1978 Topps Baseball #335 - Bucky Dent

• Bucky Dent is a name that will live on in infamy for Boston Red Sox fans as he hit the home run that propelled the Yankees to the AL East title in the 1-game playoff at the end of the 1978 season.
• Dent was a solid shortstop for several years. He was a three-time AL All Star and was second to Mike Hargrove in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1974. Dent usually had a fielding percentage above league average but his range factors were slightly below league average.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: .243, 5 HR, 40 RBI in 123 games
• AL Championship Series: 3 for 15 (.200), 4 RBI in 4 games
• World Series: 10 for 24 (.417), 3 runs scored, 7 RBI in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights: 
• Oct 2 - Hit a 3-run home run over the Green Monster off of Mike Torrez to put the Yankees ahead 3-2. The Yankees eventually won the game 5-4.
• Oct 15 - Had three hits, two runs scored, and knocked in a run as the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-2 in game 5 of the World Series.
• Oct 17 - Had three hits and three RBI as the Yankees beat the Dodgers 7-2 in game 6 of the World Series. Dent was named the World Series MVP.

Bucky Dent's home run in game 163 of the 1978 season. He hit that one even choking up on the bat.

Bucky Dent and Mike Torrez reminisce about the home run:

1978 Topps Baseball #309 - Cliff Johnson

• Here's another Yankee Stadium picture with the Brut billboard in the background.
• Cliff Johnson was used mainly as a DH and pinch hitter in 1978. He played a few games behind the plate as well. It was the worst offensive season of Johnson's 15 year career.
• 1978 Stats: 
• Regular Season: .184, 6 HR, 19 RBI in 76 games
• AL Championship Series: .000 (0 for 1) in 1 game
• World Series: .000 (0 for 2) in 2 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• June 14 - Appeared as a pinch hitter and hit a 2-run home run that tied the game in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Yankees eventually beat the Seattle Mariners 11-9 in ten innings.
• July 14 - Hit a pinch home run in the bottom of the 9th to tie the Chicago White Sox, The Yankees won the game 7-6 in 11 innings.

1978 Topps Baseball #282 - New York Yankees

• I never did get that Roy White card in 1978. I ended up buying it on sportlots when I started this blog.
• The Yankees were world champions for the second straight season in 1978. Ron Guidry had an awesome season and the Yankees didn't have any weaknesses. It's interesting that the Yankees didn't lead the AL in any batting categories.
• Enough things happened to this team during the season to fill several books. The team went through three managers and many fights and controversies. 

Team Record: 100-63, .613, first in AL East

• Managers(s): Billy Martin (52-42); Dick Howser (0-1); Bob Lemon (48-20)
• Attendance: 2,335,871 (1st in AL)
• Team Batting: .267 (4th in AL)
• Team Home Runs: 125 (6th in AL)
• Team Stolen Bases: 98 (6th in AL)
• Team ERA: 3.18 (1st in AL)
• Team Fielding: .982 (2nd in AL)
• AL All Stars: Rich Gossage (P); Ron Guidry (P); Reggie Jackson (OF); Thurman Munson (C); Graig Nettles (3B)
• Award Winners: Ron Guidry (Cy Young); Rich Gossage (Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year); Chris Chambliss (Gold Glove, 1B); Graig Nettles (Gold Glove, 3B)
• League Leaders: Ron Guidry (ERA, 1.74; Victories, 25; Winning Percentage, .893; Shutouts, 9); Rich Gossage (Saves, 27)
• Batting Leader: Lou Piniella (.314)
• HR Leader: Graig Nettles, Reggie Jackson (27)
• RBI Leader: Reggie Jackson (97)
• Stolen Base Leader: Willie Randolph (36)
• Victory Leader: Ron Guidry (25)
• Losses Leader: Dick Tidrow, Rich Gossage (11)
• Saves Leader: Rich Gossage (27)
• Best ERA (starters): Ron Guidry (1.74)
• Best ERA (relievers): Rich Gossage (2.01)
• Players who could have had 1978 Yankees cards (over 100 AB for position players, over 40 innings pitched for pitchers):
• Jim Beattie (6-9, 3.73 ERA in 25 games - 22 starts)
• Gary Thomasson - OF - .276, 3 HR, 20 RBI in 55 games
• Jim Spencer - 1B - .227, 7 HR, 24 RBI in 71 games
• 
  

1978 Topps Baseball #250 - Graig Nettles

• In 1978 Graig Nettles was an AL All Star for the third time, won his second Gold Glove, and finished sixth in MVP voting. 
• Nettles made several great plays in game 3 of the 1978 World Series. The Yankees were down 2 games to 0 and the game helped to change the momentum of the series. Here is a video of the plays:

• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: .276, 27 HR, 93 RBI in 159 games
• AL Championship Series: .333 (5 for 15), 1 HR in 4 games
• World Series: .160 (4 for 25) in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights: 
• May 3 - Hit a home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Yankees ahead to stay as they beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5.
• Aug 27 - Homered twice in New York's 6-2 win over the Oakland A's.
• Sept 14 - Went 3 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI to help the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2.

