- Even though Steve Garvey was a Dodger, his cards were always among the most desired by the kids on my block.
- Steve had a good year in 1978, leading the NL with 202 hits. He was an NL All Star for the fifth of eight straight seasons. He was on the NL All Star team a total of ten times during his career.
- Steve started the season with a 21-game hitting streak and had a 20-game hitting streak at the end of the season (it was broken on the last day of the season when he had only one at bat to preserve his consecutive games streak).
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .304, 26 HR, 106 RBI in (his usual) 162 games
- NL Championship Series: .389, 4 HR, 7 RBI in 4 games; NLCS MVP
- World Series:.208, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 6 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- Aug 8 - Knocked in all three Dodger runs with two home runs as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 3-2.
- Sept 10 - Had five hits as the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 11-5.
- Oct 4 - Homered twice and tripled to lead the Dodgers to a 9-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in game 1 of the NL Championship Series.
- Terry Forster left the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1977 season and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent. Terry's signing was done early enough for Topps to airbrush him into a Dodger uniform for his 1978 card.
- Forster led a talented Dodger staff in saves and in ERA in 1978. Terry even went 4 for 8 for a .500 batting average.
- He had a rough time with injuries in 1979 and in 1980.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: 5-4, 22 saves, 1.93 ERA in 47 games
- NL Championship Series: 1-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 game
- World Series: 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 3 games (4 innings)
- 1978 Highlights:
- Sept 11 - Got a 3-inning save as the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2. It was Terry's 19th save of the season. Forster was a "Giant Killer" in 1978 -- he was 2-1 with 4 saves in eight games against the Giants.
- Oct 7 - Pitched a scoreless top of the 10th inning in game 4 of the NL Championship Series and then got the victory when Bill Russell singled in Ron Cey with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th
- As I have gone through this set I've noticed some cards that need to be upgraded. This card is the most obvious example so far. It was probably cut out of a magazine. I must have had some pretty poor scissor skills when I was 11 years old.
- Don Sutton won 15 games in 1978. In modern times it would usually be enough to lead a team. In 1978 it was a tie for third on the deep Dodger staff. Burt Hooton led the team with 19 wins, Tommy John had 17, and Doug Rau and Sutton each had 15.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: 15-11, 3.55 ERA in 34 starts
- NL Championship Series: 0-1, 6.35 ERA in 1 start
- World Series: 0-2, 7.50 ERA in 2 starts.
- 1978 Highlights:
- June 18 - Shut out the Montreal Expos, allowing six hits and one walk. The Dodgers won 5-0.
- July 14 - Was thrown out of the game by umpire Doug Harvey for defacing the ball. There was talk of a ten day suspension but that didn't happen.
- Aug 24 - Apologized for getting into a clubhouse scuffle with teammate Steve Garvey several days before in Shea Stadium.
- Sept 15 - Pitched a six hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves. It was Sutton's last win of the season. Don took a loss and two no decisions in his last three regular season starts and then he lost all three of his post season starts.
- Steve Yeager suffered through one of his toughest offensive seasons in 1978. Steve was benched in favor of Johnny Oates in early July. His playing time in July and August was intermittent as the Dodgers brought back Joe Ferguson and then acquired Jerry Grote to play behind the plate. In the World Series all four catchers were on the roster, but Yeager got the bulk of the playing time because of his defense.
- In spite of Steve's rough season, he still finished second in fan voting for the NL All Star catcher.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .193, 4 HR, 23 RBI in 94 games
- NL Championship Series: .231 (3 for 13), 1 HR in 4 games
- World Series: .231 (3 for 13) in 5 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- April 4 - Was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the Dodgers' 13-4 opening day win over the Atlanta Braves.
- Sept 13 - Hit a 2-run home run to help the Dodgers beat the Houston Astros 6-0.
- Tommy Lasorda's card was featured several weeks ago, so I picked that card up after marking up this checklist. I'm pretty sure I have the Sosa card as well.
- The Dodgers won the NL West for the second straight season. This was a much closer race than 1977. The Cincinnati Reds and the surprising San Francisco Giants were in contention until late September. Either the Dodgers (three times) or the Cincinnati Reds (six times) won the division every year except one in the 1970s. The Giants won the division in 1971.
- The Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1 in the NL Championship Series and then lost to the New York Yankees 4 games to 2 in the World Series.
