The 1978 Boston Red Sox season was the 78th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. After 162 regular-season games, the Red Sox and the New York Yankees finished tied atop the American League East division, with identical 99–63 records. The teams then played a tie-breaker game, which was won by New York, 5–4.[1] Thus, the Red Sox finished their season with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses, one game behind the Yankees, who went on to win the 1978 World Series.
1978 Boston Red Sox | ||
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League | American League | |
Division | East | |
Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
Record | 99–64 (.607) | |
Divisional place | 2nd | |
Owners | Buddy LeRoux, Haywood Sullivan, Jean Yawkey | |
President | Jean Yawkey | |
General manager | Haywood Sullivan | |
Manager | Don Zimmer | |
Television | WSBK-TV, Ch. 38 (Dick Stockton, Ken Harrelson) | |
Radio | WITS-AM 1510 (Ned Martin, Jim Woods) | |
Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
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Offseason
edit- November 23, 1977: Mike Torrez was signed as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox.[2]
- December 8, 1977: Don Aase and cash were traded by the Red Sox to the California Angels for Jerry Remy.[3]
- December 14, 1977: Ferguson Jenkins was traded by the Red Sox to the Texas Rangers for John Poloni and cash.[4]
- December 27, 1977: Dick Drago was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox.[5]
- March 28, 1978: Denny Doyle was released by the Red Sox.[6]
- March 30, 1978: Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Ted Cox, and Bo Díaz were traded by the Red Sox to the Cleveland Indians for Dennis Eckersley and Fred Kendall.[7]
Regular season
editMonth | Record | Cumulative | AL East | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Won | Lost | Position | GB | ||
April | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 2nd | 3 | [9] |
May | 23 | 7 | 34 | 16 | 1st | +3 | [10] |
June | 18 | 7 | 52 | 23 | 1st | +8 | [11] |
July | 13 | 15 | 65 | 38 | 1st | +5 | [12] |
August | 19 | 10 | 84 | 48 | 1st | +6+1⁄2 | [13] |
September | 14 | 15 | 98 | 63 | 2nd | 1 | [14] |
October | 1 | 1 | 99 | 64 | 2nd | 1 | [15] |
The Red Sox played 163 games, as a tie-breaker game was needed to determine the winner of the AL East.
The "Boston Massacre"
editFor several days in July, the Red Sox were 14 games ahead of the rival New York Yankees; at the end of play on July 19, Boston was 62–28 and New York was in fourth place at 48–42.[16] However, the Yankees worked their way back. At the end of play on September 6, the Yankees had reduced the 14-game deficit to only four games,[17] just in time for a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yankees won all four games in the series, by a combined score of 42–9,[18] leaving the teams tied with identical 86–56 records at the end of play on September 10.[19] The series became known as the "Boston Massacre",[20] named after the confrontation with British soldiers on March 5, 1770.
Tie-breaker game
editThe Yankees held a one-game lead over the Red Sox before the final day of the regular-season schedule. With a Red Sox win over the Toronto Blue Jays, and a Yankee loss to the Cleveland Indians, the two teams finished the season in a tie for the AL East division title, both with records of 99–63.[21] The next day, in a tie-breaker game played at Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 5–4, with the help of a memorable home run by Bucky Dent.[22]
The Yankees went on to win the World Series in six games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Dent became a Red Sox demon, the Red Sox would get a measure of retribution in 1990, when the Yankees fired Dent as their manager during a series at Fenway Park.[23][24]
Season standings
editTeam | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
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New York Yankees | 100 | 63 | .613 | — | 55–26 | 45–37 |
Boston Red Sox | 99 | 64 | .607 | 1 | 59–23 | 40–41 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 93 | 69 | .574 | 6½ | 54–27 | 39–42 |
Baltimore Orioles | 90 | 71 | .559 | 9 | 51–30 | 39–41 |
Detroit Tigers | 86 | 76 | .531 | 13½ | 47–34 | 39–42 |
Cleveland Indians | 69 | 90 | .434 | 29 | 42–36 | 27–54 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 59 | 102 | .366 | 40 | 37–44 | 22–58 |
Record vs. opponents
editSources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | ||||||||||||||
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Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
