Sunday, May 10, 2009

This Week in Yankees History (5/10-5/16)

This Week in Yankees History

May 10th - May 16th


May 10th

1868 - Future MLB player, manager and HOF baseball executive Edward Barrow is born (1868-1953). Ed was the manager of 1918 World Champion Red Sox. He was the manager who decided to make Babe Ruth a everyday player because of his hitting. In 1920, Ed will leave the Red Sox to become the Yankees General Manager, who will through a series of trades with the Red Sox build the Yankees into a World Championship team. In 1931, he signed former NL manager Joe McCarthy to manage the Yankees. In 1932, He hired George Weiss to run the Yankees farm system. He will be with the Yankees front office until 1945, when the Jacob Ruppert Estate sells the team.

1911 - The Tigers lose their 1st home game of the 1911 AL season by a score of 6-2, as Yankees hands Tigers starter George Mullin his 1st loss. The Tigers have a 21-2 record and will lead the AL until July 4th.

1913 - The Yankees commit 8 errors, but still end up beating the Tigers, by a score of 10-9, in 10 innings. Three of the errors are made by shortstop Claud Derrick, who will field just .872 for the year. Related? In 10 days, the Yankees will deal for Indians shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh.

1926 - At Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth hit back-to-back HRs off of Tigers starter Sam Gibson, and the Yankees outscore the Tigers by 13-9. Herb Pennock is the winning pitcher for the Yankees.

1934 - Lou Gehrig hits 2 HRs (including a grand slam) and a pair of doubles, tying the record with 4 long hits, and drives in 7 runs, but leaves the game after 5 innings with a severe cold. The Yankees top the White Sox, by the score of 13-3. During the game, Yankees OF Ben Chapman (1930-36) shouts racial remarks at a Jewish fan. His behavior will lead the Yankees to trade him in 1936 to the Senators. In 1947, he will lead the dugout bigots in protest of Dodgers INF Jackie Robinson as manager of the Phillies.

1936 - By beating the A's, by the score of 7-2 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees move into 1st place and will remain there the rest of the 1936 AL season. Rookie OF Joe DiMaggio makes his belated home debut for the Yankees hitting his 1st MLB career HR, off of P George Turbeville. Lou Gehrig has 4 hits with 2 RBIs with hurler Johnny Murphy, in his 1st start of the 1936 AL season, picks up the victory.

1937 - Yankees starter Monte Pearson pitches a 1-hitter in stopping the White Sox, by the score of 6-0. Joe DiMaggio hits his 1st two HRs of the 1937 AL season, while George Selkirk hits his 5th HR for NY. Chicago's only hit is a 1-out 1st inning single by Larry Rosenthal, who was erased on a double play.

1946 - Before a Friday Ladies' Day crowd at Yankee Stadium of 64,183 fans, the 1st-place Red Sox win their 15th straight game, a 5-4 win over the Yankees. Earl Johnson gets the win with 4 innings of scoreless relief. A Joe DiMaggio grand slam HR accounts for all of the Bombers' scoring.

1947 - Former Yankees P John Cumberland (1968-1970) was born. John went 3-4 in 18 games with the Yankees, who drafted him from the Phillies organization. John was traded to the Giants for veteran starter Mike McCormick. He later became a MLB pitching coach, working for the Red Sox, among other MLB teams.

1952 - RF Hank Bauer of the Yankees goes 5-for-6 in an 18-3, romp over the Red Sox. Boston comes away with a record-tying 10 assists in the 5th inning.

1953 - Yankees starter Vic Raschi makes his 1st relief appearance in 2 years, limiting the Red Sox to 3 hits in 4 innings, as the Yankees win, by the score of 7-4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident, which will keep him out of action for 3-weeks, when Jim Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody's argument with umpire Jim Duffy. Del Wilber hits his 2nd consecutive pinch HR in the 8th inning; his 1st HR came on May 6th.

