Baseball Time Machine: Ron Guidry's 18 strikeout game

The Baseball Time Machine will function both as a this day in baseball history but will sometimes be whatever else I decide I wanted to write about that day. Today is the first time it will be the latter. I present Ron Guidry’s 18 strikeout game.

On June 17, 1978, Ron Guidry struck out 18 Angels.

The next day UPI quoted Elston Howard, who was then a Yankees coach, comparing Guidry to Whitey Ford. “Guidry’s fastball is about 96 miles per hour. I’d say Whitey’s was in the 80s, but Whitey could get everything over. Guidry is the fastest lefty in the league now. I’d say his fastball is right up there with Koufax, Herb Score and Gullett.”

Guidry’s 18 K remains a Yankees record. He broke the record of 15, set by Bob Shawkey in 1919. Whitey Ford also had a 15 K game in 1959, but that was a 14 inning game. Subsequently, David Cone, David Wells and Michael Pineda all had 16 for the Yankees, but nobody has come any closer to Guidry.

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