October 14, 1978: Yankees tie World Series with one extra-base hit and one excessive hip

Heavy clouds hung over Yankee Stadium before Game Four of the 1978 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers led the New York Yankees two games to one in the best-of-seven series. Although Graig Nettles’ defensive heroics from the previous night lightened New Yorkers’ moods,1 the afternoon’s forecast for occasional showers and the tarp covering the infield dampened their spirits.

The Dodgers won the first two games in Los Angeles. Dusty Baker’s second-inning solo homer and Davey Lopes’s two round-trippers enabled the Dodgers to build an early 7-0 lead and cruise to an 11-5 Game One win.2 Ron Cey’s sixth-inning three-run homer gave the Dodgers a lead they didn’t relinquish during their 4-3 victory in Game Two.3 The Series shifted to New York for the next three games, with Ron Guidry’s complete-game eight-hitter and Nettles’ spectacular defense sparking New York to win Game Three, 5-1.

The American League champion Yankees had returned to the World Series by defeating the Kansas City Royals three games to one in the AL Championship Series. All-Star catcher Thurman Munson directed the Yankees pitching staff, which posted an AL-low 3.18 team ERA and featured a historic season by Cy Young Award winner Guidry (25-3, 1.74 ERA, 248 strikeouts), 20-game winner Ed Figueroa, and AL saves leader Goose Gossage. First baseman Chris Chambliss, second baseman Willie Randolph, shortstop Bucky Dent, and third baseman Nettles composed the infield. Leadoff hitter Mickey Rivers and superstar Reggie Jackson paced the outfield. The Yankees overcame a 14-game deficit and manager Billy Martin’s midseason resignation,4 then won a dramatic one-game tiebreaker against the Boston Red Sox to reach the postseason.5

The National League champion Dodgers returned to the World Series by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies three games to one in the NL Championship Series. They were eager to atone for the previous season’s World Series loss to the Yankees. The established Dodgers infield consisted of perennial All-Star corner infielders first baseman Steve Garvey and third baseman Cey, with second baseman Lopes and shortstop Bill Russell hitting first and second in the batting order. Slugging outfielder Reggie Smith led the offense with 29 home runs and a .942 OPS. The pitching staff, which led all major-league staffs with a 3.12 team ERA, included Burt Hooton, who finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting, future Hall of Famer Don Sutton, and closer Terry Forster. Second-year manager Tommy Lasorda piloted the Dodgers.

Figueroa celebrated his 30th birthday by starting for New York in Game Four. The right-hander amassed a 20-9 record with a 2.99 ERA over 253 innings during the regular season, but struggled during the postseason. In the ALCS, Figueroa was pulled in the second inning of New York’s lone loss. During the World Series opener, he allowed three earned runs over 1⅔ innings and was charged with the loss. During a pregame interview, Yankees manager Bob Lemon defended his decision to start Figueroa in spite of his postseason struggles, commenting, “Well, he’s one of my best pitchers. We wouldn’t be here unless Ed won 20 ballgames. I think anybody can have an offday with their control, and that’s been his only problem.”6

Tommy John started for Los Angeles. The 35-year-old left-hander was 17-10 with a 3.30 ERA over 213 innings during the regular season. He fired a four-hit shutout during the NLCS Game Two and won the World Series opener, allowing three runs on eight hits in 7⅔ innings. He was three years removed from the revolutionary arm surgery that now bears his name. John’s pitching repertoire included a sinking fastball, a curveball, and a cut fastball.7

Encountering a muddy infield and soft outfield, neither team took hitting or fielding practice. As the clouds dissipated, the 56,445 attendees applauded each team’s rosters and Eleanor Gehrig’s ceremonial first pitch.

Lopes, who homered off Figueroa during Game One, worked a full count before flying out to start the game. Russell beat out a bunt on his first pitch. Smith walked. Garvey lined out to right fielder Lou Piniella. Without breaking his stride, Piniella threw to Chambliss at first base, but couldn’t double off Smith. Chambliss fired to second base after a short hesitation, doubling off Russell, who had already rounded third base, to end the inning.

