1978 New York Yankees

1978 New York Yankees 1978 AL East Champions 1978 AL Champions 1978 World Series Champions
Major league affiliations
American League (Since 1901) Eastern Division (Since 1969)
Location
Yankee Stadium (Since 1976) New York City, New York (Since 1903)
1978 Information
Owner(s)	George Steinbrenner
Manager(s)	Billy Martin, Dick Howser, and Bob Lemon
Local television	none
Local radio	none
Baseball-Reference	1978 New York Yankees

1978 New York Yankees / Franchise: New York Yankees / BR Team Page

Record: 100-63 Finished 1st in AL Eastern Division (1978 AL)

Clinched Division: October 2, 1978, At Boston Red Sox

World Series Champions

Managed by Billy Martin (52-42), Dick Howser (0-1) and Bob Lemon (48-20)

Coaches: Yogi Berra, Art Fowler, Elston Howard, Dick Howser, Clyde King and Gene Michael

Ballpark: Yankee Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1978 New York Yankees played the 76th season in team history. The team finished with a record of 100-63, tied with the Boston Red Sox after 162 games, then winning a one-game playoff to win their third AL East title.

In July, the team was 14.5 games behind Boston, 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 playoff game that featured Bucky Dent's famous three-run go-ahead home run off Mike Torrez in the 7th inning.

In the ALCS, New York beat 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.

Ron Guidry was the unanimous Cy Young Award winner. In 248 innings, he compiled a record of 25-3, with 274 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA. He finished second to Boston's Jim Rice in a controversial AL MVP vote.

Rich Gossage earned the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award with his American League-leading 27 saves. Bucky Dent was named the World Series MVP. Guidry, Gossage, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles all represented the Yankees at the 1978 All-Star Game. Gold Gloves were awarded to third baseman Nettles and first baseman Chris Chambliss.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Rich Gossage, Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles,
• AL Cy Young Award: Ron Guidry
• AL Rolaids Relief Award: Rich Gossage
• AL Gold Glove: Chris Chambliss (1B) and Graig Nettles (3B)

ALCS

Game 1

October 3: Royals Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	3	0	7	16	0
Kansas City	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	2
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

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	12	1
Kansas City	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	2	X	10	16	1
W: Larry Gura (1-0)  L: Ed Figueroa (0-1)
HRs: KCR – Freddie Patek (1)

Game 3

October 6: Yankee Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	5	10	1
New York	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	2	X	6	10	0
W: Rich 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

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
New York	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	2	4	0
W: Ron Guidry (1-0)  L: Dennis Leonard (0-2)  S: Rich Gossage (1)
HRs: NYY – Graig Nettles (1) Roy White (1)

World Series

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

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

Further Reading

• Thomas Boswell: "Yankees Beat Red Sox, 5-4, in Playoff", Washington Post, October 3, 1978
• Thomas Boswell: "The Greatest Game Ever Played", in How Life Imitates the World Series, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1982, pp. 15-30.
• Sparky Lyle and Peter Golenbock: The Bronx Zoo:: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees, Crown Publishers, New York, NY, 1979. ISBN 1572437154

External links

• 1978 New York Yankees team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
• Summary of the A.L. East playoff

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NL Championship Series (3-1) Dodgers over Phillies

World Series (4-2) Yankees over Dodgers

AL Championship Series (3-1) Yankees over Royals