Sept. 4, 1977 – Yankees 4, Twins 0

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Don Gullett emerged from obscurity, pitching for the first time in about five weeks, and he was superb in firing an almost effortless shutout that required him to throw only 87 pitches.

Gullett, who had been on the disabled list with shoulder problems, yielded only three singles, including a pair to Rod Carew. Carew had broken out of his slump against the Yankees the previous day with three hits off Ed Figueroa, including a pair of home runs, and his average rose back up to .380, but it mattered little as the Yankees completed a ridiculously easy three-game sweep which all but killed the Twins’ chances of making the playoffs.

This made 24 wins in 27 games for the Yankees, and it also continued their mastery against left-handed starters. In beating Geoff Zahn, this was New York’s 14th straight win in games started by lefties, and what made that interesting is that with so many left-handed batters – Reggie Jackson, Chris Chambliss, Mickey Rivers, and Graig Nettles among the starters – lefties were supposedly going to be Kryptonite for this team.

Before Gullett even took the mound, he was ahead 4-0. Nettles walked with one out, Thurman Munson doubled, Lou Piniella walked, and Cliff Johnson hit a grand slam. Ballgame. There was no other scoring, and after an hour and 48 minutes, it was over.

“I was throwing strikes, but I could’ve been sharper,” said Gullett, who at one point retired 15 batters in a row. “The only thing was my control, but after the first inning I blocked everything from my mind. It was a great thrill and a great experience for me to be able to go out there throwing without any trouble. My shoulder didn’t hurt at all. The team has had a lot of fun since the All-Star break and I’m glad to be back and having some of the fun.”

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