Baltimore | — | 7–8 | 4–6 | 8–1 | 9–6 | 7–8 | 2–8 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 11–0 | 9–1 | 7–4 | 8–7 |
Boston | 8–7 | — | 9–2 | 7–3 | 7–8 | 12–3 | 4–6 | 10–5 | 9–2 | 7–9 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 3–7 | 11–4 |
California | 6–4 | 2–9 | — | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–7 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 12–3 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 9–6 | 5–10 | 7–3 |
Chicago | 1–8 | 3–7 | 7–8 | — | 8–2 | 2–9 | 8–7 | 4–7 | 8–7 | 1–9 | 7–8 | 7–8 | 11–4 | 4–6 |
Cleveland | 6–9 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 2–8 | — | 5–10 | 5–6 | 5–10 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 4–6 | 8–1 | 1–9 | 10–4 |
Detroit | 8–7 | 3–12 | 7–4 | 9–2 | 10–5 | — | 4–6 | 7–8 | 4–6 | 4–11 | 6–4 | 8–2 | 7–3 | 9–6 |
Kansas City | 8–2 | 6–4 | 6–9 | 7–8 | 6–5 | 6–4 | — | 6–4 | 7–8 | 6–5 | 10–5 | 12–3 | 7–8 | 5–5 |
Milwaukee | 8–7 | 5–10 | 5–5 | 7–4 | 10–5 | 8–7 | 4–6 | — | 4–7 | 10–5 | 9–1 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 12–3 |
Minnesota | 5–5 | 2–9 | 3–12 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 7–4 | — | 3–7 | 9–6 | 6–9 | 6–9 | 6–4 |
New York | 9–6 | 9–7 | 5–5 | 9–1 | 9–6 | 11–4 | 5–6 | 5–10 | 7–3 | — | 8–2 | 6–5 | 6–4 | 11–4 |
Oakland | 0–11 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 5–10 | 1–9 | 6–9 | 2–8 | — | 13–2 | 6–9 | 7–4 |
Seattle | 1–9 | 3–7 | 6–9 | 8–7 | 1–8 | 2–8 | 3–12 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 5–6 | 2–13 | — | 3–12 | 8–2 |
Texas | 4–7 | 7–3 | 10–5 | 4–11 | 9–1 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 9–6 | 4–6 | 9–6 | 12–3 | — | 4–7 |
Toronto | 7–8 | 4–11 | 3–7 | 6–4 | 4–10 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 3–12 | 4–6 | 4–11 | 4–7 | 2–8 | 7–4 | — |
Notable transactions
editOpening Day lineup
edit2 | Jerry Remy | 2B |
7 | Rick Burleson | SS |
14 | Jim Rice | DH |
8 | Carl Yastrzemski | LF |
27 | Carlton Fisk | C |
19 | Fred Lynn | CF |
15 | George Scott | 1B |
24 | Dwight Evans | RF |
4 | Butch Hobson | 3B |
21 | Mike Torrez | P |
Source:[26]
Roster
edit1978 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Game log
edit1978 Boston Red Sox Season Game Log: 99–64 (Home: 59–23; Away: 40–41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 11–9 (Home: 8–2; Away: 3–7)
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May: 23–7 (Home: 14–2; Away: 9–5)
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June: 18–7 (Home: 11–2; Away: 7–5)
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July: 13–15 (Home: 7–4; Away: 6–11)
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August: 19–10 (Home: 11–5; Away: 8–5)
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September: 14–15 (Home: 7–7; Away: 7–8)
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Player stats
editBatting
editStarters by position
editNote: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
= Indicates team leader |
Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Carlton Fisk | 157 | 571 | 94 | 162 | .284 | 20 | 88 | 7 |
1B | George Scott | 120 | 412 | 51 | 96 | .233 | 12 | 54 | 1 |
2B | Jerry Remy | 148 | 583 | 87 | 162 | .278 | 2 | 44 | 30 |
3B | Butch Hobson | 147 | 512 | 65 | 128 | .250 | 17 | 80 | 1 |
SS | Rick Burleson | 145 | 626 | 75 | 155 | .248 | 5 | 49 | 8 |
LF | Jim Rice | 163 | 677 | 121 | 213 | .315 | 46 | 139 | 7 |
CF | Fred Lynn | 150 | 541 | 75 | 161 | .298 | 22 | 82 | 3 |
RF | Dwight Evans | 147 | 497 | 75 | 123 | .247 | 24 | 63 | 8 |
DH | Bob Bailey | 43 | 94 | 12 | 18 | .191 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
Other batters
editNote: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
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Carl Yastrzemski | 144 | 523 | 70 | 145 | .277 | 17 | 81 | 4 |
Jack Brohamer | 81 | 244 | 34 | 57 | .234 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
Frank Duffy | 64 | 104 | 12 | 27 | .260 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Garry Hancock | 38 | 80 | 10 | 18 | .225 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Bernie Carbo | 17 | 46 | 7 | 12 | .261 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Fred Kendall | 20 | 41 | 3 | 8 | .195 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Bob Montgomery | 10 | 29 | 2 | 7 | .241 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Sam Bowen | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | .143 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Pitching
editStarting pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | CG | IP | W | L | ERA | BB | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dennis Eckersley | 35 | 16 | 268.1 | 20 | 8 | 2.99 | 71 | 162 |
