Oct. 12, 1977 – World Series Game 2: Dodgers 6, Yankees 1
- Sal Maiorana
- Oct 12, 2017
- 3 min read
NEW YORK – It was quintessential Catfish Hunter, not the way the future Hall of Famer pitched, but how he responded to his brutal outing that essentially gave the Yankees no chance to win in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium.
A reporter asked Catfish how he thought he pitched, a dumb question to be sure considering Hunter didn’t make it out of the third inning and gave up five runs on three home runs. His response? “Right-handed.”
The man was priceless, but unfortunately, on this night, he was a shell of his former self, not at all the pitcher who won the 1974 Cy Young Award, had earned three championship rings with the Oakland A’s, and had been 8-4 in his previous 15 postseason starts.
The Yankees’ rotation was simply a mess, running on fumes. Don Gullett had been fantastic in the opener, and Billy Martin was hoping that Hunter could repeat that performance even though he hadn’t pitched since Sept. 10, the day the Yankees were embarrassed 19-3 by Toronto, because of an abdominal injury. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Ron Cey followed a two-out Reggie Smith double with a towering two-run homer to left in the first; with two outs in the second, Steve Yeager hit a solo shot to left in the second; and after Bill Russell singled in the third, Reggie Smith launched one deep to right-center to make it 5-0.
Here is the full video of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. And here are the key moments, with time stamps:
Top 1st: 5:27 -Smith double/Cey 2-run HR
Top 2nd: 20:43 - Yeager solo HR
Top 3rd: 33:00 - Russell single/Smith 2-run HR
Bot 4th: 1:02:40 - Jackson run-scoring DP
Top 9th: 1:49:00 - Garvey solo homer
“In the bullpen I thought I was throwing good,” Hunter said. “I had two outs in the first when I hung a slider to Cey. In the second, with Yeager, that was over his head, another slider I hung up there. And then in the third, Smith, the ball was right where I wanted it and he went and got it low and away.”
The Yankees never threatened to make it a game thereafter as Dodgers starter Burt Hooton was masterful in throwing a complete-game five-hitter, the only run allowed coming in the fourth while Reggie Jackson was grounding into a double play on a fine play by first baseman Steve Garvey, effectively killing what had been a promising start after Willie Randolph and Thurman Munson had opened with singles.
Catfish Hunter serves one up to Ron Cey in the first inning, a two-run bomb that got the Dodgers rout started.
“I’m not happy about it,” Billy Martin said of the loss, during which the Dodgers became the first team to hit four homers in a game in 10 years when the Red Sox did it against the Cardinals in 1967. The fourth was hit by Garvey in the ninth off Sparky Lyle. “I wanted to beat them in both games in New York and a split doesn’t do it,” Martin continued.
It was certainly a stab in the dark for Martin to expect to get anything out of Hunter, but Hunter understood why he was called upon. “I don’t think he has anyone else to pitch,” Hunter said. Ron Guidry and Mike Torrez needed rest after pitching in Game 5 against Kansas City, Ed Figueroa was still dealing with a sore muscle on his side, and Martin explained that he didn’t want to go with Dick Tidrow because he wanted him fresh for possible long relief duty, so Hunter was the only realistic option.
As it turned out, he needed Tidrow for 2.2 innings, and then had Ken Clay and Lyle finish out the non-competitive game, one that was interrupted in the ninth inning, first by a smoke bomb, and then by four idiots who ran onto the field with the police in hot pursuit.
Billy Martin knows Game 2 is going to end in a one-sided loss.
“It felt like spring training out there, I hadn’t pitched in a month,” Hunter said, recognizing that given this was the World Series, that wasn’t exactly an ideal feeling. “At least the people back home know I can still give up home runs.”
After a tremendous career, one that included a perfect game in 1968, Hunter was asked if he understand that people were whispering that this could be the end of the line for him, even though he still had two years remaining on his rich free agent contract.
“Did you ever think that I might sometimes be thinking that myself,” he said. “I think about it once in a while and then my wife talks me out of it. Time will tell. As the saying goes, ‘the sun doesn't shine up the same dog's ass every year.’”
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