1978 New York Yankees season

Last updated

1978  New York Yankees
World Series champions
American League champions
American League East champions
League American League
Division East
Ballpark Yankee Stadium
CityNew York City
Owners George Steinbrenner
General managers Cedric Tallis
Managers Billy Martin – 52–42 (.553)
Dick Howser – 0–1
Bob Lemon – 48–20 (.706)
Television WPIX
(Phil Rizzuto,
Frank Messer, Bill White)
Radio WINS (AM)
(Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto,
Bill White, Fran Healy)
←  1977
1979  →

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. [1] [2] [3] New York played home games at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx and was managed by Billy Martin, Dick Howser, and Bob Lemon.

Contents

In the best-of-five League Championship Series (ALCS), they defeated the Kansas City Royals in four games. In the World Series, they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in a rematch of the previous year's.

The season was tumultuous for the Yankees, as Reggie Jackson was suspended in a mid-season showdown with Billy Martin, which resulted in Martin resigning a week later. For television viewers of the Bronx Bombers, it was the first season to be broadcast nationwide via satellite via WPIX, which that year became a superstation as well partly in response to Ted Turner's WTCG-TV nationwide broadcasts of the Atlanta Braves beginning on Opening Day of 1977. WPIX remained the team's exclusive broadcast partner for the Greater New York television viewers on FTA television and then by now superstation status and satellite broadcasts finally enabled millions all over the country to watch Yankees home and away games live as they happened.

Offseason

Regular season

Lefthander Ron Guidry was the last Yankee pitcher to win at least 25 games in a season in the 20th century. [8] In 35 starts in the regular season (including the playoff game), he pitched 273+2⁄3 innings, compiled a 25–3 record with 248 strikeouts, 1.74 ERA, and nine shutouts. Guidry won the Cy Young Award by unanimous vote. [9] [10] [11]

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

Season summary

A week after the All-Star Game in July, the team was fourteen games behind Boston, but rallied to tie for first place. With a week to go, New York led by one game and won six straight, [12] but lost the finale at home to struggling Cleveland on Sunday, October 1, while Boston won their final eight games. [13] [14] [15] The Yankees traveled to Fenway Park and defeated the Red Sox 5–4 in the one-game playoff for the AL East title; the Monday afternoon game featured light-hitting shortstop Bucky Dent's famous three-run go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. Jackson's solo home run in the eighth was the winning margin. [1] [2] [3]

For decades, some have mistakenly thought the Yankees trailed by 14½ games, but the maximum deficit was fourteen games, after the July 17 loss and until the July 20 win. [16] [17] New York's biggest lead was 3½ games, after another victory over Boston on Saturday, September 16. [18] [19] The previous weekend, the Yankees swept a four-game series at Fenway, dubbed "The Boston Massacre" by the sports press; [20] it left the teams tied at 86–56 (.606) with three weeks remaining. [21] [22] [23]

AL East tie-breaker game

October 2, 1978 at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Team123456789 R H E
New York Yankees000000410580
Boston Red Sox0100100204110
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
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 10063.613—55‍–‍2645‍–‍37
Boston Red Sox 9964.607159‍–‍2340‍–‍41
Milwaukee Brewers 9369.5746½54‍–‍2739‍–‍42
Baltimore Orioles 9071.559951‍–‍3039‍–‍41
Detroit Tigers 8676.53113½47‍–‍3439‍–‍42
Cleveland Indians 6990.4342942‍–‍3627‍–‍54
Toronto Blue Jays 59102.3664037‍–‍4422‍–‍58

Record vs. opponents

1978 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKSEATEXTOR
Baltimore —7–84–68–19–67–82–87–85–56–911–09–17–48–7
Boston 8–7—9–27–37–812–34–610–59–27–95–57–33–711–4
California 6–42–9—8–76–44–79–65–512–35–59–69–65–107–3
Chicago 1–83–77–8—8–22–98–74–78–71–97–87–811–44–6
Cleveland 6–98–74–62–8—5–105–65–105–56–94–68–11–910–4
Detroit 8–73–127–49–210–5—4–67–84–64–116–48–27–39–6
Kansas City 8–26–46–97–86–56–4—6–47–86–510–512–37–85–5
Milwaukee 8–75–105–57–410–58–74–6—4–710–59–15–56–412–3
Minnesota 5–52–93–127–85–56–48–77–4—3–79–66–96–96–4
New York 9–69–75–59–19–611–45–65–107–3—8–26–56–411–4
Oakland 0–115–56–98–76–44–65–101–96–92–8—13–26–97–4
Seattle 1–93–76–98–71–82–83–125–59–65–62–13—3–128–2
Texas 4–77–310–54–119–13–78–74–69–64–69–612–3—4–7
Toronto 7–84–113–76–44–106–95–53–124–64–114–72–87–4—

