August 17th - August 23rd
August 17th
1915 - Fritz Maisel of the Yankees steals 2B, 3B, and home in the 9th inning against the A’s.
1919 - Former Yankees P Ernest Nevel (1950-51) was born. Before the 1946 AL Season, Ernie was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent. He went 0-1 in 4 games with the Yankees. Ernie was traded to the Reds in 1952.
1920 - Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, 29, is beaned by a Carl Mays pitch. Chapman is a right-handed batter who likes to crowd the plate, Chapman freezes and fails to get out of the way of the submarine delivery. He is carried from the field and dies the next day from a fractured skull. Carl Mays, a surly, unpopular pitcher, is the target of fans' and MLB players' outrage. Ray Chapman, a Cleveland favorite since breaking in with the team in 1912, had been married the previous year. In October, his wife will receive a full World Series share, $3,986.34. The incident has no effect on Mays's pitching. One week later he will blank Detroit by the score of 10-0, and go on to win 26 and lose 11 during the 1920 AL season. Joe Sewell will be called up to take Chapman's place, and for 14 years he will be the hardest man to strike out in MLB. Joe will finish out his MLB career with the Yankees. The tragedy remains the only on-field fatality in MLB history.
1923 - After 111 games, Babe Ruth is hitting .401 with 31 HRs. He'll wind up with his highest BA, .393. With 205 hits, a MLB record 170 walks, and 4 times hit by pitches, Ruth will reach base a record 379 times.
1925 - Yankees released OF Bobby Veach and P Alex Fergunson to the Senators for future considerations and waiver price.
1929 - The Yankees buy P Lefty Gomez from San Francisco Seals (PCL) for delivery in September 1930. Lefty would post a Yankees pitching career record of 189-101 with a WP of .649 with 1,468 strikeouts and 173 complete games from 1930-1942.
1933 - On his way establishing the MLB mark of playing in 2,130 consecutive games, Lou Gehrig quietly surpasses former Yankees Everett Scott's previous MLB record of 1,308 games. The 1st baseman's single and triple doesn't prevent the last place Browns from beating the Yankees in 10 innings, at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, by the score of 7-6.
1943 - Yankees 1B Nick Etten singles twice off of White Sox hurler Bill Dietrich, breaking a 17-game stretch, in which Etten didn't single. Six of the 17 games were hitless, but Etten either doubled or HR in the other games. The Yankee lead is now at 9 1/2 games with the Bombers winning their 9th straight series, most of which are now 4 games as a result of wartime travel restrictions. The streak of winning each series will stretch to 13 before being broken by the Senators.
1944 - Yankees OF Johnny Lindell converted from a pitcher in 1943, hits 4 straight doubles to share a MLB mark. The Yankees defeat the Indians by a score of 10-3.
1948 - Yankees OF Tommy Henrich hits his 4th grand slam HR of the 1948 AL season, off of Senators hurler Sid Hudson, to join Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Rudy York and, later, Al Rosen and Ray Boone for the AL record. Henrich, who broke in with the Yankees in 1937, had never hit a grand slam HR before the 1948 AL season. Starter Bob Porterfield wins the game for the Yankees, by the score of 8-1.
1948 - An estimated crowd of 100,000 fans pass by the body of Babe Ruth which is on display at Yankee Stadium.
1951 - Former Yankees reserve INF Butch Hobson (1982) was born. On March 24, 1982, Butch was traded by the Angels to the Yankees for P Bill Castro. Butch only appeared in 30 games with the Yankees, hitting only .172, spending most of the 1982 season at Columbus (AAA).
1953 - Bob Kuzava of the Yankees shuts out the A’s by the score of 9-0, allowing 11 hits along the way.
1971 - Current Yankees All Star catcher Jorge Posada was born.
1979 - The Royals released veteran 1B/DH George Scott, who will sign with the Yankees on the 26th.
1986 - Former Yankees reserve OF Sammy Vick (1917-1920) passed away. He was a reserve OF for the Yankees from 1917-1920. On December 15, 1920, he was traded by the Yankees along with 2B Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel and P Hank Thormahlen to the Red Sox for P Waite Hoyt, P Harry Harper, C Wally Schang, and INF Mike McNally.
2002 - Hitting a HR in the 7th inning off of Mariners starter James Baldwin, Yankees All-star Alfonso Soriano becomes the first 2nd baseman to hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in the same season. Bobby Bonds was the only other Yankee player to post a 30/30 season accomplishing the feat in 1975.
August 18th
1893 - Former Yankees and HOF P Burleigh Grimes (1934) was born. He went 1-2 in 10 games with the Yankees in his final MLB year as a player.
1906 - Yankees Wee Willie Keeler is struck out for only the 2nd time this season, both times by spitballer starter Ed Walsh of the White Sox.
1912 - In New York, the Tigers beat the Yankees by the score of 9-4. Ty Cobb steals home in the 1st inning, the 3rd time this season, he's swiped home and all are in the 1st inning.
1926 - Yankees purchased P Wilcy Moore from Greenville from South Atlantic League. He would be the great relief ace of the 1927 Yankees going 19-7 with 13 saves. He is considered to be the 1st of the great Yankee closers in the team’s history.
1931 - In the Yankees’ 5-4 loss at Detroit, Lou Gehrig is hitless as he plays his 1,000th consecutive MLB game. He is 307 short of Everett Scott's MLB record streak.
1940 - The Sunday New York Daily News publishes a shocking article written by its sports editor, Jimmy Powers, suggesting that the 5th place Yankees had been hit by a "mass polio epidemic." Powers charges that Lou Gehrig's "infantile paralysis" had infected the other Yankee players, accounting for the team's uncharacteristic reversal of form. The article immediately causes a sensation among readers and baseball fans. At Gehrig's request, Milton Eisenberg, a Brooklyn attorney, brings suit for $1 million against Powers and the newspaper charging that Lou Gehrig's reputation and credit had been hurt, that the article had caused him considerable mental anguish. Other angry Yankee players, including C Bill Dickey, also file suit against the Daily News, causing the newspaper to issue a public apology on September 26, 1940. The three and a half column story appears under the headline "OUR APOLOGIES TO LOU GEHRIG AND THE YANKEES." In his apology, Jimmy Powers admits he had no business getting 'snarled up in medical controversy," stating "Gehrig has no communicable disease and was not suffering from the mysterious polio germ that supposedly played havoc with the Yankee ball club." Lou is a personal hero, Powers adds. "Hurting his feelings was far from my mind.'
1946 - Former Yankees P Jim Magnuson (1973) was born (1946-1991). On November 29, 1971, Jim was drafted by the Yankees from the White Sox in the 1971 Rule 5 player draft. Jim went 0-1 in 8 games for the Yankees.
1950 - The A's lefty hurler Lou Brissie gives up just one Yankee hit in the last 5 innings, but it's a critical one. With the score 2-2 in the top of the 9th inning, Joe DiMaggio cracks his 22nd HR of the 1950 AL season to give the 3rd place Yankees, a 3-2 win and hand the A’s their 6th straight loss.
1962 - The A’s top the Yankees for the 2nd day in a row, by the score of 5-4. Once again, All Star CF Mickey Mantle homers in the losing cause for the Yankees.
1965 - Former Yankees OF Marcus Lawton (1989) was born. On July 10, 1989, Marcus was traded by the Mets to the Yankees for P Scott Nielsen. Marcus appeared in only 10 games with the Yankees, just hitting .214. He is the older brother of former Yankees OF Matt Lawton.
1973 - Yankees purchased 1B Mike Hegan from the A’s for cash. Mike was originally signed by the Yankees in the early 1960’s. Mike was the son of longtime Yankees bullpen coach Jim Hegan.
1973 - Yankees released veteran All Star OF Johnny Callison. John had hit .258 in 92 games in 1972, after going from the Cubs for P Jack Aker, but he faded to .176 in 45 games at the time of his release. John had hit the winning HR for the NL team in the 1964 All Star Game at Shea Stadium.
1976 - In the Yankees 8-6 win over the Rangers, Roy White HR’s from each side of the plate.
1979 - The Yankees sell pitcher Ray Burris (1-3) to the Mets. He was washed up.
1983 - In the continuation of the "Pine Tar Game," Hal McRae strikes out for the last Royals out. KC Closer Dan Quisenberry retires the Yankees in order in the bottom of the 9th inning to preserve the Royals' 5-4 victory. The conclusion takes just 12 minutes (and 16 pitches) and, as the only game scheduled at the Stadium, is witnessed by a crowd of 1,245 fans. An odd feature of the game is that lefty 1B Don Mattingly playing 2B and P Ron Guidry in CF, as the Yankees try to cover all the options.