1978 Topps Baseball #225 - Don Gullett

• Don Gullett was on the disabled list until early June 1978. Don had a rough start on June 4 and then won four of his next five starts. It looked like Gullett was back from his arm woes. Gullett lost his next two starts and that was it for his career. Rotator cuff problems caused Don to miss the rest of the 1978 season. 
• Don had rotator cuff surgery in September 1978. Gullett tried to recover in 1979 and 1980, but he couldn't make it back. Don was released in late 1980.
• 1978 Stats: 4-2, 3.63 ERA in 8 starts
• 1978 Highlights:
• June 15 - Got his first win of the season when he pitched six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees won 5-2.
• June 30 - Had a complete game victory for his last major league win. The Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 10-2.

1978 Topps Baseball #200 - Reggie Jackson

• REG-GIE! REG-GIE! REG-GIE!
• I still remember that night (game 6 of the 1977 World Series) when Jackson hit three home runs against the LA Dodgers. For me that World Series was like choosing between HIV or ebola. I didn't care for him at the time, but now I have a greater appreciation for Reggie. I'm surprised Topps didn't mention that game on the back of this card.
• This card has a great picture of Jackson at the end of his swing. It looks like he hit a long ball in Yankee Stadium.
• Reggie caught some flak for his defense (and early in his career he was below average), but at this stage of his career he was right at league average in range factor and slightly above average in fielding percentage. His fielding didn't start to drop off until about 1980.
• 1978  Stats:
• Regular season: .274, 27 HR, 97 RBI in 146 games
• AL Championship Series: .462, 2 HR, 6 RBI in 4 games
• World Series: .391, 2 HR, 8 RBI in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• May 13 - Homered twice and knocked in three runs in New York's 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
• Oct 2 - Hit a home run in the 8th inning to put the Yankees ahead 5-2 in the playoff game that decided the AL East championship. New York eventually beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4.
• Oct 3 - Went 3 for 3 with a 3-run home run to help the Yankees beat the Royals 7-1 in game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
• Here is Reggie's at bat in game 2 of the 1978 World Series when Bob Welch struck him out to end the game.

• And here's the famous play where Jackson may or may not have interfered with a throw to first base, allowing a run to score. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda sure thinks he interfered.

1978 Topps Baseball #179 - Dick Tidrow

• Dick Tidrow was used as a starting pitcher for the first time since 1974 due to the presence of Goose Gossage, 1977 Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle, and Rawly Eastwick in the bullpen.. Tidrow started 25 games and relieved only six times during the season. 
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: 7-11, 3.84 ERA in 31 games (25 starts)
• AL Championship Series: 0-0, 4.76 ERA in 1 game (5.2 innings)
• World Series: 0-0, 1.93 ERA in 2 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• April 16 - Pitched 6 2/3 innings without allowing a run in New York's 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was Tidrow's first victory of the season.
• Aug 8 - Shut out the Milwaukee Brewers on three hits through the first innings of the game. The Yankees beat the Brewers 3-0. Tidrow had been struggling lately and changed his motion on the advice of coach Clyde King. The change worked.

1978 Topps Baseball #159 - Lou Piniella

• Although his batting average was down a bit from his career-high .330 in 1977, Lou Piniella had another good year for the Yankees. Lou was a big part of the Yankee offense in the late 70s.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: .314, 6 HR, 69 RBI in 130 games
• AL Championship Series: .235 (4 for 17) in 4 games
• World Series: .280 (7 for 25) in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights:
• May 2: Homered, knocked in two runs, and scored twice to help the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2.
• June 14: Had four hits and three RBI in New York's 11-9 win over the Seattle Mariners.
• July 14: Went 4 for 5 with a home run and 2 RBI as the Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 7-6.

