Sunday, July 20, 2008

This Week in Yankees History

July 20th - July 26th

July 20th

1904 - The Yankees trade pitchers Long Tom Hughes (7-11) and Barney Wolfe (0-3) to the Senators for Al Orth (3-4). Orth will regain his form in New York, going 11-6 this season. He will win 27 games for the Yanks in 1906.

1912 - Pitcher Ray Caldwell of the Highlanders, inserted as a pinch runner, steals home for the tying run in an eventual 4 -3 win over Cleveland. He then pitches a 4 -0 victory in the 2nd game.

1923 - The Yankees hit into a triple play, but still beat the A’s 9-2 behind starter Carl Mays 4-hitter.

1936 - In an exhibition game in Pittsburgh, former Yankees starter Waite Hoyt stops his old teammates, by a score of 7-2. Lou Gehrig's 6th inning HR is the 1st score for New York. Ted Kleinhaus is cuffed in his 8-innings. While Hoyt wins, another old pitcher loses as the Pirates hand Guy Bush his release. The Bees (Braves) will sign him.

1941 - The Yankees end a 17-inning game with the Tigers, by scoring 6 runs in the last inning to win the game by a score of 12-6.

1956 - Yankees starter Whitey Ford ties an AL record for consecutive strikeouts by fanning 6 straight A’s batters. Ford will finish the game with 8 strikeouts in a 6-3 win.

1960 - Former Yankees P Mike Witt (1991-93) was born. On May 11, 1990, Mike was traded by the Angels to the All Star Yankees for OF Dave Winfield. Mike went 8-9 in 26 games for the Yankees.

1960 - At Municipal Stadium, with Cleveland in the lead 8-2, Mickey Mantle launches a Gary Bell pitch over the auxiliary scoreboard into the distant upper deck in RF, matching Luke Easter as the only MLB players to reach that spot. Cleveland holds on for an 8 -6 win.

1962 - Mickey Mantle HRs in the 1st inning off of Washington starter Steve Hamilton to propel the Yankees to a 3-2 victory. Mantle goes 3-for-4 and his on-base percentage is now at .516.

1965 - Mel Stottlemyre of the Yankees becomes the 1st pitcher to hit an inside-the-park grand slam since Deacon Phillippe did it for the Pirates in 1910. Stottlemyre's bases-loaded drive in the 5th off of starter Bill Monbouquette assures him a 6 -3 victory over the Red Sox.

1970 - Yankees obtained veteran All Star starter Mike McCormick from the Giants for P John Cumberland. Mike went 5-1 in 9 games for the Yankees.

1973 - White Sox starter Wilbur Wood starts and loses both games of a doubleheader against the Yankees by scores of 12 -2 and 7-0.

1985 - Scattering 7-hits, Yankees starter Ron Guidry wins his 12th straight, beating the Twins 8-3. Don Mattingly has a 2-run HR and a 2-run double for the Yankees.

1987 - Don Mattingly ties another MLB record, this time in the field, as he makes 22 putouts in the Yankees 7-1 win over the Twins. The feat was last accomplished in the AL by Hal Chase for the Highlanders in 1906.

1998 - The Tigers take the 1st game of a doubleheader against the Yankees by a 4 -3 score in 17 innings. The Yankees bounced back to take the nightcap by the identical score. The doubleheader of 26 innings takes nearly 9 hours to play.

July 21st

1921 - The Indians bang out 9 doubles, and the Yankees 7, for an AL record 16 in Cleveland's 17-8 win. The Indians cling to a 2-game lead in the AL.

1941 - Former Yankees P Gary Waslewski (1970-71) was born. On May 15, 1970, Gary was traded by the Expos to the Yankees for 1B/OF Dave McDonald. Gary went 2-3 with 1 save in 50 games for the Yankees.

