December 7th - December 13th
December 7th
1930 - Former Yankees P Mark Freeman (1959) was born. In 1952, the Yankees signed Mark as an amateur free agent. On April 8, 1959, Mark was traded by the Yankees to the A’s for P Jack Urban. On May 8, 1959, Mark Freeman was returned to the Yankees by the A’s. He appeared in only 1 game with no record with the Yankees during the 1959 AL season. On May 19, 1960, Mark was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs for
P Art Ceccarelli.
1933 - The Yankees released 2 veteran players: P Wilcy Moore and 2B Roy Schalk.
1942 - Former Yankees OF/DH Alex Johnson (1974-75) was born. Outside of hitting a game winning grand slam HR at his 1st Yankee at bat in 1974, Alex performance with the Yankees was a major disappointment, hitting only .216 in 1974 and .261 in 1975. On September 4,1975, Alex was released by the Yankees.
1949 - The Yankees released veteran OF Charlie “King Kong” Keller (1939-49, 1952). Charlie finishes his Yankees career with a lifetime BA of .286 with 184 HRs with 723 RBIs in 1,066 games. He was named to the AL All Star team 4 times. Charlie appeared in 4 World Series with the Yankees, hitting .306 with 5 HRs with 18 RBIs. Charlie would sign with the Tigers for the 1950 AL season, playing as a part–time OF and pinch hitter. He would hit .316. In 1951, he hit .258 for the Tigers. Charlie has plagued by back problems at the end of his fine MLB career. He rejoined the Yankees in September of 1952, appearing in only one game before retiring from MLB.
1950 - Former Yankees OF Rich Coggins (1975-76) was born. On June 20, 1975, Rich was purchased by the Yankees from the Expos. Rich didn’t hit much during his stay with the Yankees. On May 18, 1976, Rich was traded by the Yankees along with P Ken Brett to the White Sox for OF /DH Carlos May.
1962 - Former Yankees P Bobo Newsome (1947) passed away. On July 11, 1947, Bobo was purchased by the Yankees from the Senators. Bob went 7-5 in 17 games with 1 save in 1947. On February 6, 1948, he was released by the Yankees.
1967 - INF Bobby Cox was traded by the Braves to the Yankees for C Bob Tillman and P Dale Roberts.
1967 - Former Yankees AL All Star 1B Tino Martinez (1996-2001, 2005) was born. On December 7, 1995, Tino was traded by the Mariners along with pitchers Jim Mecir and Jeff Nelson to the Yankees for INF Russ Davis and P Sterling Hitchcock. Coming to the Yankees, he was replacing All Star Don Mattingly at 1st base. His best Yankees season was in 1997, when Tino hit .296 with 44 HRs and 141 RBIs. Tino played in 5 World Series with the Yankees, hitting .268 with 3 HRs with 14 RBIs. In 2001, he left the Yankees as a free agent to sign with the Cardinals. On January 1, 2005, Tino was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. He hit .241 with 17 HRs, with 49 RBIs in 131 games, before retiring as a MLB active player.
1969 - Former Yankees P Lefty O’Doul (1919-1922) passed away. On July 23,1922, Lefty was traded by the Yankees along with Chick Fewster, Elmer Miller, Johnny Mitchell, and $50,000 to the Red Sox for veteran 3B Joe Dugan and OF Elmer Smith. Lefty would switch from pitching to hitting. He would become a great hitter in NL, finishing with a lifetime MLB BA of .346, as an outfielder.
1973 - The Yankees obtained OF/DH/1B Lou Piniella and P Ken Wright from the Royals for veteran P Lindy McDaniel. Lou Piniella would become one of the key players of the great Yankees teams of the late 1970’s.
1973 - The Yankees purchased C Bill Sudakis from the Rangers for $40,000. Bill would hit .232 in 89 games for the Yankees in 1973.
1976 - Former Yankees INF Kevin Hooper (2004) was born. On May 26, 2004, Kevin was selected off of waivers by the Yankees from the Marlins. Kevin didn’t play for the Yankees at MLB level. On August 6, 2004, Kevin, who was playing at Columbus (AAA) was released by the Yankees.
