 On January 17 , 1957 , Sisler was re @-@ signed by the Red Sox . The Red Sox expected Sisler to be a candidate for a pitching rotation slot . He impressed his coaching staff during early spring practices , manager Mike " <unk> " Higgins commented that Sisler " looks good ; he 's more mature and shows more confidence " . When the regular season began , he was initially effective , winning three games against one defeat in his first four starts , including two complete game victories against the Yankees . At this point , he was 4 – 0 against the Yankees , earning him the moniker " Yankee Killer " from sportswriter Chester L. Smith of the Pittsburgh Press . Although his ERA of 4 @.@ 88 was considered high , it was due in large part to his loss against the Kansas City Athletics who scored six earned runs in just two innings . On July 4 , he defeated the Yankees once again , making him 5 – 0 against them in his career , and 7 – 4 overall for the 1957 season , and had lowered his ERA to 4 @.@ 02 . That was his last victory of the season , however , which he followed with two consecutive losses , pitching a total of four innings ; he did not appear in another game until September 2 . He recorded a save against the Baltimore Orioles on September 7 , but closed the season with two consecutive losses against the Yankees , though he pitched well in the second game , giving up just three hits and two earned runs in eight innings . His season totals include a 7 – 8 record , and a 4 @.@ 72 ERA in 122 ⅓ inning pitched . 