Notable transactions

Draft picks

Roster

1978 New York Yankees
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Notable events

The defending World Series champions got off to a slow start in 1978, prompting owner George Steinbrenner to put pressure on manager Billy Martin. Compounding the issue was the already-tumultuous relationship between Martin and Reggie Jackson, and Steinbrenner was pressuring him as well. On July 17, with the team at 47–42 (.528) and in fourth place in the American League East, it came to a head during a home contest with the Kansas City Royals on Monday, July 17. With the score tied in the bottom of the tenth inning and Thurman Munson on first, Martin sent Jackson to the plate with orders to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Jackson tried to bunt the first pitch, but failed. Martin then relayed to third-base coach Dick Howser for Jackson to swing and Howser passed it on, but Jackson ignored Howser and attempted another bunt. Howser called time and talked with Jackson, but to no avail. On his final bunt attempt, Jackson fouled out to the catcher. Martin then removed Jackson from the game and suspended him (owner Steinbrenner limited it to five days, Tuesday through Saturday), but Kansas City won in eleven innings and swept the three-game series. Tuesday was an open date; the Yankees traveled to Minnesota and Jackson went to California. [29] [30]

Jackson returned to the team in Chicago on Sunday, July 23; he did not take batting practice and remained on the bench as the Yankees swept the White Sox for their fifth consecutive win. [31] Martin commented in a post-game interview at the Chicago airport that (referring to Jackson and Steinbrenner, respectively) 'one's a born liar, and the other's convicted.' The Steinbrenner reference was alluding to a past incident where the Yankee owner made illegal U.S. presidential campaign contributions. The next day in Kansas City, Martin appeared on live television and tearfully announced his resignation as Yankees manager, [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] but most sources believed he was actually fired by Steinbrenner for the "convicted" comment. [36] [37] Howser was acting manager for one game on July 24, a 5–2 loss at Kansas City on ABC's Monday Night Baseball , then Bob Lemon arrived as manager for the rest of the season.

In his first appearance since the bunting incident ten days earlier, Jackson started in right field on Thursday, July 27, and went three-for-three, with a home run, a walk, and three RBI. In the nightcap of the doubleheader, he had two hits. [38]

During the Old-Timer's Day ceremony at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 29, Yankee public address announcer Bob Sheppard introduced Martin to the crowd and announced that Martin would return as manager for the 1980 season. [39] [40] Martin returned ahead of schedule, in June 1979, [41] and was fired again four months later, after a fight in a Minnesota hotel. [42] [43] He went west to Oakland in 1980, then owned by Charlie O. Finley. [44] [45] [46] Martin returned to the Yankees and managed the team in 1983, 1985, and 1988.

Under Lemon in 1978, the Yankees were 47–20 (.701) for the rest of the 162-game season to tie for the division title, after having been fourteen games back on July 19. They won the division in a one-game playoff on the road, [1] [2] [3] and went on to repeat as World Series champions.

On September 30,Ed Figueroa won his twentieth game of the season, which clinched a tie for the AL East title. [47] [48] As of 2018, Figueroa is the only native of Puerto Rico to win twenty games in a major league season. [49]

