Fans who watched Tuesday’s All-Star Game might have recalled the 1978 World Series, Bob Welch, and Reggie Jackson. Specifically, the epic confrontation between the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie pitcher and the New York Yankees veteran slugger that ended Game 2 of that Series had to be on everybody’s mind as they anticipated a possible, similar battle between Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes and another veteran Yankees slugger, Aaron Judge.
All-Star Game recalled 1978 Welch/Jackson confrontation
The Dodgers survived a close National League West Division race that may have been impossible if not for rookie Welch. The 21-year-old right-hander didn’t even have two full minor league seasons under his belt when the Dodgers called him up in June 1978. His uninspiring minor league stats included a 4.11 ERA and 1.443 WHIP in 25 games. But by his third game with the big club, Welch was 1-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA.
Quickly, he earned manager Tommy Lasorda’s trust. He finished the season with a 7-4 record, 2.02 ERA, and three saves in 23 games, which included 13 starts. He pitched three shutouts while recording stellar peripheral stats, including a 174 ERA+, 1.060 WHIP, 2.83 FIP, and 3.4 WAR. Welch surrendered just six home runs in 111 1/3 innings.
Meanwhile, on July 23, the Yankees were 52-42, in third place in the American League East Division, 10 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. As usual, manager Billy Martin couldn’t help self-destructing. There was frequent front-page turmoil. Finally, after Martin publicly insulted owner George Steinbrenner, “The Boss” had had enough.
Bob Lemon, recently fired as manager of the Chicago White Sox, was tabbed to replace Martin and lower the temperature in the clubhouse. Under Lemon, the Yankees were 48-20. They stormed back from 14 games out to tie the Red Sox for first place and force a one-game playoff. Bucky Dent’s home run made it 58 years of misery for Boston fans, ever since their team sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees.
World Series Game 2
The Dodgers won Game 1 in Dodgers Stadium rather easily. They were rocked by the sudden death of coach Jim Gilliam two days earlier. Lasorda dedicated the Series to his memory. Welch expected to start Game 4 but was told to sit in the bullpen in Game 2, just in case. The Dodgers’ bullpen ace, lefty Terry Forster, entered the game in the seventh inning to protect a 4-3 lead.
Now in the ninth inning with two men on, one out, and Thurman Munson due up, Lasorda signaled for Welch. Welch got Munson to fly out, and up came Jackson. Lasorda didn’t move from the dugout to get a lefty for the left-handed-swinging Jackson. He was always a manager who trusted his rookies. There was no coddling them. To Lasorda, once they got to the major leagues, they were major leaguers and would be employed accordingly.
Mighty Reggie strikes out
“This crowd will tell you what’s happening. Listen to ‘em!” said play-by-play announcer Joe Garagiola. He was the perfect announcer for this moment, mostly letting the visuals and the crowd noise tell the story. If it were on ESPN today, we’d have been inundated with relentless, unnecessary babbling. The next pitch from Welch came in at the batter’s chin, sending Jackson spinning to the dirt. Jackson took big cuts at the next three pitches, fouling them off.
“A study in determination,” Garagiola called Welch as he looked for the sign. With the outfielders playing deep, a single in this situation would have tied the game. But there was no two-strike approach from Jackson. The four-time World Series champion lived for these moments. He would knock the ball out of the park or go down swinging.
“You’re getting’ it all here,” said Garagiola in his folksy style. “The kid against the veteran. The fastballer against the fastball pitcher.” Welch ran the count to 3-2, including another chin-level pitch that Jackson backed away from. Finally, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Welch fired a high fastball. It may not have been in the strike zone. Jackson took a big cut and missed, snatching his bat in frustration. It was 8:15. Jackson kicked the dirt, threw his bat into the dugout, and shoved Lemon out of his way.
In what had to have been a first-and-only, before Game 3, NBC reran the entire at-bat with the complete play-by-play.
Quotable
In Welch’s book, Five O’Clock Comes Early, he wrote, “Later, Tom Seaver, who was broadcasting the game, told me that if I had a little knowledge of Reggie, I might have gotten him out easier. He said I didn’t take into mind that Reggie wanted to be a hero.”
Afterward, Welch told the media, “A lot of people, (Ron) Cey, (catcher Steve) Yeager, Lasorda, told me just to throw my best stuff up there and make them hit my pitch. So I went after them with my fastball. I threw all fastballs.”
A calmer Jackson said, “The kid beat me fair and square. I was angry. It’s all right to strike out in August against Seattle, but you don’t like to strike out in the ninth inning of the World Series.”
Unlike how the bottle-rocket Martin would have handled it, Lemon took the blame when the media asked him about Jackson’s shove. “Hell, I didn’t expect him to walk into the dugout and set his bat and helmet down gently and say, ‘Gee, fellows, I’m sorry I struck out,’” said Lemon. “Reggie was hot, and we should have gotten out of his way.”
Said Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes of Welch, “He’s the Ice Man.”
Yankees win
The Yankees came back and won the Series in six games. In Game 6, Jackson had another crack at Welch in the seventh inning with New York ahead, 5-2. Jackson hit a towering, meaningless two-run homer to make it 7-2, which held up as the final score. Nobody remembers that, nor should anybody. It was that battle to end Game 2 that was an at-bat for the ages.
Skenes vs. Judge
Fans expected the same in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, with the possibility of Skenes facing the cleanup batter Judge. Hitting third for the AL, Juan Soto promised Judge he’d get him to the plate. It was quite a bold promise, given that Skenes throws 102 mph and has a 0.920 WHIP. However, Soto made good, drawing a walk and bringing up Judge for a much-anticipated confrontation. The kid against the veteran. The fastballer against the fastball hitter.
Unlike the six-minute, tension-filled contest between Welch and Jackson, this one was over in five seconds. Skenes threw a 99.7-mph four-seamer that looked to be right over the plate, belt high, but ran in ever so slightly with some late movement. Judge hit a grounder to third baseman Alec Bohm, who forced Soto at second base.
The Pirates and Yankees play each other on September 27-29 at Yankee Stadium. It’s the last regular-season series of the year for both teams. We’ll anxiously await Judge’s next crack at Skenes.