1978 Boston Red Sox season




































1978 Boston Red Sox
Major League affiliations

  • American League (since 1901)


  • Eastern Division (since 1969)

Location

  • Fenway Park (since 1912)

  • Boston, Massachusetts (since 1901)

Other information
Owner(s)
Buddy LeRoux, Haywood Sullivan, Jean Yawkey
General manager(s) Haywood Sullivan
Manager(s) Don Zimmer
Local television
WSBK-TV, Ch. 38
(Dick Stockton, Ken Harrelson)
Local radio
WITS-AM 1510
(Ned Martin, Jim Woods)
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The 1978 Boston Red Sox season was the 78th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League (AL) with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses, including the loss of a one-game playoff to the New York Yankees[1] after both teams had finished the regular season with identical 99–63 records.




Contents






  • 1 Offseason


  • 2 Regular season


    • 2.1 Season standings


    • 2.2 Record vs. opponents


    • 2.3 Notable transactions


    • 2.4 Opening Day lineup


    • 2.5 The "Boston Massacre"


    • 2.6 Roster




  • 3 Player stats


    • 3.1 Batting


      • 3.1.1 Starters by position


      • 3.1.2 Other batters




    • 3.2 Pitching


      • 3.2.1 Starting pitchers


      • 3.2.2 Other pitchers


      • 3.2.3 Relief pitchers






  • 4 AL East tie-breaker game


  • 5 Awards and honors


  • 6 Farm system


  • 7 Notes


  • 8 References


  • 9 Further reading


  • 10 External links





Offseason



  • 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 27, 1977: Dick Drago was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox.[4]

  • March 28, 1978: Denny Doyle was released by the Red Sox.[5]

  • 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.[6]



Regular season



Season standings













































































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

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




Record vs. opponents




































































































































































































































































1978 American League Records


Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
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


  • May 20, 1978: Bob Ojeda was signed as an amateur free agent by the Red Sox.[7]


Opening Day lineup





















































  2 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


The "Boston Massacre"


The Red Sox at one point in July, held a 14-game lead over their rival New York. However, the Yankees worked their way back. The Yankees held a one game lead over the Red Sox before the final game of the season. With a Red Sox win and a Yankee loss, both teams finished the season tied for the AL Eastern Division title.


The next day, in a one-game playoff, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-4 with the help of a home run by Bucky Dent.[8] The Yankees went on to win the World Series in 6 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Dent became a Red Sox demon, the Red Sox would get retribution in 1990 when the Yankees fired Dent as their manager during a series at Fenway Park.[8][9]



Roster














1978 Boston Red Sox

Roster

Pitchers


  • 16 Tom Burgmeier


  • 22 Bill Campbell


  • 26 Reggie Cleveland


  • 41 Dick Drago


  • 43 Dennis Eckersley


  • 31 Andy Hassler


  • 26 John LaRose


  • 37 Bill Lee


  • 28 Allen Ripley


  • 47 Bobby Sprowl


  • 46 Bob Stanley


  • 23 Luis Tiant


  • 21 Mike Torrez


  • 45 Jim Wright




Catchers


  • 27 Carlton Fisk


  • 10 Bob Montgomery


Infielders




  • 30 Bob Bailey


  •  3 Jack Brohamer


  •  7 Rick Burleson


  • 17 Frank Duffy


  •  4 Butch Hobson


  • 18 Fred Kendall


  •  2 Jerry Remy


  • 15 George Scott




Outfielders


  • 29 Sam Bowen


  •  1 Bernie Carbo


  • 24 Dwight Evans


  • 38 Garry Hancock


  • 19 Fred Lynn


  • 14 Jim Rice


  •  8 Carl Yastrzemski




Manager

  • 34 Don Zimmer

Coaches




  • 33 Walt Hriniak (Bullpen)


  • 32 Al Jackson (Pitching)


  • 35 Johnny Pesky (First base)


  • 36 Eddie Yost (Third base)




Player stats



Batting



Starters by position


Note: 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

[10]



Other batters


Note: 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
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



Starting pitchers


Note: 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 16 13 3.96 99 120
Luis Tiant 32 12 212.1 13 8 3.31 57 114
Bill Lee 28 8 177 10 10 3.46 59 44
Allen Ripley 15 1 73 2 5 5.55 22 26
Bobby Sprowl 3 0 12.2 0 2 6.39 10 10


Other pitchers


Note: 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 8 4 3.57 24 56
Andy Hassler 13 30 2 1 3.00 13 23


Relief pitchers


Note: 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





















































October 2, 1978 at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Team 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


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)


All-Star Game



  • 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








































Level
Team
League
Manager

AAA

Pawtucket Red Sox

International League

Joe Morgan

AA

Bristol Red Sox

Eastern League

Tony Torchia

A

Winston-Salem Red Sox

Carolina League

Bill Slack

A

Winter Haven Red Sox

Florida State League

Rac Slider

A-Short Season

Elmira Red Sox

New York–Penn League

Dick Berardino

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Bristol



Notes





  1. ^ "New York Yankees 5, Boston Red Sox 4". Retrosheet. October 2, 1978..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Mike Torrez page at Baseball Reference


  3. ^ Don Aase page at Baseball Reference


  4. ^ Dick Drago page at Baseball Reference


  5. ^ Denny Doyle page at Baseball Reference


  6. ^ Dennis Eckersley page at Baseball Reference


  7. ^ Bob Ojeda page at Baseball Reference


  8. ^ ab Cafardo, Nick (June 7, 1990). "Dent Dumped by Yankees". The Boston Globe. p. 37.


  9. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (June 7, 1990). "His Back Was Against the Wall". The Boston Globe. p. 37.


  10. ^ 1978 Boston Red Sox Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com




References




  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.

  • 1978 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference

  • 1978 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com



Further reading




  • "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.



External links



  • Home opener news coverage from WNAC-TV (April 14, 1978)









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