Game log

Regular season

Legend
 Yankees win
 Yankees loss
 Postponement
 Clinched division
BoldYankees team member
1978 regular season game log: 100–63 (Home: 55–26; Away: 45–37) [50]
April: 10–9 (Home: 5–3; Away: 5–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1April 8@ Rangers L 1–2 Matlack (1–0) Gossage (0–1) 40,078 0–1L1
2April 9@ Rangers W 7–1 Figueroa (1–0) Alexander (0–1) 20,243 1–1W1
3April 10@ Rangers L 2–5 D. Ellis (1–0) Tidrow (0–1) Moret (1) 14,299 1–2L1
4April 11@ Brewers 6–9 Augustine (2–0) Hunter (0–1) Caldwell (1) County Stadium 8,9341–3
5April 12@ Brewers 3–5 Haas (2–0) Gossage (0–2)County Stadium8,7511–4
6April 13 White Sox 4–2 Guidry (1–0) Wood (0–2) Yankee Stadium 44,6672–4
7April 15 White Sox 3–2 Figueroa (2–0) Barrios (0–1)Yankee Stadium20,9653–4
8April 16 White Sox 3–0 Tidrow (1–1) Kravec (1–1) Lyle (1)Yankee Stadium32,7504–4
9April 17 Orioles 1–6 Flanagan (1–2) Hunter (0–2)Yankee Stadium15,6744–5
10April 18 Orioles 4–3 Lyle (1–0) T. Martinez (0–1)Yankee Stadium15,6285–5
11April 19@ Blue Jays 3–4 Murphy (1–0) Gossage (0–3) Exhibition Stadium 13,3065–6
—April 20@ Blue Jays Postponed (rain); Makeup: September 20
12April 21 Brewers 2–9 Augustine (3–1) Figueroa (2–1)Yankee Stadium15,1055–7
13April 22 Brewers 4–3 (12) Lyle (2–0) McClure (0–1)Yankee Stadium17,5946–7
14April 23 Brewers 2–3 Sorensen (2–1) Hunter (0–3) McClure (0–1)Yankee Stadium26,2916–8
15April 24@ Orioles 8–2 Guidry (2–0) McGregor (0–3) Memorial Stadium 18,0537–8
16April 25@ Orioles 4–3 Beattie (1–0) Palmer (2–1) Lyle (2)Memorial Stadium14,1598–8
17April 28@ Twins 3–1 Figueroa (3–1) Thormodsgard (1–2) Metropolitan Stadium 11,6749–8
18April 29@ Twins 1–3 Zahn (2–0) Tidrow (1–2)Metropolitan Stadium10,5439–9
19April 30@ Twins 3–2 Gossage (1–3) Scarce (0–1)Metropolitan Stadium13,92910–9
May: 19–8 (Home: 11–3; Away: 8–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
20 May 18:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 8–4 Eastwick (1–0) Splittorff (4–2) Lyle (3)2:37 17,340 11–9 W2
21 May 28:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 4–2 Hunter (1–3) Gura (2–1) Lyle (4)2:09 19,152 12–9 W3
22 May 38:00 p.m. EDT Royals W 6–5 Figueroa (4–1) Leonard (3–4) Gossage (1)2:20 21,230 13–9 W4
23May 5 Rangers W 5–2 Guidry (3–0) Matlack (2–4) Gossage (2) 17,285 14–9W5
24May 6 Rangers L 5–9 Umbarger (1–1) Tidrow (1–3) 19,788 14–10L1
25May 7 Rangers W 3–2 (12) Gossage (2–3) Barker (1–2) 53,829 15–10W1
—May 8 Twins Postponed (rain); Makeup: July 30
26May 9 Twins 3–1 Hunter (2–3) Thormodsgard (1–4) Lyle (5)Yankee Stadium11,27116–10
27 May 128:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 3–4 Bird (2–2) Gossage (2–4)—2:28 33,061 16–11 L1
28 May 138:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 5–2 Guidry (4–0) Leonard (3–6) Gossage (3)2L27 40,903 17–11 W1
29 May 142:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 9–10 Hrabosky (1–0) Clay (0–1)—2:57 36,034 17–12 L2
30May 15@ White Sox 4–1 Beattie (2–0) Wortham (1–2) Lyle (6) Comiskey Park 17,56918–12
31May 16@ White Sox 8–3 Holtzman (1–0) Wood (3–4) Gossage (4)Comiskey Park21,83719–12
32May 17@ Indians 4–5 (10) Monge (1–0) Lyle (2–1) Cleveland Stadium 10,37019–13
33May 18@ Indians 5–3 Guidry (5–0) Kinney (0–2) Gossage (5)Cleveland Stadium13,62520–13
34May 19@ Blue Jays 11–3 Tidrow (2–3) Jefferson (2–5)Exhibition Stadium26,02521–13
35May 20@ Blue Jays 8–10 Lemanczyk (1–7) Clay (0–2)Exhibition Stadium30,55021–14
36May 21@ Blue Jays 2–1 Figueroa (5–1) Underwood (1–4) Gossage (6)Exhibition Stadium–22–14
37May 21@ Blue Jays 9–1 Clay (1–2) Garvin (2–2)Exhibition Stadium41,30823–14
38May 23 Indians 10–1 Guidry (6–0) Hood (3–2)Yankee Stadium20,61824–14
—May 24 Indians Postponed (rain); Makeup: July 27
39May 25 Indians 9–3 Tidrow (3–3) Waits (3–4)Yankee Stadium15,40325–14