1976 - Former Yankees P Duke Maas (1958-1961) passed away (1929-1976). Duke was originally signed by the Tigers, but was traded to the A’s. On June 15, 1958, Duke was traded by the A’s along with veteran P Virgil Trucks to the Yankees for P Bob Grim and OF Harry Simpson. Duke would go 26-12 in 96 games with the Yankees. His best Yankees season was in 1959, when he posted a 14-8 mark for the Yankees. The Yankees lost him to the Angels in the 1960 AL Expansion Player Draft in December of 1960. On April 4,1961, Duke was traded back by the Angels to the Yankees for INF Fritz Brickell. Duke would only pitch in 1-game, before major arm problems shut him down for the rest of 1961 AL season. He never pitched in MLB again.
1983 - Veteran shortstop Tim Foli was traded by the Angels to the Yankees for hurler Curt Kaufman and cash.
1995 - 1B Tino Martinez was traded by the Mariners along with pitchers Jim Mecir and Jeff Nelson to the Yankees for INF Russ Davis and P Sterling Hitchcock. Coming to the Yankees, Tino was replacing All Star Don Mattingly at 1B, who had retired from MLB, because of back problems.
2000 - The Yankees signed veteran starter Dwight Gooden and reserve INF Luis Sojo as free agents.
2001 - The Yankees traded veteran OF Dave Justice to the Mets for 3B/1B Robin Ventura.
2002 - The Yankees signed free agent reserve C Chris Widger.
2003 - Reliever Gabe White was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. Gabe went 2-2 in 36 games for the Yankees during the 2003-4 AL seasons. On June 18, 2004, the Yankees traded Gabe to the Reds for minor league P Charlie Manning and cash.
2003 - Yankees signed veteran OF/DH Ruben Sierra as a free agent.
2006 - The Yankees drafted 1B Josh Phelps from the Orioles in the 2006 MLB Rule 5 player draft.
2007 - Yankees 1B/OF/DH Andy Phillips was granted free agency.
December 8th
1939 - At the December meeting of both MLB leagues in Cincinnati, Judge Landis votes against all amendments favorable to farm systems. The Rules committee, with an eye towards rising declining batting averages, votes to restore the “sacrifice fly” for the 1940 MLB season. Seven AL owners push through a new rule barring the AL champion from making any trades within the league. This rule was clearly aimed at the Yankees, winners of the last 4 World Series; the NL owners decline to vote it for their league.
1941 - Former Yankees reserve INF Ed Brinkman (1975) was born. Ed appeared in 44 games with the Yankees hitting only .175 during the 1975 AL season, before retiring as an MLB player.
1950 - Former Yankees INF Tim Foli (1984) was born. On December 7, 1983, Tim was traded by the Angels to the Yankees for P Curt Kaufman and cash. Tim hit .262 in 61 games for the Yankees in 1984. On December 20, 1984, the Yankees traded Tim along with OF Steve Kemp and cash to the Pirates for INF Dale Berra, P Alfonso Pulido, and minor league OF Jay Buhner.
1966 - Five years after breaking Babe Ruth's single MLB season HR record, the Yankees traded former AL MVP OF Roger Maris to the Cardinals for journeyman 3B Charlie Smith. The trade was a salary dump made by CBS management. Roger Maris wanted to retire as a Yankee, but the trade made him want to continue to play for the next 2 seasons, with Roger going to the World Series with the Cardinals twice, while the Yankees dropped to the AL cellar.
1968 - Former Yankees P Mike “Moose” Mussina (2001-2008) was born. On November 30, 2000, Mike was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. Mike finished the 2008 AL season with 20 victories for the 1st time in his 18 year MLB career. Also he won the 2008 AL Golden Glove award for a pitcher, his 3rd was a Yankees, others in 2001-2003. Mike had a 108-72 record in 249 games with the Yankees. In 2 World Series with the Yankees, Mike went 1-2. In ALCS, Mike went 4-5 for the Yankees. Mike announced his retirement from MLB on November 20, 2008.
1982 - Current Yankees P Alfredo Aceves (2008) was born. Alfredo went 1-0 in 6 games with a 2.40 ERA. He had originally signed with the Blue Jays in 2001. The Yankees signed him as a free agent from the Mexican professional baseball leagues.
