| Ron Guidry | |
|---|---|
 Guidry in 1981 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1950-08-28)August 28, 1950 (age 75) Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 27, 1975, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1988, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 170–91 |
| Earned run average | 3.29 |
| Strikeouts | 1,778 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ronald Ames Guidry (/ˈɡɪdri/; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator",[1] is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played 14 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitching coach of the Yankees from 2006 to 2007.
Guidry's major league career began in 1975. He was a member of World Series-winning Yankees teams in1977 and1978, both over theLos Angeles Dodgers. He won theAmerican LeagueCy Young Award in 1978, winning 25 games and losing only 3. He also won fiveGold Glove Awards and appeared in fourAll-Star games. Guidry served ascaptain of the Yankees beginning in 1986; he retired from baseball in 1989. In 2003, the Yankees retired Guidry's uniform number (49) and dedicated a plaque to him inMonument Park.
Ronald Ames Guidry was born to Roland and Mary Grace Guidry on August 28, 1950 inLafayette, Louisiana.[2] Guidry is ofCajun heritage.[3]
Guidry attended and pitched for theUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana. He was a combined 12–5 with a 2.03earned run average (ERA) and 137strikeouts as a two-yearletterman with theRagin' Cajuns baseball team in 1969 and 1970.[4]
TheNew York Yankees ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) selected Guidry in the third round, with the 67th overall pick, in the1971 MLB draft.[5]
After four seasons in the minor leagues with the Cardinals in Johnson City, Tennessee, Guidry pitched briefly in the Major Leagues in the 1975 and 1976 seasons.[6] He was nearly sent to theBaltimore Orioles as part of a trade deadline blockbuster on June 15, 1976, but the Yankees did not want to give up any more left-handed pitchers beyond the three (Scott McGregor,Tippy Martinez andRudy May) that they had already included in the deal.[7] The following year he was to have been dealt to Toronto forBill Singer in a transaction that was approved by the Yankees but was vetoed byBlue Jays presidentPeter Bavasi.[8]
In 1977, Guidry began the season as arelief pitcher but was moved into the Yankees'starting rotation. On April 30, he was called on to make an emergency start in replace ofMike Torrez, recently acquired in a trade from the Athletics, who had not joined the team in time for what was supposed to be his first start. In the longest outing Guidry could remember since his Eastern League days of 1974, he helped the Yankees beat theSeattle Mariners 3–0.[9] Guidry finished the season with a 16–7 record.[10] His emergence as a starter after his previous seasons in the bullpen made him one of the Yankees' biggest surprises in 1977.[11] He helped lead the Yankees to aWorld Series championship.[12]
In 1978, Guidry posted a career year that has been described as the all-time best season by a Yankees pitcher.[13] Against theCalifornia Angels on June 17, hestruck out a Yankee-record 18 batters.[14] Guidry's 18-strikeout performance is usually cited as the launching pad of theYankee Stadium tradition of fans standing and clapping for a strikeout with two strikes on the opposing batter.[15] For the season, Guidry went 25–3,[16] setting the all-time mark for winning percentage by a pitcher with at least twenty wins. He led the league with a 1.74ERA, an .893 winningpercentage, nineshutouts, and 248 strikeouts.[16] Guidry's success in 1978 was due in large part to his mastery of the slider.[1] His 248 strikeouts set a Yankees' franchise record for most strikeouts by a pitcher in a single season,[17] breaking Jack Chesbro’s 1904 record of 239, that subsequently stood for 44 years, until 2022 whenGerrit Cole recorded 257 strikeouts.[18]
Guidry's 25th win of the 1978 regular season was his most significant, as it came in the Yankees' 5–4 win over the Boston Red Sox in a one-game playoff atFenway Park in Boston to determine the American League East division winner. The game is best known forBucky Dent's seventh-inning, three-run home run that gave the Yankees a 3–2 lead.[19] Later that month, the Yankees again won the World Series over theLos Angeles Dodgers.[16] Guidry won the 1978American LeagueCy Young Award unanimously.[15] He also finished second in theAmerican LeagueMost Valuable Player voting toBoston Red Sox sluggerJim Rice.[20] In addition, Guidry was named The Sporting News AL Pitcher and Major League Player of the Year.[16] Had he not taken the loss in Toronto on September 20, when his record at the time was 22-2, he would have become the first (and to date, only), pitcher ever with at least a .900 winning percentage, and at least 20 wins in a season.[21]
Guidry was named to the American League All-Star Team in 1978, 1979, 1982, and 1983.[22] Known as an excellent fielder,[23] Guidry won a Gold Glove each year from 1982 through 1986.[22] In 1984, Guidry won theRoberto Clemente Award,[24] given annually to the Major Leaguer who "'best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.'"[25]
On August 7, 1984, Guidry struck out three batters (Carlton Fisk,Tom Paciorek andGreg Luzinski) on nine pitches in the ninth inning of a 7–0 win over theChicago White Sox. Guidry became the eighth American League pitcher and the 27th pitcher in major-league history to accomplish animmaculate inning.[26] In 1985, he led the American League with 22 wins.[27] Guidry andWillie Randolph were named co-captains of the Yankees on March 4, 1986.[28]
The latter years of Guidry's 14-year major league career were hindered by shoulder and elbow injuries.[29] He retired from baseball on July 12, 1989.[30]
Guidry's number 49 was retired on August 23, 2003. The Yankees also dedicated a plaque to Guidry inMonument Park atYankee Stadium. The plaque calls Guidry "a dominating pitcher", a "respected leader", and "a true Yankee." Each living Yankee previously honored with a plaque in Monument Park was on hand for the ceremony:Phil Rizzuto,Yogi Berra,Whitey Ford,Reggie Jackson andDon Mattingly.[31]
_presents_the_game_ball_to_New_York_Yankees_coach_Ron_Guidry_before_a_pre-season_game_with_the_Tampa_Bay_Rays_at_Steinbrenner_Field.jpg)
Guidry joined Yankees managerJoe Torre's coaching staff as pitching coach in the 2006 season, replacingMel Stottlemyre.[32] Guidry was criticized in 2007 because the Yankees' highly acclaimed pitching staff was underachieving.[33] In 2007, Yankees pitchers walked the sixth-most batters overall in the Major Leagues; this was the most walks in a season for a Yankees pitching staff since 2000. Torre's departure from the Yankees following the 2007 season ended Guidry's tenure as pitching coach. Though he was interested in returning to the Yankees for the 2008 season, he was not offered a position on new managerJoe Girardi's coaching staff.[34] He did return to the Yankees as a spring training instructor.[35]
FormerNew York Times writer Harvey Araton wrote a book calledDriving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift that profiles the friendship Guidry had with Yankees' Hall of Fame catcher (and Guidry's former coach and manager)Yogi Berra.[36]
Guidry is married to Bonnie Rutledge Guidry; their wedding was on September 23, 1972. They have three children: two daughters, Jamie and Danielle, and a son, Brandon.[37]
Guidry is a member of theKnights of Columbus.[38]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| Preceded by | New York Yankees pitching coach 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |