The Yankees, who had already backed into the East Division title, clinched it in their own right by defeating the Tigers, 8-7. Since the Orioles and Red Sox were rained out, the Yankees finished on top in their division by 2½ games.

The Yankees rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to gain their victory. After a double by Graig Nettles, two walks and a single by Elrod Hendricks produced two runs to tie the score, Dell Alston executed a successful squeeze bunt to plate the deciding tally. Ben Oglivie drove in three runs for the Tigers with a homer and sacrifice fly, while Rusty Staub singled in another run for his 100th RBI of the season. [The Sporting News]

New York Yankees 8, Detroit Tigers 7

Game Played on Sunday, October 2, 1977 (Day game) at Yankee Stadium I

Tigers       0  2  0    0  1  0    3  1  0  -   7  9  0
Yankees      0  0  2    0  0  3    0  3  x  -   8 13  1


Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Yankees              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Corcoran cf           5   1   4   1     0   0   .282      Nettles dh            5   1   3   0     0   0   .255
Whitaker 2b           3   1   0   0     1   0   .250      White cf              3   1   0   1     1   2   .268
Staub dh              5   1   1   2     0   0   .278      Chambliss 1b          4   1   0   0     1   2   .287
Kemp lf               4   0   1   1     1   0   .257      Johnson c             0   0   0   0     1   0   .297
Thompson 1b           2   1   0   0     3   1   .270        McCall pr           0   1   0   0     0   0   .000
Oglivie rf            3   1   1   3     1   0   .262        Hendricks c         3   0   1   2     0   1   .273
Parrish c             5   0   0   0     0   2   .196      Alston rf             4   1   1   1     0   1   .325
Mankowski 3b          4   1   2   0     0   1   .276      Locklear lf           5   1   3   2     0   0   .600
Trammell ss           2   1   0   0     1   2   .186        Bergman lf          0   0   0   0     0   0   .250
Ruhle p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Klutts ss             3   1   1   2     1   0   .267
  Crawford p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Zeber 2b              4   1   2   0     0   0   .323
  Foucault p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Stanley 3b            4   0   2   0     0   2   .261
                                                          Clay p                0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Tidrow p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Thomas p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               33   7   9   7     7   6             Totals               35   8  13   8     4   8

Time of Game: 2:35   Attendance: 18,778
Left on Base: Tigers 9, Yankees 10
DP: Tigers 0, Yankees 0
Errors: Locklear
Doubles: Corcoran (3), Nettles 2 (23), Alston (4), Hendricks (1)
Home Runs: Oglivie (21), Klutts (1)
Caught Stealing: Mankowski (2)
Sacrifice Hits: Whitaker (1), Trammell (1), Alston (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Oglivie (3), White (4)
Hit by Pitch: Johnson (6,by Ruhle)


Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Ruhle                   5     8   4   4   1   4   1  25   5.70
Crawford                1.2   3   1   1   1   3   0   9   4.79
Foucault L(7-7)         1.1   2   3   3   2   1   0   8   3.15
Totals                  8    13   8   8   4   8   1  42

Yankees                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Clay                    4     4   2   2   2   3   1  17   4.37
Tidrow                  1     1   1   0   1   2   0   6   3.16
Thomas W(3-6)           4     4   4   4   4   1   0  20   6.12
Totals                  9     9   7   6   7   6   1  43

Hit by Pitch: Ruhle (3)

Umpires: HP - Larry Barnett, 1B - Jim Evans, 2B - Vic Voltaggio, 3B - Marty Springstead


TIGERS 1ST: Corcoran singled to left; Whitaker out on a
sacrifice bunt (third to first) [Corcoran to second]; Staub
grounded out (first to pitcher) [Corcoran to third]; Kemp flied
out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 0, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 1ST: Nettles doubled to right; White struck out;
Chambliss popped to third in foul territory; Johnson walked;
Alston flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 0,
Yankees 0.

TIGERS 2ND: Thompson walked; Oglivie homered [Thompson scored];
Parrish struck out; Mankowski singled to right; Mankowski was
caught stealing second (catcher to shortstop); Trammell struck
out; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 2, Yankees 0.