40May 26 Blue Jays 4–3 Lyle (3–1) Garvin (2–3)Yankee Stadium24,17126–14
41May 27 Blue Jays 1–4 Clancy (3–4) Figueroa (5–2) Murphy (3)Yankee Stadium56,07826–15
42May 28 Blue Jays 5–3 Guidry (7–0) Jefferson (3–6)Yankee Stadium–27–15
43May 28 Blue Jays 6–5 (13) Gossage (3–4) Murphy (2–1)Yankee Stadium41,53428–15
44May 29@ Indians 2–0 Eastwick (2–0) Waits (3–5)Cleveland Stadium19,56329–15
45May 30@ Indians 1–5 Wise (3–8) Tidrow (3–4)Cleveland Stadium6,06929–16
46May 31 Orioles 2–3 Flanagan (6–4) Figueroa (5–3)Yankee Stadium21,40429–17
June: 14–15 (Home: 7–4; Away: 7–11)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
47June 1 Orioles 0–1 Palmer (7–4) Beattie (2–1)Yankee Stadium19,94329–18
48June 2@ Athletics 3–1 Guidry (8–0) Johnson (4–3) Gossage (7) Oakland Coliseum 18,99330–18
49June 3@ Athletics 1–5 Keough (3–4) Messersmith (0–1)Oakland Coliseum14,49930–19
50June 4@ Athletics 4–6 Lacey (5–2) Eastwick (2–1) Sosa (7)Oakland Coliseum19,28930–20
51June 5@ Mariners 3–7 House (4–4) Figueroa (5–4) Kingdome 15,18930–21
52June 6@ Mariners 3–4 Rawley (3–5) Gossage (3–5)Kingdome12,63830–22
53June 7@ Mariners 9–1 Guidry (9–0) Colborn (1–4)Kingdome12,54431–22
54June 9@ Angels 3–1 Figueroa (6–4) Tanana (9–3) Gossage (8) Anaheim Stadium 29,41532–22
55June 10@ Angels 3–4 (12) LaRoche (5–2) Gossage (3–6)Anaheim Stadium37,84832–23
56June 11@ Angels 6–9 D. Miller (2–0) Clay (1–3)Anaheim Stadium31,64632–24
57June 12 Athletics 2–0 Guidry (10–0) Heaverlo (2–2)Yankee Stadium28,45733–24
58June 13 Athletics 5–3 Figueroa (7–4) Langford (1–3) Gossage (9)Yankee Stadium30,77934–24
59June 14 Mariners 11–9 (10) Lyle (4–1) Montague (0–2)Yankee Stadium18,01535–24
60June 15 Mariners 5–2 Gullett (1–0) Mitchell (2–7) Lyle (7)Yankee Stadium18,64336–24
61June 16 Angels 7–10 Aase (3–3) Beattie (2–2)Yankee Stadium35,96836–25
62June 17 Angels 4–0 Guidry (11–0) Hartzell (1–5)Yankee Stadium33,16237–25
63June 18 Angels 2–3 Knapp (7–5) Figueroa (7–5)Yankee Stadium55,60437–26
64 June 197:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox L 4–10 Burgmeier (2–1) Gossage (3–7)—2:48 33,163 37–27 L2
65 June 207:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 10–4 Gullett (2–0) Torrez (10–3)—3:13 32,643 38–27 W1
66 June 217:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox L 2–9 Eckersley (7–2) Beattie (2–3)—2:38 32,459 38–28 L1
67June 22@ Tigers 4–2 Guidry (12–0) Rozema (2–4) Gossage (10) Tiger Stadium 33,97139–28
68June 23@ Tigers 12–3 Lyle (5–1) Wilcox (4–6)Tiger Stadium39,02240–28
69June 24@ Tigers 3–4 Slaton (7–4) Tidrow (3–5)Tiger Stadium37,68140–29
70June 25@ Tigers 4–2 Gullett (3–0) Baker (1–1) Gossage (11)Tiger Stadium34,01441–29
71 June 268:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox L 1–4 Eckersley (8–2) Messersmith (0–2) Campbell (3)3:01 52,124 41–30 L1
72 June 278:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 6–4(14) Lyle (6–1) Drago (2–2)—4:08 55,132 42–30 W1
73June 28@ Brewers 0–5 Caldwell (8–5) Tidrow (3–6)County Stadium–42–31
74June 28@ Brewers 2–7 Augustine (9–8) McCall (0–1)County Stadium39,28342–32
75June 30 Tigers 10–2 Gullett (4–0) Baker (1–2)Yankee Stadium33,89443–32
July: 15–14 (Home: 8–8; Away: 7–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
76July 1 Tigers 4–8 Billingham (6–5) Messersmith (0–3)Yankee Stadium37,26043–33
77July 2 Tigers 3–2 Guidry (13–0) Hiller (6–4) Gossage (12)Yankee Stadium–44–33
78July 2 Tigers 5–3 Gossage (4–7) Slaton (8–5)Yankee Stadium51,32745–33
79 July 37:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox L 5–9 Eckersley (9–2) Figueroa (7–6)—2:54 34,722 45–34 L1
—July 42:00 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: September 7)
80July 5@ Rangers L 2–3 Matlack (7–8) Gullett (4–1) 37,702 45–35L2
81July 6@ Rangers W 7–2 Tidrow (4–6) Medich (3–4) 37,930 46–35W1
82July 7@ Brewers 0–6 Caldwell (9–5) Guidry (13–1)County Stadium40,21646–36
