On May 20 of the 1976 season, Lee started a game against the New York Yankees, pitched six innings, and the Red Sox won 8-2. However, the game is remembered for the final out of the sixth when Lou Piniella of the Yankees was tagged out at home by Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Piniella slid with his spikes high into Fisk as he was tagged out, touching off an on-field brawl where Lee suffered a torn ligament in his pitching shoulder. Lee would miss almost two months of the season and finish with a 5-7 record.