1942 - Former Yankees 1B/DH Mike Hegan (1964, 1966-67, 1973-74) was born. Mike was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1961. He appeared in 5 games in 1964 with no hits. He appeared in 3 games in the 1964 World Series with 3 at bats and no-hits. Mike hit .205 in 13 games in 1966 and .136 in 68 games in 1967. On June 14, 1968, he was purchased by the expansion Seattle Pilots from the Yankees. On August 18, 1973, Mike was sent to the Yankees by Oakland as part of an conditional deal. Mike hit .275 in 37 games for the rest of the 1973 season. He was hitting only .226 in 18 games, when the Yankees sent him to the Brewers. With the arrival of 1B Chris Chambliss from the Indians made Mike expendable. Mike’s Dad was former Yankees bullpen catcher and MLB player Jim Hegan. In 1964, they were the 1st MLB father and son to appear in a World Series together.

1947 - The Braves edge the Yankees in the annual Hall of Fame game held at Doubleday Field at Cooperstown, NY by a score of 4-3.

1961 - All Star sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris slam back-to-back HRs in the 1st inning for New York, but it takes a 2-out, 9th-inning pinch-hit grand slam by Johnny Blanchard to finally subdue the Red Sox, by a score of 11-8, at Fenway Park. The pinch-hit grand slam is the AL 6th of the season, a new record.

1969 - A gala All-Star Game banquet in Washington, D.C. is one of baseball's great events. An all-time team and all-time living team are announced. Babe Ruth is selected as the Greatest All-Time MLB Player, and while Joe DiMaggio, as the Greatest Living MLB Player.

1972 - The Yankees sweep doubleheader from the Angels, winning by scores of 6-0 and 3-0 over the Angels. Yankees starters Fritz Peterson and Mel Stottlemyre apply the whitewash to the Angels.

1973 - Former Yankees farmhand OF/1B Brian Buchanan was born Brian was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 1994 amateur player draft. On February 6, 1998, he was traded along with Yankee minor leaguer’s INF Cristian Guzman, Pitchers Eric Milton, and Danny Mota along with cash to the Twins for 2B Chuck Knoblauch.

1976 - Former Yankees HOF CF Earl “The Kentucky Colonel” Combs (1924-1935) passed away. (1899-1976) Earl was the first of the great Yankee center fielders. He was a lifetime .325 hitter for the Yankees. His Yankees career was cut short by serious injuries suffered while making desperation catch in 1933. He batted .340 in 4 World Series, 8th highest BA in MLB history.

1977 - Yankees starter Catfish Hunter tosses a 7-0 shut out against the Brewers to snap a Yankees 3-game losing streak. Milwaukee comes back in the nightcap to win, 5-4, in 10 innings.

1988 - The Mariners sends DH Ken Phelps to the Yankees for OF Jay Buhner and minor leaguer pitchers Rich Balabon and Troy Evers. Phelps would hit .244 in 1988 and .249 for the Yankees before being traded on August 30, 1989, to the Oakland Athletics for P Scott Holcomb (minors).

1993 - Former Yankee, now a Mariner OF Jay Buhner collects 5 hits in Mariners 10-3 win over the Yankees. Mariners starter Hanson goes all the allowing no earned runs to beat Yankees starter Jimmy Key (12 -3).

1997 - Four days after the birth of his 2nd child, Yankees' OF Mark Whiten is arrested in Milwaukee and charged with second-degree sexual assault of a 31-year-old woman.

2000 - Wasting no time in his new capacity as GM, Cubs president Andy MacPhail sends the popular OF Glenallen Hill to the Yankees for minor league pitchers Ben Ford and Ozwaldo Mairena. Hill would hit .333 for the Yankees in 30 games, before being traded on March 28, 2001 to the Angels for minor league P Darren Blakely.

July 22nd

1918 - The Yankees and Browns battle to a 15-inning, 4-4 tie.

1925 - The Yankees buy shortstop Leo “Lip” Durocher from Hartford (Eastern League) for $12,000. Leo appeared in 210 games with the Yankees, hitting .261. He was waived by the Yankees after the 1929 AL season, because he had a fight with roommate Babe Ruth for allegedly for stealing the Babe’s watch. Reports say that the Babe really smacked Leo around their hotel room. On February 5,1930, he was selected off waivers by the Reds from the Yankees.

1926 - the Yankees obtained veteran C Hank Severeid on waivers from the Senators. Hank hit .268 in 41 games for the Yankees before retiring as a MLB player.

