June 17, 1978: Ron Guidry Inspires Standing On Two Strikes

June 17, 1978: The New York Yankees defeat the California Angels, 4-0 at Yankee Stadium. Ron Guidry advances to 11-0 on the season, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks, and strikes out 18 batters. At the time, this was a record for a lefthanded pitcher in the American League. It remains a team record for strikeouts in a game, on the way to 248 strikeouts, which remains the Yankee record for a season.

Lest you think this was easy: The Angels' lineup included Bobby Grich, Joe Rudi, Don Baylor and Brian Downing, All-Stars and good hitters all. And Guidry did this while wearing long sleeves in mid-June. He usually wore short sleeves, except in October.

This game began the tradition of fans standing and clapping on 2 strikes, in anticipation of a strikeout. Met fans will tell you it began in 1984 with Dwight Gooden, but, as usual, they don’t know what they’re talking about. (They did, however, invent the "K-Korner" at that time.)

The Yankee runs were scored on an RBI single by newly-acquired Gary Thomasson in the 1st inning, and, in the 3rd, a single by Thurman Munson, a triple by Thomasson, a single by Reggie Jackson, a wild pitch, and a single by Graig Nettles.

The Yankee Stadium scoreboard operator put the words "LOUISIANA LIGHTNING" on the scoreboard, giving Guidry a nickname he would have thereafter, though he said he didn't like it. He preferred a home State-themed nickname he already had: "Gator."

In contrast, the opposing starter, Paul Hartzell, didn't get out of the 3rd inning.

He would finish the season at 25-3, with a 1.74 ERA, starting and winning a game in both the American League Championship Series and the World Series. He rightly received the AL's Cy Young Award, but was denied the AL's Most Valuable Player award.

In 1992, pitching for the Seattle Mariners, Randy Johnson tied Guidry's record for most strikeouts by a lefthanded pitcher in the American League. Twice in 1997, he broke the record, raising it to 19. In 2001, with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League, he became the 1st lefty in either League to fan 20 in a game.

(UPDATE: In 2022, Gerrit Cole raised the Yankees' single-season strikeout record to 257.)

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June 17, 1978 was a Saturday. Football, basketball and hockey were out of season. The World Cup was in progress in Argentina, but no games were scheduled.

These other games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Pat Zachry outpitched Bob Knepper. Lee Mazzilli went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Willie McCovey did not play.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski singled Rick Burleson home in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Ken Singleton hit a home run, and Eddie Murray went 1-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Willie Stargell did not play.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Sal Bando, a Cleveland native, hit a home run in the top of the 12th inning. Gorman Thomas also hit a home run. Robin Yount went 0-for-6. Paul Molitor went 1-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cards led 5-2, but the Reds scored a run in the 7th inning, 2 in the 8th, and in the bottom of the 9th, Joe Morgan singled Pete Rose home with the winning run.

Rose went 2-for-4, Morgan went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and Johnny Bench did not play. Keith Hernandez hit a home run for the Cardinals. Lou Brock appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Claudell Washington went 3-for-5. George Brett went 1-for-4.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Butch Wynegar hit a home run, and Rod Carew went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-2 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Bobby Bonds and Richie Zisk hit home runs.

* The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Bob Owchinko pitched a 7-hit shutout, while Jim Lonborg, 11 years past his Cy Young Award season and nearing the end of the line, didn't get out of the 5th inning. Dave Winfield went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4.

* And the Montreal Expos beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.