1989 - Dallas Green is fired as manager of the Yankees (5th place, 56-65) and is replaced by former Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent. It is the 17th time the Yankees have changed managers since George Steinbrenner took over ownership of the club in 1973. The 1978 AL play-off hero loses his MLB managerial debut to the Tigers in Detroit, by a score of 7-3.
1995 - Yankees announcer and former All Star Shortstop Phil Rizzuto retires as team broadcaster after 39 years at the mike, reportedly because WPIX-TV refused to allow him to miss a game to attend his former Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle's funeral. Rizzuto eventually will return for the 1996 AL season.
1996 - In a wild contest at Yankee Stadium, the Mariners jump out to an 8-0 lead over the Yankees. The Yankees strike back with 7 runs in their half of the 4th inning to edge within 1 run. Seattle scores twice in the 6th inning, but the Yankees ties the score in the bottom half of the 6th inning with 3 runs of their own. The score remains tied at 10-10 going into the 12th inning. Seattle scores 3 runs in the top half of the 12th inning, two runs on 1B Paul Sorrento's 2nd HR of the game. New York fights back with 2 runs in the bottom of the12th inning, but falls one run shy, losing, by the score of 13-12. The Yankees remain 5 1/2 games ahead of the Orioles in the AL East, while the Mariners stay 6 games behind the Rangers in 2nd place in the AL West.
2000 - The Angels defeat the Yankees, by the score of 9-8 in 11 innings. Anaheim scores 5-runs in the 9th inning to tie the game before Darin Erstad's HR wins it in the 11th inning. Angels OF Darin Erstad makes a 10th inning game-saving catch It is the 1st time in 12 years that the Yankees blow a 5-run lead in the 9th inning.
August 19th
1891 - Former Yankees 1B/C Al De Vormer (1920-21) was born (1891-1966). Al hit .288 in 108 games with the Yankees before being traded on January 3, 1923, with cash to the Red Sox for P George Pipgras and OF Harvey Hendrick.
1908 - The Yankees veteran starter Jack Chesbro allows 11 hits, but still shuts out the Tigers by a score of 7-0.
1910 - Former Yankees P Atley Donald (1938-45) was born. Atley went 66-33 in 153 games with Yankees. He had 54 complete games with 6 shutouts. He led the AL in WP with .813 in 1939, while posting a 13-3 record. Atley was 1-1 in 2 games in the 1941-42 World Series with the Yankees.
1920 - The Indians beat Yankees, by a score of 3-2. They leave town with a half-game lead over the White Sox and 1 1/2 over the Yankees, in what will be the tightest AL race since the 1908
AL season.
1935 - Former World Series MVP and AL All Star 2nd baseman Bobby Richardson (1955-1966) was born. On June 12, 1953, Bobby was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent. Bobby would become the Yankees regular 2nd baseman in 1959, hitting .301, the only Yankee regular to hit over .300 that season. He would be an AL All Star 2nd baseman in 1957, but didn’t play, he was named to the 1959,1962-66 AL teams. He hit .307 in 7 World Series for the Yankees. With his best World Series was in 1960, winning the World Series MVP Award, after hitting .367 with 1 HR and 12 RBI’s against the Pirates. Bobby would hit .302 in 1962. He would lead the AL in singles in 1961-62 and in 1964. Bobby led the AL in Sac hits with 20 in 1962 and 16 in 1964. Bobby won the AL Golden Glove for 2nd base from 1961-1965. In 1963, he won the MLB Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.
1945 - The Yankees win the 1st game of a doubleheader with the White Sox, by the score of 4-2, to break their 9-game losing streak, the longest under Manager Joe McCarthy. Chicago takes the nightcap, winning by the score of 2-0, as starter Lefty Grove gives up just 5 hits, including 3 hits by Yankee OF Bud Metheny.
1962 - A’s hitters Gino Cimoli, Wayne Causey, and Billy Bryan hit consecutive HRs in the 7th inning, but Yankees respond with Elston Howard has 2 HRs and 8 RBIs; Bill Skowron, a HR and 4 RBIs; Mickey Mantle, a Grand Slam HR and 7 RBIs, as the Yankees rout the A's, by the score of 21-7. Mantle adds 2 stolen bases before reserve OF Jack Reed takes over CF and has 2 at bats in the game.