1928 - White Sox pitcher Red Faber comes up to bat in the 8th with 2 runners on base and the game with the Yankees tied 4-4. He swings twice righthanded against righty pitcher Wilcy Moore and misses. He then switches to the left side and knocks in the winning runs with a single to centerfield.

1944 - Former Yankees Cy Young Winner Relief Pitcher Sparky Lyle (1973-1978) was born. On March 22, 1972, Sparky was traded by the Red Sox to the Yankees for a player to be named later and 1B Danny Cater. The Yankees would send INF Mario Guerrero on June 30, 1972, to the Red Sox to complete the trade. Sparky won the 1977 Cy Young Award with a 13-5 record appearing in 72 games with 26 saves. He was a 3-time AL All Star team member. With the arrival of Closer Rich Goosage in 1978, Sparky was no longer the team’s closer. He would finish his Yankee career with a 57-40 record in 384 games with 151 saves. On November 10, 1978, he was traded by the Yankees along with C Mike Heath, Pitchers Larry McCall and Dave Rajsich, INF Domingo Ramos, and cash to the Rangers for pitcher Dave Righetti, OF Juan Beniquez, Pitchers Mike Griffin and Paul Mirabella, and Greg Jemison (minors).

1947 - Former Yankees C/DH/1B Clifford “Heathcliff” Johnson (1977-79) was born. On June 15, 1977, Cliff was traded by the Astros to the Yankees for a player to be named later, along with Pitcher Randy Niemann, and INF Mike Fischlin. The Yankees would send 1B/OF Dave Bergman on November 23, 1977 to the Astros to complete the trade. Cliff was a power bat off the bench for the Yankees during his stay with the team. After a clubhouse fight with Yankee closer Rich Gossage, he was traded by the team. On June 15, 1979, Cliff was traded by the Yankees to the Indians for P Don Hood.

1948 - The Yankees take the rubber game of the series with the Indians as Vic Raschi earns the 6-5 decision over Bob Feller. Joe DiMaggio's grand slam is the big blow for the Bombers: he has hit 4 HRs and a triple in Feller's 4 starts against New York. His 8 RBIs in the 3 games with Cleveland gives him a league-leading 82.

1954 - In an attempt to put more pop in the starting lineup, Yankees skipper Casey Stengel inserts Mickey Mantle in the infield as the shortstop, while Phil Rizzuto plays 2B. The experiment works as the “Commerce Comet” homers in the 10th inning giving the Yankees a 3-2 victory over the White Sox.

1956 - Former Yankees P Scott Sanderson (1991-92) was born. After being purchased from A’s, Scott went 28-22 in 77 games for the Yankees.

1960 - The Yankees purchased veteran 33-year-old P Luis Arroyo from Jersey City (IL). He will be a key to New York's 1960 pennant and an AL All Star closer in 1961 with 15 wins and 29 saves. He will eventually replaces Ryne Duren as the Yankee closer out off the bullpen in 1961.

1961 - Yankees super-sub John Blanchard does it again with a solo pinch-hit HR to start a 3-run 9th-inning Yankee rally to tumble the Red Sox by a score of
11- 9.

1989 - The Yankees trade popular 3B Mike Pagliarulo and Don Schulz to San Diego for pitchers Walt Terrell and Fred Toliver. Toliver won't report to New York untill September 27th. Walt Terrell will sign with the Pirates, as a free agent after the 1989 AL season.

July 23rd

1917 - Former Yankees P Ray Scarborough (1952-53) was born. After being obtained from the Red Sox, Ray went 7-3 in 33 games for the Yankees in 1952-53.

1922 - The Yankees start planning for the World Series when they pick up 3B Joe Dugan and one-time Cleveland World Series hero Elmer Smith from Boston, giving up OF Elmer Miller, Shortstops Chick Fewster and John Mitchell, and, later, Pitcher Lefty O'Doul. The contending Browns and other western clubs howl in protest and this deal will lead to a rule barring non-waiver trades after June 15th. Joe Dugan will replace the aging Frank Baker at 3B.

1925 - Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig hits the 1st of his record 23 MLB career grand slams as Yankees beat the Senators, by the score of 11-7.

