Ron Guidry - An Appreciation

1976 Topps Rookie Card

Ron "Louisiana Lightning" Guidry had a very fine career with the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, his numbers were not "brilliant" enough for a longer period of time to cause him to be a serious candidate for the Hall of Fame. Of note, Guidry didn’t win his first game until age 26½. However, he soon proceeded to string together several very good seasons (especially between 1977-85). A four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove recipient and one-time Cy Young Award winner, Guidry also led the league in Wins twice and Lowest ERA twice as well as most Complete Games and most Shutouts once each.
   

1978 Topps

Overall, Guidry was an effective strikeout artist which contributed substantially to his dominance. Relief pitchers on the Yankees could count on him to finish what he started knowing that on days he was pitching, they had the day off. Had Guidry been able to stretch out more success following 1985 or else have an earlier start to his career two or three years before 1977, I don’t believe there is any question, we would need to seriously discuss his Hall of Fame credentials.
     

1980 Topps

For his career, Guidry won 170 games against 91 losses. His career 3.29 ERA also reflects the type of ERA you would want to see from a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher. In my view, Guidry should be remembered very fondly as the ace of the Yankees staff for the better part of a decade. Without him, perhaps the Yankees don’t have the World Series teams of 1977, 78 and 81. Rightfully, "Louisiana Lightning" had his number retired by the Yankees following his successful career. He has literally hundreds of baseball cards issued during and following his career.