YANKEES 2ND: Locklear grounded out (shortstop to first); Klutts
grounded out (third to first); Zeber singled to right; Stanley
singled to third [Zeber to second]; Nettles singled to right
[Zeber to third, Stanley to second]; White struck out; 0 R, 3 H,
0 E, 3 LOB.  Tigers 2, Yankees 0.

TIGERS 3RD: Corcoran doubled to left; Whitaker flied out to
left; Staub flied out to center [Corcoran to third]; Kemp
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 2,
Yankees 0.

YANKEES 3RD: Chambliss flied out to left; Johnson was hit by a
pitch; MCCALL RAN FOR JOHNSON; Alston doubled to center [McCall
to third]; Locklear singled to right [McCall scored, Alston
scored]; Klutts popped to second in foul territory; Zeber flied
out to left; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 2, Yankees 2.

TIGERS 4TH: HENDRICKS REPLACED MCCALL (PLAYING C ); Thompson
grounded out (first to pitcher); Oglivie walked; Parrish
grounded out (third to first) [Oglivie to second]; Mankowski
struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 2, Yankees 2.

YANKEES 4TH: Stanley struck out; Nettles grounded out (second to
first); White flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers
2, Yankees 2.

TIGERS 5TH: TIDROW REPLACED CLAY (PITCHING); Trammell was called
out on strikes; Corcoran grounded out (first unassisted);
Whitaker reached on an error by Locklear [Whitaker to second];
Staub singled to right [Whitaker scored (unearned)]; Kemp walked
[Staub to second]; Thompson struck out; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1 E, 2
LOB.  Tigers 3, Yankees 2.

YANKEES 5TH: Chambliss struck out; Hendricks grounded out (first
unassisted); Alston made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Tigers 3, Yankees 2.

TIGERS 6TH: THOMAS REPLACED TIDROW (PITCHING); Oglivie grounded
out (second to first); Parrish made an out to shortstop;
Mankowski grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Tigers 3, Yankees 2.

YANKEES 6TH: Locklear singled to center; Klutts homered
[Locklear scored]; CRAWFORD REPLACED RUHLE (PITCHING); Zeber
singled to center; Stanley singled to right [Zeber to third];
Nettles grounded out (pitcher to first) [Stanley to second];
White hit a sacrifice fly to center [Zeber scored]; Chambliss
struck out; 3 R, 4 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 3, Yankees 5.

TIGERS 7TH: Trammell walked; Corcoran singled to left [Trammell
to third]; Whitaker walked [Corcoran to second]; Staub forced
Whitaker (first to shortstop) [Trammell scored, Corcoran to
third]; Kemp singled to left [Corcoran scored, Staub to second];
Thompson walked [Staub to third, Kemp to second]; Oglivie hit a
sacrifice fly to left [Staub scored]; Parrish forced Thompson
(third to second); 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 6, Yankees 5.

YANKEES 7TH: Hendricks struck out; Alston struck out; Locklear
singled to left; Klutts walked [Locklear to second]; FOUCAULT
REPLACED CRAWFORD (PITCHING); Zeber flied out to center; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 6, Yankees 5.

TIGERS 8TH: Mankowski singled to first; Trammell out on a
sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Mankowski to second]; Corcoran
singled to right [Mankowski scored]; Whitaker grounded out
(shortstop to first) [Corcoran to second]; Staub grounded out
(second to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 7, Yankees 5.

YANKEES 8TH: Stanley was called out on strikes; Nettles doubled
to right; White walked; Chambliss walked [Nettles to third,
White to second]; Hendricks doubled to right [Nettles scored,
White scored, Chambliss to third]; Alston out on a sacrifice
bunt (pitcher to first) [Chambliss scored, Hendricks to third];
Locklear grounded out (shortstop to first); 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Tigers 7, Yankees 8.

TIGERS 9TH: BERGMAN REPLACED LOCKLEAR (PLAYING LF); Kemp
grounded out (shortstop to first); Thompson walked; Oglivie
popped to third in foul territory; Parrish struck out; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 7, Yankees 8.

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