1978 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1978 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1978 in baseball.

1978 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 5 – October 17, 1978
Number of games	162
Number of teams	26
TV partner(s)	ABC, NBC
Draft
Top draft pick	Bob Horner
Picked by	Atlanta Braves
Regular season
Season MVP	AL: Jim Rice (BOS) NL: Dave Parker (PIT)
Postseason
AL champions	New York Yankees
AL runners-up	Kansas City Royals
NL champions	Los Angeles Dodgers
NL runners-up	Philadelphia Phillies
World Series
Champions	New York Yankees
Runners-up	Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series MVP	Bucky Dent (NYY)
MLB seasons
← 1977 1979 →

In the 1978 Major League Baseball season, the New York Yankees defeated 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 returned to the postseason in 1979.

Standings

American League v t e 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 v t e AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road Kansas City Royals 92 70 0.568 — 56–25 36–45 Texas Rangers 87 75 0.537 5 52–30 35–45 California Angels 87 75 0.537 5 50–31 37–44 Minnesota Twins 73 89 0.451 19 38–43 35–46 Chicago White Sox 71 90 0.441 20½ 38–42 33–48 Oakland Athletics 69 93 0.426 23 38–42 31–51 Seattle Mariners 56 104 0.350 35 32–49 24–55 The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox in a one-game playoff to earn the AL East division title.

National League v t e NL East W L Pct. GB Home Road Philadelphia Phillies 90 72 0.556 — 54–28 36–44 Pittsburgh Pirates 88 73 0.547 1½ 55–26 33–47 Chicago Cubs 79 83 0.488 11 44–38 35–45 Montreal Expos 76 86 0.469 14 41–39 35–47 St. Louis Cardinals 69 93 0.426 21 37–44 32–49 New York Mets 66 96 0.407 24 33–47 33–49 v t e NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road Los Angeles Dodgers 95 67 0.586 — 54–27 41–40 Cincinnati Reds 92 69 0.571 2½ 49–31 43–38 San Francisco Giants 89 73 0.549 6 50–31 39–42 San Diego Padres 84 78 0.519 11 50–31 34–47 Houston Astros 74 88 0.457 21 50–31 24–57 Atlanta Braves 69 93 0.426 26 39–42 30–51

Postseason

Main article: 1978 MLB 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

Managers

American League

Team	Manager	Comments
Baltimore Orioles	Earl Weaver
Boston Red Sox	Don Zimmer
California Angels	Dave Garcia and Jim Fregosi	Garcia was fired on June 1.
Chicago White Sox	Bob Lemon and Larry Doby	Lemon was fired on June 24.
Cleveland Indians	Jeff Torborg
Detroit Tigers	Ralph Houk
Kansas City Royals	Whitey Herzog
Milwaukee Brewers	George Bamberger
Minnesota Twins	Gene Mauch
New York Yankees	Billy Martin, Dick Howser, and Bob Lemon	Martin resigned on July 24, and Lemon was hired the next day. Lemon won the 1978 World Series
Oakland Athletics	Bobby Winkles and Jack McKeon	Winkles resigned on May 23.
Seattle Mariners	Darrell Johnson
Texas Rangers	Billy Hunter and Pat Corrales	Hunter was fired on October 1.
Toronto Blue Jays	Roy Hartsfield

National League

Team	Manager	Comments
Atlanta Braves	Bobby Cox
Chicago Cubs	Bob Kennedy
Cincinnati Reds	Sparky Anderson
Houston Astros	Bill Virdon
Los Angeles Dodgers	Tommy Lasorda	Won the National League pennant.
Montreal Expos	Dick Williams
New York Mets	Joe Torre
Philadelphia Phillies	Danny Ozark
Pittsburgh Pirates	Chuck Tanner
San Diego Padres	Roger Craig
San Francisco Giants	Joe Altobelli
St. Louis Cardinals	Vern Rapp, Jack Krol, and Ken Boyer	Rapp was fired on April 25.

Awards and honors

Major Awards

1978 Award Winners

	American League			National League
Award	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Most Valuable Player	Jim Rice	LF	BOS	Dave Parker	RF	PIT
Cy Young Award	Ron Guidry	LHP	NYY	Gaylord Perry	RHP	SD
Rookie of the Year	Lou Whitaker	2B	DET	Bob Horner	3B	ATL
Relief Man of the Year	Goose Gossage	RHP	NYY	Rollie Fingers	RHP	SD

Gold Glove Awards

1978 Gold Glove Awards

	American League		National League
Position	Player	Team	Player	Team
P	Jim Palmer	BAL	Phil Niekro	ATL
C	Jim Sundberg	TEX	Bob Boone	PHI
1B	Chris Chambliss	NYY	Keith Hernandez	STL
2B	Frank White	KC	Davey Lopes	LA
3B	Graig Nettles	NYY	Mike Schmidt	PHI
SS	Mark Belanger	BAL	Larry Bowa	PHI
OF	Dwight Evans	BOS	Garry Maddox	PHI
OF	Fred Lynn	BOS	Dave Parker	PIT
OF	Rick Miller	CAL	Ellis Valentine	MTL

