The 1978 Yankees defeated the 1923 Yankees in their six game series four games to two. The '78 Yankees climbed back over .500 at 40-38 while the '23 Yankees fell to 53-49.
The two teams split the first four games. The '78 Yankees won games One and Three 11-4 and 4-3. Reggie Jackson hit two of the teams five home runs in Game One and drove in five RBI. The '23 Yankees won games Two and Four 6-5 and 4-0. The '23 Yankees won Game Two despite a big game by Graig Nettles who was 4-4 at the plate with a triple, two home runs and four RBI. The game ended when Jackson hit into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded. Waite Hoyt pitched a two-hit shutout in Game Four while Aaron Ward went 3-4 at the plate with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. The '78 Yankees retook the lead in the series in Game Five with a wild 7-6 win. They led 4-2 in the 7th when Bob Meusel hit a grand slam to give the '23 Yankees a 6-4 lead. The '78 Yankees came back with three in the 8th, including a two-run single by Mickey Rivers to give them back the lead for good. They clinched the series in the final game with a 4-3 win.
Jackson’s average dropped to .324 with 23 home runs, 59 RBI, 57 runs scored, and a 1.008 OPS. Rivers raised his average to .320 with 26 stolen bases. Nettles hit three home runs in the series to give him 16 for the season while raising his average to .290. Ed Figueroa picked up two wins in the series to improve his record to 11-3 with a 3.13 ERA. Goose Gossage bounced back in this series with three saves to give him 25 for the season while lowering his ERA to 3.18.
Babe Ruth leads the '23 Yankees in hitting at .393 with 32 home runs, 90 RBI, 96 runs scored and a 1.342 OPS. Hoyt’s shutout raised his record to 12-4 with a 2.48 ERA. The '23 Yankees will face the 41-31 1939 Yankees in the next series.