1977 - Backed by HRs from Reggie Jackson and Bucky Dent, starter Mike Torrez hurls his 6th complete game in a row as the Yankees beat the Rangers by a score of 8-1. The Yankees are now 2-1/2 games in back of the Red Sox.
2000 - For only the 3rd time in MLB history and the 2nd this season by the Yankees, a team is credited with 3 sacrifice flies in one inning. Bronx Bombers Jorge Posada, Scott Brosius and Clay Bellinger join Yankee teammates Jose Vizcaino, Tino Martinez and Bernie Williams (June 29, 2000) and the White sox trio of Juan Pizarro, Nellie Fox and Al Smith who accomplished the feat against the Indians on July 1, 1962. The Yankees beat the Angels, by a score of 9-1.
2001 - The Mariners rout the Yankees, by the score of 10- 2, as OF Mike Cameron gets 4 hits including 2- HRs and drives home 8 runs. OF Ichiro Suzuki stretches his hitting streak to 16 games, giving him 3 streaks of 15 or more games this year. He's the 1st MLB player with three 15-game streaks in the same season since Milwaukee Brewers Cecil Cooper in 1980.
August 20th
1895 - Former Yankees P Pete Schneider (1919) was born (1895-1957). He went 0-1 in 7 games for the Yankees after being purchased from the Reds.
1923- A 4-piece bat used by Yankees slugger Babe Ruth is banned by AL President Ban Johnson because of the glue used on it. A protest is made against Browns' Ken Williams for using a bat with a wooden plug in it. Ban Johnson rules that all bats must be one piece with nothing added except tape extending to 18 inches up the handle.
1923 - Yankees P Waite Hoyt is suspended for 10 days after attacking AL Umpire. Hoyt’s “victim” was home plate umpire Marv Owens during the previous day’s 4-3 loss to the White Sox. The incident involved a close play at home, in which Hoyt claimed that he tagged the White Sox runner out, but Owens called the play safe. Hoyt never touched Owens, thanks to 5 Yankee players who had restrained him.
1931 - At St. Louis, Lou Gehrig hits his 33rd HR in the 4th inning to tie Babe Ruth for the MLB HR lead, but the Babe answers back in the 9th inning with his 34th HR, a grand slam over RF roof at Sportsman Park, to give the Yankees a 7-3 win over the Browns. Lefty Gomez almost has New York's 1st shutout of the season, but he weakens in the 9th inning.
1938 - Yankees AL All Star 1B Lou Gehrig hits a 1st-inning grand slam, the 23rd and last of his MLB career for a still-standing record. It comes off of hurler Buck Ross in an 11-3 victory over the A's.
1944 - Former Yankee All Star 3rd Baseman Graig Nettles (1973-1983) was born. On November 27, 1972, he was traded by the Indians along with C Jerry Moses to the Yankees for C/1B/DH Johnny Ellis, INF Jerry Kenney, Outfielder’s Charlie Spikes and Rusty Torres. Graig’s arrival from the Tribe would settle the Yankees long standing 3B problems that existed since the trade of Clete Boyer in 1966 to the Braves. Nettles would be an All Star 3rd Baseman in 1975, 1977-1980 for the Yankees. He would win the AL Golden Glove for 3B in 1977-78. In 1976, his 32 HRs would lead the AL. In 1981, he won the ALCS MVP. On March 30, 1984, Graig was traded by the Yankees to the Padres for a player to be named later and P Dennis Rasmussen. The Padres would sent Darin Cloninger (minors) on April 26, 1984 to the Yankees to complete the trade. He would write a book about his Yankees playing experience titled “Balls.”
1954 - OF Gene Woodling of the Yankees crashes into the wall, breaking a thumb. He is lost for the rest of 1954 AL season. Gene will be traded in the winter of 1954 to the Orioles as part a of 17-man trade, which the Yankees would obtain starters Bob Turley and Don Larsen.
1957 - Yankees starter Bob Turley pitches a 2-hitter against the A’s, but loses the game by a score of 1-0.
1961 - At Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris homer in the twin-bill sweep of the Tribe - Mantle's 1st inning 3- run HR (#46), and Maris 49th HR in the 3rd inning to make it easy for Yankees starter Ralph Terry, who only allows 4 hits. In the nightcap, Bill Skowron hits his 21st HR in the 2nd inning and the Yankees win the game by the score of 5-2. In the 6th inning, after Indians hurler Gary Bell allows a single and then hits Billy Gardner and Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle collects his 101st walk of the season to force home a run.