Paul Blair led off for New York. With an 0-and-2 count, Blair’s tapper down the third-base line allowed him to reach first. He advanced to second on Roy White’s groundout. Munson, nursing a sore shoulder, singled to right. Smith cleanly fielded Munson’s grounder and immediately threw a single-bounce strike to Steve Yeager at home plate, who firmly planted his left foot, blocked the plate, and tagged out Blair. Jackson grounded out to complete a scoreless but eventful first inning.

Figueroa’s control problems surfaced during the second inning. Cey singled on a 3-and-1 pitch and Rick Monday earned a one-out walk on four pitches. Figueroa escaped unharmed as Bill North flied out and Yeager popped out. In the Yankee half, John induced three consecutive groundouts.

Nettles made another outstanding defensive play when he backhanded Lopes’s line drive to open the third, preventing a potential extra-base hit. During the Yankees’ half, Dent singled with one out. With Blair up, the expected showers arrived. After a 40-minute rain delay, the game resumed with Blair facing John. Blair popped out. White flied out.

Figueroa’s control problems resurfaced. North grounded out on a high fastball to start the fifth inning. Yeager doubled on a 2-and-0 pitch. Lopes walked on five pitches. Russell clobbered a long fly ball down the left-field line that drifted foul, then struck out swinging. Smith blasted a 1-and-0 offering into the right-field bleachers for a three-run home run. After five innings, Los Angeles led, 3-0.

Starting the sixth inning, right-handed sinkerballer Dick Tidrow relieved Figueroa and allowed a harmless single. John experienced his first trouble during the bottom half. White’s one-out single dribbled just beyond Russell’s glove. Munson walked on a full count. The crowd came alive as Jackson, representing the tying run, walked to home plate. His single to right, which narrowly missed Munson in the basepath, scored White with New York’s first run.

With one out and runners on first and second, Piniella lined to short. Russell, anticipating a potential double play, knocked the ball down, scooped it, and stepped on second base to force out Jackson. But Russell’s throw to first base plunked Jackson’s hip and caromed past Garvey at first base.8 During the ensuing confusion, Munson scored. Lasorda vigorously argued the call for several minutes, claiming Jackson intentionally interfered with the throw by standing in the basepath and using his hip to deflect the relay. Russell, charged with a throwing error, claimed Jackson’s actions were intentional: “Reggie saw the ball coming. He moved right into it. That’s interference.”9 Jackson countered, “[W]hen it hit Russell’s glove, my instinct was to go back to first. Then he dropped it, and I didn’t know where to go. I just froze.”10 When the dust cleared, Jackson’s interference was ruled unintentional.11 The Dodgers led, 3-2, with two outs and Piniella on first. But Nettles grounded out.

Tidrow retired six of the next seven batters while John in the seventh induced three consecutive groundouts for the second time.

Blair singled to start the eighth. Left-hander Forster relieved John.12 The switch-hitting White sacrificed Blair to second. Munson fouled off the first two pitches, then doubled down the left-field line – New York’s only extra-base hit – scoring Blair with the tying run as the enthusiastic crowd cheered. Jackson was hit by a pitch. Rookie sensation Bob Welch relieved Forster. Piniella popped out to Garvey in short right field, though Garvey and Lopes nearly collided. Nettles struck out.

Entering the ninth, Gossage relived Tidrow. Monday walked but didn’t advance. During the bottom half, Welch set down the Yankees on two strikeouts and a fly out. The teams headed into extra innings.

During the 10th, the Dodgers were retired on 10 pitches as Russell flied out and Smith and Garvey struck out swinging. During the Yankees’ half, leadoff man Mickey Rivers fouled out, then Welch walked White on a full count. Munson popped out to shortstop. Jackson, whose celebrated strikeout against Welch ended Game Two,13 singled just beyond Lopes’s outstretched glove, moving White into scoring position.