1983 - The AL club owners elected Dr. Robert “Bobby” Brown as President of the AL. He would hold the position from 1984-1994. Bobby Brown, who played 3B for the Yankees (1946-1954) before embarking on a successful medical career as a heart specialist, played 548 regular-season games for the Yankees, with a lifetime BA of .279 with 22 HRs. In addition, he appeared in 4 World Series (1947, 1949-1951) for the Yankees, batting .439 in 17 games, while participating in 4 World Championships. Bobby also served 1½ years in the military during the Korean War.
1985 - Former Yankees P (1950) and Yankees scout Dave Madison (1956-58) passed away (1928-1985). The Yankees signed Dave as an amateur free agent in 1947. Dave appeared in 1 game in 1950 with the Yankees with no record. On April 7, 1952, Dave was purchased by the Browns from the Yankees.
1988 - The Yankees signed free-agent former Padres starter Andy Hawkins (1988-89). Andy went 20-19 for the Yankees before being released on May 9, 1991.
1998 - The Yankees traded OF Chris Singleton to the White Sox for a player to be named later. The White Sox would send minor league player Rich Pratt on January 10, 1999 to the Yankees to complete the trade.
2004 - The Yankees signed free agent reliever Steve Karsay to a 4-year contract. Steve went 6-4 in 91 games with 12 saves, before being released by the Yankees on May 3, 2005. His best Yankees season was in 2004, going 6-4 with 12 saves in 78 games. After that 2004 AL season, he had problems with arm injuries.
2005 - The Yankees traded INF/OF Tony Womack to the Reds for minor league players Ben Himes and Kevin Howard.
2006 - The Yankees signed veteran starter Andy Pettitte as a free agent.
December 9th
1902 - The AL announces purchase of grounds for a stadium in New York City. The next day the NL declares its readiness to make peace with the rival AL.
1923 - Traveling to Chicago for the MLB meetings, Wild Bill Donovan, New Haven manager, is killed in a train wreck. Donovan was a pitcher for Detroit and MLB manager for the Yankees and Phillies. New Haven team president George Weiss had swapped berths with Donovan and escapes with a minor injury. Phillies owner William F. Baker is also on the train, but he is unhurt. George Weiss would later become the Yankees General Manager in 1949, holding the position until October of 1960. Under Yankees GM Ed Barrow, George Weiss will run the Yankees farm system. Wild Bill Donovan had managed the Yankees from 1915-1917.
1946 - Former Yankees reserve OF Rich Bladt (1975) was born. On January 6, 1970, Rich was sent by the Cubs to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on September 11, 1969. The Cubs sent a player to be named later, Terry Bongiovanni (minors), and cash to the Yankees for veteran OF Jimmie Hall. The Cubs would send OF Rick Bladt on January 6, 1970 to Yankees to complete the trade. Rich hit .222 in 52 games as a reserve OF in 1975. On January 20, 1977, Rich was traded by the Yankees along with OF Elliott Maddox to the Orioles for veteran OF Paul Blair.
1948 - Former Yankees P George "Doc" Medich (1972-75) was born. The Yankees in the 30th round of the 1970 MLB amateur player draft drafted George. “Doc” will post a 49-40 record in 111 games, with the Yankees. The 1974 AL season will be his best Yankees season, when George posted a 19-15 mark. Doc was traded by the Yankees to the Pirates in the winter of 1975 for P Ken Brett, P Dock Ellis, and rookie 2B Willie Randolph.
1965 - While giving a speech in Columbus, MO, Branch Rickey collapses and dies a few days short of his 84th birthday. A MLB player, and manager, an extraordinary judge of baseball talent, and a shrewd trader, he became perhaps the game's most influential executive. He was the creator of the concept for a farm system for MLB teams, while running the Cardinals. Rickey was the Dodgers baseball executive, who was responsible for bring Jackie Robinson to MLB in 1947. As a former MLB catcher, Branch played for the Yankees in 1907.
1977 - Yankees signed free agent reliever Rawley Eastwick for more than 1 million dollars. Shane Rawley and Yankees Manager Billy Martin didn't get along, so by June of 1978, he was traded to the Phillies for OF Jay Johnstone and minor league OF Bobby Brown. The signing didn’t make much sense since the Yankees already had Sparky Lyle and Rich Gossage in their bullpen.
