In 1977, it was many of the "new" guys on the Bronx Bombers that brought 'em their first Fall Classic triumph since 1962.
Reggie Jackson was obviously their biggest off-season acquisition. But you can't win without pitching, right? The pitching staff had some excellent starters!
There was Catfish Hunter, who the New York Yankees had got in 1975 after he'd spent a decade with the Athletics. Hunter won 23 games his first year in New York, slipped to 17-15 in 1976, then seemed to hit a low point in '77 as Catfish went just 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA. But you couldn't overlook all that experience he brought with him.
Ron Guidry had no experience at the big-league level prior to 1977. But his rookie year was quite impressive. Wins? 16? ERA? 2.82. And the next season? Let's just say, "Lights-out!" Mike Torrez hadn't quite been that in '77 but he still won 17 games. In Oakland the year before, Mike won 16 games and posted an ERA of just 2.50. He even had a 20-win season to his name as recently as 1975 with Baltimore. How about Don Gullett? He'd won a World Series in 1975 and the next year, too. He went 15-4 in 1975 and 11-3 the next year. But in 1977, Don led the American League in W%, .778 (14-4). That, is a splendid pitching staff.
After knocking off the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the American Championship Series, New York found themselves back in the World Series for the second straight year. But unlike 1976, Don Gullett was pitching for them, not against. The opposition was stiff, as the Los Angeles Dodgers had reached the Fall Classic three years prior, losing to Catfish Hunter's team, Oakland.
Gullett pitched quite admirably in the opening tilt. After surrendering two runs in the top of the first inning at Yankee Stadium, Don gave up just one more run the rest of the way. For his 8 1/3 innings pitched, the lefty allowed just three runs and five hits. However, Sparky Lyle didn't do the job, as he'd blown the save by not stranding Dusty Baker. Baker had singled to start the top of the ninth. Steve Yeager had drawn a one-out walk which ended Gullett's night. Lyle surrendered a single to Lee Lacy and this thing was headed to extras.
But if Lyle didn't do the job in the ninth, he did the next three innings. The Dodgers went down 1-2-3 in the 10th, 11th and 12th. Yes, that meant Sparky retired eleven in a row after Lacy had greeted him with a game-tying single.
In the last of the twelfth, it was time for a new acquisition to deliver the game-winning single.
That was veteran Paul Blair. Paul was no stranger to the World Series. He'd hit a key home run in 1966 for Baltimore, and made a game-saving catch. Then he played in three more Fall Classic's with the Orioles from 1969-1971. But 1977 was his first with New York. Although he was light-hitting (.250 lifetime), he had some pop. 134 home runs. Blair drove home Willie Randolph with a single. Randolph himself had joined the Yankees in 1976 after playing the previous year with the Pirates.
But Los Angeles hammered Hunter into submission in the second contest, which went LA's way, 6-1.
It seemed from there that it was New York's series. A 5-3 win right their at Chavez Ravine in the third contest was due to Mike Torrez's pitching and some timely hitting. Reggie Jackson had only on hit. But he also drew a walk and twice crossed the dish. That nearly equaled the Dodgers' entire offence, and the Yankees won.
Okay, maybe that wasn't one of Reggie's best games in October. But Mr. October hit a home run and a double, scoring two more runs in the visitor's 4-2 win in the fourth contest. And Ron Guidry didn't look like a pitcher taking the hill for the first time in the World Series. He went all the way and finished with a fine four-hitter!
Alas, New York couldn't finish 'em off in LA. Game five? All LA. It was one of those games where no matter what the Yankees tried, the Dodgers found a way. LA routed Gullett, who gave up eight hits and seven runs in 4 1/3. Veteran Thurmon Munson, newbie Reggie Jackson, Chris Chambliss and Greg Nettles got two hits each. Munson's and Jackson's were the most impressive. Each went yard. Jackson scored two runs again. But LA scored ten times by the time it was all over.
Reggie must have felt something needed to be done back in New York for game six. The home team didn't want to play game seven at Yankee Stadium. But Los Angeles continued their assault of the Yankees' pitchers.
It seemed like game five hadn't ended. It just switched venues, right? The Dodgers tacked on two runs before the Yankees' grabbed their lumber. Another long night? Yes, but primarily for the visitors has the hosts' had Mr. October and his hot bat!
