Sunday, October 26, 2008

This Week in Yankees History (10/26-11/1)

October 26th - November 1st


October 26th

1877 - Former Yankees P Eustance “Doc” Newton (1905-09) was born. On October 4, 1904, Doc was drafted by the Highlanders from the Los Angeles (PCL) in the 1904 Rule 5 player draft. Doc will go 20-25 in 78 games for the Yankees.

1918 - Former Yankees INF George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss (1943-50) was born. The Yankees signed George Stirnweiss as a free agent in 1940. He joined the Yankees in 1943 just hitting .219. In 1944, he hit .319. He led the AL in 4 departments: base hits (205), runs (125), triples (16) and stolen bases (55). In 1945, he led the AL with .309 BA, triples (22), Runs (107), hits (195) stolen bases (33). Snuffy was a member of the AL All Star teams in 1944-45 as a 2nd baseman. George led the AL 2B in fielding in 1944 and 1948. George appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees in 1943, 1947 and 1949, appearing in 4 games and batting .250. He continued to play for the Yankees until he was traded to the Browns in June of 1950. He finished up his MLB playing career with the Indians, retiring after the 1952 AL season. Know for his speed on the base paths, George finished his Yankees career with 66 triples and 130 stolen bases. He was with Phil Rizzuto at Yankee Stadium, when Phil was released in 1956, George made sure that Phil, who was very upset went home safely. In 1958, George was killed in a train wreck in New Jersey.

1938 - Yankees obtained P Oral Hildebrand and OF Colonel Mills from the Browns for C Joe Glenn and OF Myril Hoag.

1946 - Former Yankees INF Toby Harrah (1984) was born. On February 5, 1984, Toby was traded by the Indians with a player to be named later to the Yankees for a player to be named later, along with P George Frazier, and OF Otis Nixon. The Indians sent Rick Browne (minors) on February 8, 1984 to the Yankees to complete the trade. The Yankees sent P Guy Elston (minors) on February 8, 1984 to the Indians to complete the trade. Toby hit .217 for the Yankees in 1984, he was a complete failure at the plate. On February 27, 1985, Toby was traded by the Yankees to the Rangers for a player to be named later and OF Billy Sample. The Rangers would send Eric Dersin (minors) on July 14, 1985 to the Yankees to complete the trade.

1950 - The BWAA selected Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto as the 1950 AL MVP. He posted a .324 BA with 200 hits and 125 runs, but drove in just 66 runs. Rizzuto, who received 16 of 23 1st-place votes, easily out-pointed runner-ups Billy Goodman of the Red Sox and his Yankees teammate Catcher Yogi Berra.

1964 - Former Yankees P Steve Adkins (1990) was born. The Yankees in the 15th round of the 1986 amateur player draft drafted Steve. Steve went 1-2 in 5 games with the Yankees during the 1990 season. On June 26, 1991, Steve was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs for David Rosario (minors).

1977 - Yankees Closer Sparky Lyle became the 1st AL reliever to win the Cy Young Award. Lyle led the AL with 72 appearances, posting a 13-5 record with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA.

1991 - Former Yankees P Bill Bevens (1944-48) passed away (1924-1991). Bill went 40-36 in 96 games for the Yankees. In the 1947 World Series, Bill lost his no-hitter game against the Dodgers in the 9th inning to lose by a score of 3-2. On January 17, 1949, Bill was purchased by the White Sox from the Yankees. On March 28, 1949, he was returned to the Yankees by the White Sox. On April 18, 1949, the Yankees released Bill.

1996 - The Yankees clinch their 23rd World Series by defeating the Braves, by a score of 3-2, in Game 6. Yankees catcher Joe Girardi’s RBI triple keys a 3-run rally against the Braves starter Greg Maddux. The Yankees closer John Wetteland is named the 1996 World Series MVP after posting his 4th save.

2000 - In Game 5 at Shea Stadium, the Yankees win their 3rd consecutive World Series, their 4th title in 5 years and record 26th World championship, by defeating the Mets, by the score of 4-2. Luis Sojo's 9th inning 2-out, tie-breaking single off of Mets starter Al Leiter is the decisive hit. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter becomes the 1st player to win the All-Star Game MVP and the World Series MVP honors in the same season. Joe Torre becomes only the 5th manager to win 4 WS championships, joining HOF Managers: Joe McCarthy (Yankees) (7), Casey Stengel (Yankees) (7), Connie Mack (A’s) (5) and Walter Alston (Dodgers) (4).

