 Boston pitted former Yankee pitcher Mike Torrez against the Yankees ' Cy Young Award winner , Ron Guidry , who took a 24 – 3 record into the game . The Sox were beating Guidry 2 – 0 in the top of the seventh inning when light @-@ hitting Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent hit a two @-@ out , three @-@ run home run over Fenway Park 's Green Monster to take a 3 – 2 lead . It was only his fifth home run of the season . The Yankees later led 5 – 2 and held on to win 5 – 4 when Yastrzemski popped out with runners on first and third , ending the Red Sox ' season . Yankees closer Goose Gossage notched his 27th save of the season . Gossage would later comment years later about how he was spat on at Fenway Park and had beer thrown in his face . " There is no rivalry in sports that rivals the Yankees — Red Sox ... that playoff game in ' 78 – it felt like the playoffs and World Series were exhibition games after that . " The headline in The Boston Globe the next day summed it all up : " Destiny 5 , Red Sox 4 . " New York went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series for their second straight championship . 