1963 - Former Yankees P Brad Arnsberg (1986-87) was born. On June 6, 1983, Brad was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (9th pick) of the 1983 amateur player draft (Secondary Phase). Brad went 1-3 in 8 games with the Yankees. On November 10, 1987, he was sent by the Yankees to the Rangers to complete an earlier deal made on November 2, 1987. The Yankees sent a player to be named later to the Rangers for C Don Slaught. The Yankees would send Brad Arnsberg on November 10, 1987 to the Rangers to complete the trade. Brad would be plagued by arm injuries during his MLB career. He would later become a pitching coach for the Yankees in their minor league farm system.
1964 - On the Yankees team bus following a 5 -0 loss to the White Sox, reserve INF Phil Linz begins to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on his harmonica. Yankees Manager Yogi Berra orders Linz to stop. Phil Linz asks what Berra said to him, Mickey Mantle tells him to play it louder. Yogi Berra comes back to Linz then slaps the instrument out of his hands, when he continues playing. The harmonica accidently hits Joe Pepitone in the knee, he over reacts by holding his knee complaining of a injury. The incident is reported by the media as indicating dissension on the club and Berra's lack of control, as well as the level of Linz's humor. Phil Linz would later get a $10,000 endorsement from Horner Harmonica Company to promote their products.
1986 - Yankees All Star OF Dave Winfield hits his 300th MLB career HR in a losing cause as the Yankees fall to the Mariners, by a score of 5-2. Mike Trujillo wins his 1st game for Seattle.
2000 - The most victorious pitcher in franchise history is honored by the Yankees during “Whitey Ford Day” ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. The crafty Hall Of Fame lefty holds the team record for most victories (236), innings pitched (3,170 1/3), strikeouts (1,956) and shutouts (45). Whitey broke hurler Red Ruffing’s mark of 232 victories to become the all-time team leader.
August 21th
1891- Former Yankees C John Gosset (1913-1914) was born. John was a weak hitting catcher, who the Yankees had purchased from the White Sox.
1914 - The Browns commit 8 errors during a 4-3 defeat to the Yankees.
1916 - Former Yankees P Murry Dickson (1958) was born (1916-1986).
1917 - Yankees buy C Muddy Ruel (1917-1920) from the Browns for Cash. He will hit .234 in 170 games as a back-up catcher.
1920 - Former Yankees relief P Gerry Stanley (1955-56) was born. Gerry went 0-0 in 6 games with the Yankees before being waived to the White Sox in 1956. He would become one of the key bullpen pitchers for the 1959 AL Champion White Sox.
1921 - At St. Louis Sportsman Park, the largest crowd of the 1921 AL season, cheer as the Browns sweep a pair from the Yankees, winning by scores of 5-4 and 10-0. Bayne strikes out 7 of the 1st nine Yankees batters in game 2 on his way to a 10-strikeout run.
1931 - After belting his MLB career HR #599, a grand slam in yesterday's game, Babe Ruth hits his 600th HR, off of hurler George Blaeholder of the Browns, as the Yankees win by a score of 11-7. Lou Gehrig homers immediately, after the Babe's historic blow. In their 10 years as teammates, they will HR in the same inning 19 times and in the same game 72 times.
1933 - The Yankees and White Sox play an 18-inning game, which ends in a 3-3 tie.
1936 - Red Sox hurler Wes Ferrell, in a tantrum for what he considers shabby support, walks off the mound during a Yankees rally and is suspended and fined $1,000 by Boston manager Joe Cronin.
1948 - Former Yankees C/1B/DH Johnny Ellis (1969-1972) was born. On August 15, 1966, John was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent with promising hitting power. John couldn’t beat out Thurman Munson for starting catcher’s job; he was given a shot at 1B, 3B and DH before being traded to the Indians in the Graig Nettles trade in November of 1972. John would play for the Indians and Rangers, before a serious leg injury forced him into retirement from MLB.
1953 - MLB player representatives Ralph Kiner (NL) and Yankees Allie Reynolds (AL) hire labor leader John Norman Lewis at $15,000 per annum to give legal advice to players in their negotiations with the owners.
1958 - Yankees obtained veteran hurler Murry Dickson from the A’s for a player to be named later (OF John Bella). He went 1-2 in 6 games for the Yankees before being sent back to the A’s during the 1959 AL season.
