1978 San Diego Padres season
Encyclopedia
The 1978 San Diego Padres
season was the tenth in franchise history. The team finished in fourth place in the National League West
with a record of 84-78, 11 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers
.
became the first player to win Cy Young Award
s in both leagues as he finished the season with the National League
Cy Young Award.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
season was the tenth in franchise history. The team finished in fourth place in the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
with a record of 84-78, 11 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers
1978 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 1978 season ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning their second straight National League pennant and losing to the New York Yankees in the World Series again...
.
Offseason
- November 29, 1977: Oscar GambleOscar GambleOscar Charles Gamble is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. He played for 17 seasons, from 1969 to 1985, on seven different teams: the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees on two separate occasions, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland...
was signed as a free agent by the Padres. - January 10, 1978: Mike MartinMike Martin (catcher)Joseph Michael Martin is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played eight games for the Chicago Cubs in , getting just one hit, a double in 13 at bats. 1986 was Martin's last professional season after nine years in minor league baseball....
was drafted by the Padres in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft1978 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :In 1978, four players made the jump from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta...
secondary phase. - January 25, 1978: Dave TomlinDave TomlinDavid Allen Tomlin is an American professional baseball coach and manager. During his playing career in Major League Baseball, he was a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds , San Diego Padres , Montreal Expos and Pittsburgh Pirates .He helped the Reds to win the 1972 National League...
was traded along with $125,000 by the Padres to the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Gaylord PerryGaylord PerryGaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
. - February 2, 1978: Mickey LolichMickey LolichMichael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
was signed as a free agent by the Padres.
Regular season
Gaylord PerryGaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
became the first player to win Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
s in both leagues as he finished the season with the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Cy Young Award.
Notable transactions
- May 26, 1978: George HendrickGeorge HendrickGeorge Andrew Hendrick Jr. is a former major league outfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels. However Hendrick is best remembered as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he played for from 1979–84. He was a...
was traded by the Padres to the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Eric RasmussenEric RasmussenEric Ralph Rasmussen is a retired professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of eight seasons in the majors, between and...
. - June 5, 1978: Steve Hamrick (minors) was traded by the Padres to the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for a player to be named later. The Royals completed the deal by sending Gary LanceGary LanceGary Dean Lance is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He appeared in one game for the Kansas City Royals in , pitching two innings of relief against the Oakland Athletics on September 28. He came into the game in the 8th inning in relief of Mark Littell after the A's had tied the game at 5-5...
to the Padres on September 29. - June 6, 1978: 1978 Major League Baseball Draft1978 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :In 1978, four players made the jump from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta...
- Andy HawkinsAndy HawkinsMelton Andrew "Andy" Hawkins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics...
was drafted by the Padres in the 1st round (5th pick). - Doug GwosdzDoug GwosdzDoug Wayne "Eyechart" Gwosdz is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. He played during four seasons at the major league level for the San Diego Padres. He was drafted by the Padres in the 2nd round of the amateur draft...
was drafted by the Padres in the 2nd round. - Steve FireovidSteve FireovidStephen John Fireovid is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Fireovid pitched in all or part of six seasons in the majors for five different teams bwetween and . In none of those seasons did Fireovid pitch more than 10 games in the majors...
was drafted by the Padres in the 7th round.
- Andy Hawkins
- June 14, 1978: Dan SpillnerDan SpillnerDaniel Ray Spillner , is a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1974-1985. He played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox....
was traded by the Padres to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Dennis KinneyDennis KinneyDennis Paul Kinney is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors, from until ....
.
Roster
| 1978 San Diego Padres | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders | Manager Coaches |
||||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 88 | 226 | 50 | .221 | 1 | 11 | |
| 2B | 101 | 320 | 80 | .250 | 2 | 29 | |
| CF | 158 | 587 | 181 | .308 | 24 | 97 | |
| RF | 126 | 375 | 103 | .275 | 7 | 47 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 217 | 52 | .240 | 2 | 33 | |
| 36 | 111 | 27 | .243 | 3 | 8 | |
| 54 | 97 | 21 | .216 | 1 | 7 | |
| 24 | 90 | 24 | .267 | 0 | 4 | |
| 32 | 53 | 12 | .226 | 0 | 4 | |
| 19 | 40 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 0 | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 260.2 | 21 | 6 | 2.73 | 154 | |
| 27 | 146.1 | 12 | 10 | 4.06 | 59 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 166 | 8 | 11 | 3.69 | 102 | |
| 12 | 26.2 | 0 | 3 | 6.08 | 16 | |
| 4 | 7.2 | 1 | 0 | 5.87 | 1 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 2.52 | 72 | |
| 56 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3.28 | 31 | |
| 45 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 2.13 | 104 | |
| 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.56 | 13 | |
| 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.56 | 16 | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.43 | 2 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.14 | 2 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.80 | 2 |
All-Stars
1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 49th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 11, 1978 at San Diego Stadium in San Diego, California, home of the...
- Rollie FingersRollie FingersRoland Glen Fingers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers . He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992...
- Dave WinfieldDave WinfieldDavid Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...