October 27th

1876 - Former Yankees OF Patrick “Pasty” Dougherty (1904-06) was born. On June 17, 1904, Patsy was traded by the Boston Americans to the Highlanders for 3B Bob Unglaub. His best Yankees season was in 1904, when hit .283 for the Yankees.

1955 - Former Yankees P and HOF Manager Clark C. Griffith passed away (1869 - 1955). Clark was the 1st Manager of the Highlanders. As a pitcher with the Yankees, Clark went 31-23. His Yankees Manager record was a 419-370 mark, (1903-1908). His best season was in 1904, with an 92-61 record and then in 1906, going 90-61, both seasons were 2nd place finishes. The 1904 season the Yankees lost the pennant on the last day of the season on a wild pitch by Jack Chesbro.

1972 - Yankees obtained C Rick Dempsey from the Twins for OF Danny Walton. Rick would be a reserve catcher for Thurman Munson until his trade in June of 1976 to the Orioles. Walton was a major disappointment for the Yankees, never showing the signs of being a power hitter the Yankees had hoped for when they had obtained him from the Brewers. Walton spent the 1972 season in the minors, while young Dempsey had cups of coffee with the Twins the past 4 seasons.

1985 - Manager Billy Martin is fired by the Yankees for an unprecedented 4th time and is replaced by former Yankees OF Lou Piniella, who had been the team's hitting instructor since retiring as a active player in 1984.

1996 - After 2 humbling losses at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees won their 1st World Series title since 1978 with a 3-2 victory over the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves in Game 6.

1999 - Roger Clemens pitched the Yankees to their 2nd straight World Series sweep, shutting down the Braves by the score of 4-1 and ending his quest for the one and only prize that eluded him. The Yankees won their record 25th World championship - and 3rd in 4 years. Game 4 marked Bombers 12th Series victory a row, matching a team's mark. Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera gets his 2nd save and is named the 1999 World Series MVP. The Braves joins the Giants (1910-19) as the only MLB teams to lose 4 World Series in a decade.

2000 - NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani thinks it is okay for children to take a day off from school to watch the Yankees' ticker-tape parade. His Honor, believing baseball can be an educational experience, has allowed his own kids, Andrew and Caroline, to miss classes in the past to watch the Yankees post-season celebrations. The Mets, this year's runner-ups in the Subway Series, turn down Giuliani's invitation to be part of the parade for the World Champion Yankees down the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan.

2001 - The Diamondbacks pound the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2001 World Series by a score of 9-1 behind starter Curt Schilling. Schilling hurls 7-innings to win his 4th game of the postseason. Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez hits HRs for Arizona as Yankees starter Mike Mussina takes the loss.

2006 - Former Yankees P Joe Niekro (1985-87) passed away. On September 15, 1985, Joe was traded by the Astros to the Yankees for players to be named later and P Jim Deshaies. The Yankees sent Neder Horta (minors) on September 24, 1985 and Dody Rather (minors) on January 11, 1986, to the Astros to complete the trade. Joe went 14-15 36 games for the Yankees. On June 7, 1987, Joe was traded by the Yankees to the Twins for C/DH/1B Mark Salas.

October 28th

1904 - Former Yankees OF Elias “Liz” Funk (1929) was born. Liz appeared in 1 game for the Yankees with no hits.

1916 - Former Yankees OF/1B Ed Levy (1942, 1944) was born. Joe hit .182 in 54 games with the Yankees between trades with the Yankees and the Phillies.

1917 - Former Yankees Closer Joe “Fireman” Page (1944-50) was born. The Yankees signed Joe as an amateur free agent in 1940. Joe Page was the Yankees bullpen closer from 1944-1950. He finished his Yankees career with a 57-49 record in 278 games with 76 saves. He led the AL in saves in 1947 with 17 along with 14 wins, again in 1949 with 27 saves and 13 wins. Joe appeared in 2 World Series with the Yankees, going 2-1 with 2 saves. Joe was named to the AL All Star team in 1944, and in 1947-48. In 1949, Joe won the Babe Ruth Award for his performance in the World Series against the Dodgers. On May 16, 1951, the Yankees released Joe. Joe passed away on April 21, 1980, at the age of 63. Before his death, he ran a hotel-bar in Ligonier, Pa.

1953 - Veteran baseball announcer Red Barber resigns from the Dodgers broadcasting team and takes a job with the rival Yankees, joining Mel Allen in the Yankees broadcasting booth.

1979 - The Yankees replaced fired manager Billy Martin with former Yankees MLB Coach Richard Howser, who was the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles baseball team. In 1980, Howser will lead the Yankees to 103 victories, but lose the 1980 ALCS to the Royals.