1966 - Former Yankees closer John Wetteland (1995-96) was born. John was traded on April 5, 1995, by the Expos to the Yankees for minor league 1B Fernando Seguignol and cash. John would go 3-8 in 122 games with the Yankees with 74 saves. He would be named to 1996 AL All Star team. John would lead the AL with 43 saves. He would leave the Yankees after the 1996 World Series for the Rangers, where he had back injuries that forced him to retire from MLB.
1968 - The Twin's starter Jim Merritt loses his shutout in the 9th inning, when Mickey Mantle hits a pinch-hit HR, but he still wins the game by a score of 3-1. It is Mantle's 534th MLB career HR, tying him with Jimmie Foxx for 3rd on the all-time MLB HR leader’s list.
1977 - Yankees All Star 3B Graig Nettles' HR and double account for both Yankee runs in a 2-1 win over the Rangers. Ron Guidry picks up his 10th win of the year, as the Yankees cut the Red Sox lead to 1/2 game.
1991 - The Yankees CF Bernie Williams fans 5 consecutive times in a 7-4 loss to the Royals to tie the MLB mark for a 9-inning game. Bernie is consoled by Yankees hitting coach Frank Howard, who was one of the 28 MLB batters, who shared the mark.
1996 - Welcome to the MLB. Yankees Derek Jeter hits a HR off of Jason Dickson's 1st MLB pitch, but that's all the scoring for the slumping Yankees as the Angels' rookie wins the game by a score of 7-1. Chili Davis has a pair of HRs, the 1st off of Yankees loser Jimmy Key (9 -10).
August 22nd
1889 - Former Yankees C Wally Schang (1921-1925) was born. Wally was obtained from the Red Sox; he would hit .316 and .319 for two of 5 seasons that he played for the Yankees. On February 6, 1926, Wally was traded by the Yankees to the Browns for veteran hurler George Mogridge and cash. Wally would hit .330 for the Browns, while Mogridge never pitched for the Yankees in his 2nd tour with the team. Wally’s trade would be a rare trade mistake by Yankees GM Ed Barrow.
1890 - Former Yankees Pitcher Urban Shocker (1916-17, 1925-28) was born. During September of 1915, he was drafted by the Yankees from the Guelph (Canadian) in the 1915 Rule 5 player draft. Urban would go 12-8 in 38 games for the Yankees. On January 22, 1918, he was traded by the along with Nick Cullop, Joe Gedeon, Fritz Maisel, Les Nunamaker, and $15,000 to the Browns for P Eddie Plank and 2B Del Pratt. On December 17, 1924, he was traded back by the Browns to the Yankees for pitchers Joe Bush, Milt Gaston, and Joe Giard. Urban would post a 49-29 record in 114 games for the Yankees. At the age of 38, Urban Shocker died on September 9, 1928 from heart failure in Denver. The veteran pitcher had suffered from a swollen heart for more than 2 years, He was unable to sleep in a prone position, as news of condition where made known, he became the 1st Yankee tragic death.
1922 - At the Polo Grounds, Indians P George Uhle singles in the 6th inning and the Yankees (as noted by Retrosheet) allow a courtesy pinch runner Les Nunnamaker, while Uhle gets his shoe repaired. Uhle returns to mound to finish the game, winning by a score of 6-2. The loss drops the Yankees to 2nd place in the AL behind the Browns.
1927 - The Yankees lose their 4th straight for the 1st time 9-4 to the Indians, despite Babe Ruth's 40th HR. Detroit wins its 13th straight game, moving up to 2nd place, 12 1/2 games back.
1933 - The Yankees purchased 1B Don “Jeep” Heffner (1934-37) from the Baltimore Orioles (IL) for cash. Don was a good INF reserve for Yankees.
1936 - The Yankees buy OF Bob Seeds from Montreal Royals (IL) for cash. He hit .262 in 13 games for Yankees in 1936.
1939 - At Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the Yankees win their 1st night game in franchise history as the Bronx Bombers defeat the White Sox, by the score of 14-5.
1947 - Former Yankees Pitcher William “Bill” Burbach (1969-1971) was born. On June 8, 1965, Bill was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1965 amateur player draft. Bill went 6-11 in 38 games with the Yankees, never showing the promise that the Yankees had hoped for when they drafted him in 1965. On May 28, 1971, Bill was traded by the Yankees to the Orioles for P Jim Hardin. Bill never pitched in MLB for the Orioles. Jim Hardin never did anything for the Yankees.
