1978 in baseball
The following are the baseball events of the year 1978 throughout the world.
See also: 1978 Major League Baseball season and 1978 Nippon Professional Baseball seasonBaseball Hall of Fame
Most Valuable Player
Cy Young Award
Rookie of the Year
Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Patty Cox, , American Association
Oklahoma City 89ers
Gold Glove Award
January 19 – is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on 301 of 379 ballots.
Eddie Mathews
January 25 – The send Dave Tomlin and cash to the Texas Rangers in return for Gaylord Perry, who will win this year's National League Cy Young Award.
San Diego Padres
January 31 - Commissioner voids the Oakland Athletics' trade of Vida Blue to the Cincinnati Reds, citing the "best interests of baseball" clause. As compensation, the A's send Doug Bair to the Reds for minor-league prospect Dave Revering.
Bowie Kuhn
March 17 – At in Tampa, Florida, the Cincinnati Reds host the New York Yankees in a Spring training match-up wearing green uniforms in honor of St. Patrick's Day. In 1990, the Boston Red Sox become the second team to adopt this tradition.
Al Lopez Field
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
(TV)
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
January 3 –
Delvin James
January 4 –
Chris Gissell
January 4 –
Willie Martínez
January 6 –
Casey Fossum
January 7 –
Kevin Mench
January 11 –
Greg Aquino
January 12 –
Luis Ayala
January 16 –
Alfredo Amézaga
January 17 –
Mark Malaska
January 18 –
Brian Falkenborg
January 19 –
Wilton Veras
January 20 –
Chris Mears
January 20 –
John Rodriguez
January 22 –
Chone Figgins
January 25 –
Derrick Turnbow
January 26 –
Esteban Germán
January 26 –
Steve Green
January 26 –
Andrés Torres
January 27 –
Ángel Berroa
January 27 –
Pete Laforest
January 28 –
Tomás de la Rosa
January 30 –
John Patterson
January 2 – , 75, Cuban southpaw pitcher and outfielder who played in both the Eastern Colored League (33 games for the 1924 Cuban Stars East) and segregated Organized Baseball (including one game for the 1929 St. Louis Browns)
Óscar Estrada
January 4 – , 80, pitcher for 1924 Cleveland Indians and 1927–1929 Pittsburgh Pirates, getting into 59 career games; member of 1927 National League champions who hurled a scoreless inning against the "Murderers' Row" 1927 Yankees in Game 2 of Fall Classic
Joe Dawson
January 5 – , 85, pitcher who worked in 60 games for the 1914–1915 Baltimore Terrapins of the "outlaw" Federal League, then appeared in five games for the 1918 Cincinnati Reds
Snipe Conley
January 6 – , 80, Hawaiian-born, dimunituve catcher—he was listed as 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall—who appeared in 44 games for 1924–1925 St. Louis Browns
Tony Rego
January 7 – , 84, first baseman for five American League teams who batted .307 in 1,866 career games over 16 seasons; led AL in hits twice (1918 and 1926) and won the league's MVP award in the latter year; member of two World Series champions, the 1920 Cleveland Indians and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics
George H. Burns
January 13 – , 79, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s
Bill Clowers
January 13 – , 83, backup outfielder for the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins between 1915 and 1927
Merwin Jacobson
January 13 – , 90, Hall of Fame manager who led the New York Yankees to eight pennants and record seven World Series titles; also won 1929 NL pennant with Chicago Cubs, and was first manager to capture flags in both leagues; posted a 1,460–867 (.627) mark with the Yankees alone, from 1931 through May 23, 1946, when he resigned; also managed Boston Red Sox from 1948 to June 18, 1950; as of 2021, his 2,125 career wins ranked eighth in major league history, and his winning percentages of .615 (regular season) and .698 (postseason) were both all-time records
Joe McCarthy
January 19 – , 72, left-handed hurler for 1929–1931 Cleveland Indians, 1937–1939 Boston Bees and 1939–1940 Cincinnati Reds, working in 134 career major league games
Milt Shoffner
January 23 – , 87, outfielder and second baseman for the 1920–1921 Chicago Giants of the Negro National League
Thurman Jennings
January 27 – , 79, pitcher who appeared in 304 games in 12 seasons spanning 1921 to 1934 for the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians
Sarge Connally
January 27 – , 69, All-Star pitcher who won 100 games, mainly with the 1932–1935 Indians and 1936–1940 New York Yankees; four time World Series champion as a member of Bronx Bombers
Monte Pearson
January 28 – , 47, middle infielder and third baseman for the Cleveland Indians from 1957 to 1958, who is recognized for having been the first ballplayer to perform professionally in Minor League Baseball, Negro league baseball, Japanese Baseball and the major leagues
Larry Raines
January 29 – , 69, pitcher who appeared in the Negro leagues between 1932 and 1942, primarily for the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro National League