1956 - At Yankee Stadium, Bob Lemon gives the Indians, a 7-2 victory over the Yankees. Mickey Mantle has a solo HR in the 6th inning for New York. For Mickey Mantle, it is his 20th HR of May, a new record. The slugger adds a double and 2 singles and is hitting .425 with 50 RBIs.

1959 - The Yankees sweep doubleheader from the Senators at Yankee Stadium, winning by scores of 6-3 and 3-2 in 10 innings. Mickey Mantle's HR in the 3rd inning of the opener starts the Yankees scoring as they beat starter Chuck Stobbs. Mantle singles and scores the winning run in the 10th inning of the nightcap. Yogi Berra has a HR in the 2nd game. Yogi sets a new MLB record for consecutive errorless games by a catcher with 148.

1965 - At Fenway Park, the 9th-place Yankees lose again to Red Sox, by a score of 3-2, when Carl Yastrzemski out-hits a hobbling Mickey Mantle. Yaz hits a pair of HRs and sacrifice fly, while Mantle is 3-for-4 with a HR. After Mantle doubles with 2 outs in the 9th inning off of starter Jim Lonborg, who is lifted. Red Sox closer Richard “The Monster” Radatz gets the final out of the game. It is Jim Lonborg's 1st MLB career win.

1996 - Yankees veteran starter David Cone undergoes surgery to remove an aneurysm in his pitching arm.

May 11th

1903 - John Ganzel hits the 1st Highlanders Home Run. As they defeat the Tigers by a score of 8-2. Also his teammate, William “Wild” Conroy hit a HR for the Highlanders.

1919 - Starter Walter Johnson of the Senators pitched 12 scoreless innings in a duel with Jack Quinn of the Yankees at the Polo Grounds. Johnson allowed only 2 hits and retired 28 batters in a row. Future NFL Bears owner George Halas, batting leadoff for the Yankees, went 0-for-5, striking out twice

1928 - Former Yankees minor league player and MLB pitching coach Mel Wright (1974 - 1975) was born. Mel was part of the trade that brought OF Enos “Country” Slaughter to the Yankees in 1954. He was traded along with OF Bill Vidron to the Cardinals. He would return to the Yankees in 1974 as new Yankees Manager Bill Vidron’s pitching coach.

1946 - Yankees P Tiny Bonham puts the brake on the Red Sox’s 15-game winning streak, with a 2-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium.

1954 - Yankees sell INF Jim Brideweser (1951-53) to the Orioles. Jim was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1950. Jim couldn’t break into the Yankee starting infield. He appeared in only 57 games for the Yankees hitting .546.

1955 - Yankees obtained P Sonny Dixon from the A’s for veteran OF Enos Slaughter and P Johnny Sain. Slaughter would return to the Yankees in 1956, his 1st stay was disappointing only hitting .249. Johnny Sain was at the end of his MLB career. Dixon would appear in 3 games for the Yankees, going 0-1, before leaving the MLB.

1955 - The Yankees sell P Art Schallock (1951-54) to the Orioles for cash. Art had been obtained from the Pirates during the 1951 AL season; going 3-2 in 28 games with 1 save for the Yankees.

1966 - Yankees purchased INF Richard “Ducky” Schofield from the Giants. He didn’t solve the 1966 Yankee infield problems.

1990 - Dave Winfield rejected a trade that would have sent him from the Yankees to the Angels in exchange for starter Mike Witt. A no-trade clause in Winfield's contract gave him the right to turn down the deal. Five days later, Winfield will reach an agreement with the Yankees and give his permission for the trade to take place.

2006 - Hideki Matsui of the Yankees broke his left wrist and his consecutive-games streak ended in the Red Sox 5-3 victory at Yankee Stadium. Going back to his days in Nippon Pro Baseball, he appeared in 1,768 consecutive games. Matsui had played in 518 consecutive games (a record for the start of a career) since joining the Yankees in 2003 after playing in 1,250 straight for the Yomiuri Giants from August 22, 1993, through 2002.

