milestones

3,000 Hits

500 Home Runs

3,000 Strikeouts

Home Field Attendance

Team Name Wins Home attendance Per Game
Los Angeles Dodgers[1] 95 -3.1% 3,347,845 13.3% 41,331
Philadelphia Phillies[2] 90 -10.9% 2,583,389 -4.3% 31,505
Cincinnati Reds[3] 92 4.5% 2,532,497 0.5% 31,656
New York Yankees[4] 100 0.0% 2,335,871 11.1% 28,838
Boston Red Sox[5] 99 2.1% 2,320,643 11.9% 28,301
Kansas City Royals[6] 92 -9.8% 2,255,493 21.7% 27,846
California Angels[7] 87 17.6% 1,755,386 22.5% 21,671
San Francisco Giants[8] 89 18.7% 1,740,477 148.6% 21,487
Detroit Tigers[9] 86 16.2% 1,714,893 26.1% 21,172
San Diego Padres[10] 84 21.7% 1,670,107 21.4% 20,619
Milwaukee Brewers[11] 93 38.8% 1,601,406 43.6% 19,770
Toronto Blue Jays[12] 59 9.3% 1,562,585 -8.1% 19,291
Chicago Cubs[13] 79 -2.5% 1,525,311 5.9% 18,601
Chicago White Sox[14] 71 -21.1% 1,491,100 -10.0% 18,639
Texas Rangers[15] 87 -7.4% 1,447,963 15.8% 17,658
Montreal Expos[16] 76 1.3% 1,427,007 -0.5% 17,838
St. Louis Cardinals[17] 69 -16.9% 1,278,215 -23.0% 15,780
Houston Astros[18] 74 -8.6% 1,126,145 1.5% 13,903
Baltimore Orioles[19] 90 -7.2% 1,051,724 -12.0% 12,984
New York Mets[20] 66 3.1% 1,007,328 -5.6% 12,592
Pittsburgh Pirates[21] 88 -8.3% 964,106 -22.1% 11,903
Atlanta Braves[22] 69 13.1% 904,494 3.7% 11,167
Seattle Mariners[23] 56 -12.5% 877,440 -34.4% 10,833
Cleveland Indians[24] 69 -2.8% 800,584 -11.1% 10,264
Minnesota Twins[25] 73 -13.1% 787,878 -32.2% 9,727
Oakland Athletics[26] 69 9.5% 526,999 6.3% 6,587

Notable events

January–March

April–May

  • April 13 – Reggie Jackson hits a 3-run home run in the first inning of the New York Yankees' home opener. Jackson is showered with "Reggie Bar" candy bars, which had been given out free to fans in attendance. The Yankees defeat the Chicago White Sox, 4–2.
  • April 16 – St. Louis Cardinal Bob Forsch no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium, striking out 3 and walking 2 in a 5–0 victory. It is the first of two no-hitters Forsch will throw in his career.
  • April 22 – Cleveland Indians first baseman Andre Thornton hits for the cycle in a 13–4 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
  • May 5 – In front of a home crowd at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati's Pete Rose records his 3,000 career hit when he singles in the fifth inning off Montreal's Steve Rogers.
  • May 23 – With the Oakland Athletics in first place in the Western Division, manager Bobby Winkles resigns and is replaced by Jack McKeon, the same man he succeeded one year earlier.

