Opening Day Roster:
Three years removed from their pennant-winning 1975 season, and a year after finishing in a second place tie with the Orioles, 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees, the Red Sox appeared primed for success in 1978. Rather than standing pat during the off-season, they added key personnel - Jack Brohamer and Frank Duffy shored up the infield defense, Tom Burgmeier offered additional bullpen help, and Dennis Eckersley and Mike Torrez (recently of the 1977 champions Yankees) improved an already-strong rotation. For most of the year they looked like world beaters - they were in first place from May 24th through September 10th, and led by as many as 14 games in July. Things began unraveling during a 10 game road trip in late July which saw them go 2-8, and dropped their team batting average from .283 to .224. In August and September, their defense began to fail them (26 errors over one 11-game span) , their bats fell asleep (a .191 team average during that same time), Eckersley became their only effective starter and a number of stars were nursing nagging injuries. By early September they had lost 14 of 17 and trailed the Yankees by 3.5. They then won 13 of 16, including their final 8, to force the famous tie. A play-off game was held October 2nd in Fenway Park, and Russell Earl Dent received a new nickname.
On the farm in '78, Rich Gedman was at Winter Haven, and Wade Boggs played at Bristol.
In 1978, it fell to Don Zimmer to be next in the line of Sox managers who were able to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. As solace for what happened in 1978, he fully deserved his later reputation as major league baseball's most beloved mascot, and occasional amateur wrestler. In 1978, his coaching staff included pitching coach Al Jackson, hitting coach Walt Hriniak, 1st base coach Johnny Pesky and 3rd base coach Eddie Yost.
Dennis Eckersley, SP:
Acquired at the end of spring training with Fred Kendall from the Indians for Mike Paxton, Rick Wise, Ted Cox and Bo Diaz, Eckerlsey paid immediate dividends. He led the Sox in 1978 with 20 wins, 162 Ks, and a 2.99 ERA. Down the stretch, he was the only consistent starter in a rotation that, before the break, looked historically good.
Bill Lee, SP:
After getting off to a 10-3 start, Lee's season fell off the table. He left the club in a huff for 24 hours after his buddy Bernie Carbo was sold to Cleveland on June 15th; from July 20 to August 19, he lost 7 consecutive starts; and toward the end of August he was sent to the pen, causing him to lash out against Zimmer and Haywood Sullivan. In December the inevitable happened - he was traded to Montreal for utility infielder Stan Papi.
Allen Ripley, SP:
Owner of the International League's best winning percentage in 1977, the rookie Ripley made his major league debut on April 10th in a start against the Indians. He was in the rotation through June, when he was relegated to the pen. After compiling a 2-5 record and a 5.55 ERA, he was sent to Pawtucket on July 24th to make room for Andy Hassler.
Mike Torrez, SP:
Signed as a free agent shortly after winning the 1977 World Series with the Yankees, Torrez won 16 games for the Sox in '78. He enjoyed Boston, telling reporters there was less turmoil around the Red Sox than he had experienced the previous season in New York. He attributed his failure to be chosen by Yankee manager Billy Martin for the AL All Star team (he was 11-4 at the break) to this and other unkind things he said publicly about his time with Martin and the Yankees. The fact that it was he who gave up Bucky Dent's division-winning home run probably made the experience extra sweet for Billy.
Tom Burgmeier, RP:
Signed away from the Twins as a free agent in February of 1978, Tom was the team's only left-handed reliever until Andy Hassler was signed in July. He threw 61.1 innings in 1978, earning 4 saves.
Reggie Cleveland, RP:
A 13 game winner for Boston's 1975 pennant-winning team, and the owner of an 11-8 record in '77, Reggie started '78 in the bullpen. He only got into one game before being sold to the Rangers on April 18 to make room for Luis Tiant, who had started the season on the DL.
Dick Drago, RP:
In the second of his 2 stints with the Red Sox, Dick compiled a relief record of 4-4 with 7 saves.
Bob Stanley, RP:
In just his second season in the bigs, the Steamer developed into an incredible asset for the Sox. Inheriting the closer's role because of Bill Campbell's arm issues, Bob ran up a 15-2 record in relief to go with 10 saves and a nice 2.60 ERA.
Jim Wright, RP:
The Sox were so high on Jim, that they decided to keep the rookie and sell Reggie Cleveland's contract to Texas when Luis Tiant came off the DL in April. Starting out in the pen, Jim was given the chance to start for the first time on May 6th and responded by hurling a 7-hit shut-out against the White Sox. He was more or less a regular in the rotation from there on out, racking up an 8-4 record.
