six innings, including three in the first inning, as the Yankees won 5–3. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda said John would start Game 7 if the series went that far, but the Yankees clinched it in six games, making Game 3 John's only appearance in the loss. John won all four of his starts in April 1978, throwing complete games in the last three. On May 17, he held the Pittsburgh Pirates to four hits and one run, striking out seven in a complete game, 10–1 victory. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros on July 8, he relieved Bob Welch in the sixth inning and threw four shutout innings, picking up the victory in Los Angeles's 7–5 triumph. With a 10–6 record and a 3.80 ERA halfway through the season, John was named to the NL All-Star team, his first selection to an All-Star Team in 10 years and the first of three in a row for him. In a complete game against Montreal on August 29, he held the Expos to one unearned run in a complete game, 4–1 victory. In 33 games (30 starts), he had a 17–10 record, a 3.30 ERA, 124 strikeouts, 53 walks, and 230 hits allowed in 213 innings. He finished eighth in Cy Young Award voting. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers won the NL West and faced the Phillies in the NLCS. The Game 2 starter, John threw a four-hit shutout as the Dodgers won 4–0. After the Phillies won Game 3, the Dodgers won Game 4 to set up another playoff rematch, this time with the Yankees in the 1978 World Series. John started Game 1, giving up five runs (only three of which were earned) in innings but earning the win in Los Angeles's 11–5 victory. In Game 4, he had held the Yankees to two runs (one earned) through seven innings before getting removed in the eighth after giving up a leadoff single to Paul Blair. Blair went on to score, and John got a no-decision in a 10-inning, 4–3 loss. For the second year in a row, New York won the series in six games. With his contract up at the end of the season, John became a free agent. On November 21, he signed a three-year, $1.4 million contract with the New York Yankees. Though the Royals and the Reds