August 19, 1977 – Yankees 8, Rangers 1
- Sal Maiorana
- Aug 19, 2017
- 2 min read
ARLINGTON, Tex. – If the Red Sox and Yankees were the hottest teams in the American League, the Rangers were right behind. Not that you could tell in the first game of this three-game set in the stifling hot suburbs of Dallas.
Texas had won 31 of its last 40 games to catapult into first place in the AL West, while the Yankees strutted into town winners of 10 of their last 11. However, this showdown proved to be a throw-down for the Yankees as Mike Torrez cooled off the Rangers with his sixth straight complete-game victory, a four-hitter, and Reggie Jackson had three hits, including his 22nd home run, and three RBI.
With Boston losing in Kansas City, the lead was now down to 2.5 games, and Jackson opined that while the Yankees were still trailing, they, not the Red Sox, should be considered the favorite now in the AL East.
“We are playing so well,” said Jackson, “We are feared. We have the psychological advantage. The other team has been winning - Boston has won 17 of its last 20 - but they are aware of us. They know what the Yankees can do. We are blessed with so much. Our professionalism is starting to show.”
It was Reggie being Reggie, but in the end, he was proven correct.
Lou Piniella’s RBI single got the Yankees started in the third, and then a five-run fourth essentially put it away. Willie Randolph singled with one out and Texas right fielder Dave May dropped Bucky Dent’s liner to right for a two-base error. The hottest Yankee of them all, Mickey Rivers, followed with a two-run double. After an intentional walk to Roy White, Thurman Munson reached on a run-scoring booted ground ball by third baseman Toby Harrah. A wild pitch plated a fourth run, and Jackson made it 6-0 with a RBI single.
That was way more than Torrez needed to earn his 14th victory. He yielded just one hit through the first seven innings before a walk and two singles in the eighth cost him a shutout.
“The biggest single thing is the way our starting pitchers have avoided putting us three, four, five runs behind early,” said Billy Martin of the Yankees’ turn of fortunes. “When we were having trouble, we were getting into deep holes – I mean real deep holes - early in the game and then all we could do was swing bats. When the starters keep it in hand, we get a chance to play better.”
Here's another look back to the music of 1977. That year, the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me came out, and the main musical track was Nobody Does it Better by Carly Simon. Let me tell you, as a 15-year-old in 1977, oh man, Carly Simon was hot. Not quite Stevie Nicks hot, but hot nonetheless. Granted, I was way more into Springsteen, The Stones, The Who, and Led Zeppelin, but I could not deny that Carly Simon was great. Check out this video.
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