Bill Campbell, CL:
In 1977, Bill had earned 31 saves to go with a 13-9 relief record, and won the A.L.'s Fireman of the Year award. He didn't have quite that level of success in 1978 - peristent arm issues, for which he received no less than 3 cortizone shots, limited his action to 50.2 innings across 29 games. He earned a 7-5 record and 4 saves, but had to surrender the closer's spot to Bob Stanley.
Carlton Fisk, C:
Not even half way through his Hall of Fame career, Fisk by 1978 had already established himself as the AL's premiere backstop. In early August, he went into the stands in pursuit of a foul ball and in the process broke a rib. He kept playing despite the injury, but it did place a drag on his offensive production for the rest of the season. In the end, he hit 20 HRs and had 88 RBI. He batted .284, down from over .300 at the time of his injury.
Fred Kendall, C:
Acquired from the Indians with Dennis Eckersley towards the end of spring training, the former Padre starter got into only 20 games in 1978. Accustomed to catching regularly with the Padres and Indians, Fred managed to get behind the plate in only 5 games, seeing other action at 1st and as DH. His son Jason caught in the majors from 1996 through 2010.
Bob Montgomery, C:
Carlton Fisk's principal back-up during all but Pudge's last season in Boston, Monty never saw much action - in 1978 he appeared just 10 times behind the plate in relief of the durable Fisk, almost always in the second game of double-headers. He made the most of his start on May 21st in Detroit, going 4-for-5 (the most hits he ever collected in a single game) with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. When not playing, which was almost everyday, he could be found warming up the pitchers.
Bob Bailey, IF:
1978 was this veteran's final season in the major leagues. The long-time Pirate and Expo star appeared in 43 games, almost exclusively as a DH. He wasn't able to provide the extra offense the team had in mind when they acquired him - he hit just .191 with 4 HR. In June, he told reporters the Sox were an even better club than the '76 champion Reds he played for. His final major league appearance was as a pinch hitter in the play-off game against the Yankees on October 2. Batting for Brohamer in the 7th, he struck out.
Jack Brohamer, IF:
The veteran infielder was signed as a free agent in November, 1977. Despite having an excellent spring, the arrival of Jerry Remy assured him of playing a reserve role in 1978. He appeared in just over 80 games, splitting time almost evenly between second, third DH.
Rick Burleson, IF:
1978 was Rick's 6th season as Boston's starting SS. He started the year slow, hitting only .185 though mid-May. He was coming out of his slump when he went down with ligament damage in July. He was on the DL from July 14 through July 28. Despite the adversity, he remained one of the league's standout shortstops, making his second consecutive All-Star appearance and finishing tied with Bucky Dent for the second best fielding percentage among A.L. shortstops, behind Mark Belanger.
Frank Duffy, IF:
Frank was acquired in a trade with the Indians for Rick Kreuger during spring training. Having spent the previous six seasons as the Tribe's starting SS, he spent '78 as an infield reserve with the Sox, spelling Burleson at SS, Hobson at 3B and Remy at 2B. When Burleson was on the DL in July, Frank was the every-day shortstop.
Butch Hobson, IF:
The inclusion of the 1977 International League MVP, 3rd baseman Ted Cox, in the Eckersley deal with Cleveland removed any lingering doubt that the Boston 3rd base job was Hobson's to keep. He got off to a hot start, leading the leauge in HR and RBI and batting over .300 in April. Bone spurs in his elbow took their toll, however, leading to a league-worst 43 errors and disappointing offensive totals (17 HR, 80 RBI).
Jerry Remy, IF:
Acquired from the Angels in December of 1977 for Don Aase, Jerry anchored the Red Sox infield at second base in 1978, earning a spot on the AL All Star squad. He was among the team's leading hitters, and led the team by a mile with 30 stolen bases. In August, his uniform and glove were stolen in Anaheim, prompting Bob Bailey to suggest it would be an easy case to crack - the best clue would be the suspect must be a midget.
George Scott, IF:
Boomer's production slipped in '78. First-half back and finger injuries slowed him down and he was never really able to find a groove. For a time, George was on the trading block as Rod Carew had expressed an interest in coming to Boston to escape the Griffith regime in Minnesota. However, the Twins wanted Rice in stead of Scott, so the deal never materialized.
Bernie Carbo, OF:
A fan favorite, and one of the heroes of the 1975 championship-that-almost-was, Bernie was playing out his option year in 1978. Rather than get nothing for him after the season, the Sox sold him to Cleveland on June 15, after he had seen action in only 17 games.
