10 greatest pennant chases in Major League Baseball history
3. 1978 American League East
Bucky F–ing Dent. One of the most amazing pennant chases in Major League Baseball history can be summarized by the famous nickname of one player.
In 1978, there were just two divisions in each league, which meant a team needed to finish the regular season in first place in order to receive a spot in the playoffs. With a strong 26-14 start to the season, the Boston Red Sox took control of first place in the AL East on May 22, and by July 5 they had a record of 54-24 and led the division by ten games. A spot in the ALCS appeared to be safely in hand.
In New York, the Yankees also started strong, but by the middle of the summer had fallen well behind the hated Red Sox in the standings. On July 19, the Yankees were 47-42 and in fourth place – 14 games behind Boston.
During that time, Yankees manager Billy Martin clashed with outfielder Reggie Jackson and owner George Steinbrenner, which eventually led to the end of Martin’s first stint on the bench in New York. By then the team’s turnaround – and Boston’s demise – had already begun.
With the Yankees sitting in fourth place with a record of 52-43, Bob Lemon was named manager and he led New York on a 34-13 run to tie the Red Sox for first place in the division. Lemon’s Yankees took sole possession of first and even opened up a 3.5-game lead over Boston a week later, but couldn’t hold it. With a 9-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on the final day of the regular season coupled with a 5-0 Boston victory over Toronto, the teams finished with identical 99-63 records to force a one-game tiebreaker.
And that’s where Bucky Dent comes in. On October 2, 1978 the Yankees’ shortstop and No. 9 hitter, hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning of the one-game playoff to give New York a 3-2 lead that the team would not relinquish in a 5-4 victory.
The Yankees went on to win the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Bucky F–ing Dent dug the knife a little deeper into the sides of Red Sox fans by hitting .417 and winning World Series MVP honors.
Next: 1951 National League