1933 - Former Yankees P Johnny James (1958, 1960-61) was born. Johnny went 5-1 in 67 games for the Yankees. May 8, 1961, he was traded by the Yankees along with veteran P Ryne Duren and rookie OF Lee Thomas for Angels veterans P Tex Clevenger and OF Bob Cerv. Johnny would injure his arm before the start of the 1962 AL season started and never pitch in the MLB again.

1950 - Tigers hurler Saul Rogovin hits a 2nd inning grand slam off of starter Eddie Lopat as the 1st-place Bengals nip onrushing Yankees, 6-5.

1957 - Yankees All Star CF Mickey Mantle hits for the cycle, and adds a stolen base, against Chicago's Bob Keegan. The Yankees win the game by a score of 10-6.

1966 - At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees celebrate Old-timers' Day but lose to the Angels, by a score of 7-6, despite a grand slam HR from Mickey Mantle. The slam, off of P Marcelino Lopez, is Mickey's 9th. He ties Babe Ruth -- not in home runs, but in games played as a Yankee.

1977 - Reserve OF Paul Blair hits a 9th inning 3-run HR to give the Yankees starter Ron Guidry a 3 -1 victory over the Brewers.

1978 - Reggie Jackson returns to the team and the Yankees win their 5th straight, 3-1, over the White Sox. The next day, Yankee Manager Billy Martin will resign under pressure, giving way to Bob Lemon. At the Chicago airport, Martin, reacting to reporters' questions about Jackson and George Steinbrenner, replies, " The two deserve each other. One's a born liar; the other's convicted." The public remarks to the media will cost Billy his Yankee Manager’s job.

July 24th

1922 - Former Yankees P Duane Pillette (1949-1950) was born. Before 1946 Season, he was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent. Duane went 5-9 in 40 games for the Yankees. On June 15, 1950, he was traded by the Yankees along with Jim Delsing, Don Johnson, George “Snuffy Stirnweiss, and $50,000 to the Browns for hurlers Tom Ferrick, Joe Ostrowski, and Leo Thomas.

1923 - Yankees starter Carl Mays wins his 23rd consecutive game against the A’s.

1926 - Yankee sluggers Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth demonstrate that power hitting is not the only thing they can do when Lou scores on a double steal with the Babe in a victory over the White Sox. They had pulled the same double steal against the Red Sox on April 13th.

1933 - Yankees sign free agent veteran P George Uhle after his release by the Giants. He will go 6-1 for the Yankees in 1933 before fading.

1934 - Yankee CF Earle Combs crashes into the wall at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis and suffers a fractured skull. New York calls up OF George Selkirk but learns he broke his arm the same day playing for Newark Bears (IL). This injury will eventually ends Combs great Yankee HOF career in 1935. He was the 1st of the great Yankee centerfielders.

1935 - The Tigers shut out the Yankees 4-2 to go ahead by one-half game, but are a fraction of a percentage point behind in AL.

1954 - After Yankee Manager Casey Stengel pulls Phil Rizzuto in the 8th inning for a pinch hitter, he brings in Mickey Mantle again to play shortstop with Willie Miranda at 2B against left-handed hitters. Against righties, Miranda and Mantle switch their positions. Cleveland wins the game by a score of 5-4 to go 2 ½ games up on New York.

1960 - Chicago's 3rd straight win at Yankee Stadium and 8th straight overall, 6-3 victory behind veteran starter Billy Pierce, gives the Sox a 2-game lead atop the AL. Yankees starter Eli Grba beats Sox hurler Herb Score in the 2nd game by the score of 8-2 to give New York, a twin-bill split.

1961 - In an unusual mid-season exhibition match at Yankee Stadium, the San Francisco Giants beat their former cross-town rivals, 4-1. Mickey Mantle's HR accounts for the only Bronx Bombers run and Willie Mays has 2 RBIs for the visiting "Jints.”

1964 - Tigers starter Hank Aguirre gives up 5 runs on 3 HRs to New York in the 1st 4 innings, but the Tigers overcome a 5-2 deficit to win the game by a score of 10-5.

1966 - The Yankees beat the Angels, 9-1, in game 1, and Mickey Mantle hits his 2nd HR in 2 days. The homerun, his 493rd MLB career shot, ties him with HOF Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig for 6th place on the all-time MLB HR leaders list.