1981 - One day after announcing that Manager Bob Lemon will return for the 1982 AL season, the Yankees announce that former manager Gene Michael, whom Bob Lemon replaced on September 6th, will return as manager for the 1983 AL season. They won't wait that long.
1982 - In what will turn out to be a pair of unwise deals, the Yankees signed free agent OF Steve Kemp to a 5-year contract. Then they traded OF Dave Collins, P Mike Morgan, and 19-year old minor league 1B Fred McGriff to the Blue Jays for P Dale Murray and minor leaguer OF Tom Dodd.
1988 - The Yankees sign a 12-year television contract with the Madison Square Garden Cable Network.
1993 - The Yankees traded INF Spike Owen and cash to the Angels for minor league player Jose Musset.
December 10th
1940 - In Chicago, a curious rule that was designed to "break up the Yankees" is continued by the AL, a rule which prohibits the team winning the championship from trading with any other AL club. The rule was voted in at the 1939 December league winter meetings by the 7 other AL owners after the Yankees had won 4 straight World Series. The major and minor leagues agree that players taken into the military will not count against their team roster limits.
1946 - The Yankees signed veteran 1B George Mc Quinn, recently released by the A's. The 36-year-old 1B has 2 good seasons left in him. He will hit .304 with 80 RBIs in 1947 for the Yankees.
1947 - The Indians send P Red Embree to the Yankees for OF Allie Clark. The Yankees almost took Red Embree instead of starter Allie Reynolds in a trade a year ago, that involved former AL 1942 MVP 2B Joe “Flash” Gordon.
1966 - The Pirates traded long-time starter Bob Friend to the Yankees for P Pete Mikkelsen and cash. Bob Friend was over the hill; he would be sold to the Mets in June of 1967. A very bad trade for the Yankees made by the CBS controlled front office. Pete Mikkelsen would have 5 successful seasons in the NL, after leaving the Yankees.
1966 - Veteran reliever Pedro Ramos was traded by the Yankees to the Phillies for P Joe Verbanic and cash. Ramos helped the Yankees win the 1964 AL pennant by going 1-0 in 13 games with 8 saves in September of 1964. In 1965, he went 5-5 in 65 games with 19 saves. In 1966, Pedro slipped to a 3-9 mark in 52 games with 13 saves.
1972 - The MLB adopts the “save” as an official statistic. A pitcher shall be credited with a save if, when entering a game as a reliever, he finds the tying or winning run on base or at the plate, and he preserves the lead. Or he pitches 3 effective innings and preserves the lead.
1972 - The AL votes unanimously to adopt the designated-hitter rule for a 3-yr experimental basis. The DH will replace the pitcher in the lineup unless otherwise noted before the start of the game. In the December 1975, meeting the AL will vote to permanently adopt the DH. The National League declines to go along with the AL.
1973 - The Yankees released veteran reserve INF Hal Lanier.
1988 - Former Yankee All Star 2B Free-agent Willie Randolph signs with the Dodgers. He will replace Steve Sax in the Dodgers lineup, who had earlier this month signed with Randolph's former club, the Yankees.
1991 - Admitted gambler Howard Spira is sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for attempting to extort $110,000 from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
1992 - The Yankees signed free agent starter Jimmy Key to a 4-year contract. Jim will go 48-33 in 93 games with the Yankees. In 1993, he posted his best Yankees season going 18-6 in 34 games.
1997 - The Yankees signed free agent DH/OF Chili Davis to a 2-year contract. Chilli would hit .280 in 181 games with the Yankees, before retiring from MLB.
1999 - Yankees HOF slugger Babe Ruth is voted Player of the Century by an Associated Press panel. The Giants future HOF CF Willie Mays comes in second in the voting.
1999 - Former Yankees C free agent Joe Girardi is signed by the Cubs to a 3-year contract.
December 11th
1923 - Considered a team troublemaker by Yankees Manager Miller Higgins, the Yankees sell starter Carl “Sub” Mays to the Reds for $85,000. The submariner hurler will win 20 for the Reds in 1924. Carl went 56-36 with the Yankees including a 20-9 season in 1923.
