1978 Boston Red Sox Season Summary

Record: 99-64, 2nd in American League East (7 teams)
Runs Scored: 796
Runs Allowed: 657
Pythagorean W-L: 96-67

Manager(s): Don Zimmer (99-64)
Ball Park: Fenway Park

Notable Moments from 1978

13 January 1978 - Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy dies at the age of 90. "Marse Joe," who won eight pennants and seven World Series titles with the Yankees over 16 years, coached three seasons in Boston between 1948 and 1950. Both his 1948 and 1949 teams finished in second place, one game out of first place.

30 March 1978 - In a trade with the Indians, the Red Sox acquire pitcher Dennis Eckersley. The future Hall of Famer will win 20 games for Boston in 1978.

10 September 1978 - Despite holding a 14-game lead over the Yankees on 19 July, that margin for Boston disappears completely when the Yankees complete a four-game sweep at Fenway Park, outscoring the Red Sox by a combined score of 42-9 to create a tie for first in the American League East.

16 September 1978 - Boston falls 3-1/2 games out of first with 14 games to play on the schedule thanks to a 3-2 loss at Yankee Stadium to New York. Boston had lost 14 of its last 17.

1 October 1978 - The Red Sox finish the season by winning eight straight and 12-of-14, capped with a 5-0 win over the Blue Jays at home, to move into a tie for first with the Yankees in the American League East.

2 October 1978 - Thanks in part to light-hitting Bucky Dent's three-run home run in the seventh inning at Fenway Park, Boston loses a one-game playoff to New York, 5-4, and the Yankees go on to win the pennant over Kansas City and the World Series over Los Angeles.

7 November 1978 - Red Sox slugger Jim Rice (.315 BA, 46 HR, 139 RBI) easily outdistances Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry for the American League Most Valuable Player award.