This Week in Yankees History
August 16th - August 22nd
August 16th - August 22nd
August 16th
1889 - Former Yankees P Henry “Rube” Robinson (1918) was born. On June 20, 1918, Henry was purchased by the Yankees from the Cardinals. Rube went 2-4 in 11 games for the Yankees in 1918.
1903 - Toledo native George Mullin, pitching for the Tigers, helps the attendance today (6,000) as the Tigers take on the Yankees in a Sunday game in Toledo. Mullin is racked for 8 runs, but the Tigers score 12, led by the hitting of Sam Crawford, who is 5-for-6.
1913 - Former Yankees P Ernest “Tiny” Bonham (1940-46) was born. (1913-1949). Tiny posted a 79-50 record for the Yankees. He was a member of 1942-1943 AL All Star teams. His best Yankees season was in 1942, when he went 21-5. On October 24, 1946, Tiny was traded by the Yankees to the Pirates for Cookie Cuccurullo. Tiny passed away during the 1949 NL season following surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital. Cuccurullo never played for the Yankees at the MLB level.
1920 - At the Polo Grounds, Indians 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 the Tigers 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 at 2B, and for 14 years he will be the hardest man to strike out in MLB.
1922 - Former Yankees OF Gene Woodling (1949-1954) was born (1922-2001). On September 30, 1948, Gene was purchased by the Yankees from the San Francisco Seals (PCL). He would play OF on 5 straight World Championship teams (1949-1953). He hit over .300 in 1952 and 1953 AL seasons. During the 1954 AL season, Gene broke his thumb. After the 1954 AL season, Gene was part of the big 17-man trade between the Orioles and Yankees. Gene would finish his long MLB playing career with the Mets in 1962. In the spring of 1963, he became a MLB 1B Coach for his former Yankees Manager Casey Stengel, who is now running the Mets.
1948 - Yankees HOF OF/P Babe Ruth dies of throat cancer at age 53 in New York City. His body will be put on display at Yankee Stadium and will be viewed by more than 100,000 fans.
1952 - Former Yankees reliever Al Holland (1986-87) was born. He was signed and released as a free agent with the team in 1986-87 AL seasons. Al went 1-0 in 28 games working out of the bullpen for the Yankees.
1961 - Roger Maris ties an AL record with his 7th HR in his 6th straight game, as the Yankees beat the White Sox by the score of 5-4 in the 9th inning. His two HR blasts are off of veteran lefty starter Billy Pierce gave him 48 HRs, 3 HRs more than his Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle.
1965 - Former Yankees reliever Xavier Hernandez (1994) was born. On November 27, 1993, he was traded by the Astros to the Yankees for P Domingo Jean and INF Andy Stankiewicz. He went 4-4 in 31 games with 6 saves for the Yankees in 1994.
1975 - Former Yankees reserve OF Michael “Prime Time” Coleman (2001) was born. On March 21, 2001, Michael was traded by the Reds along with 3B Drew Henson to the Yankees for minor league OF Wily Mo Pena. Michael only appeared in 12 games for the Yankees, hitting just .211, spending most of the season at Columbus (AAA).
1976 - Yankees LF Mickey Rivers hits an inside the park HR against Rangers starter Gaylord Perry as the Yankees win the game by the score of 5-1. Yankees reserve INF Fred “Chicken” Stanley, who also HRs in the game.
1977 - At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees blow a 9-4 lead in the top of the 9th inning, when the White Sox score 6-runs, but a 2-run HR by 1B Chris Chambliss in the bottom of the 9th inning gives the Yankees an 11-10 comeback win.
1989 - Yankees OF/DH Luis Polonia is arrested in his hotel room for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He will be sentenced to 60 days in jail after the 1989 AL season.
2000 - The Rangers shut out the Yankees, by the score of 5-0, as starter Brian Sikorski hurls scoreless ball into the 8th inning in his MLB pitching debut. Rangers’ OF Gabe Kapler goes hitless in the game, ending his 28-game AL hitting streak.
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 MLB amateur free agent. He went 0-1 in 4 games with the Yankees. Ernie was traded to the Reds in 1952.
1920 - Indians shortstop Ray Chapman dies as a result of being hit by a pitch thrown by Yankee submariner hurler Carl Mays. 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 of 170 walks, and 4 times hit by pitches. Babe Ruth will reach base a record 379 times.
1925 - The Yankees released veteran 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 of 1930. Lefty would post a Yankees pitching career record of 189-101 with a win percentage of .649 with 1,468 strikeouts with 173 complete games from 1930-1942. He would be elected to the HOF in 1972.
1933 - On his way establishing the MLB mark of playing in 2,130 consecutive games, Lou Gehrig quietly surpasses former Yankees shortstop 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 Nick 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 - The 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. Yankees starter Bob Porterfield wins the game by the score of 8-1.
1948 - An estimated crowd of 100,000 fans passes by the body of Yankees HOF Slugger 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 reliever Bill Castro. Butch only appeared in 30 games with the Yankees, hitting only .172, spending most of the 1982 season at Columbus (AAA).
1953 - In a rare start, Yankees veteran reliever Bob Kuzava shuts out the A’s by the score of 9-0, allowing only 11 hits along the way.
1971 - Current Yankees All Star catcher Jorge Posada (1995-2009) was born. Jorge was drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 amateur MLB player draft. He was a shortstop in college, who was converted to a catcher in the minor leagues. Jorge is the nephew of former 1960’s MLB player Leo Posada. Jorge has been an AL All Star team member in 2000-2003 and in 2007. His best Yankees season was in 2007, when he hit .338 in 144 games. His current Yankee career totals are .277 BA in 1,562 games.
1979 - The Royals released veteran All Star 1B/DH George Scott, who will sign with the Yankees on August 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 1st 2nd baseman to hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in the same season. All Star slugger 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 1906 AL season, both times by White Sox spit-ball starter Ed Walsh.
1907 - The Tiger's 1st Sunday game at home since 1902 AL season, and their first at Bennett Park, is a 16-3 win over the Yankees.
1912 - In New York City, the Tigers beat the Yankees by the score of 9-4. Ty Cobb steals home in the 1st inning, the 3rd time in the 1912 AL season, he's swiped home and all are in the 1st inning.
1926 - The 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, Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig is hitless as he plays his 1,000th consecutive MLB game. He is now 307 games short of former Yankees shortstop 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.'
1944 - Former Yankees INF and MLB Coach and MLB Manager Mike Ferraro (1966, 1968) was born. The Yankees signed Mike as an amateur MLB free agent in 1962. In the Yankees spring training camp of 1968, Mike won the James P. Dawson Award for the best Yankees rookie in the camp. Mike appeared in only 33 games for the Yankees, hitting just .165. On October 15, 1968, Mike was drafted by the Pilots from the Yankees as the 57th pick in the 1968 AL expansion team player draft. After the team moved from Seattle to Milwaukee, Mike was the regular 3B for the Brewers in 1972. With the arrival of Don Money from the Phillies, he became a reserve INF.
After his playing career ended, 3B Mike Ferraro was a minor league manager. He was in charge of the Oneonta Yankees (1974-1975), Fort Lauderdale Yankees (1976), West Haven Yankees (1977) and Tacoma Yankees (1978). He was a Yankees MLB coach from 1979 to 1982. During the 1980 ALCS, he was the victim of one of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's patented tirades, as the Boss blamed him, as the Yankees' 3B MLB coach for Willie Randolph having been thrown out at home plate during Game 2. Steinbrenner wanted to have Ferraro fired on the spot but just about everyone else who followed baseball jumped to Ferraro's defense. Yankee manager Richard Howser found the episode so distasteful that he resigned after the ALCS. Mike would later manage the Indians for a season and half before being replaced by Pat Corrales.
1944 - Former Yankees minor league INF Ron Boyer was born. The brother of Ken Boyer, Clete Boyer, Len Boyer and Cloyd Boyer, Ron Boyer spent 8 years in the Yankees farm system from 1962 to 1969. He only hit above .200 twice and never hit double-digit HRs. He made it to the AAA Syracuse Chiefs in 1967 for 23 games. Boyer spent the rest of 1966-1969 seasons in AA ball.
1946 - Former Yankees P Skip Lockwood was born. On December 3,1974, Skip was traded by the Angels to the Yankees for C/1B Bill Sudakis. He was with the Yankees for the 1975 spring training camp. On April 7,1975 he was released by the Yankees. The Mets would pick up Skip for the 1975 NL season.
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 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Jim went 0-1 in 8 games for the 1973 Yankees.
1950 - The A's lefty hurler Lou Brissie gives up just 1 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 reserve 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.
1967 - Former Yankees P Ray Caldwell (1910-1918) passed away. In August of 1910, Ray was purchased by the Highlanders from McKeesport (Ohio-Pennsylvania) for $2,000. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.) Ray went 95-99 in 248 games for the Yankees. His best Yankee season was in 1915, when he posted a 19-16 record in 36 games. In 1914, he went 17-9 in 31 games for the Yankees. On December 18, 1918, Ray was traded by the Yankees along with OF Frank Gilhooley, P Slim Love, Roxy Walters and $15,000 to the Red Sox for P Dutch Leonard, OF Duffy Lewis and P Ernie Shore.
