April 10, 1977 - Brewers 2, Yankees 1
- Sal Maiorana
- Apr 10, 2017
- 2 min read
NEW YORK - Don Gullett came over to the Yankees prior to the start of the 1977 season after spending his first seven big-league seasons with the two-time defending World Series champion Cincinnati Reds. Gullett was another of George Steinbrenner's prize free agent signings, a left-handed pitcher the Yankees desperately needed for those games at Yankee Stadium where that short porch in right was so inviting.
Up-and-coming Ron Guidry was in place, and the only other lefty was here-and-going veteran Ken Holtzman, on his last legs in the majors after a solid career. Of course, Steinbrenner saw all he needed to see from Gullett the previous fall when Gullett had locked up the Yankees 5-1 in Game 1 of the World Series. That night he allowed just five hits and an earned run over 7.1 innings, starting the Reds on their way to a four-game sweep of the Yankees, who were playing in their first Fall Classic since 1964.
There were some who wondered how Gullett would react playing in the media capital of the world. He was a small-town guy from Lynn, Kentucky who had only known small-market Cincinnati. However, Gullett proclaimed he wasn't worried about it.
“To go from my type of surroundings, even Cincinnati was a change," he said. "I think I can adjust to New York. I’ve been successful in the National League so I’ll just stay with what I’ve been successful with. I’ll just pitch my own game.”
Gullett lived up to his billing in his first start, but two mistakes - both to Brewers outfielder Sixto Lezcano, both of which ended up over the left-field wall - doomed him in this loss. Lezcano's second homer came with one out in the ninth and decided the game. Reggie Jackson gave the Yankees some hope in the bottom half when he led off by beating out on infield single, but with Graig Nettles at the plate, Jackson was picked off first by reliever Bob McClure, and there the threat died.
The mistakes to Lezcano aside, one guy who came away very impressed with the performance by the new Yankee lefty was the greatest Yankee lefty of them all. “He has a great arm,” Whitey Ford said. “His ball moves. He’ll strike people out with bad pitches.”
Who would know more about that than the crafty Ford who won 216 games in pinstripes throwing all sorts of junk?
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