This Week in Yankee History

February 3rd - February 9th

February 3rd

1890 - Former Yankees co-owner Larry Mac Phail (1945-47) was born.

1925 - Former Yankees P Harry Byrd (1954) was born. Harry went 9-7 in 1954 for the Yankees before being sent to the Orioles in 1955.

1944 - Former Yankees INF Celerino Sanchez (1972-73) was born. On December 6, 1971, he was traded by the Mexico City Tigers (Mexican) to the Yankees for Ossie Chavarria. He would hit .242 in 105 games for the Yankees.

1951 - Former Yankees P Mike Wallace (1974-75) was born. On May 3, 1974, Mike was traded by the Phillies to the Yankees for P Ken Wright. Mike would 6-0 in 26 games before being sold to the Cardinals in 1975.

1961 - Former Yankee minor league P Freddie Toliver was born. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1979 amateur player draft. Fred was traded to the Reds along with P Brian Ryder in the Ken Griffey Sr. trade in 1981. He would return to the Yankees in September, 1989, but he would not make any appearances with the team at MLB level.

1965 - Former Yankee minor league P Rich Scheid was born. Rich was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1986 amateur player draft. On July 13, 1987, he was traded by the Yankees along with Pitchers Bob Tewksbury and Dean Wilkins to the Cubs for P Steve Trout.

1966 - Former Yankees OF Mike Milosevich (1944-45) passed away. Mollie hit .241 for the 1944-45 Yankees

1998 -The Yankees replace recently resigned General Manager Bob Watson with Brian Cashman.

2002 - Yankees catcher Jorge Posada signs a 5-yr contract with the club. Terms are not announced, but Posada was asking for $7.75 million in arbitration which would make the 30-year-old the 2nd best-paid catcher in ML history.

February 4th

1915 - The Yankees purchase Wally Pipp and Hugh High from the Tigers for a reported $5,000 each. Baseball historian Lyle Spatz (Yankees Coming, Yankees Going) writes that this was the 1st of some promised funneling of ball players to the recently-sold Yankees franchise.

1916 - Yankees released OF Birdie Cree (1908-1915).

1937 - Former Yankees Manager Harry Wolverton (1912) passed away (1873-1937); Harry managed the Yankees to a 50-102 record in 1912.

1957 - Former Yankees Manager Joe McCarthy and OF Sam Crawford are elected to the HOF by the BWAA. McCarthy, the winingest manager in ML history, won 9 pennants and 4 consecutive World Championships with the Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the dead-ball era, finished his career with 309 triples, 1st on the all-time list.

1969 - Attorney Bowie Kuhn is named MLB commissioner, succeeding Spike Eckert. Kuhn receives a 1-yr contract paying him $100,000. Major league owners turned to Kuhn after failing to agree on either of two other candidates, Michael Burke of the Yankees and Chub Feeney of the Giants.

1984 - The Yankees obtain 3rd baseman Toby Harrah and a player to be named later from the Indians in exchange for OF Otis Nixon, P George Frazier and a player to be named later.

2007 - Former Yankee P Steve Barber (1967-68) passed away. On July 4, 1967, Steve was traded by the Orioles to the Yankees for players to be named later, 1B Ray Barker, and cash. The Yankees sent Chet Trail (minors) and Joe Brady) to the Orioles to complete the trade. Steve went 12-14 in 37 games before being drafted by the Seattle Pilots in the1968 AL expansion draft.

2007 - Former Yankee reserve OF Jim Pisoni (1959-60) passed away. Jim came to Yankees in 1957 in the Billy Martin trade. He hit .144 in 32 games as a reserve OF Yankee.

February 5th

1891 - Former Yankees INF (1913-1921) and Manager (1914) Roger Peckinpaugh was born. On May 25, 1913, he was traded by the Cleveland to the Yankees for Bill Stumpf and Jack Lelivelt. Roger had 8 good seasons with the Yankees as a starting shortstop until 1921, when he was traded to the Red Sox. In 1914, he briefly managed the team for 17 games.

1921 - The Yankees purchase 10 acres of land in the Bronx. The Yankees will use the land as the site for their new park, which will be called Yankee Stadium.

1935 - At the age of 39, MLB HR king and AL All Star OF Babe Ruth is released by the Yankees.

1936 - Former Yankee OF/1B James “Leroy” Thomas (1961) was born. Lee was unable to break into the Yankees regular outfield. He was traded to the Angeles in the Ryne Duren-Bob Cerv trade in May, 1961. After retiring as a MLB player he went in front office management, later becoming a General Manager, most recently with the Phillies.

