1977 World Series - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Game 1

Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
The Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes

Davey Lopes

David Earle Lopes is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.He is of Cape Verdean descent.-Playing:...

walked and scored on a Bill Russell

Bill Russell (baseball)

William Ellis Russell is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series champion...

triple. Ron Cey

Ron Cey

Ronald Charles Cey |Washington]]) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics . Cey batted and threw right-handed...

made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly. The Yankees answered back on consecutive two-out singles by Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson

Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...

, Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...

, and Chris Chambliss

Chris Chambliss

Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

, scoring Munson.

In the top of the sixth, the Dodgers looked to extend their lead. Steve Garvey

Steve Garvey

Steven Patrick Garvey , nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman...

beat out a bunt and, with one out, attempted to score from first on a hit-and-run single by Glenn Burke

Glenn Burke

Glenn Lawrence Burke was a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979....

. Centerfielder Mickey Rivers

Mickey Rivers

John Milton "Mickey" Rivers is a former Major League Baseball player from 1970-1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers...

threw Garvey out at the plate, although replays clearly showed that Garvey slid safely under Munson's tag. The Yankees tied it in their half of the sixth when Willie Randolph

Willie Randolph

Willie Larry Randolph is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and manager, most recently the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles...

belted a solo homer off Don Sutton.

The Yankees took the lead in the eighth when Munson doubled home Randolph. Later in the inning, the Yankees loaded the bases with one out, but Dodger reliever Elias Sosa

Elias Sosa

Elías Sosa Martínez , is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent on March 4, 1968. He played for the Giants , St...

struck out Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella

Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...

and retired Bucky Dent

Bucky Dent

Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...

on a forceout to end the threat.

The Dodgers tied it at 3–3 in the ninth. Dusty Baker

Dusty Baker

Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...

led off with a single and was almost picked off first when pinch-hitter Manny Mota

Manny Mota

Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, more commonly known as Manny Mota was a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos and most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers, best known for his pinch hitting abilities...

failed on a bunt attempt. Mota flied out, but Steve Yeager

Steve Yeager

Stephen Wayne "Steve" Yeager is an American right-handed former major league baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from through , with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, , he played for the Seattle Mariners...

walked and pinch-hitter Lee Lacy

Lee Lacy

Leondaus "Lee" Lacy , is a former Major League baseball player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles, primarily as an outfielder, from 1972-1987.-Trivia:...

drove Baker home with a single.

In extra innings, the Yankees got their leadoff hitters on in both the tenth and eleventh innings, but couldn't score due to failure to lay down sacrifice bunts. Finally, in the twelfth, Randolph led off and doubled and Munson was walked intentionally. Yankee manager Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

at first wanted Paul Blair

Paul Blair (baseball)

Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...

, the next hitter, to try to sacrifice again, but after two failed attempts, Martin had Blair hit away and Blair singled home Randolph with the game-winner.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 12, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York

With aces Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry

Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

and Mike Torrez

Mike Torrez

Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...

having both pitched in Game 5 of the ALCS, Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

was forced to use a sore-shouldered Catfish Hunter

Catfish Hunter

James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...

in Game 2. The Dodgers hit three homers in the first three innings off Hunter. Ron Cey

Ron Cey

Ronald Charles Cey |Washington]]) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics . Cey batted and threw right-handed...

hit a two-run home run in the first, Steve Yeager

Steve Yeager

a solo home run in the second, and Reggie Smith

Reggie Smith

Carl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest...

a two-run home run in the third. Steve Garvey

Steve Garvey

hit a solo home run in the ninth. Burt Hooton

Burt Hooton

Burt Carlton Hooton , nicknamed "Happy" , is a coach and former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...

pitched a five-hit complete game. Hooton would make amends for his meltdown in Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS.

Game 3

Friday, October 14, 1977 at Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...

in Los Angeles, California

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

With the Series tied and the next three games at Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium

, the Dodgers had to like their chances. However, the Yanks put a damper on those feelings by striking for three runs in the first off Tommy John

Tommy John

Thomas Edward John Jr. is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball whose 288 career victories rank as the seventh highest total among left-handers in major league history...

