Stuck in the history books between the 1975 and 1986 American League pennant winners, who each nearly became the first to end the infamous “Curse of the Bambino” was the 1978 Boston Red Sox club that finished the season 99-64 and in second place in the AL East after they lost a ten-game lead over the New York Yankees in the standings. As they had so many times before, the Yankees went on to win the World Series (their second in a row following a mere 15-year drought), while the Sox watched at home on television.
Led by AL MVP Jim Rice, who hit .315/.370/.600 with a league-leading 15 triples, 46 home runs and 139 RBI, as well as a team-high 121 runs scored, the Sox had one of the most star-studded lineups in the game. Catcher Carlton Fisk (20 HR, 88 RBI), outfielder Fred Lynn (22 HR, 82 RBI), shortstop Rick Burleson (5 HR, 49RBI), outfielder Dwight Evans (24 HR, 63 RBI), second baseman Jerry Remy ( 2 HR, 44 RBI, 30 SB) and outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter Carl Yastrzemski (17 HR, 81 RBI) all joined Rice on the AL All-Star squad that season.
Dennis Eckersley won 20 games and posted a 2.99 ERA across 35 games as a 23-year old starter, and Luis Tiant (13-8, 3.31) and Bill Lee (10-10, 3.64) were dependable veterans for a solid starting rotation, though Mike Torrez (16-13, 3.96) couldn’t hold a 2-0 seventh-inning lead in the one-game playoff at Fenway Park. Torrez allowed a three-run home run to Bucky Dent, and the Sox lost 5-4, ending their quest to end the curse.
Next: 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers