May 14, 1977 – Yankees 4, Angels 1
- Sal Maiorana
- May 14, 2017
- 2 min read
ANAHEIM – Two players who had been struggling all season to get going – Don Gullett and Graig Nettles - played key roles in the Yankees victory over California.
Gullett pitched what was, by far, his best game since joining the Yankees. Though he improved his record to 3-2, Gullett was in complete control for the first time in his six starts to date as he outdueled Nolan Ryan. Gullett went the distance, allowing just four hits and a run while striking out nine. In his previous five starts, he’d allowed 19 earned runs and had an ERA of 5.73. “It’s coming together for me,” said Gullett. “I feel this was my best game yet.”
And Nettles, who led the American League with 32 homers in 1976, finally broke out. He began the night hitting .186 with just four home runs before clubbing a pair of bombs and driving in three of the four runs.
Nettles gave Gullett all the support he would need in the fifth when he broke open a scoreless game with a two-run shot on a 1-2 Ryan curveball after Roy White had led off with a walk. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Thurman Munson drew a walk to force in the third run of the inning. Nettles then hit a solo shot in the sixth off a Ryan heater to make it 4-0. “I hit them both as good as I can hit them,” he said. “It was just one of those nights for me.”
Dell Alston, the poor kid involved in the controversial roster decision brouhaha between Billy Martin and Gabe Paul, arrived in Anaheim and was on the bench during the game. All Martin would say afterward is, “I’m like a submarine being attacked by depth charges. Complete silence, and I’m cruising on batteries.” You just don’t get quotes like that too often anymore.
Alston, who had grown up in the New York and attended Yonkers High school, about a 20-minute ride from Yankee Stadium, said he couldn’t get wait to take the field in the hallowed ballpark. But for now, he admitted to being a little surprised he was with the big club.
“I know they’re lacking left-handed hitting,” said Alston. “But I sure thought they would take Elrod (Hendricks) back before me, with the things in the paper and all.”
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