1930 - The BBWAA votes to continue the custom of selecting an MVP for each league. Beginning in 1931 the annual vote of the BBWAA will designate a player for this honor in each league. Previous MVP winners will be able to repeat under the new rules, something that was prohibited by the AL in the 1920s.
1935 - The Yankees traded the hot-tempered P Johnny Allen to the Indians for pitchers Monte Pearson and Steve Sundra, a minor leaguer. Pearson would go 63-27 including a 19-7 mark in 1936 and a 4-0 World Series record, while Sundra went 21-11 over 3 seasons for the Yankees.
1951 - All Star CF Joe DiMaggio officially retires as a member of the Yankees, with 361 MLB career HRs with a MLB career BA of .325 after 13 seasons. His 56-game, consecutive-game hitting streak in 1941 will stand as one of the all-time best MLB achievements. Joe will be elected to HOF in 1955.
1956 - Long-time reserve C Charlie Silvera was traded by the Yankees along with cash and another player to be named to the Cubs for a player to be named later. The Cubs would send C Harry Chiti on December 14, 1956 to the Yankees to complete the trade. Chiti never plays for the Yankees at the MLB level.
1959 - The A's Owner Arnold Johnson gives the Yankees an early Christmas present, when he gift-wraps a young OF Roger Maris in pinstripes. The Yankees acquired the slugger in a 7-player deal that sends veterans P Don Larsen and RF Hank Bauer, young Yankees 1B/OF Marv Throneberry, and LF Norm Siebern to the A’s. It would be Yankees GM George Weiss, last major trade before leaving the team in October of 1960. Also the Yankees received veteran INF Joe DeMasteri and 1B/OF Kent Hadley in the Roger Maris trade. They would be reserve players for the Yankees bench in 1960.
1973 - The Yankees released veteran OF Ron Swoboda. He retired from MLB. Ron would become a sportscaster in NYC.
1975 - In a busy day of trading, the Yankees acquired hurlers Dock Ellis and Ken Brett, and 2B Willie Randolph from the Pirates for Yankees starter George "Doc" Medich. In a separate deal with the Angels, the club trades All Star OF Bobby Bonds for OF Mickey Rivers and P Ed Figueroa. Both trades bring the Yankees players that will help win the AL flags in 1976-78, World Championships in 1977-78.
1987 - In the 1st trade ever between the Yankees and Mets that involves a MLB player, the Mets send shortstop Rafael Santana and a minor leaguer to the Bronx for C Phil Lombardi and minor leaguers players: OF Darren Reed and P Steve Frey.
1995 - The Yankees signed free agent INF Mariano Duncan to a 2-year contract. Mariano hit .292 in 159 games for the Yankees, before being traded on July 29, 1997, along with cash to the Blue Jays for minor league player Angel Ramirez.
1996 - The Yankees signed free agent reliever Mike Stanton to a 3-year contract. Mike would work out of the Yankees bullpen from 1997-2002, posting a 30-12 record with 15 saves in 428 games. On December 3, 2004, the Mets traded Mike to the Yankees for P Felix Heredia. Mike had a 1-2 record in 28 games, before being released by the Yankees during the 2005 AL season.
2003 - Former Yankees starter Andy Pettitte inks a 3-year; $31.5 million deal with his “hometown” Astros. The 31 year old Texan, who compiled a 149-78 career record with a 3.94 ERA during his 9-yr stint in pinstripes, turned down better offers to stay with the Yankees or go to the AL east rival Red Sox. He will join former Yankees teammate starter Roger Clements on the Astros starting rotation.
December 12th
1922 - Yankees co-owner Jake Ruppert agrees to buy out his partner Colonel Huston, he gains full control of the Yankees. He would control the Yankees until his death in 1939. His estate would run the Yankees with long-time GM Ed Barrow in charge, until the sale of the team in 1945 to new co-owners Del Webb, Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail.
1930 - The MLB Rules Committee issues a greatly revised code, reducing the number of rules by combining many. Not only is the “sacrifice rule” abolished but also the rule awarding HRs, when the ball bounces into the stands. "Bounce homers" will not be doubles. This had already been in effect in the AL, but not the in NL.
1949 - By a 7-to-1 vote, the AL rejects a proposal to bring back the legal spitball. The rules committee also alters the strike zone to the space between the armpits and the top of the knees. The new rule eliminates the batter's shoulders being within the strike zone.
