After a double by Graig Nettles drove in one run, the Yankees scored twice more on passes with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to defeat the Indians, 6-5, to start a sweep of a doubleheader. Nettles again came up with the key hit in the second game, rapping a triple in the seventh and scoring on a safe squeeze bunt by Carlos May to account for a 4-3 victory.

Oscar Gamble homered for the Yankees with two men on base in the opener, but the Indians forged ahead, 4-3, before May walked in the eighth and scored the tying run on Nettles' double. After an intentional pass to Gamble, Sandy Alomar moved the runners along. Dave LaRoche walked Lou Piniella on purpose to load the bases and then could not relocate the plate, passing both Otto Velez and Roy White. [The Sporting News]



New York Yankees 6, Cleveland Indians 5 (Game 1)
Game Played on Saturday, October   2, 1976 (Day game) at Yankee Stadium I
Indians      0  1  1    0  0  0    1  1  1  -   5 12  0
Yankees      0  3  0    0  0  0    0  3  x  -   6  8  2


Indians              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Yankees              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Kuiper 2b             5   1   2   0     0   0   .263      Locklear dh           3   0   0   0     1   2   .232
Bell 3b               4   0   1   2     0   0   .282        Velez ph,dh         0   0   0   1     1   0   .269
Manning cf            4   1   1   0     1   0   .290      White cf,lf           4   0   0   1     1   0   .286
Carty dh              5   0   2   1     0   1   .308      Munson c              5   0   2   0     0   1   .302
  Griffin pr,dh       0   0   0   0     0   0   .250      Chambliss 1b          4   0   1   0     0   0   .294
Powell 1b             3   0   0   0     1   0   .215      C. May lf             3   2   1   0     1   0   .255
  Blanks ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .281        Rivers cf           0   0   0   0     0   0   .312
Hendrick lf           3   1   2   0     0   0   .266      Nettles 3b            3   2   1   1     1   1   .252
Smith rf              4   1   3   1     0   1   .256      Gamble rf             2   2   1   3     2   0   .231
Fosse c               4   0   1   1     0   0   .298      Alomar 2b             4   0   1   0     0   0   .238
Duffy ss              3   1   0   0     1   0   .211      Mason ss              3   0   1   0     0   0   .180
Bibby p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Piniella ph         0   0   0   0     1   0   .281
  Thomas p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Stanley ss          0   0   0   0     0   0   .240
  LaRoche p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Ellis p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Lyle p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   5  12   5     3   2             Totals               31   6   8   6     8   4

Time of Game: 2:49
Left on Base: Indians 9, Yankees 9
DP: Indians 1, Yankees 0
Errors: Munson, Ellis
Doubles: Hendrick (20), Carty (34), Manning (24), Munson (27), Nettles (29)
Triples: Kuiper (6)
Home Runs: Gamble (17)
Stolen Bases: Smith (8), Alomar (11)
Caught Stealing: C. May (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Hendrick (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Bell (6)


Indians                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Bibby                   3.2   5   3   3   3   2   1  19   3.20
Thomas L(4-4)           4     3   3   3   2   1   0  16   2.30
LaRoche                 0.1   0   0   0   3   1   0   4   2.24
Totals                  8     8   6   6   8   4   1  39

Yankees                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Ellis W(17-8)           8.2  12   5   5   3   2   0  40   3.19
Lyle SV(22)             0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2.28
Totals                  9    12   5   5   3   2   0  41

Passed Balls: Munson (12)

Umpires: HP - Dale Ford, 1B - Marty Springstead, 2B - Don Denkinger, 3B - Larry Barnett


INDIANS 1ST: Kuiper grounded out (second to first); Bell
grounded out (first unassisted); Manning grounded out (pitcher
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 1ST: Locklear struck out; White grounded out (pitcher to
first); Munson grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Indians 0, Yankees 0.

INDIANS 2ND: Carty grounded out (third to first); Powell
grounded out (shortstop to first); Hendrick doubled to right;
Smith singled to center [Hendrick scored]; Smith stole second;
Fosse grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Indians 1, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 2ND: Chambliss flied out to right; C. May singled to
center; Nettles walked [C. May to second]; Gamble homered [C.
May scored, Nettles scored]; Alomar flied out to center; Mason
singled to center; Locklear struck out; 3 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Indians 1, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 3RD: Duffy grounded out (third to first); Kuiper tripled
to right; Bell singled to center [Kuiper scored]; Manning walked
[Bell to second]; Carty forced Manning (third to second) [Bell
to third]; Powell grounded out (shortstop to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0
E, 2 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 3RD: White flied out to center; Munson doubled to left;
Chambliss grounded out (pitcher to first) [Munson to third]; C.
May grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Indians 2, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 4TH: Hendrick singled to center; Munson allowed a passed
ball [Hendrick to second]; On a bunt Smith singled [Hendrick
stayed at second]; Fosse made an out to second; Duffy flied out
to right; Kuiper made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
 Indians 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 4TH: Nettles lined to second; Gamble walked; Alomar
singled to left [Gamble to second]; Mason flied out to center
[Gamble to third]; Alomar stole second; Locklear walked; THOMAS
REPLACED BIBBY (PITCHING); White grounded out (first to
pitcher); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 5TH: Bell grounded out (shortstop to first); Manning
flied out to left; Carty doubled to left; Powell flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 5TH: Munson singled to right; Chambliss singled to right
[Munson to second]; C. May forced Chambliss (second to
shortstop) [Munson to third]; Nettles struck out while C. May
was caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 2 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 6TH: Hendrick flied out to left; Smith was called out on
strikes; Fosse grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 6TH: Gamble flied out to left; Alomar grounded out
(pitcher to first); Mason grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians 2, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 7TH: Duffy walked; Kuiper singled to center [Duffy to
third]; Bell hit a sacrifice fly to right [Duffy scored, Kuiper
to second (error by Munson)]; Kuiper was picked off second but
was safe on an error by Ellis [Kuiper to third]; Manning made an
out to shortstop; Carty struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 2 E, 1 LOB.
Indians 3, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 7TH: Locklear grounded out (shortstop to first); White
flied out to center; Munson flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Indians 3, Yankees 3.

INDIANS 8TH: Powell walked; Hendrick out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Powell to second]; Smith singled to right
[Powell out at home (right to catcher), Smith to second (on
throw to home)]; Fosse singled to left [Smith scored]; Duffy
forced Fosse (third to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians
4, Yankees 3.

YANKEES 8TH: Chambliss lined to left; C. May walked; Nettles
doubled to center [C. May scored]; Gamble was walked
intentionally; Alomar grounded out (first to pitcher) [Nettles
to third, Gamble to second]; LAROCHE REPLACED THOMAS (PITCHING);
PINIELLA BATTED FOR MASON; Piniella was walked intentionally;
VELEZ BATTED FOR LOCKLEAR; Velez walked [Nettles scored, Gamble
to third, Piniella to second]; White walked [Gamble scored,
Piniella to third, Velez to second]; Munson struck out; 3 R, 1
H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Indians 4, Yankees 6.

INDIANS 9TH: VELEZ STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING DH); WHITE CHANGED
POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); STANLEY REPLACED PINIELLA (PLAYING SS);
RIVERS REPLACED C. MAY (PLAYING CF); Kuiper flied out to center;
Bell flied out to center; Manning doubled to right; Carty
singled to right [Manning scored]; LYLE REPLACED ELLIS
(PITCHING); GRIFFIN RAN FOR CARTY; BLANKS BATTED FOR POWELL;
Blanks forced Griffin (third to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Indians 5, Yankees 6.