- Team Record: 95-67, .586, 1st in NL West, 2 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati
- Attendance: 3,347,485 (1st in NL)
- Team Batting: .264 - 1st in NL
- Team Home Runs: 149 - 1st in NL
- Team Stolen Bases: 137 - 5th in NL
- Team ERA: 3.12 - 1st in NL
- Team Fielding: .978 - 4th in NL
- All Stars: Steve Garvey (starting 1B), Rick Monday (starting RF), Ron Cey (3B), Reggie Smith (OF), Davey Lopes (2B), Tommy John (P)
- NL Leaders: Steve Garvey (hits - 202)
- NL Awards: Steve Garvey (NLCS MVP)
- Batting Leader: Steve Garvey - .316
- Home Run Leader: Reggie Smith - 29
- RBI Leader: Steve Garvey - 113
- Stolen Base Leader: Davey Lopes - 45
- Victories Leader: Burt Hooton - 19
- Losses Leader: Don Sutton - 11
- ERA Leader (starters): Burt Hooton - 2.71
ERA Leader (relievers): Terry Forster - 1.93
- Strikeout Leader: Don Sutton - 154
- Saves Leader: Terry Forster - 22
- Players who could have had 1978 Topps Los Angeles Dodgers cards (minimum 100 AB or 40 IP):
- Joe Ferguson (C) - .237, 7 HR, 28 RBI in 67 games (pictured with Houston Astros)
- Bill North (OF) - .234, 0 HR, 10 RBI in 110 games (pictured with Oakland A's)
- Bob Welch (P) - 7-4, 3 saves, 2.02 ERA in 23 games (13 starts) (rookie card in 1979)
- Manny Mota was used exclusively as a pinch hitter in 1978. Mota set the record (since broken) for pinch hits in 1979.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .303 (10 for 33), 0 HR, 6 RBI in 37 games
- NL Championship Series: 1 for 1 in 2 games
- World Series: 0 for 0, 1 BB in 1 game
- 1978 Highlights:
- May 22 - Doubled in three runs to help the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-1.
- Aug 24 - Singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th inning of the Dodgers' 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies
- Tom Lasorda started his long baseball career as a left-handed pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 1945. For some reason he didn't pitch in 1946 or 1947. Lasorda moved to the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1949 and pitched in the minors for several seasons.
- Tom had two cups of coffee with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and in 1955. He didn't exactly set the world on fire during those two stints and Lasorda was sold to the Kansas City Athletics in March 1956.
- Lasorda was with the A's for the beginning of the 1956 season but after going 0-4 with a 6.15 ERA in 18 games (5 starts) he went back to the minors.
- Tom was sent back to the Dodgers in 1957 and he continued to pitch for AAA Montreal through the 1960 season.
- From 1960-1965 Lasorda was a scout for the Dodgers.
- In 1966 Tom started his managerial career. From 1966 to early 1969 Lasorda managed at the Rookie League level. In 1969 Lasorda became the manager of the Dodgers' AAA team in Spokane. Tom managed AAA Spokane and Albuquerque from 1969-1972. Tom was the Sporting News Minor League Manager of The Year in 1970.
- Lasorda became a coach (and manager Walter Alston's heir apparent) with the Dodgers in 1973. Tom became the manager of the Dodgers during the last week of the 1976 season after Alston's retirement.
- The Dodgers won NL pennants in the next two seasons (1977 and 1978) but they lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series both times. Lasorda was named NL Manager of The Year in 1977.
- After a rough 1979 season, the Dodgers returned to contention in 1980. They finished 1 game behind the Houston Astros in the NL West in 1980.
- In 1981 the Dodgers won the World Championship and in 1982 they finished second in the NL West behind the Atlanta Braves.
- The Dodgers won NL West titles in 1983 and in 1985 and then pulled off an upset in 1988 when they beat the heavily favored Oakland A's 4 games to 1 in the World Series.
- Lasorda won NL Manager of The Year awards in 1983 and in 1988. The Dodgers won another divsion title in 1995, giving Tom a total of seven as a manager.
- Tom stepped down as the manager of the Dodgers in 1996 after he had a heart attack. He retired with a lifetime record of 1599-1439 in 21 years.
- Lasorda was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
- Tom managed the U.S. Baseball Team to the Gold Medal in the 2000 Olympics.
- Lasorda was named a vice president of the Dodgers in 1998. He continues to serve as a special adviser for the club.
- Here is a long and interesting piece about Tommy Lasorda Jr., who passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992.
- Reggie Smith had a second straight productive season for the Dodgers in 1978. Reggie led the team with 29 home runs, was an NL All Star (0 for 3 in the game), and was fourth in NL MVP voting.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .295, 29 HR, 93 RBI in 128 games
- NL Championship Series: .188 (3 for 16) in 4 games
- World Series: .200 (5 for 25) in 6 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- May 3 - Had four hits, knocked in three runs, and scored twice in the Dodgers' 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs
- May 15 - Went 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBI to help the Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6. His 2-run double in the bottom of the 9th inning was the game winning hit.
- Oct 14 - Hit a 3-run home run in the 5th inning that accounted for all of the Dodger runs in game 4 of the World Series. The home run put the Dodgers in the lead 3-1, but they were unable to hold the lead and lost 4-3 in 10 innings.
- This card has always been odd to me. An "action" picture of a player scratching an itch isn't exactly glamorous.
