July 23, 1977 – Yankees 3, Brewers 1
- Sal Maiorana
- Jul 23, 2017
- 2 min read
NEW YORK – The Yankees salvaged a lackluster split with the Brewers on the strength of Ron Guidry’s complete-game six-hit, nine-strikeout performance, but because these were the Yankees, of course there was a bit of controversy afterward.
As Billy Martin had indicated, center fielder Mickey Rivers was not in the lineup, replaced by Paul Blair. Martin said he wanted the righty-swinging Blair to face the Brewers lefty starter, Bill Travers, but he stopped short of saying that Rivers’ defensive play recently had lacked a bit of polish, the real reason for the switch.
Not surprisingly, the proud Rivers, who was batting .307, was pissed.
“I don’t care if I don’t play, I’ve been out before,” Rivers said. “If it helps the team win, I don’t care. But I don’t see nobody doing no greater than nobody else.”
Then Rivers went off the rails. “We ain’t gonna win with what we got,” he said, implying that general manager Gabe Paul should start considering some trades. “We need a whole new everything.”
Rivers’ contention was that in his first year with the club in 1976, the attitude was much better than this season. “Everybody goes out and plays as individuals except for two or three guys,” he said. “That ain’t no way to win. You win playing hit and run, bunting, stealing, sacrificing, not the way we’re playing.”
The way Guidry pitched, it didn’t matter in this game. He was masterful, further cementing his place in the rotation, even if Martin wouldn’t fully commit to him just yet. His only blemish came in the sixth when Ed Romero led off with a double and eventually scored on a ground out by Steve Brye. By then, the Yankees had scored all their runs on a Lou Piniella RBI single in the first and a two-run homer by Blair in the second which made Martin look pretty good.
Guidry worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by striking out Romero, then set the Brewers down 1-2-3 in each of the last two innings to secure his seventh win.
“Lets win a few more ballgames first,” Piniella said when asked if this victory might set the Yankees straight. “We beat a crippled club in Milwaukee, and we shouldn’t get too proud. Remember, we lost two and won two against them.”
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