1978 - In Kansas City, a sobbing Billy Martin reads a prepared statement in which he resigns as the Yankee manager. Yankees Coach Richard Howser will fill in that night as acting Manager, as the Yankees lose the game to the Royals by a score of 5 -2. The new Yankees skipper Bob Lemon will take over the next day, he will pilot the Yankees to the 1978 World Championship.

1983 - In the memorable "Pine Tar Game" at Yankee Stadium, George Brett hits an apparent 2-run HR off of closer Rich Gossage to give the Kansas City Royals a 5 - 4 lead with 2 outs in the 9th inning, only to have it taken away when Yankees manager Billy Martin, at the urging of coach Don Zimmer, points out that the pine tar on Brett's bat handle exceeds the 17 inches allowed in the rules. As a result, Brett is called out for illegally batting the ball, giving New York, a 4 - 3 victory. George Brett goes ballistic and the Royals immediately protest, and AL President Lee MacPhail overrules his umpires for the 1st time saying that, while the rules should certainly be rewritten and clarified, the HR will stand and the game will be resumed from that point on August 18th.

1991 - In a game against the Mariners, the Yankees score 3 runs on a ground ball hit back to the pitcher. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out in the 4th inning, Pat Kelly hits a come-backer to P Erik Hanson. The Seattle hurler traps Kevin Maas in a rundown between 3rd base and home, but Maas scores when 3B Edgar Martinez's throw hits him in the back. The ball rolls up the 1st base line in foul territory, where it is recovered by C Dave Cochrane, who throws home to head off Yankees runner Alvaro Espinoza who is also attempting to score. The throw goes into the Mariners' dugout allowing Espinoza and Kelly to cross the plate with the 2nd and 3rd runs of the inning.

1992 - Commissioner Fay Vincent announces that Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner can resume active control of the Yankees on March 1, 1993.

1999 - The Yankees pound the Indians, by the score of 21-1. The Bronx Bombers are led by DH Chili Davis, who bangs out 5 hits, including a double and HRs, while driving home 6 runs.

2001 - The Yankees edge the Tigers, by the score of 6-5, despite an 8th inning moon shot by Detroit's Juan Encarnacion, off of Yankees P Ramiro Mendoza, that lands in the 2nd row of the empty blue bleacher seats in left centerfield. It is believed to be the 1st ball hit into that area since Yankee Stadium was remodeled in 1976.

2004 - Another saga is added to the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry as a bench-clearing brawl breaks out after Red Sox starter Bronson Arroyo hits Alex Rodriguez, who hit last night's game-winning HR, with a pitch. As A-rod stares out at the mound on his way to 1st base, Boston's C Jason Varitek, after a verbal exchange, pushes the All-star 3B in the face causing a series of fights with players in both team's dugouts and bullpens involved.

July 25th

1903 - At New York, the Pilgrims (Red Sox) bang 7 doubles and beat the Highlanders, by the score of 7-5. Freeman and Parent each have 2 doubles.

1904 - Before 1,522 fans in New York, veteran hurler Al Orth makes his 1st start for the Highlanders and matches zeroes with Chicago's Yip Owen. In the bottom of the 9th inning Patsy Dougherty leads off with a triple and scores on Willie Keeler's bouncer through the infield.

1908 - With the Highlanders leading the Tigers 3-2 in the 8th inning, Detroit scores 2 runs on a Ty Cobb triple. With lefty Claude Rossman the next hitter, New York's new manager Kid Elberfeld moves righty pitcher Jack Chesbro to 1B and replaces him with 1st baseman Hal Chase. Chase allows a fly ball that scores Cobb, then goes back to 1B and Chesbro resumes his spot on the mound. It is Hal Chase's only Yankee pitching appearance as the Tigers win the game by a score of 5-3.

1920 - The Red Sox turn a triple play against the Yankees, who win the game by a score of 8-2. Babe Ruth hits his 35th HR of the 1920 AL season.

1939 - Yankees rookie P Atley Donald sets the AL rookie record for consecutive wins. "Swampy” beats the Browns for his 12th straight victory, winning the game by a score of 5-1.

