Lefty Gomez was only Yankee to claim rare pitching feat

The 1 and Only … Yankee to win the pitching Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts): Lefty Gomez

The Time: 1934 and 1937

The Background: The Yankees are known for their hitting. That’s no slight to Whitey Ford and Ron Guidry, to Eddie Lopat and Allie Reynolds and Bob Turley, to Mel Stottlemyre or Roger Clemens. But the Yankees’ most prominent alternate nicknames — Bronx Bombers, Murderers’ Row — always reflect that for the past hundred years they’ve earned most of their fame at the plate, not at the mound.

The Skinny: Gomez is in any conversation of best Yankees pitcher ever, even though his career total of 189 wins is relatively modest. He won 20 games four times and played in the first seven All-Star Games, starting in 1933. In 1934 Gomez led the AL in wins (26), ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (158); and in 1937 he duplicated the feat (21/2.33/194). He went into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

The Others Who Came Closest: In Ron Guidry’s epic 1978 season he led the Junior Circuit in wins (25) and ERA (1.74), but his 248 strikeouts were 12 fewer than Nolan Ryan’s 260. In 1975, Catfish Hunter led the league in wins (23) and finished second in ERA (2.58). In 1943, AL MVP Spud Chandler tied for tops in wins (20), was first in ERA (1.64) and finished with 134 strikeouts, 17 behind Allie Reynolds, then with Cleveland.

The Quote: “I’d rather be lucky than good.” — Yep. That one was Lefty’s.

The Aftermath: Gomez is in any and all discussion for best Yankees pitcher of all time even though his career was essentially finished at age 33 by a combination of arm injury and his decision to serve in a war-manufacturing job in 1943 after pitching one game for the Washington Senators.

The Legacy: Gomez was best friends with fellow Bay Area Bomber Joe DiMaggio, who always believed Lefty was the best pitcher in Yankees history. And Gomez was famously glib. Asked if he’d throw inside to his own mother he said, “You bet I would. She’s a good hitter.” On a foggy day he brought a lit candle to the plate to face Bob Feller. “Maybe I can’t see him,” Gomez explained to the ump, “but I damn well want him to see me.”