Oct. 9, 1977 – ALCS Game 5: Yankees 5, Royals 3
- Sal Maiorana
- Oct 9, 2017
- 5 min read
KANSAS CITY – They did it again. The Yankees ripped out the hearts of the Kansas City Royals for the second year in a row in the deciding game of the American League Championship Series, this time not with a dramatic Chris Chambliss walk-off home run, but with a death by a thousand cuts three-run rally in the ninth inning off three Royals pitchers.
Had it not gone the Yankees way, Billy Martin might have been unemployed by the time the Yankees boarded their flight back to New York after yet another controversial incident involving Reggie Jackson.
Martin was able to joke about it afterward with owner George Steinbrenner, and during the celebration in the visitors’ clubhouse, Martin poured champagne on the boss’ head and said, “That’s for trying to fire me.” Steinbrenner, drenched and happy, replied, “What do you mean trying?”
The inference was he didn’t have to try to do it. He could just do it, and had the Yankees lost with Jackson in the dugout and good-field, light-hit Paul Blair playing right field, that might have been it for Martin.
Instead, like just about everything in 1977, it worked out fine for Martin and the Yankees’ put on a spirited rally – which both Jackson and Blair contributed to – to win the game in their final at bat.
Two hours before first pitch, Jackson was informed that he would not be starting against Royals’ lefty Paul Splitorff. He was 1-for-14 in the series, and had gone 0-for-4 against Splitorff in Game 1. He was also the man who had lifted the Yankees’ offense down the stretch as they won the AL East.
“It’s not a decision I’m happy making, but I have to do it,” Martin said. “I probably wouldn’t in the World Series, but I just had to do it now.”
Which, of course, made no sense. What was the difference between the World Series and an elimination game in the ALCS? There was no World Series if the Yankees didn’t win this game. “If I didn’t do it for the ballclub, I shouldn’t be managing,” Martin said.
Again, his logic made no sense, though Jackson took the high road. “Sure, I’m surprised,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to be down, your pride’s hurt, but if a man tells me I’m not playing, I don’t play. I sit down and pull for the club. I’m not the boss, I’m the right fielder – sometimes.”
The other move Martin made wasn’t so much controversial as it was necessary, and this one failed miserably. He started Ron Guidry on just two days’ rest because he really had no one else to trot out there. Guidry had nothing and was knocked out in the third inning after allowing three runs on six hits. What happened next, though, was perhaps the biggest key to the game. Mike Torrez, sore shoulder and all, having pitched and lost Game 3 just two days earlier, was somehow able to keep the Yankees in the game with 5.1 innings of three-hit, shutout relief.
Here's the video of Graig Nettles and George Brett brawling in the first inning.
That opened the door to what happened in the final two innings. Still down 3-1, the Yankees opened the eighth with a single by Willie Randolph that ended Splitorff’s night. Doug Bird entered and struck out Thurman Munson, but then gave up a single to Lou Piniella. Here came Jackson’s moment as he pinch-hit for Cliff Johnson and blooped a single to center to cut the deficit to 3-2. Steve Mingori relieved and retired Graig Nettles and then he was helped by a magnificent diving play up the middle by White on a screamer hit by Chris Chambliss that would have driven home the tying run. Instead, White was able to flip to Patek to force Jackson, ending the inning and leaving the Royals one inning away from wualifying for their first World Series.
“That was one of the finest pressure plays I’ve ever seen,” said Martin. “I thought it had beat us,” said Martin.
When Torrez walked two men in the bottom of the eighth, the Royals were one knock away from adding some insurance, but Sparky Lyle was called on for the third game in a row, and he struck out Cookie Rojas to end the chance, and it was on to the ninth and the crushing, once again, of Kansas City’s collective soul.
Whitey Herzog turned to his 20-game winner, Dennis Leonard, to close the game, even though he’d pitched nine innings two nights earlier. Blair greeted him with a single, and Leonard proceeded to walk Roy White. Now Herzog went to Larry Gura who had started the night before, and this certainly made Billy Martin smile.
Reggie Jackson, after his RBI single in the eighth, was forced at second where he wiped out Royals shortstop Fred Patek.
Sure enough, Mickey Rivers lined a single to right field and Blair scooted home with the tying run as the stadium fell silent. Now Herzog turned to Mark Littell, the man who had yielded Chambliss’ home run in 1976. Once again, it didn’t go well for the righty. Willie Randolph hit a fly ball to deep center that scored White from third base with the go-ahead run.
“I wanted to make good contact, that’s all I can say,” said Randolph. “I knew that he’d be coming at me. I took a few pitches because I had to get my pitch, and when he had to come in, I was ready.”
After retiring Thurman Munson on a grounder which moved Rivers to third, Piniella hit a grounder to George Brett at third, and the All-Star sailed the throw high for an error and Rivers scampered home to make it 5-3. Jackson’s ground out ended the inning, and now it was Lyle on to do what Lyle so often did: Close it out.
Champagne was flowing, and Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner found it in themselves to be happy.
There was a glimmer of hope when Frank White singled with one out, but Freddie Patek hit a grounder to Nettles at third, he fed Randolph for one, and he relayed to Chambliss to complete the series-ending double play.
Martin could only gloat when it was over, praising Blair and White for their contributions, and just the way his team never quit.
“I think of my guys fighting back,” Martin said. Paul Blair fouling off those pitches then getting a hit. Roy White, who hasn’t said one word about being benched, drawing a walk. Oh, yeah, and I love remembering Brett’s throw into the seats. He musta hurt his throwing hand when he punched Nettles.”
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