1948 - In the tight 4-team AL race, Joe DiMaggio leads the Yankees to a sweep over the White Sox, by scores of 5-3 and 7-3. Yankee Clipper is 3-for-3 in Game 1 to back Yankee starter Ed Lopat, then adds a triple and two doubles in the nightcap. His 3- RBIs in game 2, gives him an AL-high 86 RBIs.

1959 - Against Detroit, Yankee 1st baseman Bill “ Moose“ Skowron reaching for a wide throw collides with Tigers runner Coot Veale. Skowron's arm is broken in 2 places and he is out for the rest of the 1959 AL season. Marv Throneberry will fill in at 1B, hitting .241 for the Yankees. The Yanks win the game by a score of 9 -8, when Yogi Berra hits a HR in the 9th inning with Mickey Mantle on. Prior to the Yogi’s HR, Infielders Bobby Richardson and Fritiz Brickell hit their 1st MLB HRs for New York. Berra's HR erases 5 Yankee errors, including 3 by 3B Hector Lopez. Hector will eventually be moved to OF with Clete Boyer playing 3rd base with Andy Carey. Bill Skowron’s injury will be costly for the Yankees, who will finish in 3rd place in the AL with a 79-75 record behind the Indians and AL Champions White Sox.

1961 - Roger Maris hits 4 HRs, tying the AL record for a twin bill (at least one in each game), as New York beats Chicago by the scores of 5-1 and 12 -0. Mickey Mantle also homered off of P Frank Baumann in the 1st game. He ends the day with 38 HRs to 40 HRs for Roger Maris. With his 4 HR performance in the doubleheader sweep over the White Sox, Roger Maris moves 25 games ahead of Babe Ruth's 1927 60 HR pace. The Yankee slugger now has 40 for the year and will finish the 1961 AL season with a MLB record 61 round trippers.

1962 - Former Yankees P Doug Drabek (1986) was born. On August 13, 1984, he was sent by the White Sox to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on July 18, 1984. The White Sox sent players to be named later to the Yankees for INF Roy Smalley. The White Sox sent Doug Drabek (August 13, 1984) and Kevin Hickey (August 13, 1984) to the Yankees to complete the trade. Doug went 7-8 in 27 games for the Yankees. On November 26, 1986, he was traded by the Yankees along with pitchers Logan Easley and Brian Fisher to the Pirates for pitchers Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements.

1966 - Former Yankees Manager Casey Stengel is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a special vote of the MLB writers Association and Old Timer’s Committee. The purpose was the special vote was due to Casey Stengel being seriously injured in accident. The Press wanted him elected to the Hall of Fame, while he was still alive.

1967 - At Yankee Stadium, AL HR leader Harmon Killebrew gives the Twins an 1 -0 lead with a 1st inning HR off of Yankees starter Al Downing. Twins starter Jim Kaat holds New York scoreless until 2-outs in the 9th inning when Mickey Mantle clocks a ball over the 457 FT mark to tie the score. The game is rained out with the score 1-1 and will be replayed on August 18th. New York will win the replay, by a score of 1-0.

1976 - Former Yankees P Javier Vazquez (2004) was born. On December 16, 2003, he was traded by the Expos to the Yankees for 1B Nick Johnson, OF Juan Rivera, and LHP Randy Choate. He went 14-10 in 32 games for the Yankees. On January 11, 2005, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Brad Halsey, C Dioner Navarro, and cash to the Diamondbacks for All Star starter Randy Johnson.

1991 - A baseball jersey once worn by Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle is sold for $71,500 at an auction in Manhattan.

1995 - Yankees' 2B Randy Velarde strokes 5 hits in New York's 8-1 win over the Royals. Velarde's 5 hits in the game included 4 singles and a HR.

1996 - Royals rookie starter Jose Rosado wins his first MLB game, by the score of 7-0, shutting down the Yankees on 4-hits at Yankee Stadium.

1998 - Former Yankees P Jim Bouton makes his 1st appearance at Yankee Stadium since 1970 at Oldtimer’s Day and is greeted with cheers all around. Bouton had been persona non-grata in New York since writing his book, "Ball Four," which broke a long-standing taboo in sports by taking readers into the locker room and revealing players' extracurricular escapades. The Yankees invited the Bulldog back after his son wrote a Father's Day article in the New York Times suggesting it.