1949 - Yankees purchased 1B Johnny “Big Cat” Mize (1949-1953) from the Giants for $40,000. It was one of the greatest waiver deals made by the Yankees. For five AL seasons (1949-1953), he provided power off the Yankee bench. He was one of the premier pinch hitters in MLB baseball with a .283 lifetime BA mark.
1950 - Former Yankees P Ray Burris (1979) was born. On May 23, 1979, Ray was traded by the Cubs to the Yankees for P Richard “Dirt” Tidrow. Ray went 1-3 in 15 games for the Yankees before being claimed on waivers by the Mets. He wasn’t worth giving up Richard Tidrow.
1952 - Yankees purchased P Ray Scarborough from the Boston Red Sox on waivers.
Ray would help the Yankees by going 5-1 during the AL pennant drive of 1952.
1954 - Yankees purchased P Jim Konstanty from Phillies on waivers. Jim gave the Yankee bullpen a boost during his stay with the team, including a 7-2 season with 11 saves in 1955. He won the NL MVP award with the 1950 Phillies.
1960 - Yankees purchased 1B Dale Long on waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Don hit .366 in 23 games before being lost to the new Washington Senators in the 1960 expansion player draft. This would the 1st of 3 tours that Don would spend with the Yankees during the early 1960’s.
1961 - Yankees 1960 AL MVP RF Roger Maris, in his record-setting season, becomes the 1st player to hit his 50th HR in the month of August. The 26-year old All-Star RF connects off of starter Ken McBride as the Yankees lose to the Angels, by a score of 4-3.
1964 - The Yankees lose the 1st game to the Red Sox, by a score of 5-3, extending their losing streak to 6 games. Boston scores 3 runs in the 8th inning to win it. In the nightcap, Yankees win the game by a score of 8-0, as Mickey Mantle and John Blanchard, both hit HRs, while Roger Maris drives in 3 runs. Mel Stottlemyre wins his 3rd game in a row since being recalled from Richmond (AAA). The Yankees end the day 5-1/2 games behind the Orioles, with the White Sox in 2nd place, 1- 1/2 games back.
1977 - Both the Red Sox and Yankees lose today. The White Sox top the Yankees, by a score of 5-3, and snap the Bombers' 8-game win streak, while the Twins, top the Red Sox, with a 5-4 victory.
1996 - The Yankees claimed INF Luis Sojo off waivers from the Mariners. He would be a valuable reserve infielder for the Yankees.
August 23rd
1896 - Former Yankees OF/1B Cedric Durst (1927-1930) was born (1896-1971). On February 8, 1927, he was traded by the Browns along with Joe Giard to the Yankees for P Sam Jones. On May 6, 1930, Cedric was traded by the Yankees with $50,000 to the Red Sox for hurler Red Ruffing.
1910 - Former Yankees back-up INF Lonnie Frey (1947-48) was born. On June 25, 1947, he was purchased by the Yankees from the Cubs. Lonnie appeared in only 25 games for the Yankees hitting .179, before being released in May of 1948.
1918 - Former Yankees P Ken Holcombe (1945) was born. Ken went 3-3 in 23 games with the Yankees during the 1945 AL season.
1924 - Former Yankees C Sherman Lollar (1947-1948) was born. On December 6, 1946, he was traded by the Indians along with 2B Ray Mack to Yankees for OF Hal Peck, pitchers Al Gettel, and Gene Bearden. Sherman appeared in 33 with the Yankees as a back-up catcher. With the rise of Yogi Berra and Ralph Houk, he became expendable. On December 13, 1948, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Red Embree, 1B Richard Starr, and $100,000 to the Browns for C Roy Partee and P Fred Sanford. He would go on to be the starting catcher for the White Sox during the 1950’s.
1928 - The Yankees pick up lefty starter Tom Zachary on waivers from the Senators. Tom was the pitcher who gave up Babe’s 60th HR in 1927. As a Yankee pitcher for 2 seasons, he would go 16-4, including a 12-0 mark in 1929.
1930 - The Yankees buy INF Frank Crosetti from the San Francisco Seals (PCL) but allow him to play another season in the PCL before reporting to the team. The Crow would be a Yankee regular for 13 seasons and part time player for 4 years, before becoming the long time Yankees 3B Coach. The Yankees will make a similar arrangement for OF Joe DiMaggio, buying him from the Seals but waiting a year before acquiring him in 1936.