May 12th

1897 - Former Yankee 3rd baseman Joseph “Jumping Joe” Dugan (1922-1928) was born.
On July 23, 1922, Joe Dugan was traded by the Red Sox along with Elmer Smith to the Yankees for Chick Fewster, Elmer Miller, Johnny Mitchell, Lefty O'Doul, and $50,000 cash. Joe replaced the aging Frank “Home Run” Baker at 3rd base in 1922. He had 6 good seasons with the Yankees, hitting more than .280 in 5 of them.

1915 - The Yankees beat the Indians by the score of 4-2, despite hitting into a triple play.

1916 - Former Yankees P Henry “Hank” Borowy (1942-1945) was born. Hank went 66-30 with the Yankees, until he was sold to the Cubs during the 1945 season. At the time of trade he was 10-5 with the Yankees. The Cubs paid $97,000 for him. I have never read why he was traded away by the Yankees in mid-1945 season

1919 - For second straight day, the Yankees and Senators battle into extra inning without a result. Today’s game ends in a 4-4 tie, the game is called because of darkness, after 15 innings are played.

1925 - Future Yankee HOF player, Coach and Manager Lawrence “Yogi” Berra was born (Player: 1946-1963, Coach: 1976-1983, Manager: 1964, 1984). He is one of the most beloved players to ever wear the Yankee pinstripes. He hit .285 in 18 years as a Yankee. Yogi played in 14 World Series for the Yankees with 10 World Championships with 71 World Series hits. Yogi was an AL All Star catcher and 3-time AL MVP winner. Yogi became one of the greatest catchers in the game through the help of former Yankees great HOF catcher Bill Dickey. Yogi is one of few MLB managers to win a pennant in each major league: Yankees (1964) and Mets (1973).

1935 - Former Yankees OF/DH Felipe Alou (1971-1973) was born. After being obtained from the A’s, Felipe Alou hit .289 in 1971, and .278 in 1972, before fading during the 1973 AL season, he was sold to the Expos.

1959 - At Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra committed an error as his errorless streak of 148 games for a catcher came to an end in a 7-6 loss to Indians.

1978 - At Royals Stadium, a potential game-ending routine fly ball became an Amos Otis walk-off inside-the-park HR as Reggie Jackson and Mickey Rivers collided in the outfield. The misplay turned a sure Goose Gossage save into a sour loss for the current World Champions Yankees.

1979 - Former Yankees Scout (1967-1975) and MLB catcher Clyde Kluttz passes away.
As a scout for the Yankees, he convinced free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter to sign with the Yankees on December 31, 1974.

1999 - The Angels shuts out the Yankees by the score of 1-0, behind the combined 3-hit pitching of Chuck Finley and Troy Percival. Finley struck out 11 Yankees in his 8 innings of work, including 4 in the 3rd inning, to become the 33rd pitcher in history to strike out 4 in a single frame. It is possible when a batter with 2 strikes on him takes a swing at strike 3; however, the catcher does not field the ball cleanly, and instead of tagging the runner out, the runner reaches the 1st base. The strikeout is recorded, but not the out.

May 13th

1914 - Yankees acquired C/1B Les Nunamaker from the Red Sox. He would be the Yankees main catcher until 1918, when he was traded in the Urban Shocker trade with the Browns. His best season was in 1916, when Les hit .296 in 91 games for the Yankees.

1929 - At Cleveland's League Park, the Indians defeated the Yankees, by a score of 4-3, in the 1st game in MLB history in which players from both teams wear numbers on the back of their jerseys.

1946 - The Yankees use air transport for travel as a MLB team for 1st time.

1948 - The Yankees obtained OF Leon Culberson and $20,000 in cash from the Senators for OF Ed Stewart. Within a month, he would be returned to the Nats.

1952 - The Yankees waived veteran P Frank "Stubby" Overmire to the Browns. He went 1-1 in 15 games for the Yankees in 1951, after being obtained for Yankees P Tommy Byrne and $25,000 cash.

1953 - The Yankees waived P Johnny Schmitz to the Senators. Johnny went 0-0 in 3 games with 1 save with the Yankees, before joining the Nats.