. Knowing that John was a control pitcher that liked to keep the ball down, the Yankee hitters' strategy was to go the opposite way. And, in the first, it paid off. Mickey Rivers

Mickey Rivers

John Milton "Mickey" Rivers is a former Major League Baseball player from 1970-1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers...

led off with a double to right and scored on a Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson

Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...

double to right. Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

singled to left to score Munson and went to second when Dodger left fielder Dusty Baker

Dusty Baker

fumbled the ball bare-handed. Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella

then scored Jackson on an opposite-field RBI single to make it 3–0.

Baker would atone for his first-inning error by connecting for a three-run homer in the third off Yankee starter Mike Torrez

Mike Torrez

Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...

. The Yankees came back with single runs in the fourth and fifth on an RBI groundout by Rivers, who would finish the game with three hits (including two doubles), and an RBI single by Chris Chambliss

Chris Chambliss

Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

. Torrez settled into a groove after Baker's home run, shutting out the Dodgers for the rest of the way. Torrez would finish with nine strikeouts in the complete-game win.

Game 4

Saturday, October 15, 1977 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
With Don Sutton needing another day of rest, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda

Thomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...

started left-hander Doug Rau

Doug Rau

Douglas James Rau , is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1981...

to combat the Yankees' left-handed power. Rau was rusty, having only pitched in relief in one game of the 1977 NLCS, and it showed. After a relatively easy first inning, Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

greeted Rau with a leadoff double in the second. Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella

singled Jackson home with the first run and was doubled to third by Chris Chambliss

Chris Chambliss

Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

. Lasorda then pulled Rau in favor of Rick Rhoden

Rick Rhoden

Richard Alan Rhoden is a professional golfer and was a Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 16 year baseball career, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros of the National League; and the New York Yankees of the American League.-Early years:Rhoden was...

, resulting in a heated argument between the two on the mound. The Yankees would score two more runs in the inning on an RBI groundout by Graig Nettles

Graig Nettles

Graig Nettles , nicknamed "Puff", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres , Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos .Nettles was one of the best...

and an RBI single by Bucky Dent

Bucky Dent

.

The Dodgers pushed across two in the third. Rhoden, a good hitting pitcher, hit a ground-rule double to left and Davey Lopes

Davey Lopes

followed with a two-run homer off Yankee starter Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry

Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

. The Dodgers would get nothing else off Guidry, as he settled down and pitched a four-hit complete game.

The Dodgers almost tied the game in the fourth when Ron Cey

Ron Cey

Ronald Charles Cey |Washington]]) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics . Cey batted and threw right-handed...

sent a drive to deep left that Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella

leaped up and caught, robbing him of a home run. Jackson would end the scoring with an opposite-field solo homer off Rhoden in the sixth.

Game 5

Sunday, October 16, 1977 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Needing a win to stave off the embarrassment of losing the World Series at home, the Dodgers took out their frustrations in Game 5 on Don Gullett. Davey Lopes

Davey Lopes

led off the first with a triple and came home when Bill Russell

Bill Russell (baseball)

singled. In the fourth, the Dodgers broke the game open on an RBI single by Dusty Baker

Dusty Baker

and a three-run homer by Steve Yeager

Steve Yeager

. Baker added another RBI single in the fifth, Lee Lacy

Lee Lacy

singled home a run, and Yeager batted in another run with a sacrifice fly. Reggie Smith

Reggie Smith

completed the rout with a two-run homer in the sixth.

The Yankees pushed across two runs each in the seventh and eighth; the two runs in the eighth coming on back-to-back homers by Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson

Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...

and Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

. Nevertheless, Dodger starting pitcher Don Sutton pitched a complete game for the win.

Jackson's solo shot in the eighth came on the first pitch from Sutton, setting the stage for a memorable finale.

Game 6

Tuesday, October 18, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
56,407 fans filled Yankee Stadium in hopes of seeing the Yankees close out the series.

The Dodgers didn't go down without a fight. Steve Garvey

Steve Garvey

put the Dodgers on the board first with a two-out, two-run triple in the first off Mike Torrez

Mike Torrez

Michael Augustine Torrez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Career:Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St...

. The Yankees came back and tied it in the second on a Chris Chambliss

Chris Chambliss

Carroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

two-run homer after Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

walked on four pitches. Reggie Smith

Reggie Smith

put the Dodgers up 3–2 with his third homer of the Series, a solo shot in the third.

Jackson hit a two-run homer in the fourth on the first pitch he saw from starter Burt Hooton

Burt Hooton

Burt Carlton Hooton , nicknamed "Happy" , is a coach and former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...

to give the Yankees the lead. Lou Piniella

Lou Piniella

made it 5–3 by adding a sacrifice fly.