83July 8@ Brewers 5–6 Rodríguez (1–3) Gossage (4–8) McClure (4)County Stadium46,51846–37
84July 9@ Brewers 4–8 Travers (5–4) Gullett (4–2) Stein (1)County Stadium42,63346–38
49th All-Star Game in San Diego, California
85July 13 White Sox 1–6 Wood (10–5) Tidrow (4–7)Yankee Stadium28,53246–39
86July 14 White Sox 7–6 (11) Gossage (5–8) Hinton (1–3)Yankee Stadium21,98147–39
87 July 158:00 p.m. EDT Royals L 2–8 Leonard (10–11) Figueroa (7–7)—2:21 34,979 47–40 L1
88 July 162:00 p.m. EDT Royals L 1–3 Gura (7–2) Beattie (2–4) Hrabosky (13)2:36 45,089 47–41 L2
89 July 178:00 p.m. EDT Royals L 7–9(11) Hrabosky (3–3) Gossage (5–9)—3:21 27,020 47–42 L3
90July 19@ Twins 2–0 Figueroa (8–7) Zahn (8–8)Metropolitan Stadium29,59148–42
91July 20@ Twins 4–0 Guidry (14–1) Jackson (2–3)Metropolitan Stadium30,66049–42
92July 21@ White Sox 7–4 Lyle (7–1) Hinton (1–4) Gossage (13)Comiskey Park30,34850–42
93July 22@ White Sox 7–2 Hunter (3–3) Wood (10–7)Comiskey Park32,16351–42
94July 23@ White Sox 3–1 Figueroa (9–7) Kravec (7–8) Gossage (14)Comiskey Park27,65152–42
95 July 248:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 2–5 Leonard (12–11) Tidrow (4–8)—2:25 38,859 52–43 L1
96 July 258:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 4–0 Guidry (15–1) Splittorff (11–9)—2:05 40,183 53–43 W1
97July 26 Indians 3–1 Gossage (6–9) Waits (7–11)Yankee Stadium31,63154–43
98July 27 Indians 11–0 Figueroa (10–7) Clyde (5–6)Yankee Stadium–55–43
99July 27 Indians 5–17 Hood (5–4) Hunter (3–4)Yankee Stadium33,41255–44
100July 28 Twins 5–7 (10) Marshall (5–8) Lyle (7–2)Yankee Stadium25,03755–45
101July 29 Twins 7–3 Clay (2–3) Jackson (3–4) Gossage (15)Yankee Stadium46,71156–45
102July 30 Twins 4–3 Gossage (7–9) Marshall (5–9)Yankee Stadium–57–45
103July 30 Twins 0–2 Goltz (10–7) Beattie (2–5) Marshall (14)Yankee Stadium41,49157–46
104July 31 Rangers W 6–1 Figueroa (11–7) Medich (5–6) 15,419 58–46W1
August: 19–8 (Home: 11–3; Away: 8–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
105August 1 Rangers W 8–1 Hunter (4–4) Matlack (8–9) 18,485 59–46W2
106 August 28:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox L 5–7(17) Stanley (6–1) Clay (2–4)—5:00 52,701 59–47 L1
107 August 38:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox L 1–8(7) Torrez (13–6) Beattie (2–6)—2:15 53,379 59–48 L2
108August 4 Orioles 1–2 Flanagan (14–9) Guidry (15–2) Stanhouse (15)Yankee Stadium28,18959–49
109August 5 Orioles 3–2 Lyle (8–2) T. Martinez (3–2)Yankee Stadium26,72760–49
110August 6 Orioles 3–0 Hunter (5–4) Palmer (13–10)Yankee Stadium40,76561–49
111August 8 Brewers 3–0 Tidrow (5–8) Caldwell (14–6) Gossage (16)Yankee Stadium22,54962–49
112August 9 Brewers 8–7 McCall (1–1) McClure (2–3)Yankee Stadium27,17263–49
113August 10 Brewers 9–0 Guidry (16–2) Augustine (10–11)Yankee Stadium35,12764–49
114August 11@ Orioles 2–1 (6) Hunter (6–4) D. Martínez (8–10)Memorial Stadium29,53965–49
115August 12@ Orioles 4–6 Flanagan (15–10) Beattie (2–7) Stanhouse (17)Memorial Stadium32,15365–50
116August 13@ Orioles 0–3 (6) McGregor (12–10) Figueroa (11–8)Memorial Stadium31,59165–51
117August 14@ Orioles 4–1 Gossage (8–9) Palmer (14–11)Memorial Stadium30,39766–51
118August 15@ Athletics 6–0 Guidry (17–2) Langford (6–8)Oakland Coliseum13,86267–51
119August 16@ Athletics 5–3 Hunter (7–4) Lacey (8–6) Gossage (17)Oakland Coliseum10,39468–51
120August 18@ Mariners 6–1 Figueroa (12–8) Mitchell (6–12)Kingdome19,82469–51
121August 19@ Mariners 1–4 Colborn (4–8) Tidrow (5–9)Kingdome29,91569–52
122August 20@ Mariners 4–5 Romo (10–4) Gossage (8–10)Kingdome21,83469–53
123August 22@ Angels 6–2 Hunter (8–4) Tanana (16–8)Anaheim Stadium35,64470–53
124August 23@ Angels 3–6 Knapp (13–7) Figueroa (12–9) LaRoche (18)Anaheim Stadium33,47270–54
125August 25 Athletics 7–1 Guidry (18–2) Johnson (10–7)Yankee Stadium29,01071–54
