History of the World Series – 1977

The lefthanded-hitting slugger had belted 32 home runs and knocked in 110 runs in his first season with the Yankees, helping New York to its second straight American League pennant. After having a poor Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals (two hits in 16 at-bats), he was enjoying a fine World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jackson had homered in his last official at-bat, connecting in the eighth inning of Game 5, and was batting .353 in this Series. He had rapped a double and a home run in Game 4.

As Jackson dug in against Dodgers starter Burt Hooton, off whom Reggie had drawn a second-inning walk, the Yankees led Los Angeles, three games to two, in the Series but trailed in this contest by a 3-2 score. Thurman Munson was on first base for the Yanks with an inning-opening single. Hooton delivered his first pitch to Jackson and Reggie rocketed it into the right-field stands, sending New York into a 4-3 lead. Lou Piniella added a sacrifice fly later in the inning and the Yankees suddenly had a two-run lead.

With two out in the Yanks’ fifth and Willie Randolph on first base, Jackson drilled another first-pitch homer into the right-field seats, victimizing Elias Sosa this time around.

Then, facing Charlie Hough, Jackson electrified the Yankee Stadium throng of 56,407 by leading off the eighth with a prodigious wallop into the center-field bleachers. You guessed it, he blasted Hough’s first offering.

Jackson had made his 18th World Series game one of the most memorable in the history of the fall classic, becoming only the second player in history to smash three home runs in one Series game (Babe Ruth achieved the feat twice, in 1926 and 1928). Furthermore, Reggie’s five home runs in one Series and his four consecutive homers over two Series games were unprecedented feats.

The incredible display provided an emotional turnaround for Jackson, who had been embroiled in season-long squabbles with Manager Billy Martin, and exactly four months earlier had been pulled off the field by Martin at Boston’s Fenway Park for what the manager termed a lack of hustle. Jackson’s removal and ensuing dugout confrontation with Martin during the Saturday afternoon game were captured by national-television cameras, and Reggie’s spirits plunged. The strong-willed Jackson and Martin bruised each other’s egos right and left in 1977, but they patched up their differences long enough to work together in the common quest of bringing a World Series championship back to Yankee Stadium.

New York, getting its second complete-game performance of the Series from Mike Torrez (an April acquisition from Oakland), rode Jackson’s five RBIs to a clinching 8-4 triumph that earned the Yankees their first World Series crown since 1962 and 21st overall.

The Dodgers, guided by first-year Manager Tommy Lasorda, had upset the vaunted Cincinnati Reds in the National League West and bowled over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Championship Series. They had a talented pitching staff headed by 20-game winner Tommy John and a potent offense that featured the long-ball exploits of Steve Garvey, Reggie Smith, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker. For the first time in big-league history, four players on one club hit 30 or more homers in the same season — Garvey (33), Smith (32), Cey (30) and Baker (30).

The Dodgers battled gamely in the Series opener, tying the game at 3-3 in the ninth on pinch-hitter Lee Lacy’s single. But the Yankees prevailed in the 12th when Randolph doubled and Paul Blair singled. In Game 2, Cey, Smith and Steve Yeager cracked early-inning homers off Jim (Catfish) Hunter and Hooton tossed a five-hitter as Los Angeles scored a 6-1 victory.

New York then leaped to a three games-to-one lead, taking Game 3 by a 5-3 count as Torrez outpitched John and winning the fourth, 4-2, behind the effective pitching of blossoming lefthander Ron Guidry. But the Dodgers stayed in contention by roughing up free-agent signee Don Gullett in Game 5. Yeager blasted a three-run homer off the former Cincinnati Reds stalwart in the fourth inning and Los Angeles, receiving steady pitching from Don Sutton, went on to a 10-4 triumph. That set the stage for Reggie Jackson’s heroics.

The Yankees needed every bit of Jackson’s offensive production — his final numbers against the Dodgers included a .450 average, five homers and eight RBls — plus solid pitching from Torrez (2-0 record, 2.50 earned-run average) and Guidry (a four-hit, seven-strikeout performance in his lone outing) to overcome some shaky performances from their big-name hurlers. Gullett and Hunter, both of whom had arm problems during the regular season, allowed 14 earned runs in their 17 innings of Series work and absorbed the Yankees’ two losses.

Once again the month of October belonged to the Yankees, and to Reggie Jackson.