1955 - At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle hit HR’s from both sides of the plate for the 1st time in his MLB career. The Yankees slugger finished the game with 3 HR’s - 2 left-handed and 1 right-handed - and drove in all of his team's runs in a 5-2 victory over the Tigers. Whitey Ford was the winning pitcher, while Steve Gromek was the loser for Tigers.

1965 - Former Yankees P Jose Rijo (1984) was born. Jose went 2-8 in 24 games in 1984. The Yankees rush him up to match the Mets young rookie pitcher Doc Gooden. In December of 1984, the Yankees traded him to the A’s in the Rickey Henderson trade. He would find success in the NL, pitching for the Reds.

1977 - Yankees starter Ed Figueroa wins his 4th straight complete game, beating his former teammates the Angels, by score of 3-0, Thurman Munson hit his 7th HR of the 1977 AL season.

May 14th

1899 - Future Yankees HOF CF Earle “The Kentucky Colonel” Combs (1924-35) was born. He was a lifetime .325 hitter for the Yankees. His Yankee career was cut short by serious injuries that he suffered, while making desperation catch in 1933. He batted .340 in 4 World Series, 8th highest in MLB history. He was the 1st of the great Yankee centerfielders.

1937 - Former Yankees INF (1967-68), Coach (1968-1978) and Manager (1980) Richard “Dick” Howser was born (1937-1987). Richard finished his MLB playing career with the Yankees in 1968, becoming a MLB coach for the Yankees. He would manage the Yankees in 1980, taking the team to a 103-59 record before losing to the Royals in AL Title Playoffs. He would later manage the Royals, before he died from cancer in 1987.

1947 - Former Yankees P Richard “Dirt” Tidrow (1974-1979) Dirt came over to the Yankees in 1974 from the Indians in the Chris Chambliss trade. He went 40-33 in 211 games, before being traded to Cubs for P Ray Burris during the 1979 season.

1948 - Former Yankees P Dave LaRoche (1981-83) was born. Dave was signed by the Yankees as a free agent. He went 8-3 in 72 games for the Yankees.

1967 - Mickey Mantle of the Yankees joined the 500 HR MLB club, when he connected against Stu Miller of the Orioles. Mantle became the 6th MLB player to reach the 500 HR career mark, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Willie Mays, Mel Ott and Ted Williams. Mantle's HR helped New York to the 6 -5 victory at Yankee Stadium.

1977 - Yankees starter Don Gullett hurls a 4-hitter and out-duels Angels Ace Nolan Ryan, by the score of 4-1 before a crowd of 41,000 fans in California.

1985 - Former Yankees P Harry Byrd (1954) passed away. He joined the Yankees in winter of 1953 coming over from the A’s trade that saw 1B Vic Power and others go to the A’s. Harry went 9-7 in 25 games for the Yankees before being traded to Orioles in the big 17-man trade in December of 1954.

1996 - Dwight Gooden became the 8th pitcher in Yankees team history to throw a no-hitter in the with a 2-0 victory over the Mariners at Yankee Stadium.

2004 - Former Yankees P Rip Coleman (1955-56) passes away. Rip went 5-6 in 39 games for the Yankees before being traded to the A’s in 1957.

May 15th

1908 - The Yankees purchased P Hippo Vaughn (1908, 1910-12) from Macon of the Georgia State League for undisclosed amount of cash. Hippo went 22-30 with the Yankees in 72 games.

1912 - Ty Cobb charges into the stands at Hilltop Park in New York City, attacking a crippled heckler named Claude Lueker. Other Highlander fans and Tigers mix it up before order is restored, and AL President Ban Johnson suspends Ty Cobb indefinitely for the incident.

1922 - In a 4-1 win at New York, Ty Cobb beats out a grounder to Yankees Shortstop Everett Scott. Veteran writer Fred Lieb scores it a hit in the box score; he files with the Associated Press. But official scorer John Kieran of the New York Tribune gives an error to Scott. At the season's end, the AL official records, based on AP box scores, list Cobb at .401. New York writers complain unsuccessfully, claiming it should be .399, based on the official scorer's stats. Lieb will reverse himself at the end of the year, but AL President Ban Johnson goes with the hit call.

1935 - Lou Gehrig steals home in a 4-0 Yankee win over the Tigers. It is his 15th and last steal of home, all of which were double steals

1941 - Joe DiMaggio gets a single in 4 at bats against Eddie Smith of the White Sox to start his 56-game hitting streak. Joe D's hit goes unnoticed as the Yankees lose, by the score of 13-1. Taffy Wright homers and drives in 4 White Sox runs, the 8th straight game he's driven in a run.

1955 - Yankees OF Irv Noren hits an inside-the-park grand slam homerun in an 8-4 victory over the A's. Yankees win the nightcap to sweep the A's. Mickey Mantle is 4-for-9 for the afternoon and is hitting .311.

1963 - Down 4-0 to the Twins, Mickey Mantle hits a 2-run HR off of P Pedro Ramos to put the Yankees on the board. Mantle later scores the winning run as New York wins the game by a score of 4-3.

1965 - At Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, Mickey Mantle slices an opposite field HR in the 8th inning off of reliever Richard Hall to give Yankees, a 3-2 win over the Orioles.

1969 - Former Yankees P Hideki Iraub (1997-1999) was born. He went 29-20 in 74 games for the Yankees before being traded to Expos for minor league pitchers Ted Lilly and Christian Parker.

1996 - The Mariners spot the Yankees 4 runs, then hammer starter Jimmy Key and 5 other Yankee pitchers for 19 hits to win by the score of 10-5. Seven Mariners collect 2 or more hits, and Edgar Martinez drives in 4 runs. A wild Key takes his 5th straight loss, while Yankee reliever Mariano Rivera records 4 outs to stretch his scoreless innings to 21 2/3. The Yankees will place Key on the 15-day DL.

1996 - The Yankees outbid 4 other MLB teams and sign Japanese Pitcher Katsuhiro Maeda to a $1.5 million contract. The Yankees obtain the fastballer from the Seibu Lions for more than $350,000. Maeda, who has his hair dyed orange, was 0-2 with the Lions from 1993 through 1995, but refused to sign for the 1996 season, unless he was traded to a U.S. team.

May 16th

1907 - The Highlanders swap P Walter Clarkson and OF Frank Delahanty, both siblings of future HOFer’ to Cleveland for P Earl Moore. New York is hoping that Moore will return to the form, he showed before a Highlander line drive injured his foot last season, limiting him to 6 games.

1926 - Former Yankees INF (1950-1957) and Manager Billy Martin (1975-78, 1983, 1985, and 1988) was born (1926-1989). Billy was an AL All Star and World Series hero for the Yankees in 1953. He was Casey Stengel’s favorite Yankees player, who was hated by Yankees GM George Weiss, who traded him away on June 15, 1957 to the A’s, after the fight at the Copacabana Night Club. His Yankees Manager record was 941-556, with a WP of .591. He won AL flags in 1976 and 1977. His only World Series Championship was in 1977. He was fired during the 1978 AL season, being replaced by Bob Lemon.

1927 - Yankees OF Bob Meusel swipes 2B, 3B, and home in the 3rd inning as New York tops the Tigers, by the score of 6-2. Lou Gehrig contributes a HR and 2 doubles to back Dutch Ruether's pitching.

1931 - At Detroit, Tommy Bridges gives up 3 hits in stopping the Yankees, by the score of
3 -1, dropping the Bombers to 2nd place, as they will not retake 1st place in AL.

1932 - The Yankees record their 4th straight shutout to equal the record set by Indians and Red Sox in 1903 and 1906. Johnny Allen, George Pipgras, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez were the Yankee hurlers. Lefty stops the Indians on 5 hits to win, by the score of 8-0; it is the Yankees 5th shutout in 7 games.

1941 - The Yankees bench top infield prospects Phil Rizzuto and Jerry Priddy, putting back in veterans Joe Gordon and Frankie Crosetti into the Yankees lineup. New York then rallies in the 9th inning to beat the White Sox, by the score of 5-4.

1944 - The White Sox beat the Yankees by the score of 10-4 to stop Hank Borowy's 2-year winning streak at 11 games.

1949 - Former Yankees P Rick Reuschel (1981) was born. On June 12, 1981, Rick was traded by the Cubs to the Yankees for a player to be named later, Doug Bird, and $400,000. The Yankees sent P Mike Griffin on August 5, 1981 to the Cubs to complete the trade. Rick went 4-4 in 12 games for the Yankees before arm injury ended his season, he didn’t pitch in 1982. The Yankees would release him during the 1983 AL season.

1951 - At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle drives in 4 runs and scores 3 as Yankees rout the Indians, by a score of 11-3. Mantle connects for the 1st of his 206 homers at the Stadium, the blast coming off of P Richard Rozek.

1953 - At Yankee Stadium, White Sox lefty P Tommy Byrne pinch-hits for slugger Vern Stephens and hits a grand slam off of Yankees reliever Ewell Blackwell to climax a 5-run 9th inning and give White Sox, a 5-3 win. Stephens has 10 career grand slams: Byrne now has 2.

1953 - Former Yankees P Rick Rhoden (1987-88) was born. On November 26, 1986, Rick was traded by the Pirates along with pitchers Pat Clements and Cecilio Guante to the Yankees for pitchers Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher, and Logan Easley. Rick went 28-22 in 60 games for the Yankees before being sold to the Astros for 2 minor league pitchers.

1954 - The Orioles draw a record 46,796 fans at Memorial Stadium for a doubleheader with the Yankees. Allie Reynolds wins the opener for Yankees, by the score of 2-0 on a 3-hitter, before Orioles starter Don Larsen stops the Yankees with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap.

1956 - On a blustery day in Cleveland, the Yankees top the Indians, by the score of 4-1. Mickey Mantle hits a HR, off of Tribe starter Bud Daley, while his pal Billy Martin is benched for the 1st time by Yankees Manager Casey Stengel. Bobby Richardson takes his place at 2B.

1957 - The Yankees top the A’s, by the score of 3-0 behind Bob Turley's 4-hit shutout. Mickey Mantle has a homer off of P Alex Kellner, the 11th time in his last 12 at bats he's reached base safely. That night a group of Yankees celebrate Billy Martin's 29th birthday in a raucous fashion. An ensuing fight at Manhattan's Copacabana Night Club leads to $5,500 in fines and the eventual trade of Billy to A’s on June 15th. Hank Bauer allegedly starts the fight by hitting a patron, although Bauer denies it. The Yankees fine Whitey Ford, Bauer, Yogi Berra, Mantle and Martin $1,000 each and rookie P Johnny Kucks $500.

1965 - Orioles teenager pitcher Jim Palmer picks up his 1st MLB win, topping the Yankees, by the score of 7- 5. Palmer also bangs his 1st MLB homer, a 2-run drive off of P Jim Bouton, to give him the margin of victory.

1970 - Former Yankees P Jim Mecir (1996-97) was born. Jim came to the Yankees from the Mariners in the Tino Martinez trade. He went 1-5 in 51 games before being traded to the Red Sox.

1976 - The Yankees send P Larry Gura to Royals for back-up C Fran Healy. Healy's best moment will come in the broadcast booth, while Gura will help the Royals to the 1976 AL playoffs with a 16-4 record. Gura did not get along with Yankees manager Billy Martin.

1983 - Former Yankees minor league P and Pitching Coach Mel Wright (1974-75) passes away. Mel was traded to the Cardinals in 1954 as part of the Enos “Country” Slaughter trade. He would serve as Yankees Manager Bill Vidron’s pitching coach during the 1974-75 AL seasons.

1985 - Former Yankees P Johnny Broca (1933-37) passed away (1909-1985). Johnny went 39-23 in 99 games for the Yankees. On November 19, 1938, John was purchased by the Indians from the Yankees.

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

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