126August 26 Athletics 5–4 Lyle (9–2) Lacey (8–8)Yankee Stadium53,88372–54
127August 27 Athletics 6–2 Hunter (9–4) Langford (6–10) Gossage (18)Yankee Stadium40,62873–54
128August 28 Angels 4–1 Figueroa (13–9) Tanana (16–9) Gossage (19)Yankee Stadium22,48174–54
129August 29 Angels 4–3 (11) Gossage (9–10) LaRoche (9–6)Yankee Stadium24,20375–54
130August 30@ Orioles 5–4 Guidry (19–2) T. Martinez (3–3) Gossage (20)Memorial Stadium20,50176–54
131August 31@ Orioles 6–2 Tidrow (6–9) McGregor (12–12) Lyle (8)Memorial Stadium15,57977–54
September: 22–8 (Home: 13–4; Away: 9–4)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
132September 1 Mariners 0–3 Mitchell (7–13) Hunter (9–5)Yankee Stadium20,16777–55
133September 2 Mariners 6–2 Figueroa (14–9) Colborn (4–10)Yankee Stadium18,53078–55
134September 3 Mariners 4–3 Beattie (3–7) Honeycutt (5–8) Gossage (21)Yankee Stadium22,38679–55
135September 4 Tigers 9–1 Guidry (20–2) Wilcox (12–9)Yankee Stadium–80–55
136September 4 Tigers 4–5 Hiller (7–4) Lyle (9–3)Yankee Stadium46,89680–56
137September 5 Tigers 4–2 Tidrow (7–9) Young (5–5) Gossage (22)Yankee Stadium16,89181–56
138September 6 Tigers 8–2 Figueroa (15–9) Billingham (15–7)Yankee Stadium24,45282–56
139 September 77:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 15–3 Clay (3–4) Torrez (15–9)—3:09 34,119 83–56 W3
140 September 87:30 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 13–2 Beattie (4–7) Wright (8–3)—2:55 33,134 84–56 W4
141 September 92:00 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 7–0 Guidry (21–2) Eckersley (16–7)—2:26 33,611 85–56 W5
142 September 102:00 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 7–4 Figueroa (16–9) Sprowl (0–2) Gossage (23)2:57 32,786 86–56 W6
143September 12@ Tigers 4–7 Young (6–5) Tidrow (7–10) Hiller (13)Tiger Stadium14,16286–57
144September 13@ Tigers 7–3 Beattie (5–7) Billingham (15–8)Tiger Stadium16,84187–57
145September 14@ Tigers 4–2 Figueroa (17–9) Slaton (15–11) Lyle (9)Tiger Stadium17,11888–57
146 September 158:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 4–0 Guidry (22–2) Tiant (10–8)—2:24 54,901 89–57 W3
147 September 162:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox W 3–2 Hunter (10–5) Torrez (15–11)—2:38 55,091 90–57 W4
148 September 172:00 p.m. EDT Red Sox L 3–7 Eckersley (17–8) Beattie (5–8) Stanley (9)2:40 55,088 90–58 L1
149September 18 Brewers 4–3 Figueroa (18–9) Travers (10–11)Yankee Stadium20,55791–58
150September 19 Brewers 0–2 Caldwell (20–9) Tidrow (7–11)Yankee Stadium26,68291–59
151September 20@ Blue Jays 1–8 Willis (3–6) Guidry (22–3)Exhibition Stadium–91–60
152September 20@ Blue Jays 3–2 Gossage (10–10) Cruz (7–3)Exhibition Stadium38,08092–60
153September 21@ Blue Jays 7–1 Hunter (11–5) Moore (6–8) Gossage (24)Exhibition Stadium28,65393–60
154September 22@ Indians 7–8 (10) Monge (4–3) Gossage (10–11)Cleveland Stadium10,03593–61
155September 23@ Indians 1–10 Clyde (8–11) Beattie (5–9)Cleveland Stadium17,45293–62
156September 24@ Indians 4–0 Guidry (23–3) Paxton (12–10)Cleveland Stadium15,85594–62
157September 26 Blue Jays 4–1 Figueroa (19–9) Underwood (6–14) Gossage (25)Yankee Stadium20,53595–62
158September 27 Blue Jays 5–1 Hunter (12–5) Willis (3–7)Yankee Stadium20,05296–62
159September 28 Blue Jays 3–1 Guidry (24–3) Moore (6–9)Yankee Stadium30,48097–62
160September 29 Indians 3–1 Beattie (6–9) Kern (10–10) Gossage (26)Yankee Stadium30,25398–62
161September 30 Indians 7–0 Figueroa (20–9) Paxton (12–11)Yankee Stadium55,21999–62
October: 1–1 (Home: 0–1; Away: 1–0)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
162October 1 Indians 2–9 Waits (13–15) Hunter (12–6)Yankee Stadium39,18999–63
163 October 22:00 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox W 5–4 Guidry (25–3) Torrez (16–13) Gossage (27)2:52 32,925 100–63 W1