With the crowd chanting “Luuuuu,” Piniella swung and missed at Welch’s first pitch. On the next pitch, Piniella connected with a high outside fastball. His single into center field plated White with the winning run.14 Euphoric Yankee fans continued yelling “Luuuuu” as the team celebrated. Piniella had disregarded Jackson’s advice about facing Welch: “He was telling me to lay off the high ball – which I never do – and I’m glad I didn’t.”15 In his autobiography, Piniella fondly recalled his historic hit, saying, “Winning a World Series game with a hit in the tenth inning is about as exciting a moment as I can remember.”16

The World Series was tied at two games apiece. Gossage earned the win with two scoreless innings while Welch suffered the loss.

The Yankees routed the Dodgers 12-2 in Game Five, then clinched their 22nd World Series championship with a 7-2 Game Six victory. Bucky Dent won World Series MVP honors by hitting .417 with 7 RBIs.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Tara Krieger and Bill Nowlin for their feedback, Carl Riechers for his fact checking, Len Levin for his editing, and Lisa Gattie for her meaningful input.

Sources

Besides the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, TheBaseballCube.com, and the following:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197810140.shtml.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1978/B10140NYA1978.htm.

Lyle, Sparky, and Peter Golenbock. The Bronx Zoo (New York: Crown Publishers, 1979).

MLB Film Room. Piniella’s game-winning single. https://www.mlb.com/video/piniella-s-game-winning-single-c28159909. Accessed October 2, 2022.

MLB Film Room. Reggie’s hip deflects throw. https://www.mlb.com/video/reggie-s-hip-deflects-throw-c28130223. Accessed October 1, 2022.

Munson, Thurman, and Martin Appel. Thurman Munson (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., 1979).

Notes

1 Joe Donnelly, “Yanks’ Stopper – Nettles,” Newsday (Long Island, New York), October 14, 1978: 6.

2 Ross Newhan, “Dodgers Bomb the Bombers With 15 Hits,” Los Angeles Times, October 11, 1978: Part III, 1.

3 Ross Newhan, “Cey Magnifique and So Is Welch,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 1978: Part III, 1.

4 Jack Lang, “Martin Exits in Tears: Don’t Want to Hurt Team,” New York Daily News, July 25, 1978: 100.

5 Jerome Holtzman, “Yankees Lucky … No One to Bat for Bucky,” Binghamton (New York) Press and Sun-Bulletin, October 3, 1978: 1C.

6 1978 World Series, Game Four (Dodgers-Yankees) (NBC-Pt.1), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeXfHi6VVx4. Accessed October 1, 2022.

7 Bill James and Rob Neyer, The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches (New York: Fireside Books, 2004), 256.

8 Scott Ostler, “Dodgers Claim ‘Dirty Pool,’ ‘Illegal Tactics,” Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1978: Part III, 1.

9 Associated Press, “It’s 2-2, Thanks to Piniella,” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, October 15, 1978: 1B.

10 Greg Boeck, “Yankees Survive Dogfight; Dodgers Howl,” Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle, October 15, 1978: 6D.

11 Larry Felser, “Yankees Win, 4-3, on Piniella’s Hit,” Buffalo News, October 15, 1978: B1. During the sixth inning’s play involving Jackson and the potential interference call, if first-base umpire Frank Pulli ruled Jackson’s interference intentional, Piniella would have been ruled out and the inning over without the Yankees scoring their second run. 

12 Tommy John pitched his last game for Dodgers that evening, joining the Yankees as a free agent in November.

13 Ross Newhan, “Yanks Get Even on Old Hip-and-Run Play,” Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1978: Part III, 1.

14 Piniella hadn’t faced Welch prior to this plate appearance. Piniella turned to Jackson for advice; one piece was comparing Welch with Jim Palmer (Felser, “Yankees Win, 4-3, on Piniella’s Hit”). The second piece was not swinging at high fastballs. The latter tidbit Piniella ignored. (Mike Shalin, “Lou Turns Deaf Ear To Jackson’s Advice,” Buffalo News, October 15, 1978: B1.)

15 “Lou Turns Deaf Ear to Jackson’s Advice.”

16 Lou Piniella and Maury Allen, Sweet Lou (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1986), 206.