1977 was the last time there were no saves.
I guess this was all lost in Reggie Jackson's five home runs (Including four in four consecutive at bats in game 5 / game 6), a classic six-game World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers, and some great starting pitching, perhaps?
Not that each team didn't have a pretty good closer. The New York Yankees had Sparkly Lyle, 13-5 with 26 saves. The Los Angeles Dodgers had both Charlie Hough (22 saves) and Mike Garman (12 saves).
And game one looked like there might be a save. New York, at home, led by a run in the top of the ninth, only to see starter Don Gullet falter. Dusty Baker started the Dodgers with a single. One out later, Steve Yeager reached first via a bases on balls. That ended Gullet's night. But he was in line for the win. Sparkly Lyle was in line for a save, should he hold Los Angeles in check.
That, he didn't.
Lee Lacy singled, tying the game, 3-3. The home team won it in extras, but all Lyle could do was pick up the win.
Burt Hooton went the distance for Los Angeles in game two, and the Dodgers tied it with a 6-1 win. The visitors had a 5-0 lead after only three innings, so the game was over very quickly. No chance for a save here.
The series moved to Los Angeles for games three, four and five, and New York won the first two road games. It was close, as the Yankees won it, 5-3. Mike Torrez went all the way, surviving a bad bottom of the third as the Dodgers plated three runs to erase a 3-0 Yankees' lead. Single tallies by New York in the top of the fourth and fifth ended the scoring.
Game four was also decided by two runs. New York won, 4-2. The Yankees got all the offence they needed in the top of the second, scoring three times off Doug Rau, knocking him out of the game. It was Ron Guidry all the way on a fine four-hitter.
The Dodgers, though, weren't through. They routed the Yankees 10-4 in the fifth contest, getting back in the series though still trailing 3-2. The game quickly turned into a rout. Los Angeles was up by 5 after 4 innings, and then up 10 after 6. Four meaningless runs crossed the plate by the Yankees from there, but Don Sutton picked up the win despite allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs.
Los Angeles looked to keep the momentum going in the sixth game. They built a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. But Yankees, at home, were looking to put the Dodgers away. And they did.
Two runs scored in the last of the second. Though the Dodgers got the lead back in the third, three runs in the last of the fourth and another two in the fifth put this contest out of reach. Mike Torrez hung on. He settled down and carried an 8-3 lead into the top of the ninth, thanks to Reggie Jackson's famed three-homer game.
The Dodgers didn't go quietly. Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker singled with one out. Torrez induced Rick Monday to fly out (Garvey went to third), but then pinch hitter Vic Davalillo got the third hit of the inning. Only a bunt single, but it was enough to score Garvey. 8-4. Since the tying run was on deck, this was now officially a save situation. But Yankee manager Billy Martin had no intentions of pulling Torrez, despite allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs like Don Sutton had the previous game.
Another pinch hitter, Lee Lacy (Batting for pitcher Charlie Hough), was the batter. And like Davalillo, he tried to bunt hit way on. But all Lee could do was pop to the third base side, where Torrez got it before it hit the ground.
So there was no saves in the 1977 Fall Classic. The two teams would meet again the following season. Same result, Yankees in six. However, in game two, reliever Bob Welch preserved the Dodgers 4-3 win at home, striking out Reggie Jackson on the ninth pitch of the at bat to end it. And while this proved to be the only save of the 1978 World Series, it set the precedent of at least one save in the next forty Fall Classics.
References
Youtube. Web. 01 July. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
I guess this was all lost in Reggie Jackson's five home runs (Including four in four consecutive at bats in game 5 / game 6), a classic six-game World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers, and some great starting pitching, perhaps?
Not that each team didn't have a pretty good closer. The New York Yankees had Sparkly Lyle, 13-5 with 26 saves. The Los Angeles Dodgers had both Charlie Hough (22 saves) and Mike Garman (12 saves).
And game one looked like there might be a save. New York, at home, led by a run in the top of the ninth, only to see starter Don Gullet falter. Dusty Baker started the Dodgers with a single. One out later, Steve Yeager reached first via a bases on balls. That ended Gullet's night. But he was in line for the win. Sparkly Lyle was in line for a save, should he hold Los Angeles in check.
That, he didn't.
Lee Lacy singled, tying the game, 3-3. The home team won it in extras, but all Lyle could do was pick up the win.
Burt Hooton went the distance for Los Angeles in game two, and the Dodgers tied it with a 6-1 win. The visitors had a 5-0 lead after only three innings, so the game was over very quickly. No chance for a save here.
The series moved to Los Angeles for games three, four and five, and New York won the first two road games. It was close, as the Yankees won it, 5-3. Mike Torrez went all the way, surviving a bad bottom of the third as the Dodgers plated three runs to erase a 3-0 Yankees' lead. Single tallies by New York in the top of the fourth and fifth ended the scoring.
Game four was also decided by two runs. New York won, 4-2. The Yankees got all the offence they needed in the top of the second, scoring three times off Doug Rau, knocking him out of the game. It was Ron Guidry all the way on a fine four-hitter.
The Dodgers, though, weren't through. They routed the Yankees 10-4 in the fifth contest, getting back in the series though still trailing 3-2. The game quickly turned into a rout. Los Angeles was up by 5 after 4 innings, and then up 10 after 6. Four meaningless runs crossed the plate by the Yankees from there, but Don Sutton picked up the win despite allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs.
Los Angeles looked to keep the momentum going in the sixth game. They built a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. But Yankees, at home, were looking to put the Dodgers away. And they did.
Two runs scored in the last of the second. Though the Dodgers got the lead back in the third, three runs in the last of the fourth and another two in the fifth put this contest out of reach. Mike Torrez hung on. He settled down and carried an 8-3 lead into the top of the ninth, thanks to Reggie Jackson's famed three-homer game.
The Dodgers didn't go quietly. Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker singled with one out. Torrez induced Rick Monday to fly out (Garvey went to third), but then pinch hitter Vic Davalillo got the third hit of the inning. Only a bunt single, but it was enough to score Garvey. 8-4. Since the tying run was on deck, this was now officially a save situation. But Yankee manager Billy Martin had no intentions of pulling Torrez, despite allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs like Don Sutton had the previous game.
Another pinch hitter, Lee Lacy (Batting for pitcher Charlie Hough), was the batter. And like Davalillo, he tried to bunt hit way on. But all Lee could do was pop to the third base side, where Torrez got it before it hit the ground.
So there was no saves in the 1977 Fall Classic. The two teams would meet again the following season. Same result, Yankees in six. However, in game two, reliever Bob Welch preserved the Dodgers 4-3 win at home, striking out Reggie Jackson on the ninth pitch of the at bat to end it. And while this proved to be the only save of the 1978 World Series, it set the precedent of at least one save in the next forty Fall Classics.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
2005. Print.
Neft,
David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Neft,
David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World
Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York:
St. Martin's, 1990. Print.
Nemec,
David et all. 20th Century Baseball
Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's
Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Retrosheet. Web. 01 July. 2018. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major
League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/.
Web. 01 July. 2018.
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