1981 - Behind solid pitching of starter Burt Hooton, the Dodgers completed a World Series comeback defeating the Yankees, by the score of 9-2. The Dodgers had trailed the Series 2 games to none before bouncing back to win 4 straight games. Pedro Guerrero drove in 5 runs for the Dodgers, who avenged two 6-game World Series defeats to the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

2001 - In the World Series, Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks pitched a 3-hit shutout to defeat the Yankees, by the score of 4-0, taking a 2-0 advantage in the Series. Matt Williams became the 1st player in World Series history to hit a HR with 3 MLB different teams. He hit HRs in the Fall Classic for the Indians in 1997 and the Giants in 1989.

October 29th

1882 - Former Yankees OF Arthur “Circus Solly” Hofman (1916) was born. Before the1916 AL Season, he jumped from the Buffalo Blues (Federal League) to the Yankees. He hit .296 in 6 games for the Yankees.

1891 - Former Yankees P Joseph “Happy Joe” Finneran (1918) was born. In May of 1918, the Yankees purchased Joe from the Tigers. Joe went 3-6 in 23 games for the Yankees.

1920 - The Yankees raid the Red Sox again, this time signing away General Manager Edward Barrow, who will become the Yankees new General Manager. He would be instrumental in building the Yankees farm system and great trades that allowed the Yankees to dominated baseball in 1920-30’s. From 1939-1945, he was the Yankees President running the team for the Jacob Ruppert Estate, before leaving the Yankees in 1945, when the team was sold to new owners. Ed would be elected to Baseball’s HOF in 1953.

1959 - Former Yankees OF Jesse Barfield (1989-1992) was born. On April 30, 1989, Jesse was traded by the Blue Jays to the Yankees for P Al Leiter. Jesse never regained his batting stroke that he had earlier in his MLB career with Blue Jays.

1965 - Former Yankees INF (1913) and HOF Manager Bill McKechnie passed away. Bill was a weak fielding player, who would have more success as a MLB Manager. He was elected to Baseball’s HOF in 1967. As a Yankees INF in 1913, Bill hit .314 in 44 games. He won NL pennants with the Pirates, Reds and the Cardinals. In 1925, his Pirates team defeated the Senators in the World Series.

1968 - Yankees released veteran INF Richard Howser as a player, then signed him as an MLB coach. Richard was plagued by back problems, when he came to the Yankees to finish out his MLB playing career.

1975 - Former Yankees OF/DH Karim Garcia (2002-03) was born. On April 2, 2002, he was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. He appeared in 5 games and hit .200. The Yankees released him in July of 2002, he was picked up by the Indians. On June 25, 2003, the Yankees purchased Karim from the Indians. He hit .302 in 52 games before leaving the team for free agency.

1991 - Buck Showalter replaces Stump Merrill as the Manager of the Yankees. At age of 35, Showalter becomes the youngest active manager in the MLB. He will manage the Yankees through the end of the 1995 AL season. Buck Showalter played minor league baseball in the Yankees farm system, later becoming a Manager in the Yankees farm system.

1996 - Former Yankees P Ewell “The Whip” Blackwell (1952-53) passed away (1922-1996). On August 28, 1952, Yankees purchased veteran P Ewell “The Whip” Blackwell from the Reds for $35,000 and 4 players: pitchers Johnny Schmitz and Ernie Nevel and Outfielders Bob Marquis and Jim Greengrass. Blackwell will go 3-0 with 2 saves in September and the 1953 AL season.

October 30th

1888 - Former Yankees P Marty McHale (1913-15) was born. Marty went 12-27 in 51 games for the Yankees.

1941 - Former Yankees DH/3B Jim Ray Hart (1973-74) was born. Jim hit .254 for the Yankees in 1973. On June 7, 1974, Jim was released by the Yankees.

1948 - Former Yankees OF Mickey Rivers 1976-1980 was born. On December 11, 1975, Mickey was traded by the Angels along with P Ed Figueroa to the Yankees for OF Bobby Bonds. In 1976, he hit .312 and was named to the AL All Star Team. He would hit .326 in 1977, but dropped to .266 playing with injuries. On August 1, 1979, the Yankees traded Mickey with players to be named later to the Rangers for players to be named later, OF/DH Oscar Gamble, and Amos Lewis (minors). The Rangers would sent Pitchers Ray Fontenot and Gene Nelson on October 8, 1979 to the Yankees to complete the trade. The Yankees would send minor league pitchers Bob Polinsky, Neal Mersch and Mark Softy on October 8, 1979 to the Rangers to complete the trade.

