The 1977 World Champion Yankees
Unlike the 2007 Version, That Yankees Team Was Balanced.
The 1977 Yankees had solid offense, pitching and defense, which was not true for the 2007 team.
The 1977 New York Yankees were one of the better Yankees’ teams in the last thirty years because they had balance between solid pitching, offense, and defense. The 2007 Yankees were one of the lesser Yankees teams to make the playoffs in the last thirty years because they lacked balance between pitching, offense, and defense.
Chris Chambliss Played 157 Games
The 1977 team had Chris Chambliss at first base. Acquired from Cleveland with Dick Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw in exchange for pitchers Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene and Tom Buskey, Chambliss was a good fielder and a better hitter. In 157 games, Chambliss batted .287 with 17 home runs, 90 RBIs, and a .445 slugging average. His .989 fielding average was .001 below the league average. Doug Mientkiewicz was the closest the 2007 Yankees had as a regular first baseman, appearing in 70 games and hitting .277 with 5 home runs. Mientkiewicz, a great defensive player, had a .996 fielding average compared to the league’s .995.
Dent Had As Much Range as the Aging Derek Jeter
Willie Randolph in 1977 and Robinson Cano in 2007 provided excellent defense at second, and while Willie could hit, Robinson has much more power and hits for a better average. Interestingly, Cano had a higher on base average in 2007 than Willie had in 1977.
Alex Rodriguez had a great offensive season in 2007 and played outstanding defense, but Graig Nettles was even better defensively and in 1977 hit 37 home runs, which tied Bonds for second place behind Jim Rice’s 39. At shortstop, Bucky Dent had about as much range as the aging Derek Jeter, but Derek is a much better hitter.
The Outfielders
The 1977 outfield consisted of Mickey Rivers, Roy White, and Reggie Jackson. Only Jackson could throw. The trio combined for 58 home runs and 230 RBIs. In 2007, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Bobby Abreu combined for 60 home runs and 340 RBIs, but Matsui and Damon were designated hitters on occasion.
Thurman and Jorge Behind the Plate
Behind the plate for 136 games, Thurman Munson had his usual good season, hitting .308 with 18 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .462 slugging average. In 2007, Jorge Posada, who had his best season, was behind the plate for 138 games, hitting .338 with 20 home runs, 90 RBIs, and a .543 slugging average.
The 2007 Yankees Used Twenty Eight Different Pitchers
There is no doubt that the 2007 Yankees were the better offensive team, but when it came to pitching, it is another story. Twenty-eight different pitchers appeared for the 2007 Yankees. Yes, the game has changed, but the league average for different pitchers used is 23. The 1977 Yankees used 13 pitchers.
Ed Figueroa, Mike Torrez, Ron Guidry, Jim Hunter, and Don Gullett started 132 games and combined for 968 2/3 innings. Dick Tidrow and Sparky Lyle worked 288 innings between them. In 2007, Andy Pettitte started 34 games, followed by Chien-Ming Wang’s 30 and Mike Mussina’s 27. The trio pitched a total of 566 2/3 innings. Fourteen different pitchers started games.
The 1977 Team Had Greater Balance
The 1977 Yankees averaged 5.13 runs a game, which was fourth best in the league, while the 3.61 team ERA was the third best. In 2007, the Yankees relied on offense to win games. They averaged 5.98 runs a game, which was the best in baseball, but the team’s 4.49 ERA was only the eighth best. These statistics once again point out what everyone knows but what is often ignored. Scoring runs is necessary, but preventing one’s opponent from scoring runs is more important.