Dwight Evans, OF:
1978 saw Dewey begin to emerge as the premiere all-around right-fielder in the American League. Despite entering the season coming off knee surgery, he put up career highs (to that point) in both HRs (24) and stolen bases (8), as well as the 7th best fielding percentage among all major league right-fielders.
Fred Lynn, OF:
Three years on from his incredible MVP/Rookie of the Year campaign of 1975, Lynn was still one of the best all-around center-fielders in the game in 1978. All his important offensive stats were up from '77, when he was forced to spend over a month on the DL.
Jim Rice, OF:
Jim played more DH than he would have liked in '78, but he would have seen more time there if it weren't for George Scott's nagging health issues which pulled Yaz from left to first on a regular basis. Also, he had to walk back comments that appeared in Sport Magazine which seemed to suggest he felt Lynn was being shown favoritism due to race. In spite of these side concerns, he struck it huge in '78. He led the American League in hits, triples, HRs, RBI and slugging percentage, won the American Leauge MVP Award, and got the start in left field in the All Star Game.
Carl Yastrzemski, OF:
Yaz' numbers were in decline after over 17 seasons of major league action, but he remained a consistent offensive threat, and beloved Sox icon. He got into 144 games in 1978, over a third of which were at first owing to Scott's health issues.
(1978 Topps)
Zimmer and company in spring training, March 1978
In-Season Moves:
Luis Tiant, SP:
El Tiante started the season on the DL due to a dislocated right index finger suffered during spring training. He was activated April 18th and got off to a hot 7-0 start with a 2.39 ERA. However, he slumped in the second half and finished 13-8 with a 3.31 ERA.
Sam Bowen, OF:
Sam was called up from Pawtucket when Bernie Carbo was sold to the Indians on June 15. The day after hitting his first major league home run, July 28th, he was returned to Pawtucket to accomodate Rick Burleson's return from the DL. He returned to the big club when rosters expanded in September.
Garry Hancock, OF:
Called up from Pawtucket when Rick Burleson was sent to the DL on July 14th, Garry remained with the big club for the remainder of the year. His major league debut was July 16 against the Twins. Garry saw action in 38 games in '78, mainly in right field and at DH.
Bobby Sprowl, SP:
Called up in September, Bobby got three starts, including his major league debut on September 5th in Baltimore where he threw 7 innings and took the loss. Most infamously, he was allowed to start against the Yankees in Fenway in place of Mike Torrez on the 10th and got clobbered. He took the loss after throwing just 0.2 inning.
Andy Hassler, RP:
Andy was purchased from Kansas City on July 24 to provide the Sox' pen with some additional left-handed help. In 13 relief appearances, he earned a record of 2-1 with one save. He struck out 23 batters in 30 innings of work.
John LaRose, P:
A September call-up, John's sole major league appearance was on September 20 in Detroit. He pitched 2 innings in relief of Mike Torrez, and surrendered 5 runs on 3 walks and 3 hits, including a HR.
Majority Owner and President - Jean R. Yawkey
General Manager - Haywood Sullivan
Minor League Affiliates:
Short-Season A: Elmira Pioneers (New York - Penn League)
21-48, 5th of 5
Manager: Dick Berardino
Future Star: Bob Ojeda
A: Winston-Salem Red Sox (Carolina League)
55-77, 6th of 6
Manager: Bill Slack
Future Star: Steve Crawford
A: Winter Haven Red Sox (Florida State League)
82-56, 2nd of 5
Manager: Rac Slider
Future Star: Rich Gedman
AA: Bristol Red Sox (Eastern League)
72-66, 3rd of 6
Manager: Tony Torchia
Future Star: Wade Boggs
AAA: Pawtucket Red Sox (International League)
81-59, 2nd of 8
Manager: Joe Morgan
Future Star: Dave Stapleton
Other 1978 Red Sox Stuff:
Summary of Roster Moves:
April 18 - Tiant from DL, Cleveland sold to Rangers
June 15 - Carbo sold to Indians, Bowen from Pawtucket
July 14 - Burleson to DL, Hancock from Pawtucket
July 24 - Hassler purchased from Royals, Ripley to Pawtucket
July 28 - Burleson from DL, Bowen to Pawtucket
September Call-Ups: Bowen, Sprowl, LaRose
Fenway Park 4 Yawkey Way, Boston, MA
Red Sox' Coaches:
Al Jackson
Walt Hriniak
Johnny Pesky
Eddie Yost