1978 Topps Baseball #135 - Ron Guidry

• Ron Guidry had about the best season I can remember for a starting pitcher in 1978. He was dominant during the regular season, winning 25 games in the regular season and one each in the AL Championship Series and the World Series. Ron won the AL Cy Young Award and was second in AL MVP voting. Guidry started the season 13-0 in his first 17 starts and didn't lose a game until July 7.
• Guidry didn't become a full-time major leaguer until he was 26 years old and he retired at the age of 37. If he would have had a few more years in the majors he might have been a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame. Ron had a winning percentage of .630 or better in each of his first seven full seasons (and eight of his first nine). Guidry retired with a .651 lifetime winning percentage.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: 25-3, 1.74 ERA in 35 starts
• AL Championship Series: 1-0, 1.13 ERA in 1 start
• World Series: 1-0, 1.00 ERA in 1 start
• 1978 Highlights:
• Sept 24 - Pitched a 2-hit shutout and struck out ten batters in New York's 4-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians
• Oct 2: Pitching on three days rest, Guidry was the winning pitcher in the 1-game playoff that decided the AL East title. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4. Ron allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings.
• Oct 13: In spite of walking  seven batters Ron had a complete game 5-1 victory over the LA Dodgers in game 3 of the World Series. 

1978 Topps Baseball #114 - Paul Blair

• Paul Blair wasn't used very much by the Yankees in 1978. Blair started 20 games -- the remainder of his appearances were as a late inning defensive replacement. Paul also made some appearances in the infield.
• On December 26, 2013 Paul passed away. He played a round of golf that morning and then collapsed at a celebrity bowling tournament later in the day. Paul was 69 years old.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season:  .176, 2 HR, 13 RBI in 75 games
• AL Championship Series: .000 (0 for 6) in 4 games
• World Series: .375 (3 for 8) in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights: 
• Aug 29 - Singled in the winning run off of Dave LaRoche in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Yankees beat the California Angels 3-2. Graig Nettles doubled to lead off the inning. He was sacrificed to third and then the Angels walked the next two batters to load the bases and to get to Blair.
• Oct 14 - Went 2 for 4 and scored the tying run in the bottom of the 8th as the Yankees won Game 3 of the World Series. The Yankees beat the LA Dodgers 4-3.

1978 Topps Baseball #89 - Ken Clay

• Ken Clay was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1972. Clay pitched in the minors from 1972-1977. 
• Ken started the 1977 season with a nice 5-1 record for AAA Syracuse. Clay was called up in June. He wasn't all that great as a starter, but he had some success as a long reliever. Clay went 2-3 with 1 save and had a 4.37 ERA in 21 games (3 starts).
• Clay had his best year in 1978. He was used as a long reliever and a spot starter. Ken spent most of July on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. Clay pitched effectively in game 1 of the AL Championship series and earned the save.
• Ken had a rough time in 1979. He went 1-7 and his ERA jumped to 5.70. 
• Clay started the 1980 season in AAA Columbus. In August Ken was traded to the Texas Rangers for Gaylord Perry. Clay  made eight starts for the Rangers and went 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA.
• After the 1980 season Clay was traded to the Seattle Mariners. Ken started the 1981 season 0-3 with a 7.03 ERA and he was sent to the bullpen by manager Maury Wills. After the strike new manager Rene Lachemann gave Clay another chance in the rotation. Ken pitched better (2-3, 3.64 ERA in 10 starts).
• Ken didn't make the Mariners club in 1982 and he decided to retire rather than trying to latch on with another team. Clay retired with a lifetime record of 10-24 in five seasons.
• After his pitching career Clay had several run-ins with the law. He was convicted of various theft, forgery, and larceny crimes starting in 1986. Ken served two jail terms. He was most recently released from jail in 2012 and now lives in his hometown of Lynchburg, VA.
• 1978 Stats: 
• Regular Season: 3-4, 4.28 ERA in 28 games (6 starts)
• AL Championship Series: 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 1 game (3.2 innings pitched)
• World Series: 0-0, 11.57 ERA in 1 game (2.1 innings pitched)
• 1978 Highlights:
• May 21 - Made his first start of the season and allowed only an unearned run in seven innings pitched to earn his first win of the year. The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1.
• Sept 7 - Entered the game in the 4th inning to replace the injured Catfish Hunter. Allowed one run in six innings to earn the win as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 15-3.
• Oct 3 - Pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings and earned the win in game 1 of the AL Championship Series. The Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1.