Once again, in the fifth with a man on, Jackson connected on the first pitch off Elias Sosa

Elias Sosa

to make the score 7–3.

Finally, in the eighth, Jackson strode to the plate, amid the chants of "REG-GIE, REG-GIE, REG-GIE!", and drove the first Charlie Hough

Charlie Hough

Charles Oliver Hough is a former Major League Baseball knuckleball pitcher. He is currently a senior adviser of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Playing career:...

knuckleball he saw 475 feet into the stands. The score was now 8–3.

With his Game 5 first-pitch homer and his four-pitch walk in the second inning of Game 6, Jackson would homer on his last four swings of the bat in the Series, each off a different Dodger pitcher.

The Dodgers pushed across a run in the ninth, but that would hardly matter as unsung hero Torrez would pitch his second complete game win of the Series.

Composite box

1977 World Series (4–2): New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

(A.L.) over Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

(N.L.)

Broadcasting

This was the first World Series televised by the ABC network since 1949

1949 World Series

The 1949 World Series featured the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games for their second defeat of the Dodgers in three years, and the twelfth championship in team history...

, and the first since television of the Series started in 1947

1947 World Series

The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning the Series in seven games for their first title since , and the eleventh championship in team history...

not to be televised, at least in part, by rival network NBC. NBC had been the exclusive television network of the Series from 1950

1950 World Series

The 1950 World Series was the 47th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as 1950 champions of the National League and the New York Yankees, as 1950 American League champions, competed to win a best-of-seven...

–1976

1976 World Series

The 1976 World Series matched the defending champion Cincinnati Reds of the National League against the New York Yankees of the American League, with the Reds sweeping the Series to repeat. The Reds became the only team to sweep an entire multi-tier postseason. The Reds are also the last National...

, and had covered that year's Yankees

1977 New York Yankees season

The 1977 New York Yankees season was the 75th season for the Yankees in New York and the 77th season overall for the franchise. It culminated in the 21st World Series championship in franchise history, and its first under the ownership of George Steinbrenner...

–Royals

1977 Kansas City Royals season

The 1977 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing first in the American League West with a record of 102 wins and 60 losses...

and Dodgers

1977 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The Los Angeles Dodgers season saw Tommy Lasorda take over the reins as Manager from longtime skipper Walter Alston. The Dodgers coasted to a 10-game victory in the National League West and beat the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NLCS, only to lose to the New York Yankees in the World...

–Phillies

1977 Philadelphia Phillies season

The 1977 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 95th season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies won their second consecutive National League East division title with a record of 101-61, five games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies lost the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, three...

playoff series

League Championship Series

The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969...

that year.

It was also the first time that the participating teams' local announcers were not featured during game play on the network telecast, though the Yankees' Bill White and the Dodgers' Ross Porter did pre-game TV features and White handled the post-game celebration in the Yankee cluhouse after they clinched the title. White and Porter would also do portions of the CBS Radio

Major League Baseball on CBS Radio

Major League Baseball on CBS Radio was the de facto title for the CBS Radio Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. Produced by CBS Radio Sports , the program was the official national radio broadcaster for the All-Star Game and the postseason from 1976 to 1997.-Contracts:CBS first covered...

play-by-play for the Series.

1977 World Series in film

The 1977 New York Yankees is one of the key plot points, along with the Son of Sam and the New York City Blackout of 1977

New York City blackout of 1977

The New York City blackout of 1977 was an electricity blackout affected most of New York City from July 13, 1977 to July 14, 1977. The only neighborhoods in New York City that were not affected were in southern Queens, and neighborhoods of the Rockaways, which are part of the Long Island Lighting...

, in the movie Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime-drama based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee.-Plot:Summer of Sam is the story of a group of people in New York City in the summer of 1977, a time when the headlines were dominated by the Son of Sam serial killer...

directed by (Yankees fan) Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

.

In the film BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...

, Reggie Jackson is shown hitting his third home run of the game.

In , the 1977 New York Yankees were the subject of the ESPN mini-series The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning
The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007, after the 2007 MLB Home Run Derby. It is an eight-episode mini-series adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning...

.

Yankees manager Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda

had actually been involved in a well known fist fight years before when both were still players.

Series quotes

External links

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