1930 - Former Yankees OF John “Zeke” Bella (1957) was born. John was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1951. He appeared in only 5 games for the Yankees, hitting .182. On August 22, 1958, John was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the A’s for veteran hurler Murry Dickson.
1942 - Walter Johnson pitching to Babe Ruth is the pre-game attraction that draws 69,000 fans for the New York-Washington game at Yankee Stadium that provides $80,000 for Army-Navy relief. Ruth hits the 5th pitch into the RF stands, and then adds one more shot before circling the bases. Sixteen relief games contribute $523,000 during the AL season. In the doubleheader between the Senators and the Yankees, the Senators win the opener, with a 7-6 victory and the Yankees win the nightcap, by a score of 3- 0, in 5 1/2 innings.
1948 - Former Yankees 1B/DH Ron Bloomberg (1969-1977) On June 6, 1967, Ron was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1967 amateur player draft. Ron was the 1st DH in MLB History. He had great power, but was hampered with knee injuries; he never really had the MLB career that the Yankees had hoped for as a 1st round draft player pick. Ron is releasing a book on his MLB experiences this year.
1956 - Led by Nellie Fox's 7 straight hits, the White Sox sweep the Yankees. Mickey Mantle has a bunt-single, triple and HR in the 6-4 nightcap loss, but trails Nellie Fox in season hits, 158 to 155. But the Mickey still leads in the AL Triple Crown race.
1964 - Yankees tops the Red Sox at Fenway Park, by a score of 4-3, as Mickey Mantle starts the scoring with a 2-run HR in the 3rd inning off of starter Earl Wilson. The Yankees will win 26 of their next 33 games.
1968 - Yankees rookie starter Stan Bahnsen out-duels Tigers veteran starter Earl Wilson to give the Yankees, a 2-1 win over the Tigers. The 2 teams then battle for 19 innings, before the 2nd game is suspended by AL curfew rules with the score tie at 3-3. The game will be finished tomorrow. In the long tie, Yankees reliever Lindy McDaniel retires 21 straight Tiger batters, 6 on strikeouts. In his last 3 relief appearances, Lindy has retired 30 batters in a row.
1972 - White Sox slugger Richie Allen becomes the 4th MLB player (Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Alex Johnson are the others) to hit one into the CF bleachers at Comiskey Park, when he connects off of Yankees Lindy McDaniel. The 2-run HR in the 7th ices, the 5 -2 win for the White Sox. In 1972, all the Chicago Wednesday season games are in the afternoon, and Harry Caray announces them while sitting in the CF bleachers. Allen's drive misses Caray by just a few rows.
1977 - Behind Mickey Rivers' 5-for-5 performance at the plate, Mike Torrez's 7th straight complete game contributing to an 8 -3 whipping of the White Sox, the Yankees take over 1st place in the AL East. With the Red Sox losing, the Yankees go ahead by a half game and will stay in 1st place in the AL East to the end of the regular AL season.
1996 - The Yankees obtained P Graeme Lloyd and former AL ROY INF Pat Listach from the Brewers in exchange for OF Gerald Williams and P Bob Wickman. Lloyd is put to work and provides late inning relief as the 1st-place Yankees beat the A's, by the score of 5-3. The Yankees will officially complain to the AL office that the Brewers sent damaged goods in the 2 players, but the complaint is ignored by the league office. However, the Brewers will take back Pat Listach and send P Ricky Bones to the Yankees on the 29th. The Yankees will file a grievance over Lloyd's injury in September.
1999 - The Yankees score 6 runs in the 1st inning on their way to a 21-3 victory over the Rangers. 3B Scott Brosius (6) and C Joe Girardi (7) the 8th and 9th batters in the Yankees lineup drive in 13 of the Yankee runs. Jeter scores his 100th run of the season, the 1st Yankee to string together 4 straight seasons of 100+ runs since Mickey Mantle did it in 9-straight seasons (1953-61).
2003 - In front of full house at Yankee Stadium, Ron Guidry's Yankee uniform no. 49 is retired on the lefty's special day. "Louisiana Lightning”, who played his entire career with the Yankees, while posting a 170-90 career record, is surprised the club hasn't just honored him with a day, but have retired his jersey and place a plaque in Monument Park in his honor.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
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