1973 - The Yankees purchased 1B/DH Mike Hegan from the A’s for cash. The Yankees had originally signed Mike in the early 1960’s. They had lost him the 1968 AL expansion draft to the Pilots. He was the son of longtime Yankees MLB bullpen coach Jim Hegan.
1973 - The Yankees released veteran All Star OF Johnny Callison (1972-1973). John had hit .258 in 92 games in 1972, after going from the Cubs for Yankees P Jack Aker, but he faded to .176 in 45 games at the time of his release. Johnny had hit the winning HR for the NL team in the 1964 All Star Game held at Shea Stadium. Originally the White Sox signed John during the mid-1950’s, he was traded to the Phillies, then to the Cubs, before joining the Yankees in 1972.
1976 - In the Yankees 8-6 victory over the Rangers, Yankees OF Roy White hits HR’s from each side of the plate.
1979 - The Yankees sell veteran hurler Ray Burris (1-3) to the Mets. He was a major disappointment for the Yankees.
1983 - In the continuation of the "Pine Tar Game," Hal McRae strikes out for the last Royals out. Royals 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 only 1,245 fans. An odd feature of the game is that lefty 1B Don Mattingly is playing 2B and P Ron Guidry is the CF, as the Yankees try to cover all the options.
1986 - Former Yankees OF Sammy Vick (1917-1920) passed away. Sammy Vick was the RF for the Yankees in 1919. The Yankees acquired Babe Ruth, who played right field in 1920, and Vick's playing time went way down. He was traded to the Red Sox after the 1920 AL season. On December 15,1920, Sammy was traded by the Yankees along with 2B Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel and P Hank Thormahlen to the Red Sox for P Harry Harper, P Waite Hoyt, INF Mike McNally and C Wally Schang.
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. The Mariners score 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. Mariners score 3 runs in the top half of the 12th inning, 2 runs on 1B Paul Sorrento's 2nd HR of the game. The Yankees fight back with 2 runs in the bottom of the12th inning, but falls 1 run shy, losing, the game 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. Angels score 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 DeVormer (1920-21) was born. (1891-1966) Al hit .288 in 108 games with the Yankees before being traded on January 3,1923, along 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 1941-1942 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 2B Bobby Richardson (1955-1966) was born. On June 12,1953, Bobby was signed by the Yankees as an MLB amateur free agent.Bobby would become the Yankees regular 2B in 1959, hitting .301, the only Yankees regular to hit over .300 that season. He would be an AL All Star 2B in 1957, but didn’t play in the game. Bobby was named to the 1959,1962-66 AL teams. He hit .307 in 7 World Series for the Yankees. With his best World Series with the Yankees 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 2B from 1961-1965. In 1963, he won the MLB Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Bobby retired from the Yankees after the 1966 AL season.
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. The White Sox take the nightcap, winning by the score of 2-0, as veteran starter Lefty Grove gives up just 5 hits, including 3 hits by Yankee OF Bud Metheny.
1962 - The A’s hitters Gino Cimoli, Wayne Causey, and Billy Bryan hit consecutive HRs in the 7th inning, but Yankees respond with Elston Howard, who 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. Mickey 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, Yankees starter Mike Torrez hurls his 6th complete game in a row as the Bronx Bombers 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 seaon. He's the 1st MLB player with 3 15-game streaks in the same season since the Brewers Cecil Cooper did it 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 used in the AL, must be 1 piece with nothing added except tape extending to 18 inches up the handle.
1923 - Yankees starter Waite Hoyt is suspended for 10 days after attacking an 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 his 5 Yankee teammates, 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 the Yankee's 1st shutout of the 1931 AL 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 A’s hurler Buck Ross in an 11-3 victory over the A's.
1944 - Former Yankee All Star 3B Graig Nettles (1973-1983) was born. On November 27, 1972, Graig 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 AL All Star 3B in 1975, 1977-1980 for the Yankees. He would win the AL Golden Glove for 3B in 1977-1978. 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 minor league Darin Cloninger on April 26,1984 to the Yankees to complete the trade. He would write a book about his Yankees playing experience titled “Balls.”
1954 - Veteran OF Gene Woodling of the Yankees crashes into the outfield wall, breaking a thumb. He is lost for the rest of 1954 AL season. Gene is hitting just .250 with 3 HRs with 50 RBIs in 97 games for the Yankees. Gene will be traded in the winter of 1954 to the Orioles as part of big 17-man trade, which the Yankees would obtain starters Bob Turley and Don Larsen. The Yankees felt that Gene was over-the-hill. After the1954 winter trade, he would hit .300 three more times and play for 8 more MLB seasons.
