1975 New York Yankees: Dashed Hopes But A New Beginning

The 1975 New York Yankees entered the season infused with optimism. The proud franchise hadn’t won the World Series since 1962 or even been there since 1964. Since divisional play began in 1969, they had yet to win the AL East. But they came close in 1974. And in the just-starting era of free agency, it was—unsurprisingly—George Steinbrenner’s Yankees who made the biggest splash. They signed starting pitcher Catfish Hunter, a Cy Young Award winner, future Hall of Famer, and ace of the three-time defending champion Oakland A’s.

Expectations were high in the Bronx. Although perhaps it’s more accurate to say expectations were high in Queens. With Yankee Stadium undergoing renovations that would be ready for next year, 1975 was the second of two seasons the Yankees shared old Shea Stadium with the crosstown rival Mets. And, as it turned out, those high expectations would have to wait for the new Stadium.

CATFISH KEYS STRONG YANKEE PITCHING

Catfish did everything his new team could have reasonably asked. He won 23 games, posted a 2.58 ERA and in this era of workhorse starters, he logged 328 innings pitched. He finished second in the Cy Young voting.

And there was good depth in the rotation. Doc Medich and Rudy May were both steady starters with ERAs in the 3s. Pat Dobson, with his 4.07 ERA in 30 starts was more than doable as a #4 guy. Larry Gura was a young lefty, and a dependable spot-starter with a 3.51 ERA in 20 starts.

The bullpen was also good, with Tippy Martinez, Sparky Lyle and Dick Tidrow all having solid years. Overall, the Yankee pitching staff finished third in the American League for composite ERA.

YANKEE OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES: INJURIES & POWER OUTAGES

But the bats were a problem. Centerfielder Elliot Maddox, batting .307 in June, tore up his knee, missed the rest of the year and was never the same player thereafter. There were weak spots in the lineup at second base and shortstop.

A lack of home run power was a key factor. Chris Chambliss was a good contact hitter at first base, batting .304, but didn’t provide the power that was typical for his position. Thurman Munson was behind the plate and he hit .318 while driving in 102 runs but Thurman didn’t hit for a lot of power in ’75. Roy White was a solid player in leftfield, with a .372 OBP, but was also more a pure contact hitter.

Graig Nettles supplied some muscle at third, hitting 21 homers and driving in 91 runs, but his stat line of .322 on-base percentage/.430 slugging percentage was pedestrian.

The one complete offensive player in the everyday lineup was Bobby Bonds, the father of Barry. The rightfielder posted a stat line of .375/.512, hit 32 homers and drove in 85 runs.

It’s not as though the Yankee offense was bad—individually, even with the different shortcomings, there was still talent. But between lacking consistent power and also finishing close to the bottom of the American League in walks, it wasn’t enough. In a 12-team AL, New York finished just eighth in runs scored.

SLUMPS AND SURGES

This season of expectation got off to a rocky start, with six losses in the first seven games. The Yanks clawed their way back to .500, going to Boston and winning a series and then sweeping two from Baltimore. But then they dropped three straight in Milwaukee, two more on the road to the Orioles and lost a pair of series to Catfish’s old friends in Oakland. New York was 12-20 and in trouble when Kansas City, an emerging contender, came to the Big Apple on May 19.

Chambliss got the Yanks off to a good start when he delivered three hits, including a home run and three RBIs in a 5-1 win on Monday night. On Tuesday, White had a four-hit night while Nettles homered and tripled. Dobson tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just six singles in a 6-0 win. While the Yanks lost an extra inning game on Wednesday night, the series win came them some positive momentum.

By Memorial Day, they were up to 18-22. The good news is that no one in the AL East was really taking control of the race. In the era prior to 1994, the leagues had just an East and West division, so Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee (an American League team prior to 1998) joined New York, Boston and Baltimore in the East. Only the first-place team would make the postseason, advancing directly to the League Championship Series.

The Yanks were in fourth, trailing the Red Sox, Brewers, and Tigers, but were only four games off the pace. Just as important, the Orioles—the division’s gold standard for the first half of the 1970s—were floundering early on and in last place. New York still had a good shot at fulfilling expectations.

And in the early summer, they looked ready to take advantage, ripping off an 18-6 stretch and closing to within a game and a half. They went to Baltimore on June 23 for a key series against an Oriole team looking to find its footing.

Munson set the tone on Monday night with three hits, a homer and three ribbies. Nettles also had a three-hit game, while White had two hits and scored twice. Medich went the distance in a 3-1 win.

Catfish took the ball on Tuesday night and was brilliant, tossing a complete-game four-hitter. Chambliss and Nettles had two hits each in another win that ended up 3-1. On Wednesday night, May went toe-to-toe with Baltimore ace and eventual Cy Young Award winner Jim Palmer. It was 1-1 in the ninth. Yankee reserve Walt Willams tripled, Munson picked him up with a sac fly and a 2-1 win completed the sweep.

New York was in first place, up a game and a half when it was over. But the next leg of their trip, against a Red Sox team that was picking up the pace themselves didn’t go as well. The Yanks lost three of four in Fenway, triggering a 2-9 stretch. By the All-Star break, New York was four games back of Boston at 46-41.

BILLY MARTIN COMES HOME TO NEW YORK

The slide continued into the post-All Star break part of the season. The Yankees started the second half 4-9, including losing three of four to the Red Sox at home. On August 1, New York was ten games out. Steinbrenner had seen enough. Manager Bill Virdon was fired. Billy Martin was brought in.

A new era of Yankee baseball had effectively begun, bringing in Martin, a key part of the franchise’s great 1950s teams, a fan favorite, and established as a successful manager.

The fruits of the hiring wouldn’t be immediately evident. While New York beat Oakland in a pair of series in August, the Yanks didn’t have a late summer surge in them. By Labor Day, they were 68-67, 11 ½ games out and the lead never even got cut to single digits. It was Baltimore who would make a run a Boston, before the Red Sox eventually prevailed. New York’s final record was 83-77, third in the AL East, fifth in the American League overall and ninth among what was then 24 teams in MLB.

But New York had found their manager. And after a flurry of offseason moves, 1976 would be the year expectations started getting fulfilled. The Yankees returned home to the Bronx and won what would be the first of three straight American League pennants.