June–July

  • June 14 – Pete Rose begins a 44-game hitting streak with 2 hits in the Reds' 3–1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
  • June 16 – Cincinnati's Tom Seaver throws a no-hitter against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Seaver strikes out 3 and walks 3 in a 4–0 Reds' win.
  • June 17 – Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry strikes out an American League-record (for left handers) 18 batters in a 4–0 shutout of the California Angels. "Louisiana Lightning" moves to 11–0 on the season.
  • June 30 – San Francisco Giants slugger Willie McCovey hits his 500th career home run, a solo shot off Atlanta's Jamie Easterly at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. McCovey is the 12th member of the prestigious 500 home run club and the first new member since Frank Robinson in 1971.
  • July 11 – The National League defeats the American League, 7–3, in the All-Star Game at San Diego Stadium. Steve Garvey earns MVP honors, and Vida Blue, the starting pitcher for the NL, becomes the first pitcher to start in the All-Star Game for both leagues. Blue also started in 1971 and 1975 for the AL.
  • July 13 – Nolan Ryan of the California Angels and Steve Renko of the Boston Red Sox take no-hitters into the ninth inning of their respective games before both lose their no-hit bids. Ryan's Angels defeat the New York Yankees, 6–1, while Renko's Red Sox shut out the Oakland Athletics, 2–0.
  • July 17 – In the latest incident in their tumultuous relationship, Yankees manager Billy Martin suspends Reggie Jackson for five days after accusing Jackson of ignoring signs from the dugout. During the bottom of the 10th inning of a tie game against the Kansas City Royals, Martin gives Jackson the bunt sign. After Jackson fails miserably on his first attempt, Martin takes the sign off, but Jackson bunts again anyway. Jackson pops up to the catcher, Martin pinch hits for Jackson the next inning, and the Yankees go on to lose the game, 5–2. The loss drops the Yankees 14 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.
  • July 19 – The Yankees win the first of five straight games without the suspended Reggie Jackson, defeating the Minnesota Twins, 2–0, at Metropolitan Stadium.
  • July 20 – Shortstop Chris Speier of the Montreal Expos hits for the cycle against the Atlanta Braves, going 4–4 with 6 RBI in a 7–3 win at Olympic Stadium.
  • July 24 – In Kansas City, an anguished Billy Martin announces his resignation as Yankees manager. At the time, the defending champion Yankees are 52–42 and 10 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. Martin's resignation comes one day after he said of right fielder Reggie Jackson and owner George Steinbrenner, "The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, and the other's convicted." Bob Lemon is named manager, but third base coach Dick Howser fills in for Martin that evening against the Royals.
  • July 26 – Reds catcher Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run, a 2-run shot off the Mets' Nino Espinosa at Shea Stadium. The Reds lose, 12–3.
  • July 27 – Minnesota Twins third baseman Mike Cubbage hits for the cycle in a 6–3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Metropolitan Stadium. Cubbage goes 4–4 with 4 RBI.
  • July 29 – Before an Old Timers Day crowd of 46,711, Yankee Stadium announcer Bob Sheppard reveals that Billy Martin, who resigned as Yankees manager just five days earlier, will return as manager beginning in 1980, with Bob Lemon moving to the front office as GM. As it happens, the Yankees accelerate the timetable and Martin winds up taking over during the 1979 season.

August–September

  • August 1 – Pete Rose's 44-game hitting streak comes to an end in Atlanta. Rose goes 0–4 against Braves pitchers Larry McWilliams and Gene Garber, and strikes out in the ninth inning to end the game. Rose's streak is the second-longest in major league history, and he bats .385 (70 of 182) during the stretch.
  • August 20 – Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Steve Garvey and Don Sutton engage in a clubhouse brawl prior to the Dodgers' 5–4 win over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Garvey and Sutton had been feuding for some time, but public comments by Sutton about Garvey's clean-cut image sparked the brawl.
  • August 25 – Major league umpires stage a one-day strike in violation of their union contract. The league is forced to employ amateur umpires until a restraining order compels the striking umpires to return to work.
  • September 5 – The Montreal Expos defeat the Chicago Cubs, 10–9, in a nine-inning game that sees a major league record 45 players participate.
  • September 7 – 10 – The famed "Boston Massacre" occurs at Fenway Park. The first-place Boston Red Sox enter the four-game series against the second-place New York Yankees with a four-game lead in the AL East, down from 14 just seven weeks earlier. The Yankees pummel the Red Sox by scores of 15–3, 13–2, 7–0, and 7–4. The Yankees outscore the Red Sox 42 to 9 during the four-game sweep and find themselves atop the division for the first time all season.
  • September 15 – The Los Angeles Dodgers become the first team in major league history to draw 3 million fans in a season.
  • September 24 – Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees ties an American League record for left-handed pitchers with his ninth shutout of the season, blanking the Cleveland Indians, 4–0. The record was set by Red Sox southpaw Babe Ruth in 1916.
  • September 28 – Houston Astros pitcher J. R. Richard fans Bruce Benedict of the Atlanta Braves for his 303rd strikeout of the season, setting the National League single-season record for strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher.
  • September 30 – The Philadelphia Phillies beat the host Pittsburgh Pirates, their in-state rivals, 10–8, to clinch their third straight National League East title. The Phils overcome a first-inning grand slam from Willie Stargell and winning pitcher Randy Lerch contributes two home runs to his cause. The loss snaps the Pirates 24-game winning streak at Three Rivers Stadium.

October

Deaths

References

  1. "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  2. "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  6. "Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. "San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. "Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. "Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. "Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. "Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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