1978 Los Angeles Dodgers season


The 1978 season ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning their second straight National League pennant and losing to the New York Yankees in the World Series again. Dodger coach Jim Gilliam died at the end of the season and his uniform number, 19, was retired by the team prior to Game 1 of the World Series; the team also wore a black memorial patch with Gilliam's number during the World Series. Unlike the previous Dodger team, no member of the team hit 30 home runs after seeing four members hit that mark the previous season.

Offseason

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening day lineup

Notable transactions

Notable events

On August 20, before a night game in New York against the New York Mets, Steve Garvey approached Don Sutton in the Dodgers' clubhouse over an article in The Washington Post in which Sutton was quoted as saying to Tom Boswell:
"All you ever hear about on our team is Steve Garvey, the all-American boy...well, the best player on this team for the past two years--and we all know it--is Reggie Smith. Reggie doesn't go out and publicize himself. He doesn't smile at the right people or say the right things. Reggie's not a façade or a Madison Avenue image. He's a real person."
Garvey and Sutton wrestled for two minutes in the clubhouse over Sutton's words and had to be pulled apart by teammates. Neither was seriously injured. Both had facial scratches and bruises and Garvey had a bloodshot left eye where it appeared a finger or thumb had been inserted by Sutton. Days later, Sutton publicly apologized for the incident, but not to Garvey personally.

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C9422844.193423
1B162639202.31621113
2B151587163.2781758
3B159555150.2702384
SS155625179.286346
LF149522137.2621166
CF11030471.234010
RF128447132.2952993

Other batters

Steve Garvey
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
11934287.2541957
10324564.2611340
6719847.237728
417019.27109
757724.312111
407523.30706
545514.25515
373310.30306
16194.21102
11123.25001
585.62501
1052.40001
742.50001

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO
34238.115113.55154
3223619102.71104
3321317103.30124
301991593.2695

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO
30164.21083.6679
23111.1742.0266

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGWLSVERASO
555573.2866
4754221.9346
432142.9325
180413.9730
100104.415

Postseason

1978 National League Championship Series

The Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1 in the NLCS.

Game 1

October 4, Veterans Stadium

Game 2

October 5, Veterans Stadium

Game 3

October 6, Dodger Stadium

Game 4

October 7, Dodger Stadium

1978 World Series

The Dodgers again lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series.
AL New York Yankees vs. NL Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1

Tuesday, October 10, 1978, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

Game 2

Wednesday, October 11, 1978, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

Game 3

Friday, October 13, 1978, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Game 4

Saturday, October 14, 1978, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Game 5

Sunday, October 15, 1978, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Game 6

Tuesday, October 17, 1978, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

Awards and honors

Teams in BOLD won League Championships

Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers drafted 35 players in the June draft and 12 in the January draft. Of those, seven players would eventually play in the Major Leagues.
The Dodgers did not have a first round pick this year in the June draft as their pick was given to the Pittsburgh Pirates as compensation for their signing of Free Agent pitcher Terry Forster. In the second round, they selected SS Clay Smith from Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Smith played in the Dodgers farm system through 1981, hitting.271 in 277 games in the rookie leagues and class-A before he was released.
This draft netted the Dodgers two key players for their championship teams of the 1980s. They drafted Mike Marshall in the 6th round and Steve Sax in the 9th. Marshall would hit 148 homers in 11 seasons and made the All-Star team in 1984 while playing both the outfield and first base. Sax played 14 seasons and hit.281 with 444 steals. The Dodgers starting second baseman for most of the 1980s, he was the 1982 NL Rookie of the Year and a five time All-Star.

January draft

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Brian HoltonRHPLouisburg CollegeYes1978–1992MLB
2Greg SchultzSSSacramento City CollegeYes1978–1985AAA
3Brad PattersonRHPUmpqua Community CollegeNo
4Mathew ReevesLHPSacramento City CollegeYes1978–1982A
5Bryan LittleSSLouisburg CollegeNo
Expos-1980		1980–1988MLB
6Jimmy BoringRHPGeorgia Perimeter CollegeNo
7Larry Pittman1BAbraham Baldwin Agricultural CollegeNo
Mets-1979		1979–1981A
9Anthony MurdaughRHPUniversity of South CarolinaNo
9Peter ZorichRHPLower Columbia CollegeNo

January Secondary phase

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Russell McDonaldRHPDeAnza CollegeYes1978–1984AAA
2Daniel SijerLHPShoreline Community CollegeNo
Padres-1979		1979–1980A
3Stephen SmithRHPGulf Coast Community CollegeNo

June draft

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
2Clay SmithSSNorthwest Classen High SchoolYes1978–1981A
3Augie RuizLHPUniversity of MiamiYes1978–1984AAA
4Glenn GallagherLHPPeekskill High SchoolNo
Blue Jays-1981		1981–1984AA
5John RobbinsOFLockhart High SchoolYes1978–1980A
6Mike Marshall1BBuffalo Grove High SchoolYes1978–1999MLB
7Mark NippRHPUniversity of OklahomaYes1978–1981AAA
8William SwiackiRHPAmherst CollegeYes1978–1982AAA
9Steve SaxSSMarshall High SchoolYes1978–1994MLB
10Rodney KempOFSan Jose State UniversityYes1978–1980A
11John MalkinCCardinal Spellman High SchoolYes1978–1985AAA
12Francis WilczewskiRHPIndependence High SchoolYes1978–1979A
13Melvin MeadowsOFWhite Oak High SchoolYes1979Rookie
14Jeffrey KopjoOFLyons Township High SchoolYes1978–1979Rookie
15Stephen MaplesCSkyline High SchoolYes1978–1980A
16Brian HayesLHPUniversity of Southern CaliforniaYes1978–1980AA
17Joseph PocorobaSSCrespi Carmelite High SchoolYes1978–1979Rookie
18Eric BullockOFSouth Gate High SchoolNo
Astros-1981		1981–1995MLB
19Gary WeissIFUniversity of HoustonYes1978–1981MLB
20Chris IwasakiOFReedley CollegeNo
21Dave LaPointRHPMonadnock Regional High SchoolNo
22Thomas BanducciRHPWilliam Floyd High SchoolYes1978Rookie
23Chris Gandy1BUniversity of California, RiversideYes1978–1980A
24Warren ReehLHPYes1978Rookie
25William MurraySSTamalpais High SchoolNo
Dodgers-1981		1981A
26David AlbrechtLHPAppleton East High SchoolNo
27James TaylorCUniversity of South CarolinaNo
28Robert WhiteLHPLake Mills High SchoolYes1978–1980A
29Joseph HerbertOFColumbia High SchoolYes1978Rookie
30Kevin PattenOFMiami University of OhioNo
Braves-1979		1979Rookie
31Kent JohnsonRHPMuncie Northside High SchoolYes1978–1979A
32Daniel ForerLHPIowa Western Community CollegeNo
Dodgers-1981		1981A
33Michael VienneRHPSt. Mary's High SchoolNo
34Mark PirruccelloCServite High SchoolNo
Royals-1982		1982–1984AA

June secondary phase

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Dann BilardelloCCabrillo CollegeYes1978–1994MLB
2Keith SchrimsherRHPUniversity of South FloridaNo
Reds-1979		1979–1980A