Mike Torrez | 36 | 15 | 250.0 | 16 | 13 | 3.96 | 99 | 120 |
Luis Tiant | 32 | 12 | 212.1 | 13 | 8 | 3.31 | 57 | 114 |
Bill Lee | 28 | 8 | 177.0 | 10 | 10 | 3.46 | 59 | 44 |
Allen Ripley | 15 | 1 | 73.0 | 2 | 5 | 5.55 | 22 | 26 |
Bobby Sprowl | 3 | 0 | 12.2 | 0 | 2 | 6.39 | 10 | 10 |
Other pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | BB | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jim Wright | 24 | 116.0 | 8 | 4 | 3.57 | 24 | 56 |
Andy Hassler | 13 | 30.0 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 | 13 | 23 |
Relief pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Stanley | 52 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 2.60 | 38 |
Dick Drago | 37 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3.03 | 42 |
Tom Burgmeier | 35 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.40 | 24 |
Bill Campbell | 29 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3.91 | 47 |
John LaRose | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.50 | 3 |
Reggie Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
AL East tie-breaker game
editTeam | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Boston Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Ron Guidry (25-3) LP: Mike Torrez (16-13) Sv: Goose Gossage (27) Home runs: NYY: Bucky Dent, Reggie Jackson BOS: Carl Yastrzemski |
Awards and honors
edit- Awards
- Dwight Evans – Gold Glove Award (OF)
- Fred Lynn – Gold Glove Award (OF)
- Jim Rice – American League Most Valuable Player, AL Player of the Month (May, August)
- Accomplishments
- Jim Rice, American League leader, Hits (213)
- Jim Rice, American League leader, Home runs (46)
- Jim Rice, American League leader, RBIs (139)
- Rick Burleson, reserve SS (did not attend)
- Dwight Evans, reserve OF
- Carlton Fisk, starting C
- Fred Lynn, reserve OF (started CF)
- Jerry Remy, reserve 2B
- Jim Rice, starting LF
- Carl Yastrzemski, reserve OF (did not attend)
Farm system
editReferences
edit- ^ "New York Yankees 5, Boston Red Sox 4". Retrosheet. October 2, 1978.
- ^ Mike Torrez page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Don Aase page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Red Sox trade future Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins to Rangers".
- ^ Dick Drago page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Denny Doyle page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Dennis Eckersley page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "The 1978 Boston Red Sox". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Events of Sunday, April 30, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Wednesday, May 31, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Friday, June 30, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Monday, July 31, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Thursday, August 31, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Saturday, September 30, 1978".
- ^ "Events of Monday, October 2, 1978".
- ^ "Standings At Close of Play of July 19, 1978". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Standings At Close of Play of September 6, 1978". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "The 1978 New York Yankees Regular Season Game Log". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Standings At Close of Play of September 10, 1978". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Yankees Completed 'Boston Massacre'". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. AP. September 11, 1978. p. A-11. Retrieved October 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Events of Sunday, October 1, 1978". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "New York Yankees 5, Boston Red Sox 4". Retrosheet. October 2, 1978. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Cafardo, Nick (June 7, 1990). "Dent Dumped by Yankees". The Boston Globe. p. 37.
- ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (June 7, 1990). "His Back Was Against the Wall". The Boston Globe. p. 37.
- ^ Bob Ojeda page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Chicago White Sox 6, Boston Red Sox 5". Retrosheet. April 7, 1978. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ 1978 Boston Red Sox Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
- ^ Boston Red Sox Press TV Radio Guide. 1978. p. 43. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
Further reading
edit- "1978 The Denting of the Red Sox". This Great Game. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- Finn, Chad (September 27, 2018). "SI film finds something heroic about the ill-fated 1978 Red Sox". Boston.com. Retrieved September 27, 2018.