1978 Minnesota Twins season
| 1978 Minnesota Twins | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes) |
| General manager(s) | Calvin Griffith |
| Manager(s) | Gene Mauch |
| Local television |
WTCN (Harmon Killebrew, Joe Boyle) |
| Local radio |
830 WCCO AM (Herb Carneal, Frank Quilici) |
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The 1978 Minnesota Twins finished 73-89, fourth in the American League West.
Offseason
- October 3, 1977: Jim Hughes was released by the Twins.[1]
- October 3, 1977: Steve Luebber was released by the Twins.[2]
- October 25, 1977: Bombo Rivera was purchased by the Twins from the Montreal Expos.[3]
- December 6, 1977: Jesús Vega was drafted by the Twins from the Milwaukee Brewers in the minor league draft.[4]
- January 10, 1978: Jesse Orosco was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round of the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.[5]
- March 23, 1978: Don Carrithers was released by the Twins.[6]
Regular season
On May 7, shortstop Roy Smalley set a Twins record by drawing five walks in a 15-9 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Smalley went 1 for 1 and scored three times.[7]
Third baseman Mike Cubbage, on July 27, became the fifth Twin to hit for the cycle (following Rod Carew, 1970; César Tovar, 1972; Larry Hisle, 1976 and Lyman Bostock, 1976). Cubby went double, homer, single, triple off Toronto Blue Jays' pitching. In subsequent years, five others will match the feat: Gary Ward, 1980; Kirby Puckett, 1986; Carlos Gómez, 2008; Jason Kubel, 2009; and Michael Cuddyer, 2009.
787,878 fans attended Twins games, the second lowest total in the American League. Only one Twins player made the All-Star Game: first baseman Rod Carew. In that game at San Diego Stadium, Carew—in his twelfth consecutive All-Star appearance—performed an All-Star first by hitting two triples in the game.
Carew won his seventh AL batting title[8] with a .333 average, leading the team in hits and runs scored. Shortstop Roy Smalley hit 19 HR and collected 77 RBI. Dan Ford hit 11 HR and collected 82 RBI.
Reliever Mike Marshall was signed in May and replaced Tom Johnson and Bill Campbell as manager Gene Mauch's all-purpose reliever. Marshall went on to rack up 10 relief wins along with 21 saves. Three starters had double digit wins: Dave Goltz (15-10), Roger Erickson (14-13), Geoff Zahn (14-14).
Season standings
| AL West | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 92 | 70 | 0.568 | — | 56–25 | 36–45 |
| Texas Rangers | 87 | 75 | 0.537 | 5 | 52–30 | 35–45 |
| California Angels | 87 | 75 | 0.537 | 5 | 50–31 | 37–44 |
| Minnesota Twins | 73 | 89 | 0.451 | 19 | 38–43 | 35–46 |
| Chicago White Sox | 71 | 90 | 0.441 | 20½ | 38–42 | 33–48 |
| Oakland Athletics | 69 | 93 | 0.426 | 23 | 38–42 | 31–51 |
| Seattle Mariners | 56 | 104 | 0.350 | 35 | 32–49 | 24–55 |
Record vs. opponents
1978 American League Records Sources: | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 7–8 | 4–6 | 8–1 | 9–6 | 7–8 | 2–8 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 11–0 | 9–1 | 7–4 | 8–7 |
| Boston | 8–7 | — | 9–2 | 7–3 | 7–8 | 12–3 | 4–6 | 10–5 | 9–2 | 7–9 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 3–7 | 11–4 |
| California | 6–4 | 2–9 | — | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–7 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 12–3 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 9–6 | 5–10 | 7–3 |
| Chicago | 1–8 | 3–7 | 7–8 | — | 8–2 | 2–9 | 8–7 | 4–7 | 8–7 | 1–9 | 7–8 | 7–8 | 11–4 | 4–6 |
| Cleveland | 6–9 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 2–8 | — | 5–10 | 5–6 | 5–10 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 4–6 | 8–1 | 1–9 | 10–4 |
| Detroit | 8–7 | 3–12 | 7–4 | 9–2 | 10–5 | — | 4–6 | 7–8 | 4–6 | 4–11 | 6–4 | 8–2 | 7–3 | 9–6 |
| Kansas City | 8–2 | 6–4 | 6–9 | 7–8 | 6–5 | 6–4 | — | 6–4 | 7–8 | 6–5 | 10–5 | 12–3 | 7–8 | 5–5 |
| Milwaukee | 8–7 | 5–10 | 5–5 | 7–4 | 10–5 | 8–7 | 4–6 | — | 4–7 | 10–5 | 9–1 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 12–3 |
| Minnesota | 5–5 | 2–9 | 3–12 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 7–4 | — | 3–7 | 9–6 | 6–9 | 6–9 | 6–4 |