Detailed records

Postseason Game log

Legend
 Yankees win
 Yankees loss
BoldYankees team member
1978 Postseason game log: 7–3 (Home: 5–0; Away: 2–3)
AL Championship Series vs. Kansas City Royals 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Away: 1–1) [51]
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 38:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 7–1 Beattie (1–0) Leonard (0–1) Clay (1)2:57 41,143 NYA 1–0 W1
2 October 43:30 p.m. EDT @ Royals L 4–10 Gura (1–0) Figueroa (0–1)—2:42 41,158 Tied 1–1 L1
3 October 63:30 p.m. EDT Royals W 6–5 Gossage (1–0) Bird (0–1)—2:13 55,445 NYA 2–1 W1
4 October 78:30 p.m. EDT Royals W 2–1 Guidry (1–0) Leonard (0–2) Gossage (1)2:20 56,356 NYA 3–1 W2
World Series: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Away: 1–2) [52]
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 108:30 p.m. EDT @ Dodgers L 5–11 John (1–0) Figueroa (0–1)—2:48 55,997 LAD 1–0 L1
2 October 118:30 p.m. EDT @ Dodgers L 3–4 Hooton (1–0) Hunter (0–1) Welch (1)2:37 55,982 LAD 2–0 L2
3 October 138:30 p.m. EDT Dodgers W 5–1 Guidry (1–0) Sutton (0–1)—2:27 56,447 LAD 2–1 W1
4 October 143:30 p.m. EDT Dodgers W 4–3(10) Gossage (1–0) Welch (0–1)—3:17 56,445 Tied 2–2 W2
5 October 154:30 p.m. EDT Dodgers W 12–2 Beattie (1–0) Hooton (1–1)—2:56 56,448 NYA 3–2 W3
6 October 178:30 p.m. EDT @ Dodgers W 7–2 Hunter (1–1) Sutton (0–2)—2:34 55,985 NYA 4–2 W4

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

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Thurman Munson 154617183.297671
1B Chris Chambliss 162625171.2741290
2B Willie Randolph 134499139.279342
3B Graig Nettles 159587162.2762793
SS Bucky Dent 12337992.243540
LF Lou Piniella 130472148.314669
CF Mickey Rivers 141559148.2651148
RF Reggie Jackson 139511140.2742797
DH Cliff Johnson 7617432.184619

Other batters

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

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Roy White 10334693.269843
Fred Stanley 8116035.21919
Jim Spencer 7115034.227724
Paul Blair 7512522.176213
Gary Thomasson 5411632.276320
Mike Heath 339221.22808
Jay Johnstone 366517.26216
Brian Doyle 395210.19200
Dámaso García 18418.19501
George Zeber 360.00000
Dell Alston 330.00000
Mickey Klutts 1221.00000
Dennis Sherrill 210.00000
Fran Healy 110.00000
Domingo Ramos 100----00

Pitching

= Indicates league leader

Starting pitchers

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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Ron Guidry 35273.22531.74248
Ed Figueroa 35253.02092.9992
Dick Tidrow 31185.07113.8473
Jim Beattie 25128.0693.7365
Catfish Hunter 21118.01263.5856
Don Gullett 844.2423.6328
Andy Messersmith 622.1035.6416

Other pitchers

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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Ken Clay 2875.2344.2832
Paul Lindblad 718.1004.429
Ken Holtzman 517.2104.083
Larry McCall 516.0115.637
Dave Rajsich 413.1004.059

Relief pitchers

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

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Goose Gossage 631011272.01122
Sparky Lyle 599393.4733
Rawly Eastwick 82103.2813
Bob Kammeyer 70005.8211
Ron Davis 400011.570

Postseason

ALCS

Game 1

October 3: Royals Stadium

Team123456789RHE
New York0110200307160
Kansas City000001000122
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

Team123456789RHE
New York0000002204121
Kansas City14000032X10161
W: Larry Gura (1–0)  L: Ed Figueroa (0–1)
HRs: KCR– Freddie Patek (1)

Game 3

October 6: Yankee Stadium

Team123456789RHE
Kansas City1010100205101
New York01020102X6100
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

Team123456789RHE
Kansas City100000000170
New York01000100X240
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)
GameScoreDateLocationAttendanceTime of Game
1Yankees – 5, Dodgers – 11October 10 Dodger Stadium 55,9972:48
2Yankees – 3, Dodgers – 4October 11Dodger Stadium55,9822:37
3Dodgers – 1, Yankees – 5October 13 Yankee Stadium 56,4472:27
4Dodgers – 3, Yankees – 4 (10 inns)October 14Yankee Stadium56,4453:17
5Dodgers – 2, Yankees – 12October 15Yankee Stadium56,4482:56
6Yankees – 7, Dodgers – 2October 17Dodger Stadium55,9852:34