Last of the second. Reggie Jackson looked a four straight balls. His last swing of game five had a been a warning shot, and clearly LA got the message to pitch carefully to him. But Chris Chambliss followed with a home run and this thing was tied at two. From there, every time Reggie batted, it was swift trouble for Los Angeles.
However, the New York Yankees still seemed unable to hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike Torrez had given up a two-run triple in the top of the first to Steve Garvey. So when LA grabbed their bats to hit in the top of the third in this now-tied ballgame, Torrez faced Reggie Smith.
Smith launched a solo home run with two down. Torrez got out of there without further damage, but now the Dodgers had scored twelve runs in their last eleven innings. But remember what I told you about Reggie Jackson's last swing in game five? How about his first swing in this game? It was a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth off Burt Hooton! The home team led 4-3. And they added another run that inning via a Lou Pinella sac fly.
Torrez allowed Los Angeles two hits but no runs in the top of the frame. In the fifth, it was much easier as he got 'em 1-2-3. The visitors, with Elias Sosa now on the hill, weren't so lucky as they tried to hold the Yankees in the bottom of the frame. Reggie, as he had in the fourth, swung on the first pitch. And again, a two-run home run! It was 7-3 and Torrez had it! By the last of the eighth, Mike had faced the minimum batters in the last four innings.
Jackson wasn't finished, either. In his last plate appearance of the inning, Reggie capped a magnificent day with another home run off Charlie Hough. First pitch swinging, again! Torrez went out to nail it down.
The top of the ninth started promising for him. Ron Cey? No problem. He looked at a 2-2 pitch and was out. But then LA started seeing pitches they liked again. Steve Garvey grounded to short but beat it out. Dusty Baker was next and he stroked a clean single to left. Rick Monday was out on a fly to right, with Garvey taking third. Torrez needed just one more out.
But Vic Davalillo batted for Steve Yeager and surprised everyone with a bunt up the third base line. Nettles threw home, but too late. It was now 8-4 but manager Billy Martin wasn't about to take the ball from Torrez. And when Lee Lacy attempted a bunt of his own, Mike Torrez made sure to grab it, and the Yankees had their first World Series in fifteen years.
References
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. 12th ed. Richmond: Raincoast Books, 1992. Print.
---. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. Richmond: Raincoast Books, 1990. Print.
Nemec, David. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. <http://www.baseball-reference.com/>. Web. 27 Dec. 2019.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 27. Dec. 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
Reggie Jackson was obviously their biggest off-season acquisition. But you can't win without pitching, right? The pitching staff had some excellent starters!
There was Catfish Hunter, who the New York Yankees had got in 1975 after he'd spent a decade with the Athletics. Hunter won 23 games his first year in New York, slipped to 17-15 in 1976, then seemed to hit a low point in '77 as Catfish went just 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA. But you couldn't overlook all that experience he brought with him.
Ron Guidry had no experience at the big-league level prior to 1977. But his rookie year was quite impressive. Wins? 16? ERA? 2.82. And the next season? Let's just say, "Lights-out!" Mike Torrez hadn't quite been that in '77 but he still won 17 games. In Oakland the year before, Mike won 16 games and posted an ERA of just 2.50. He even had a 20-win season to his name as recently as 1975 with Baltimore. How about Don Gullett? He'd won a World Series in 1975 and the next year, too. He went 15-4 in 1975 and 11-3 the next year. But in 1977, Don led the American League in W%, .778 (14-4). That, is a splendid pitching staff.
After knocking off the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the American Championship Series, New York found themselves back in the World Series for the second straight year. But unlike 1976, Don Gullett was pitching for them, not against. The opposition was stiff, as the Los Angeles Dodgers had reached the Fall Classic three years prior, losing to Catfish Hunter's team, Oakland.
Gullett pitched quite admirably in the opening tilt. After surrendering two runs in the top of the first inning at Yankee Stadium, Don gave up just one more run the rest of the way. For his 8 1/3 innings pitched, the lefty allowed just three runs and five hits. However, Sparky Lyle didn't do the job, as he'd blown the save by not stranding Dusty Baker. Baker had singled to start the top of the ninth. Steve Yeager had drawn a one-out walk which ended Gullett's night. Lyle surrendered a single to Lee Lacy and this thing was headed to extras.
But if Lyle didn't do the job in the ninth, he did the next three innings. The Dodgers went down 1-2-3 in the 10th, 11th and 12th. Yes, that meant Sparky retired eleven in a row after Lacy had greeted him with a game-tying single.
In the last of the twelfth, it was time for a new acquisition to deliver the game-winning single.
