1977 was the best of times for fans of the Yankees, but the worst of times for fans of the Mets.
After seeing the Yankees get swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the ’76 World Series, George Steinbrenner went shopping; Steinbrenner led a group to purchase the Yankees in 1973. He persuaded Reggie Jackson to come north from a year-long sojourn in Baltimore, where Jackson played for the Orioles in 1976. Jackson was more than a winner. He was a champion with three World Series titles from his tenure with the Oakland Athletics. Indeed, the A’s ball club was a dynasty, winning the series in three consecutive years—1972, 1973, 1974.
Free agency allowed Jackson to get top dollar for his services. Brash with flash and lots of cash, Jackson drew attention. An article in Sport magazine added tension to the Yankees team. Robert Ward quoted Jackson: “I’m the straw that stirs the drink.” Jackson has said that the quote is incorrect. Controversy abounded within the clubhouse.
Then, on June 18, 1977, manager Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson brawled in the Yankees dugout during a game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Martin though that Jackson loafed on a ball hit by Jim Rice to Jackson’s position in right field. Rice stretched the hit into a double. Martin, in turn, replaced Jackson with Paul Blair. With the game broadcast on national television, the Martin-Jackson fight put the Yankees in the spotlight. But winning can absolve a lot of sins. And winning is exactly what the Yankees did.
The 1977 World Series pitted the Los Angeles Dodgers against the boys in pinstripes. A Hollywood screenwriter could not have written a better ending. The Yankees added another World Series title to their legacy, vanquishing the Dodgers in six games. Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6, each on the first pitch and each off a different pitcher: Burt Hooton, Elias Sosa, Charlie Hough.
The other New York team also found itself in controversy in 1977. It was not a winning season for the Mets, however. They compiled a 64-98 record. When Tom Seaver negotiated with the Mets in ’77, the thought of him in another team’s uniform was unthinkable. He was, after all, the team’s franchise player. But that’s exactly what happened.
Seaver, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, began his career with the team in 1967, leading the Mets to a World Series championship in 1969 and another World Series appearance in 1973. They lost the ’73 contest to the A’s in seven games.
Dick Young of the New York Daily News wrote several columns about the negotiations, crossing an unwritten line in sports writing when he mentioned Seaver’s wife in a column. Young wrote that Nancy Seaver was unhappy about Nolan Ryan making more money than her husband. After the column appeared, Seaver wanted out of the Big Apple. Quickly.
The Mets engineered a trade to the Cincinnati Reds. It brought Pat Zachry, Dave Henderson, Doug Flynn, and Dan Norman to Shea Stadium. In 1978, Seaver pitched a no-hitter. Meanwhile, the Mets rebuilt, investing in younger players. Nearly a decade later, they won the 1986 World Series.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on October 1, 2013.