| New York | 9–6 | 9–7 | 5–5 | 9–1 | 9–6 | 11–4 | 5–6 | 5–10 | 7–3 | — | 8–2 | 6–5 | 6–4 | 11–4 |
| Oakland | 0–11 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 5–10 | 1–9 | 6–9 | 2–8 | — | 13–2 | 6–9 | 7–4 |
| Seattle | 1–9 | 3–7 | 6–9 | 8–7 | 1–8 | 2–8 | 3–12 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 5–6 | 2–13 | — | 3–12 | 8–2 |
| Texas | 4–7 | 7–3 | 10–5 | 4–11 | 9–1 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 9–6 | 4–6 | 9–6 | 12–3 | — | 4–7 |
| Toronto | 7–8 | 4–11 | 3–7 | 6–4 | 4–10 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 3–12 | 4–6 | 4–11 | 4–7 | 2–8 | 7–4 | — |
Opening Day starters
- Rod Carew
- Dan Ford
- Craig Kusick
- Willie Norwood
- Bob Randall
- Bombo Rivera
- Roy Smalley
- Larry Wolfe
- Butch Wynegar
- Geoff Zahn[9]
Notable transactions
- May 15, 1978: Mike Marshall was signed as a free agent by the Twins.[10]
- June 6, 1978: 1978 Major League Baseball draft
- Lenny Faedo was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (16th pick).[11]
- Kent Hrbek was drafted by the Twins in the 17th round.[12]
Roster
| 1978 Minnesota Twins | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Carew, RodRod Carew | 152 | 564 | 188 | .333 | 5 | 70 |
| 2B | Randall, BobBob Randall | 119 | 330 | 89 | .270 | 0 | 21 |
| SS | Smalley, RoyRoy Smalley | 158 | 586 | 160 | .273 | 19 | 77 |
| LF | Norwood, WillieWillie Norwood | 125 | 428 | 109 | .255 | 8 | 46 |
| CF | Ford, DanDan Ford | 151 | 592 | 162 | .274 | 11 | 82 |
| DH | Adams, GlennGlenn Adams | 116 | 310 | 80 | .258 | 7 | 35 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivera, BomboBombo Rivera | 101 | 251 | 68 | .271 | 3 | 23 |
| Morales, JoséJosé Morales | 101 | 242 | 76 | .314 | 2 | 38 |
| Wolfe, LarryLarry Wolfe | 88 | 235 | 55 | .234 | 3 | 25 |
| Kusick, CraigCraig Kusick | 77 | 191 | 33 | .173 | 4 | 20 |
| Borgmann, GlennGlenn Borgmann | 49 | 123 | 26 | .211 | 3 | 15 |
| Edwards, DaveDave Edwards | 15 | 44 | 11 | .250 | 1 | 3 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erickson, RogerRoger Erickson | 37 | 265.2 | 14 | 13 | 3.96 | 121 |
| Zahn, GeoffGeoff Zahn | 35 | 252.1 | 14 | 14 | 3.03 | 106 |
| Goltz, DaveDave Goltz | 29 | 220.1 | 15 | 10 | 2.49 | 116 |
| Jackson, DarrellDarrell Jackson | 19 | 92.1 | 4 | 6 | 4.48 | 54 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perzanowski, StanStan Perzanowski | 13 | 56.2 | 2 | 7 | 5.24 | 31 |
| Johnson, DaveDave Johnson | 6 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 7.50 | 7 |
| Redfern, PetePete Redfern | 3 | 9.2 | 0 | 2 | 6.52 | 4 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall, MikeMike Marshall | 54 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 2.45 | 56 |
| Johnson, TomTom Johnson | 18 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5.51 | 21 |
| Scarce, MacMac Scarce | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.94 | 17 |
| Holly, JeffJeff Holly | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.57 | 12 |
| Harrison, RoricRoric Harrison | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7.50 | 7 |
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Visalia, Elizabethton
Notes
- ↑ Jim Hughes at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Steve Luebber at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Bombo Rivera at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Jesús Vega at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Jesse Orosco at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Don Carrithers at Baseball Reference
- ↑ "Smalley Draws 5 Walks". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
- ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 107, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ↑ http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1978&t=MIN
- ↑ Mike Marshall at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Lenny Faedo at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Kent Hrbek at Baseball Reference
References
- Player stats from www.baseball-reference.com
- Team info from www.baseball-almanac.com
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.