It was the game in which he put the lightning in Louisiana.
YES Network tonight will debut the latest installment of its Emmy Award-winning Yankeeography: Moments of Glory series, shining the spotlight on Ron Guidry’s 18-strikeout game against the California Angels at Yankee Stadium on June 17, 1978. Guidry’s performance that night is widely considered to be the first pitch on the now standard ballpark practice of fans standing and clapping when a hurler gains two strikes on a batter.
The man also nicknamed "Gator" was in the midst of a Cy Young campaign in which he finished with a 25-3 record, 248 Ks and a 1.74 ERA, as he recorded a league-leading nine shutouts and held hitters to a .193 batting average during the regular season, helping the Yankees secure a second straight World Series championship.
Premiering after the Yankees-Toronto Bluejays game at 11 p.m. on June 18, Yankeeography: Moments of Glory features interviews with “Louisiana Lightning” himself, plus teammates Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Sparky Lyle and Chris Chambliss, as well as Don Baylor, who fanned twice against Guidry that evening as a member of the Halos.
The show also examines how close Guidry came to quitting the game after being demoted to Triple A and how Lyle taught him the slider, which became his signature pitch.