That was veteran Paul Blair. Paul was no stranger to the World Series. He'd hit a key home run in 1966 for Baltimore, and made a game-saving catch. Then he played in three more Fall Classic's with the Orioles from 1969-1971. But 1977 was his first with New York. Although he was light-hitting (.250 lifetime), he had some pop. 134 home runs. Blair drove home Willie Randolph with a single. Randolph himself had joined the Yankees in 1976 after playing the previous year with the Pirates.
But Los Angeles hammered Hunter into submission in the second contest, which went LA's way, 6-1.
It seemed from there that it was New York's series. A 5-3 win right their at Chavez Ravine in the third contest was due to Mike Torrez's pitching and some timely hitting. Reggie Jackson had only on hit. But he also drew a walk and twice crossed the dish. That nearly equaled the Dodgers' entire offence, and the Yankees won.
Okay, maybe that wasn't one of Reggie's best games in October. But Mr. October hit a home run and a double, scoring two more runs in the visitor's 4-2 win in the fourth contest. And Ron Guidry didn't look like a pitcher taking the hill for the first time in the World Series. He went all the way and finished with a fine four-hitter!
Alas, New York couldn't finish 'em off in LA. Game five? All LA. It was one of those games where no matter what the Yankees tried, the Dodgers found a way. LA routed Gullett, who gave up eight hits and seven runs in 4 1/3. Veteran Thurmon Munson, newbie Reggie Jackson, Chris Chambliss and Greg Nettles got two hits each. Munson's and Jackson's were the most impressive. Each went yard. Jackson scored two runs again. But LA scored ten times by the time it was all over.
Reggie must have felt something needed to be done back in New York for game six. The home team didn't want to play game seven at Yankee Stadium. But Los Angeles continued their assault of the Yankees' pitchers.
It seemed like game five hadn't ended. It just switched venues, right? The Dodgers tacked on two runs before the Yankees' grabbed their lumber. Another long night? Yes, but primarily for the visitors has the hosts' had Mr. October and his hot bat!
Last of the second. Reggie Jackson looked a four straight balls. His last swing of game five had a been a warning shot, and clearly LA got the message to pitch carefully to him. But Chris Chambliss followed with a home run and this thing was tied at two. From there, every time Reggie batted, it was swift trouble for Los Angeles.
However, the New York Yankees still seemed unable to hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike Torrez had given up a two-run triple in the top of the first to Steve Garvey. So when LA grabbed their bats to hit in the top of the third in this now-tied ballgame, Torrez faced Reggie Smith.
Smith launched a solo home run with two down. Torrez got out of there without further damage, but now the Dodgers had scored twelve runs in their last eleven innings. But remember what I told you about Reggie Jackson's last swing in game five? How about his first swing in this game? It was a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth off Burt Hooton! The home team led 4-3. And they added another run that inning via a Lou Pinella sac fly.
Torrez allowed Los Angeles two hits but no runs in the top of the frame. In the fifth, it was much easier as he got 'em 1-2-3. The visitors, with Elias Sosa now on the hill, weren't so lucky as they tried to hold the Yankees in the bottom of the frame. Reggie, as he had in the fourth, swung on the first pitch. And again, a two-run home run! It was 7-3 and Torrez had it! By the last of the eighth, Mike had faced the minimum batters in the last four innings.
Jackson wasn't finished, either. In his last plate appearance of the inning, Reggie capped a magnificent day with another home run off Charlie Hough. First pitch swinging, again! Torrez went out to nail it down.
The top of the ninth started promising for him. Ron Cey? No problem. He looked at a 2-2 pitch and was out. But then LA started seeing pitches they liked again. Steve Garvey grounded to short but beat it out. Dusty Baker was next and he stroked a clean single to left. Rick Monday was out on a fly to right, with Garvey taking third. Torrez needed just one more out.
But Vic Davalillo batted for Steve Yeager and surprised everyone with a bunt up the third base line. Nettles threw home, but too late. It was now 8-4 but manager Billy Martin wasn't about to take the ball from Torrez. And when Lee Lacy attempted a bunt of his own, Mike Torrez made sure to grab it, and the Yankees had their first World Series in fifteen years.
References
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. 12th ed. Richmond: Raincoast Books, 1992. Print.
---. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. Richmond: Raincoast Books, 1990. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. <http://www.baseball-reference.com/>. Web. 27 Dec. 2019.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 27. Dec. 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
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