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 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 MLB 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 P 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. Brad is currently the MLB pitching coach for the Blue Jays.
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 accidentally hits Joe Pepitone in the knee; he over reacts by holding his knee complaining of an injury. The incident is reported by the NYC media as indicating dissension on the club and Berra's lack of control of the team, 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 - The 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 Yankees honor the most victorious pitcher in franchise history 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 wins leader.
August 21st
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). On August 22, 1958, Murry was traded by the A’s to the Yankees for OF Zeke Bella and cash. He appeared in 6 games for the 1958 Yankees, posting a 1-2 record. On May 9, 1959, he was purchased by the A’s from the Yankees.
1917 - The Yankees buy C Muddy Ruel (1917-1920) from the Browns for Cash. He will hit .234 in 170 games as a reserve catcher for the Yankees.
1920 - Former Yankees reliever 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 team.
1921 - At St. Louis, 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 HR 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 together as Yankee 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 Red Sox 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 MLB amateur free agent. A promising hitting power, John couldn’t beat out Thurman Munson for starting catcher’s job. In 1970, he won the James P. Dawson Award for outstanding Yankee rookie in spring training camp. 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 contract negotiations with the owners.
1958 - The Yankees obtained veteran P Murry Dickson from the A’s for a player to be named later (OF John Bella) and cash. He went 1-2 in 6 games for the 1958 Yankees before being sent back to the A’s during the 1959 AL season.
1964 -Former Yankees P Shawn Hillegas (1992) was born. On April 9,1992, Shawn was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. He appeared in 26 games posting a 1-8 record before being released by the Yankees on August 22, 1992.
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 HOF A’s slugger 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 1977 AL season, as the Yankees cut the Red Sox lead to 1/2 game in the AL East race.
1991 - 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 majors, Yankees Derek Jeter hits a HR off of Jason Dickson's first 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 Yankee loser Jimmy Key (9 -10).
2007 - Garret Anderson drives in 10 runs, setting the Angels franchise record. Anderson doubled in Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera in the 1st inning against Yankees starter Mike Mussina. In the 2nd, he doubled home Vladimir Guerrero. In the 3rd inning, he cracked a 3-run HR against reliever Edwar Ramirez. In the 6th inning, he hit a grand slam HR, this one off of reliever Sean Henn. The Angels top the Yankees by the score of 18-9.
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 2 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 George 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 P 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 MLB 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. The Tigers win its 13th straight game, moving up to 2nd place in AL, 12 1/2 games back of the Yankees.
1933 - The Yankee purchased 1B Don “Jeep” Heffner (1934-1937) 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 P 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 MLB 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 veteran P Jim Hardin. Bill never pitched in MLB for the Orioles. Jim Hardin never did anything for the Yankees.
1949 - The Yankees purchased 1B Johnny “Big Cat” Mize (1949-1953) from the Giants for $40,000. It was one of the greatest waiver deals ever made by the Yankees. For 5 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 reliever/starter Richard “Dirt” Tidrow.
1952 - The Yankees purchased veteran P Ray Scarborough from the Red Sox on waivers. Ray would help the Yankees by going 5-1 during the AL pennant drive of 1952.
1954 - The Yankees purchased veteran P Jim Konstanty from Phillies on waivers. Jim gave the Yankees 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 NL Champion Phillies. He faced the Yankees in the 1950 World Series, losing the opening to Yankee starter Vic Raschi by the score of 1-0.
1960 - The Yankees purchased veteran 1B Dale Long on waivers from the Giants.Don hit .366 in 23 games before being lost to the new Washington Senators in the 1960 AL expansion player draft. This would the 1st of 2 tours that Don would spend with the Yankees during the early 1960’s. In 1957 with the Cubs, Don set a MLB record for hitting 7 HRs in 7 consecutive games.
1961 - The 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, 1½ 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. Meanwhile the Twins top the Red Sox with a 5-4 victory.
1996 - The Yankees claimed reserve INF Luis Sojo off waivers from the Mariners. He would become a valuable reserve INF for the Yankees. After his MLB playing career, Luis managed in the Yankees farm system and was a 3B coach for the team at the MLB level.
2008 - Yankees All Star shortstop Derek Jeter collects his 2,500 MLB career hit during a game against the Orioles at Camden Yards. The hit was a bloop single into shallow center field off of rookie right-handed Orioles hurler Radhames Liz. Derek reached this MLB career milestone in his 13th year of MLB play with the Yankees. He becomes the 7th active MLB player to have 2,500 career hits. He is now, the 88th MLB player in MLB history to accomplish this hitting feat.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
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