1978 – J.R. Richard tosses three wild pitches in the seventh inning, wasting his own three-hitter in the process. His last errant one allows Larry Herndon to trot home with the only run in a 1-0 defeat by Bob Knepper and San Francisco. The wild pitches tie a record Richard had already tied once that season.
On May 28, 1978, future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer records the 200th victory of his career. Using his trademark curve and fastball, the Baltimore Orioles’ veteran shuts out the Cleveland Indians, 3-0. Palmer will finish his career with 268 wins and gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Cubs take over first place with a 6 – 4, come-from-behind win over the Phillies. Dave Rader’s 2-run triple ties the game in the 8th and Manny Trillo’s 2-run homer in the 10th wins it.
The American League approves the transfer of the Boston Red Sox to a group headed by Jean R. Yawkey, Buddy LeRoux, and Haywood Sullivan. The purchase price is estimated at $15 million. Sullivan had a seven-year career as a catcher for the Red Sox and Kansas City Athletics, while LeRoux was the Boston trainer for eight years.
On May 23, 1978, Oakland A’s manager Bobby Winkles quits his position, despite the team’s first-place standing in the American League West. Former Kansas City Royals manager Jack McKeon will take over the reigns. The A’s will end up last in the division.
1978 – J.R. Richard fires his second-straight shutout in a 13-0 drubbing of the Braves. Jose Cruz is the batting star with four hits and six RBIs. Enos Cabell contributes three hits while Denny Walling launches his first major league home run.
Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a 535-foot home run off Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to highlight a 6 – 0 victory at Stade Olympique. It is the longest home run in the ballpark’s history and is also Stargell’s 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider on the career all-time list.
Lee Lacy hits a pinch home run to help the Dodgers to a 10 – 1 victory over Pittsburgh. It is Lacy’s third consecutive home run in a pinch-hitting role, setting a major league record. His previous blasts were on May 2nd and May 6th.
David Clyde, who has not won since May 1974, tosses a four-hitter to lead the Indians to a 3 – 2 win over the A’s. The winning runs are unearned for Cleveland.
The Reds’ Tom Seaver strikes out 13 in beating the Expos, 7 – 1, in Montreal.
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