1978 Topps Baseball #16 - Roy White

• Roy White was no longer the everyday left fielder for the Yankees in 1978. White played in 103 games, the fewest since 1967. Roy had a good September, batting .337 to help the Yankees come back from a large deficit to take the AL East title.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: .269, 8 HR, 43 RBI in 103 games
• AL Championship Series: .313 (5 for 16) in 4 games
  World Series: .333 (8 for 24) in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights
• July 23 - Went 3 for 4 with a run scored in  New York's 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox
• Sept 5 - Hit a 3-run homer in the fourth inning to lead the Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers

1978 Topps Baseball #7 - Reggie Jackson 1977 Record Breaker

• When I started doing this blog I thought I had the complete set. I started scanning the cards and saw that I was wrong. My set was short 16 cards. I ordered the missing cards on sportlots.com and now the set is complete.
• That was one heck of a game 6 for Reggie Jackson. For me that World Series was a choice between "eeeew" and "yuck." By the time Jackson came up for his third at bat I was pulling for him to hit that third home run.
• This is a nice action shot of Mr. Jackson.

1978 Topps Baseball #70 - Rich Gossage

• Rich Gossage was signed by the New York Yankees after the 1977 season. This must be an airbrush job -- Topps wouldn't have been able to get a picture of the Goose in a Yankee uniform before the 1978 season. This might be Gossage pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Veterans Stadium.
• Rich had a great season for the Yankees, leading the AL with 27 saves. He had a tough time at first -- at the end of April Gossage was 1-3 and didn't have a save. 
• Rich pitched in the All Star Game but took the loss as he was roughed up for four runs in the 9th inning.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: 10-11, 27 saves, 2.01 ERA in 63 games
• AL Championship Series: 1-0, 1 save, 4.50 ERA in 2 games
• World Series: 1-0, 0.00 ERA in 3 games
• Highlights:
• May 7 - Didn't allow a run in four innings pitched and saved the game as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 3-2.
• Sept 21 - Pitched three scoreless innings and got the save in New York's 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays
• Oct 7 - Shut out the Kansas City Royals in the 9th inning, earning the save and clinching the AL Championship Series for the  Yankees.

1978 Topps Baseball #60 - Thurman Munson

• Thurman Munson started the 1978 season going "incognito." He didn't want to talk to the press because he felt he was burned the previous year. Munson wrote (with Marty Appel) an autobiography in 1978.
• Munson's power numbers were down, but he was still a very valuable part of the Yankees. Thurman made his 7th (and final) All Star Game, but he didn't play in the game.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: .297, 6 HR, 71 RBI in 154 games.
• AL Championship Series: .278 (5 for 18), 1 HR, 2 RBI in 4 games
• World Series: .320 (8 for 25), 7 RBI in 6 games
• 1978 Highlights: 
• May 5 - Went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI in New York's 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
• May 21 - Had three hits and five RBI as the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-1.
• Oct 6  - Hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to put the Yankees ahead 6-5.

1978 Topps Baseball #35 - Sparky Lyle

• Sparky Lyle experienced a big drop-off from his Cy Young Award season of 1977. The Yankees signed Goose Gossage after the 1977 season, which relegated Lyle to a setup and occasional closer role. Lyle asked to be traded in January 1978. He realized that he wouldn't get enough work in a crowded Yankee bullpen. Sparky was blasted by owner George Steinbrenner for reporting late to spring training.
• Lyle was traded to the Texas Rangers after the season. Graig Nettles famously said, "He went from Cy Young to sayonara." after the Yankees acquired Gossage, and it turned out to be true.
• 1978 Stats:
• Regular Season: 9-3, 9 saves, 3.47 ERA in 59 games
• AL Championship Series: 0-0, 13.50 ERA in 1 game
• World Series: did not pitch
• 1978 Highlights: 
• April 16 - Entered the game with 2 out in the 7th inning and shut out the Chicago White Sox the rest of the way to earn his first save. The Yankees beat the White Sox 3-0.
• June 27 - Pitched three shutout innings and earned the win in New York's 6-4, 14 inning victory over the Boston Red Sox.
• Sept 14 - Came on in relief of Gossage in the 8th inning and shut out the Detroit Tigers the rest of the way. New York won the game 4-2.

1978 Topps Baseball #2 - Sparky Lyle '77 Record Breaker

• This is a pretty rough looking card. This was the last year that I collected cards and didn't really care about the condition. I've managed to upgrade my 1974, 1976, and 1977 cards, but my 1975 and 1978 sets can really use some work.
• Lyle ended up making 899 appearances in his career (1967-1982) and never had a start.
• John Franco now holds this record. He appeared in 1,119 games from 1984-2005 without starting a single game.