- Monday was an All Star for the second and last time in 1978. Rick started in right field and went 0 for 2.
- The "home run" game result on the back of this card makes me think of "Blue Monday." Blue Monday was game 5 of the NL Championship Series. I can remember watching it in Mrs. Ryan's sophomore English class. My friend Jeff and I were the only ones in the class who wanted Montreal to win. Rick hit the home run that eventually won the game (and the NL Pennant) for the Dodgers.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .254, 19 HR, 57 RBI in 119 games
- NL Championship Series: .200 (2 for 10) in 3 games
- World Series: .154 (2 for 13) in 5 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- Apr 19 - Was 3 for 3 with two home runs and four RBI in the Dodgers' 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
- Aug 15 - Had three hits, including a game-tying solo home run in the 6th inning, as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4.
- Bill Russell had one of his better seasons in 1978. He had career highs in doubles (32) and in batting average (.286). Bill batted over .400 in both the NL Championship Series and the World Series.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular season: .286, 3 HR, 46 RBI in 55 games
- NL Championship Series: .412 (7 for 17) in 4 games
- World Series: .423 (11 for 26) in 6 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- April 26 - Had four hits in the Dodgers' 14-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Bill was off to a slow start but his batting average jumped from .209 to .250 after this game.
- Oct 7 - Had three hits and knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to clinch the NL Championship Series for the Dodgers. The Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1.
- Oct 10: Went 3 for 5 with a run scored as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 11-5 in game 1 of the World Series.
- Lee Lacy was a valuable bench player and pinch hitter for the Dodgers in 1978. Lacy hit a career high 13 home runs and played five positions during the season.
- Lee became a free agent after the 1978 season and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he would win a world series ring the following season.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: .261, 13 HR, 40 RBI in 103 games
- NL Championship Series: .000 (0 for 2) in 2 games
- World Series: .143 (2 for 14) in 4 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- May 22 - Doubled twice, walked twice, and scored two runs in the Dodgers' 8-1 victory over the San Diego Padres
- May 30 - Went 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI as the Dodgers beat the Padres 10-2.
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- Today is Steve Garvey's 65th birthday. In honor of this, GCRL has a little contest going. One lucky winner (who has to do a Garvey post today) will receive a 1952 Topps card. I don't have any 1952 Topps cards, so I figured I'd jump in.
- Steve had the fifth of eight straight All Star appearances in 1978. Garvey led the NL with 202 hits and was second to Dave Parker in MVP voting. Garvey also had an awesome NL Championship Series (he was the MVP). Steve started the 1978 season with a 21 game hitting streak and had at least one hit in every game in April.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular season: .316, 21 HR, 113 RBI in 162 games
- NL Championship Series: .389 (7 for 18), 4 HR, 7 RBI in 4 games
- World Series: .208 (6 for 25) in 6 games
- Highlights:
- April 9 - Had three hits, three runs scored, three RBI, and a home run in LA's 7-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.
- Aug 8 - Homered twice and knocked in all three Dodger runs as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 3-2.
- Oct 4 - Went 3 for 5 with two home runs and three runs scored as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-5 in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.
- Burt Hooton had his best season in 1978. He won 19 games and finished second in NL Cy Young Award balloting.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: 19-10, 2.71 ERA in 32 starts
- NL Championship Series: 0-0, 7.71 ERA in 1 start
- World Series: 1-1, 6.48 ERA in 2 starts
- 1978 Highlights:
- Aug 6 - Pitched a four hitter as the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-1. The Dodger win knocked the Giants out of first place in the NL West.
- Sept 12 - Shut out the Giants 8-0 in the Dodgers' final game of the season against their rivals. The Dodger win put them six games ahead of the Giants and 6 1/2 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds with 17 games to play.
- Oct 11 - Allowed three runs in six innings and earned the win as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-3 in game 2 of the World Series.
- Charlie Hough had a good year as a reliever for the Dodgers. Charlie missed two weeks in April and early May. Hough struggled through the first two months of the season but he bounced back in June and had mostly good outings for the rest of the season.
- 1978 Stats:
- Regular Season: 5-5, 7 saves, 3.28 ERA in 55 games
- NL Championship Series: 0-0, 4.50 ERA in 1 game
- World Series: 0-0, 8.44 ERA in 2 games
- 1978 Highlights:
- May 3 - Made his first appearance in two weeks and allowed one run in 2.2 innings. Hough contributed a single and a double, a run scored, and a run batted in.
- June 15 - Relieved starter Rick Rhoden in the 9th inning and preserved a 3-0 shutout of the New York Mets.
- July 6 - Pitched a scoreless top of the 11th inning and then became the winning pitcher when Davey Lopes hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 11th. The Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1. Hough had stayed awake the previous night waiting for his wife to give birth to their second child and then came to the park for a day game.