1962 - Former Yankees OF/DH Danny Tartabull (1992-95) was born. He was the son of former MLB player Jose Tartabull. On January 6, 1992, The Yankees signed Jose as a free agent. His best Yankees season was in 1992, when he hit .262 for the Yankees. On July 28, 1995, Jose was traded by the Yankees to the A’s for OF/DH Ruben Sierra and Jason Beverlin.

2001 - George W. Bush becomes the 8th President of the United States to attend a World Series game and the 1st since Dwight D. Eisenhower to throw out the ceremonial 1st pitch. Wearing a New York Fire Department windbreaker in honor of the heroes of the September 11th attacks, the president walks to the mound by himself, gave a thumbs up to the crowd, and threw a perfect strike much to the delight of the stadium faithful. In Game 3, the Yankees win by the score of 2-1 over the Diamondbacks, behind strong pitching by starter Roger Clemens and closer Mariano Rivera.

October 31st

1882 - Former Yankees OF Bert Daniels (1910-13) was born. Marty hit .257 in 455 games with the Yankees, before being sold to the Reds in October of 1913.

1957 - All Star C Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees says the team returned fine money to the Yankee players involved in the Copacabana nightclub fight in May.

2001 - A 2-out, 2-run HR by Tino Martinez in the bottom of the 9th inning ties the game, and Derek Jeter hit a HR in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Yankees, a 3-2 victory over Arizona and knots the World Series at 2 games apiece. Both HRs come off of Byung-Hyun Kim, who relieved Curt Schilling in the 8th inning. Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera gets the win in relief for the Yankees.

November 1st

1884 - Former Yankees OF/1B Robert “Ham” Hyatt (1918) was born. On June 19, 1918, the Yankees purchased Bob from the Braves. Bob hit .229 in 53 games with the Yankees.

1893 - Former Yankees OF Alex Burr (1914) was born. Alex appeared in 1 game with the Yankees with no plate appearances. Alex Burr was killed in an airplane accident on October 12, 1918 while serving in the United States Air Service in Cazaux, France. Burr's plane crashed into a lake in flames; his body was not recovered. He had been serving in France since November 1917. Alex was 24 years old at the time of his death. Burr was one of 5 MLB players who were killed in World War I. The others were: Bun Troy‚ Larry Chappell‚ Eddie Grant‚ and Ralph Sharman.

1943 - Yankees AL All Star starter Spud Chandler is named AL pitching ERA leader, with a 1.64 ERA. Spud went 20-4 for the 1943 Yankees.

1978 - Yankees starter Ron Guidry is the unanimous choice for the 1978 AL Cy Young Award. Guidrry led the AL in wins (25), winning percentage (.893), shutouts (9), and ERA (1.74).

1979 - The Yankees acquired OF Ruppert Jones from the Mariners and C Rick Cerone and P Tom Underwood from the Blue Jays, giving up 7 players, including the popular 1B Chris Chambliss, INF Damaso Garcia, OF Juan Beniquez, and Pitchers Jim Beattie and Paul Mirabella. Chris Chambliss will be with the Blue Jays for only a month, before they swap him to the Braves. The Yankees will use Rick Cerrone as their starting catcher, replacing the rookie duo of Jerry Narron and Brad Gulllen, who stepped in the role as catchers after Munson’s tragic death during the 1979 AL season. The Yankees 1st Base position will remain unstable with the departure of steady Chris Chambliss, until the arrival of Don Mattlingly.

2001 - The 1st MLB game ever started in the month of November is a memorable one as the Yankees, for the 2nd consecutive night, make a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game and go on to victory in extra innings. In an amazing case of history repeating itself, Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim is again victimized, this time by Scott Brosius, who hits a game-tying 2-out, 2-run HR to knot the game at 2-2 in the 9th inning, as Alfonso Soriano’s hit a RBI single with Chuck Knoblauch scoring the winning run in the 12th inning to give the Yankees, a 3-2 victory and 3-2 lead over Arizona in the World Series. Steve Finley and Rod Barajas homered in the 5th inning for Arizona's runs.

2005 - Larry Bowa was hired by the Yankees as their 3rd base coach for the 2006 AL season. A 5-time NL All-Star shortstop, Bowa managed for Padres and the Phillies, and also he coached for the Angels, Mariners and Phillies. Bowa is the 1st addition to Yankees manager Joe Torre's coaching staff, which lost P coach Mel Stottlemyre (who retired) and bench coach Joe Girardi (who became manager of the Marlins). Luis Sojo, who coached 3rd base the last season, is expected to be offered another job in the organization by the Yankees.


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

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