June 16, 1977 – Yankees 7, Royals 0

NEW YORK – As one legendary pitcher was exiting New York, Tom Seaver having been traded by the Mets to the Reds, another legend was beginning to percolate across town in the Bronx.

Ron Guidry would never reach Seaver’s level of achievement as injuries eventually wore him down and prevented any chance of Hall of Fame status, but as Yankee pitchers go, Guidry’s place among the very best is indisputable, which is why his No. 49 is retired.

In his first two full seasons with the Yankees, they won the World Series both years, and Guidry’s combined record was 41-10 with a 2.21 ERA and 14 shutouts. And in the postseason, he won all four of his starts, one in each series (two ALCS, two World Series).

Guidry finished his career with 26 shutouts, and the first one came in this game against the Royals as he allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out seven. This was also the first of his 95 career complete games.

“I didn’t even think about it tonight,” Guidry said, referring to the fact that in four starts he had pitched one out into the ninth, but had failed to complete the deal. “In the ninth I settled and made like it was just the seventh inning.”

Billy Martin gushed over Guidry’s performance, saying, “Tonight he was sensational. He’s probably been or most consistent pitcher this year.”

With Guidry pitching so well, the outcome was never really in doubt after the first inning. Mickey Rivers led off with a double, Willie Randolph followed with an RBI triple, and then Randolph trotted home when Royals starter Dennis Leonard was called for a balk. Leonard, the Royals’ ace, settled down after that and blanked the Yankees the next three innings, but in the fifth they put the game out of reach when Bucky Dent hit a two-out single, and Rivers followed with a two-run homer.

Chris Chambliss’ two-run single was the big blow in a three-run seventh that closed the scoring.

“He gets better every start he has,” Sparky Lyle said of Guidry. “Wait ‘til he starts throwing that really nasty slider because they’re overmatched against him now.”

So now the first-place Yankees hopped on a plane headed for Boston to begin a three-game showdown with the second-place Red Sox, and over a weekend that no Yankee fan will ever forget, the national spotlight would shine upon them in ways that were tremendously embarrassing.

The daily baseball report

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