Awards and honors

Franchise records

All-Stars

All-Star Game

Other team leaders

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
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 [53]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Yanks win playoff game on two homers". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire service reports. October 2, 1978. p. 1D.
  2. 1 2 3 "Yankees edge BoSox; playoffs open tonight". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. Associated Press. October 3, 1978. p. 3B.
  3. 1 2 3 "Yankees Dent Red Sox, play Royals for pennant". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. October 3, 1978. p. C1.
  4. ↑ Goose Gossage at Baseball Reference
  5. ↑ Jesús Figueroa at Baseball Reference
  6. ↑ Sergio Ferrer at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ Stan Thomas at Baseball Reference
  8. ↑ 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
  9. ↑ "Guidry unanimous Cy Young winner". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. November 1, 1978. p. 65.
  10. ↑ "Suspense lacking for Ron Guidry". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 2, 1978. p. 32.
  11. ↑ Moses, Sam (January 22, 1979). "Yankee from Louisiana". Sports Illustrated. p. 60.
  12. ↑ "'Miracle' Yanks go for it all today". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire service reports. October 1, 1978. p. 7B.
  13. ↑ McMane, Fred (October 2, 1978). "Rick Waits gives Sox another chance". Nashua Telegraph. New Hampshire. UPI. p. 32.
  14. ↑ "Bosox catch Yanks; playoff set today". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. wire reports. October 2, 1978. p. 3B.
  15. ↑ "Yankees lose a big one". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. October 2, 1978. p. 5B.
  16. ↑ "How they stand". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. July 18, 1978. p. 4C.
  17. ↑ "Baseball standings: American League". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. July 19, 1978. p. 18.
  18. ↑ "Yankees slip a 'Mickey' past Yaz". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire service reports. September 17, 1978. p. 8B.
  19. ↑ "Yankees fly to 3½-game lead". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. UPI. September 17, 1978. p. 85.
  20. ↑ Keith, Larry (September 25, 1978). "Seeing ain't believing". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
  21. ↑ "Holy cow!! It's a new season". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. September 11, 1978. p. 25.
  22. ↑ "Those Damn Yankees tie Red Sox for division lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire service reports. September 11, 1978. p. 3B.
  23. ↑ May, Peter (September 11, 1978). "The Big Collapse: Part 4 is staged". Nashua Telegraph. New Hampshire. UPI. p. 31.
  24. ↑ Ken Holtzman at Baseball Reference
  25. ↑ Bobby Brown at Baseball Reference
  26. ↑ Mickey Klutts at Baseball Reference
  27. ↑ Rex Hudler at Baseball Reference
  28. ↑ Steve Balboni at Baseball Reference
  29. ↑ "Reggie Jackson suspended". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. July 18, 1978. p. 19.
  30. ↑ "Billy's goat". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 18, 1978. p. 1C.
  31. ↑ "Yankees' turmoil". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. Associated Press. July 24, 1978. p. 1C.
  32. ↑ Cass, Murray (July 25, 1978). "Tempestuous Martin out as manager". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. (New York Times) News Service. p. 3B.
  33. ↑ "Billy sheds a tear for himself". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire service reports. July 25, 1978. p. 1D.
  34. ↑ Chass, Murray (July 25, 1978). "Billy Martin tearfully quits job with Yankees". The Day. New London, Connecticut. (New York Times). p. 1.
  35. ↑ "Odyssey ends: Billy quits". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 25, 1978. p. 17.
  36. 1 2 Keith, Larry (July 31, 1978). "A bunt that went boom!". Sports Illustrated. p. 14.
  37. ↑ "Remarks about boss may bring Martin's dismissal". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. July 24, 1978. p. 21.
  38. ↑ "Yankees, Indians split". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. Associated Press. July 28, 1978. p. 3C.
  39. ↑ Cass, Murray (July 30, 1978). "Manager merry-go-round". Sunday Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. (New York Times) News Service. p. 1C.
  40. ↑ "New York rehires Billy for '80". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. July 30, 1978. p. 81.
  41. ↑ "Martin sees Jackson key to success". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. June 19, 1979. p. 22.
  42. ↑ Rappoport, Ken (October 29, 1979). "Billy Martin axed again". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. p. 22.
  43. ↑ "Yankees fire Martin again". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. October 29, 1979. p. B4.
  44. ↑ "Martin missed game, happy with A's job". Toledo Blade. Ohio. Associated Press. February 22, 1978. p. 21.
  45. ↑ "Martin's back, thanks to Charlie O." Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Chicago Sun Times). February 22, 1980. p. 21.
  46. ↑ Fimrite, Ron (March 10, 1980). "Berkeley Billy comes home again". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  47. ↑ "Yanks clinch AL East tie, but Boston wins, too". Sunday Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. Associated Press. October 1, 1978. p. 5C.
  48. ↑ Hernández, Lou (June 27, 2016). Chronology of Latin Americans in Baseball, 1871-2015. McFarland. ISBN   9781476662275 – via Google Books.
  49. ↑ "Ed Figueroa - Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org.
  50. ↑ "1978 New York Yankees Schedule & Results". Baseball Reference . Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  51. ↑ "1978 American League Championship Series". Baseball Reference . Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  52. ↑ "1978 World Series". Baseball Reference . Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  53. ↑ 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

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