Statistical leaders

Statistic	American League		National League
AVG	Rod Carew, MIN	.333	Dave Parker, PIT	.334
HR	Jim Rice, BOS	46	George Foster, CIN	40
RBIs	Jim Rice, BOS	139	George Foster, CIN	120
SB	Ron LeFlore, DET	68	Omar Moreno, PIT	71
Wins	Ron Guidry, NYY	25	Gaylord Perry, SD	21
ERA	Ron Guidry, NYY	1.74	Craig Swan, NYM	2.34
Ks	Nolan Ryan, CAL	260	J. R. Richard, HOU	303
SV	Goose Gossage, NYY	27	Rollie Fingers, SD	37

Feats

No-Hitters

• Bob Forsch, St. Louis Cardinals – April 16 vs. Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium (9 IP, 3 SO, 2 BB in 5–0 win)
• Tom Seaver, Cincinnati Reds – June 16 vs. St. Louis Cardinals at Riverfront Stadium (9 IP, 3 SO, 3 BB in 4–0 win)

Cycles

• Andre Thornton, Cleveland Indians, April 22 at Boston Red Sox
• Chris Speier, Montreal Expos, July 20 vs. Atlanta Braves
• Mike Cubbage, Minnesota Twins, July 27 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

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

• Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds – May 5 vs. Montreal Expos at Riverfront Stadium (5th-inning single off Steve Rogers)

500 Home Runs

• Willie McCovey, San Francisco Giants – June 30 vs. Atlanta Braves at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (solo home run off Jamie Easterly)

3,000 Strikeouts

• Gaylord Perry, San Diego Padres – October 1 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Stadium (8th inning against Joe Simpson)

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

• January 25 – The Texas Rangers trade pitcher Gaylord Perry to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Dave Tomlin and cash.

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 for 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

• October 1 – Luis Tiant throws a two-hit shutout as the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, 5–0, to close the season on an eight-game winning streak. The win moves the Red Sox into a first-place tie and forces a one-game playoff against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park the following afternoon.
  • San Diego's Gaylord Perry notches his 3,000 career strikeout when he fans Joe Simpson of the Dodgers in the eighth inning of a Padres' 4–3 victory.
• October 2 – Bucky Dent's three-run, seventh-inning home run off Mike Torrez puts the visiting New York Yankees ahead for good as they defeat the Boston Red Sox, 5–4, in a one-game playoff for the American League East title. Reggie Jackson's solo home run in the eighth inning off Bob Stanley provides the winning margin. Ron Guidry gets the win, finishing 25–3 on the season.
• October 4 – Steve Garvey's two home runs pace the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9–5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opening game of the National League Championship Series.
• October 6 – The Yankees overcome three home runs by the Royals' George Brett to win Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, 6–5, and take a 2 games to 1 series lead.
• October 7 – The Los Angeles Dodgers win their second consecutive National League pennant over the Philadelphia Phillies, with an extra-inning 4–3 win in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. Ron Cey scores the winning run on Bill Russell's two-out single off Tug McGraw in the bottom of the tenth. A walk to Cey and a routine liner that Garry Maddox muffs in center field sets up Russell's game-winner. Dusty Baker collects four hits for the Dodgers.
  • The Yankees win their third straight American League Championship Series over the Kansas City Royals with a 2–1 victory in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium. Solo home runs by Roy White and Graig Nettles account for the Yankees' runs, and Ron Guidry shuts down the Royals for the win.
• October 10 – The World Series, a rematch from last season, begins at Dodger Stadium. Davey Lopes belts 2 home runs and drives in 5 runs to lead the Dodgers to an 11–5 win over the Yankees.
• October 11 – The Dodgers take a 2–0 lead in the World Series with a 4–3 win in Game 2. The Dodgers' Ron Cey and the Yankees' Reggie Jackson drive in all the runs for their respective teams. Bob Welch saves the win for Burt Hooton in dramatic fashion, putting two runners on before striking out Jackson for the final out.
• October 13 – The World Series moves to Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees win their first game of the Series, 5–1, behind the mastery of Ron Guidry and defensive prowess of Graig Nettles.
• October 14 – The Yankees even the Series with the Dodgers 2–2 when Lou Piniella's 10th-inning single scores Roy White with the winning run in a 4–3 Yankees victory.
• October 15 – The Yankees move one win from clinching the World Series with a 12–2 rout of the Dodgers. Thurman Munson drives in 5 runs and Roy White contributes 3.
• October 17 – Back at Dodger Stadium, the Yankees win their 4th straight game of the Series, 7–2, and clinch their second consecutive World Series over the Dodgers. Catfish Hunter earns the win, and Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent is named World Series MVP, batting .417 with 10 hits, 7 RBI, and 3 runs scored.

Deaths

• Lyman Bostock, outfielder for the California Angels, was murdered on September 23, 1978.

Television coverage

ABC aired Monday Night Baseball , the All-Star Game, and both League Championship Series. NBC televised the weekend Game of the Week and the World Series.

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.

External links

• 1978 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference