1978 New York Yankees season

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.

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 248 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.

AL East tie-breaker game

Season standings

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

Player stats

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

Other batters

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

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Other pitchers

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

Relief pitchers

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

Postseason

ALCS

Game 1

October 3: Royals Stadium

Game 2

October 4: Royals Stadium

Game 3

October 6: Yankee Stadium

Game 4

October 7: Yankee Stadium

World Series

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

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, Associated Press Athlete of the Year

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

LEAGUE CO-CHAMPION: Tacoma^[11]

Notes

References

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

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