1942 - The Boston Braves obtain OF Tommy Holmes from the Yankees for 1B Buddy Hassett and OF Gene Moore in one of the best trades in Braves history. Hassett will hit .284, then join the Navy and never make it back to the ML. The much-traveled Moore will never play for the Yankees. Holmes couldn't break into New York's All-Star OF, but he will be a .302 career hitter and will win the MVP Award in 1948 after leading his team to the NL pennant.

1955 - Former Yankee C Mike Heath (1978) was born. Mike was being groomed to be Thurman Munson’s replacement, until he was traded to the Rangers in the Sparky Lyle- Dave Righetti trade in the Fall of 1978.

2002 - Luis (Tite) Arroyo is inducted into the Latin American Baseball HOF Museum. The Puerto Rican reliever, who made the NL All Star squad as a rookie with the Cardinals in 1955, posted a 40-32 record with 36 saves and a 3.93 ERA in 8 major league seasons. Arroyo is best remembered for his 1961 season with the Yankees, when he went 15-5 with 29 saves.

February 6th

1896 - Babe Ruth is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth will amass 714 HRs with 2217 RBI and a lifetime batting average of .342 on his way to Hall of Fame election in 1936.

1926 - The St. Louis Browns acquire C Wally Schang from the Yankees for P George Mogridge and cash. Although Schang is 36 of age, he will hold the job as catcher for the Browns for 4 seasons.

1926 - Former Yankees 1B Dale Long (1960, 1962-63) was born. Don was obtained from Giants in August of 1960. Don hit .366 in 26 games for the Yankees. He was lost in the 1961 AL Expansion Draft to the new Senators. He was re-obtained from the Senators in 1962 for OF Don Lock (Richmond). He hit .298 in 41 games. Don was released by the Yankees during the 1963 season.

1950 - Former longtime Yankees Coach Art Fletcher (1929-1945) passed away. Art briefly managed the Yankees for 11 games, after Manager Miller Higgins had died. Bob Shawkey would take over the team from him.

1969 - Former Yankees P Bob Wickman (1992-96) was born. Bob was obtained from the White Sox in the Steve Sax trade. He went 31-14 in 223 games with 11 saves, before being traded to the Brewers in 1996.

1970 - Former Yankees P Mark Hutton (1993-94, 1996) was born. Mark was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1988. He went 1-3 in 19 games with the team, before being traded on July 31, 1996, to the Marlins for P Dave Weathers.

1986 - The Yankees sign free agent relief P Al Holland (1986-87). Al went 1-0 in 28 games with 10 saves before being released by the team in 1987.

1996 - Former Yankees P Bob Muncrief (1951) passed away. On November 16, 1950, Bob was drafted by the Yankees from the Cubs in the 1950 rule 5 player drafts. He went 0-0 in 2 games in 1951.

1998 - The Yankees acquire All-Star 2nd baseman Chuck Knoblauch from the Twins for P Eric Milton, INF Cristian Guzman and minor leaguers OF/1B Brian Buchanan and Danny Mota, plus $3 million in cash. Knoblauch will bat .265 with 17 HRs in 1998 and help the Yankees to the World Championship.

2007 - Former Yankee P Lew Burdette (1950) passed away. (1926-2007)
Lew was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1947. During the 1950, he appeared in 2 games with no record. On August 29, 1951, he was traded by the Yankees along with $50,000 to the Braves for veteran P Johnny Sain. Lew would come back to haunt the Yankees in 1957 World Series, winning 3 games against his old team. If Lew had stayed with the Yankees, he could have won 300 games. He finished his ML career in 1967 with a 203-144 mark.

February 7th

1936 - Former Yankee 1st baseman Frank Leja (1954-55) was born. (1936-1991)
On October 1, 1953, Frank was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent (bonus baby). He was required to be on the ML roster for 2 years because of his bonus status. He appeared in only 19 games, getting 1 hit in 7 at bats. He would stay in the Yankees organization until 1961, when he was sold to the Cardinals.

1949 - Yankees superstar CF Joe DiMaggio signs a 1-yr contract worth $100,000, becoming the 1st player to earn a 6-figure deal in ML history. In 1948, DiMaggio batted .320, while leading the AL with 39 HRs and 155 RBIs.

1955 - Former Yankee INF Damaso Garcia (1978-79) was born. He was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1975. He appeared in 29 games hitting .229 before being traded to the Blue Jays on November 1, 1979. He was traded by the Yankees along with 1B Chris Chambliss and P Paul Mirabella for P Tom Underwood, C Rick Cerone, and OF Ted Wilborn.

1967 - Yankees obtain P Joe Verbanic from the Phillies for P Pedro Ramos. Joe went 11-10 in 3 years with the Yankees.

1995 - Former MLB and Yankees pitcher Cecil Upshaw (1974) dies from a heart attack at the age of 52. The side-arming Upshaw saved 27 games in 1969, helping the Braves win the NL West Division. In 9 seasons, Upshaw made 348 appearances, all in relief. On April 26, 1974, he was traded by the Indians to the Yankees in the Chris Chambliss trade. Cecil went 1-5 in 36 games with 6 saves before being traded to the White Sox.

February 8th

1911 - Former Yankee INF and MLB Manager Don “Jeep” Heffner (1934-37) was born. Don was a reserve INF for the Yankees from 1934-37 before being traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1938. In 1966, he would manage the Reds.

1927 - Pitcher Sad Sam Jones is traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for P Joe Giard and OF Cedric Durst. Jones will be 8 -14 in his only season in St. Louis.

1942 - Former Yankee P Fritz Peterson (1966-1974) was born. Fritz was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1963. Fritz went 109-96 with the Yankees. His best season was in 1970 going 20-11 in 39 games and making the AL All Star team. On April 26, 1974, he was traded by the Yankees along with Pitchers Fred Beene, Tom Buskey, and Steve Kline to the Indians for 1B Chris Chambliss, Pitchers Richard Tidrow, and Cecil Upshaw.

1943 - Former Yankee INF Bob Oliver (1975) was born. Bob hit .118 in 18 games before being released.

1956 - The Senators send P Mickey McDermott and INF Bob Kline to the Yankees in exchange for C Lou Berberet, OF Whitey Herzog, and 3 more players.

1983 - Current Yankees Pitcher Chase Wright was born.

1983 - One day after taking a job as director of sports promotions for the Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, Mickey Mantle is ordered to sever his ties with MLB by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Mantle joins fellow HOF Willie Mays as players banned from baseball by Kuhn for involvement with legalized gambling.

1984 - After losing Type A free agent P Tom Underwood to the Orioles, Oakland grab pitcher Tim Belcher from the Yankees as compensation. The No.1 selection in the June 1983 draft, Belcher did not sign with Minnesota and was available in the January draft. The Yankees signed him on February 2, only to lose him because they had already submitted their list of 26 protected players.

February 9th

1902 - Former Yankee INF Julie Wera (1927, 1929) was born.He batted .278 in 43 games before being sent to San Franciso Seals (PCL) in the Frank Crosetti trade.

1937 - Former Yankee 3rd Baseman and Coach Clete Boyer (1959-1966) was born (1937-2007). Clete Boyer took over the regular 3rd B job from Andy Carey in 1960; he would be one of finest 3B to play for the Yankees from 1960-66. He was over shadow by the Orioles Brooks Robinson. Clete appeared in 5 World Series with the Yankees (1960-1964). In the winter of 1966, he was traded by the Yankees to the Braves for OF Bill Robinson. The 3B position would not be solid again until the arrival of Graig Nettles in 1973. Clete passed away in 2007. He was the younger brother MLB players Cloyd and Ken Boyer.

1980 - The late Yankees Catcher Thurman Munson is inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University.

1984 - Former Yankee C Dioner Navarro (2004) was born. He was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2000. He hit .429 in 5 games before being traded to the D-Backs in the Randy Johnson trade.

1994 - The Phillies trade P Terry Mulholland and a player to be named later to the Yankees in exchange for P Bobby Munoz, 2B Kevin Jordan and minor league P Ryan Karp

2001 - After 13 months of negotiations, Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalize a $189 million, 10-year contract. The deal makes the all-star shortstop second only to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million/10 years) as highest paid player in the history of the sport.

2007 - Former Yankee OF (1948-1959) and MLB Manager Hank Bauer passed away (1922-2007). Before the 1946 AL Season, Hank was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent. He was AL All Star RF in 1952-1954. Hank appeared in 9 World Series with the Yankees with the 1958 series against the Braves being his best, hitting .323 with 4 HRs with 8 RBI’s. Hank finished his Yankee career with a .277 BA, 158 HRs, and 654 RBIs in 1,406 games. On December 11, 1959, Hank was traded by the Yankees along with P Don Larsen, OF Norm Siebern, and OF/1B Marv Throneberry to the Kansas City Athletics for OF Roger Maris, INF Joe DeMaestri, and 1B Kent Hadley. Hank would finish his playing career with the A’s in 1961. He would manage the A’s in Kansas City and Oakland. Hank would win the 1966 World Series with the Orioles beating the Dodgers. Later he would manage in the Mets farm system at Tidewater (AAA) in the 1970’s and then scout for the Yankees afterwards.

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(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contributions)