1950 - The MLB team owners vote to drop the bonus and high school rule, which was designed to prevent the wealthier clubs from buying up all of the available talent. The rule required all “bonus” players had to stay on the MLB roster for 1 season in the minors.
1978 - The Yankees obtained veteran 1B/DH Jim Spencer from the White Sox for minor league P Ed Ricks and P Stan Thomas, along with $100,000 cash. Spencer really never got on track with the Yankees, playing infrequently with starting 1B Chris Chambliss in front of him.
1978 - Yankees purchased starter Andy Messersmith from the Braves for $100,000. Andy suffered a dislocated shoulder in spring training after running into 1B Cliff Johnson that required surgery. He did very little with the Yankees. He would leave the team after the 1979 AL season, signing with the Dodgers.
1985 - The Yankees traded P Joe Cowley and C Ron Hassey to the White Sox for starter Britt Burns (1-11) and minor leaguers Mike Soper and Glen Braxton. Hassey will come back to the Yankees before the 1986 AL season started. A degenerative hip condition ends Burns' MLB career, before he has a chance to pitch for the Yankees. Yankee front office officials had advised Owner George Steinnbrenner to not make the deal because of Burns hip condition, but he refused to take their advice.
1986 - The Yankees traded DH/OF Mike Easler and minor leaguer INF Tom Barrett to the Phillies for P Charles Hudson and minor leaguer Jeff Knox. Also they re-signed free-agent OF/DH Claudell Washington to fill Mike Easler's DH position on the MLB roster.
1989 - The Yankees traded minor league players OF/1B Hal Morris and P Rodney Imes to the Reds for P Tim Leary and OF Van Snider.
1998 - After being given his last rites, former Yankees HOF CF Joe DiMaggio makes a miraculous recovery defying the doctor’s dire predictions.
December 13th
1948 - After a year with the Yankees, P Red Embree is traded, along with young C Sherm Lollar, P Richard Starr and $100,000, to the Browns. Embree will slump to 3-13 mark in St. Louis, after having his only winning MLB season with the Yankees. Lollar is the prize of the trade, Sherman will catch in the majors through the 1963 AL season, mainly with the White Sox. The Yankees received P Fred Sanford and C Roy Partee. While Partee is ticketed for the minors while Fred Sanford will help the Yankees as a starter/reliever during the 1949 AL season.
1962 - All Star CF Mickey Mantle signs a 1962 Yankees player contract for $82,000. Only Hall Of Fame CF Joe DiMaggio has been paid more money by the Yankees.
1974 - Oakland’s All Star starter Jim “Catfish” Hunter wins his claim against the A's owner Charlie Finley. Catfish Hunter is declared a free agent by arbitrator Peter Seitz. Hunter will sign with the Yankees.
1993 - Former Yankees reserve C Billy Shantz (1960) passed away. He was the brother of former Yankees hurler Bobby Shantz (1957-1960). He appeared in 1 game for the Yankees during the 1960 AL season. He spent most of 1960 season with AAA Richmond, as a back up to starter Jesse Gonder.
1999 - The Rangers obtained OF Chad Curtis from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitchers Sam Marsonek and Brandon Knight.
2001 - The Yankees signed free-agent 1B Jason Giambi to a 7-year deal worth $120 million. The 2000 AL MVP and this year's runner-up drove in 120 runs, hit 38 HRs, and had a .342 batting average for the wild card A's 2001 AL season.
2001 - The Yankees acquired OF John Vander Wal from the Giants in exchange for P Jay Witasick. John hit .260 in 117 games for the Yankees, before leaving the team for free agency.
2002 - The Yankees signed free agent reliever Chris Hammond.
2003 - The Dodgers traded 38-year-old starter Kevin Brown with a 14-9 record with a 2.39 ERA to the Yankees for troubled starter Jeff Weaver, minor league prospects Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden and cash. Kevin Brown is MLB’s 1st 100-million dollar player, who will make $15 million next season, waives his no-trade clause to be closer to his family, who live in Atlanta, Ga.
2007 - Yankees signed free agent All Star 3B Alex Rodriguez to a ten year deal worth around $300 million.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
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