July 26th

1892 - Former Yankees P Samuel “Sad Sam” Jones (1922-26) was born. Sam went 67-55 for the Yankees from 1922-1926. His best Yankees season was in 1923, when he went 21-8 for the Yankees.

1920 - Former Yankees 3B Eddie Bockman (1946) was born. Eddie appeared in 4 games in 1946, before being traded on October 12, 1946, by the Yankees to the Indians for a player to be named later and cash. The Indians sent Dutch Meyer on December 5, 1946 to the Yankees to complete the trade.

1922 - In several pre-game fights between Yankees teammates, Bob Meusel and Wally Schang duke it out in the dugout. Then Babe Ruth and Wally Pipp take a turn. The riled-up players then turn on the Browns, beating them by the score of 11-6. Babe Ruth bangs out 2 HRs, while Wally Pipp adds another HR, and Wally Schang chips in with a 2-run triple.

1927 - Former Yankees P Bill Miller (1952-54) was born. August 1, 1951, he was purchased by the Yankees from the Syracuse (IL). Bill went 6-8 in 35 games for the Yankees before being traded to Orioles in the winter of 1954, as part of the 17-player trade.

1928 - Detroit rookie righthander Vic Sorrell and the Yankees' Waite Hoyt are 1-1 tie after 11 innings. Twelve hits and 2 walks in the 12th inning score 11 New York runs in the biggest extra-inning storm ever. Yankees OF Bob Meusel again hits for the cycle. The Yankees outfielder becomes the 1st big leaguer to accomplish the feat for a 3rd time during his MLB career. The Yankees lose the nightcap by a score of 13-10.

1931 - The Yankees split a doubleheader with the White Sox, taking the 2nd game 22-5 with 9 batters scoring 2 or more runs each.

1933 - Former Yankees Golden Glove Winner OF Norm Siebern (1956, 1958-1959) was born. Before the 1951 AL Season, Norm was signed by the Yankees, as an amateur free agent. He appeared with the Yankees briefly in 1956, and then he joined the team in 1958, being the 1st Yankee position player to win an AL Golden Glove for LF. He hit .300 in 1958 and .271 in 1959. He appeared in the 1956 and 1958 World Series with the Yankees. Norm was one of the young players who Yankee Manager Casey Stengel, who openly criticized in the media. On December 11, 1959, Norm was traded by the Yankees along with OF Hank Bauer, P Don Larsen, and 1B/OF Marv Throneberry to the Athletics for OF Roger Maris, INF Joe DeMaestri, and 1B Kent Hadley.

1933 - Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig is thrown out of the 2nd game in a double-header against the Red Sox. Had it been the 1st game, his consecutive-game streak would have ended.

1935 - An unusual double play occurs when a line drive (hit by Yankee Jesse Hill) bounces off the pitcher's head (Senator Ed Linke) in the air to the catcher (Jack Redmond) who throws to 2nd to double off the Yankees base-runner (Ben Chapman).

1936 - Umpire Bill Summers is forced out the game after he hit in the groin by a pop bottle thrown from an unruly crowd of 50,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The crowd is upset with an out call at 1B on Ray Radcliff in the 8th inning of the nightcap. Baseball Commissioner Judge Landis, on hand to watch the game, offers a $5,000 reward over the PA system for the culprit, but only draws more boos. The deluge of pop bottles finally abates when Jimmy Dykes pleads through the field amplifier. The Yanks sweep a pair from the Sox, winning by scores of 12-3 and 11-8 in 11 innings. Lou Gehrig hits his 29th HR with 2 aboard to start New York's scoring in the opener. Joe DiMaggio and Tony Lazzeri add round trippers to make it easy for Yankee starter Johnny Broaca. Sugar Cain is the losing pitcher. In the nightcap, Lou Gehrig adds another HR, while Zeke Bonura HRs and drives home 4 runs for the Sox. Joe DiMaggio has one hit, a triple. The sweep increases New York's AL lead to 9 1/2 games.

1937 - Former Yankees INF Pete Ward (1970) was born. Pete was at the end of his MLB career, when he joined the Yankees suffering from bad back problems, forcing him to switch from 3B to 1B.

