June 1, 1977 – Twins 4, Yankees 3
- Sal Maiorana
- Jun 1, 2017
- 3 min read
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – In the category of flirting with disaster, that’s what the Yankees did in the bottom of the ninth against the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium, and it resulted in a gut-wrenching walk-off victory for the Twins.
Ron Guidry pitched superbly for eight innings as he limited Minnesota to five hits and a single run. But once again, in an era when bullpen usage wasn’t nearly as refined as it is today, Billy Martin sent Guidry – who was pitching on three days’ rest - back out to start the ninth with a 3-1 lead.
Craig Kusick singled to left, and Martin stayed in the dugout, and Sparky Lyle stayed in the bullpen. Jerry Terrell singled, Martin stayed in the dugout, and Lyle remained in the bullpen. Finally, when Butch Wynegar hit a bad-hop RBI single past Graig Nettles at third, Martin went and took the ball from Guidry and waved for Lyle. “It was a cinch double play, and then it jumped right over the man’s head,” Martin said. As if that somehow excused his decision to leave Guidry in.
Lyle retired Lyman Bostock on a grounder to Bucky Dent, with the runners moving to second and third, so a single would probably win the game. Lyle managed to strike out Bob Gorinski, but then he walked Roy Smalley, meaning he was left to face the American League’s leading hitter, Rod Carew, with the bases loaded. Further, Carew was battling a 1-for-17 slump, so everyone knew he was due. Flirting with disaster, indeed.
“Smalley’s the guy you want to get out,” said Martin. “Carew’s the best hitter in baseball, isn’t he?”
Yes, he was. He was also the seventh man to come to the plate in the inning. He probably never would have batted had Martin brought in Lyle with a clean start to the ninth. Instead, Carew punched a single to left-center and both Wynegar and Terrell scored as the Yankees lost in walk-off fashion for the third time.
“What’s new?” Carew said. “I can still hit. It’s a great feeling.”
Catfish Hunter once said of Carew, “He has no weakness as a hitter. Anything you throw he can handle.” And his numbers would back that up - a .328 average with a .393 on-base percentage as Carew sprayed 3,053 hits all over the place on his way to winning seven AL batting titles. Carew came up to the Twins in 1967, hit .292 and won the AL Rookie of the Year, plus was invited to play in the All-Star Game, the first of 18 consecutive trips to the mid-summer classic. The only time he didn’t go to the All-Star Game was his final year in the majors, 1985. Even in that season, he batted .280 with a .371 on-base.
In today’s game, perhaps Carew wouldn’t be valued as greatly because of his 3,053 hits, 2,404 were singles, the ninth-highest total in MLB history. Extra-base hits are all the rage now, especially home runs, but Carew was the consummate table setter for the power hitters in the Twins lineup such as Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew, later for Reggie Jackson, Doug DeCinces, Bobby Grich, Fred Lynn, and Don Baylor with the Angels.
During this 1977 season, Carew put together his greatest year. Through July 10, Carew was hitting .401, and as the pressure mounted as he tried to become the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to stay above that hallowed mark, the lowest Carew’s average dipped to was .374. He wound up finishing at .388, a figure that is tied for 55th-best in major-league history, but at the time was tied for the highest since Williams’ magical 1941 season. Williams also hit .388 in 1957. Since, only Tony Gwynn in the strike-shortened 1994 season (.393) and George Brett in 1980 (.390) have had a better season average.
“He doesn’t have to prove anything,” said Twins manager Gene Mauch during that magic summer of 1977. “All he has to do is retire and wait for the Hall of Fame to call.” It was true, yet Carew still had nine more big-league seasons in him.
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