Ron Guidry went 25-3 in 1978

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Stat Man thought it better to address a Cajun that only destroyed batters: Ron Guidry.

The New York Yankees ace during the 1978 season, Guidry, the pride of Lafayette, Louisiana, went 25-3 with an ERA of 1.74. Even more impressive, he threw a now unheard of 16 complete games, nine of those shutouts.

As a young Boston Red Sox fan, there was nothing on earth more dejecting than battling Guidry’s 90+ mph fastball—and a slider he threw almost as hard--for seven or eight innings, only to have the Yankees bring in Goose Gossage. He only threw about 98 mph.

So, as the Boston Red Sox head toward the stretch run, let’s be grateful that all we have to worry about is an over-the-hill Randy Johnson. If the New York Yankees had a Guidry, we would be looking at an entirely different race.