1939 - Yankees C Bill Dickey hits 3 consecutive HRs during the Yankees 14-1 victory against the Browns. Meanwhile Yankee starter Red Ruffing throws a 3-hitter against the Browns. The Yankees tied the MLB record by scoring every inning.

1940 - Yankees starter Spud Chandler beats the White Sox with his bat, knocking in 6 runs with a single and 2-HRs, one a grand slam off of Pete Appleton. The 6- RBI ties the AL record held by pitchers, Pete Appleton, George Uhle and Wes Ferrell.

1948 - Yankees Hall Of Fame OF Babe Ruth makes his last public appearance, at the New York City premiere of the film “The Babe Ruth Story”. He will die three weeks later.

1948 - The Yankees waived P Randy Gumpert to the White Sox. Randy’s best season as a Yankee was in 1943, when he went 11-3. He went 16-4 in 60 games after being obtained from the A’s in 1939.

1952 - Yankees OF Mickey Mantle hits his 1st MLB career grand slam HR as the Yankees lose to the Tigers by a score of 10-6.

1957 - Tigers starter Jim Bunning 2-hits Yankees, winning by the score of 3-2, but one of the hits is Mickey Mantle's 9th left-handed HR, the 200th HR of his MLB career.

1961 - Yankees John Blanchard ties a MLB record by hitting his 3rd and 4th HRs in 4 at bats over 3 games. He drives in 4 of the 5 Yankee runs in a 5 -2 victory over the White Sox at the Stadium. New York manages just 6- hits but 4 of them are HRs, including 1 by Mickey Mantle following Blanchard's 1st-inning clout. Johnny Blanchard will end the year with 21 HRs in 243 at bats, becoming the 1st player in MLB history to hit 20 HRs or more in fewer than 250 at bats.

1962 - In New York City, Red Sox starter Gene Conley and INF Pumpsie Green mysteriously disappear after a 13-3 loss to the Yankees. They leave the team bus in traffic to use a rest room and fail to return. Conley decides he wants to fly to Israel, and goes to the airport, but is refused a ticket because he does not have a visa. Conley was the loser in the game, pitching only 2- 2/3 innings, while walking in 2 of the 8 earned runs that he allowed. INF Pumpsie Green did not play. Rookie starter Jim Bouton is the winner for the Yankees, shutting out the Red Sox for 6 innings.

1967 - At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees play their 2nd 18-inning game of the 1967 AL season, losing this one 3 -2 to the Twins. Rod Carew walks, steals 2B, continues to 3B on the catcher's errant throw, and scores on Rich Rollins' single. Twins closer Al Worthington wins over Yankees Thad Tillotson in a game that lasted 4-hours, 20-minutes.

1969 - The Yankees sell OF Billy Cowan to the Angels for cash. Billy hit .167 in 32 games for the Yankees before being sent to the Angels.

1977 - The Yankees open their final series with Baltimore by tying the O's at 4-4 on a Cliff Johnson 2-run pinch HR in the 9th inning. Reggie Jackson then leads off the 10th inning with a solo HR to win the game.

1987 - Former Yankees P Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Cub’s OF Billy Williams, and Black Baseball League star Ray Dandridge are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

1996 - The Yankees unload a 21 hit barrage and bat around twice to whip the Royals, 15-1. This is the most hits New York has collected in 9 innings since August 25, 1984, when they had 23 hits against Seattle. Jimmy Key is the easy winner, giving up only 3 hits in 7 innings. Yankees 2B Pat Kelly, who had been out the season with surgery, makes his debut and promptly injures a hamstring.

2004 - Former Yankees minor league P and MLB player Ruben Gomez passed away (1927 - 2004). Ruben had been picked up by the Yankees in 1951, but was released in 1952, when Yankees GM George Weiss decided he wasn’t the proper player to represent the Yankees as a minority player. Weiss had settled on Elston Howard for that role, releasing or trading away or releasing other black players in the Yankees organization. On December 3, 1951, Ruben was drafted by the Yankees from the St Jean (Provincial) in the 1951 minor league draft. On June, 1952, he was released by the Yankees. He would be signed by the Giants in January of 1953. He would pitch for 10 years in MLB going 76-86.


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

0 Comments: