Coaching Career
Guidry joined Yankee's Manager Joe Torre's coaching staff as pitching coach in the 2006 season, replacing Mel Stottlemyre. Under Guidry's tenure, the Yankees' pitching staff enjoyed mixed results. The pitching staff's ERA decreased from 4.52 in 2005 to 4.41 in 2006 under his first year of coaching, though in 2007, the team ERA increased to 4.49 (or 17th overall in the Major leagues).
However, Guidry was criticized in 2007, because the highly-acclaimed pitching staff was underachieving. The Yankees pitching staff in 2007 walked the sixth most batters overall in the Major Leagues; this was the most walks in a season for a Yankees pitching staff since the 2000 season. Torre's departure from the Yankees following the 2007 season ended Guidry's tenure as pitching coach. Though he was interested in returning to the Yankees for the 2008 season, he was not offered a position on new manager Joe Girardi's coaching staff. He did return to the Yankees as a spring training instructor.
Former New York Times writer Harvey Araton wrote a book called "Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift" that profiles the friendship Guidry has with Yankees' Hall of Fame catcher (and Guidry's former coach and manager) Yogi Berra. During Spring Training, Guidry is assigned to drive Berra around.
Read more about this topic: Ron Guidry
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