This Week in Yankees History
November 1st - November 7th
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 in 1914 with no plate appearances. 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 of 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.
1927 - Former Yankees minor 1B Vic Power was born (1927-2005). Before 1951 AL Season, Vic was purchased by the Yankees from Drummondville (Provincial). Vic went to Syracuse to play in the Yankees organization in 1951. The year after that he was with the minor league Kansas City Blues AAA team. In 1953, he led the American Association league in batting. Since Vic was flashy and vocal, Yankees GM George Weiss felt that Power was not going to be the 1st MLB Black Yankee. He decided on Elston Howard, Vic Power and other black players in the Yankees minor league organization were traded away. On December 16, 1953, he was traded by Yankees along with 1B Don Bollweg, P Johnny Gray, C Jim Robertson, 3B Jim Finigan to the A’s for INF Loren Babe, P Harry Byrd, Outfielders Tom Hamilton, Carmen Mauro and 1B Eddie Robinson. Vic would play 12 seasons in the MLB, hitting .284 with 126 HRs, winning 7 AL Golden Gloves. He hit .300 three times in his MLB career. Former Yankees 1B Bill “Moose” Skowron was asked, who was the best MLB 1B, he played against, he quickly replied “Vic Power.” When Power was traded away, Skowron moved up the Yankees farm system and eventually he replaced 1B Joe Collins
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 World Champion Yankees.
1961 - Former Yankees P Tom “ Salida Tom” Hughes (1900-1910) passed away (1884-1961). In August of 1905, Tom was drafted by the Yankees from Topeka (Western Association) in the 1905 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He would post a 17-17 record in 54 games with 2 saves. Also his brother catcher Ed Hughes played in the MLB.
1974 - Former Yankees P Leslie “Bullet Joe” Bush (1922-1924) passed away. The A’s originally signed Joe Bush, then he was traded to the Red Sox. On December 20, 1921, the Red Sox along with P Sam Jones and INF Everett Scott to the Yankees traded Joe for P Rip Collins INF Roger Peckinpaugh, P Bill Piercy, and P Jack Quinn. Joe went 62-38 in 115 games for the Yankees. The 1922 AL season was his best Yankee career season. Joe posted a 26-7 mark with WP of .788 in 39 games. He appeared 2 World Series (1922-1923) with the Yankees going 1-3. On December 17, 1924, Joe was traded by the Yankees along with fellow hurlers Milt Gason and Joe Gardi to the Browns for veteran starter Urban Shocker.
1978 - Yankees starter Ron Guidry is the unanimous choice for the 1978 AL Cy Young Award. Ron Guidry 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 a total of 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 Yankee 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, D-Backs 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 hit HRs in the 5th inning for Arizona's runs.
2005 - The Yankees hired Larry Bowa, as their MLB 3rd base coach for the 2006 AL season. Bowa was a five-time NL All-Star shortstop and had managed for Padres and the Phillies in the NL. Also he was a MLB coach for the Angels, Mariners and Phillies. Bowa is the 1st addition to Yankees manager Joe Torre's coaching staff, which recently lost Pitching 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.
November 2nd
1937 - AL batting champ Tigers 2B Charlie Gehringer is named the 1937 AL MVP receiving 78 out of a possible 80 points. Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio, who hit .346 is a close second with 4 points behind in the voting, while Gehringer’s Tigers teammate 1B Hank Greenberg, who had 183 RBI’s is a distant 3rd in the voting. Gehringer also becomes the 3rd Tiger player in 4 years to be named AL MVP.
1938 - Red Sox 1B Jimmie Foxx is voted the AL MVP for the 3rd time with Yankees catcher Bill Dickey, who had hit .313, finishing 2nd place in the AL MVP voting.
1958 - Former Yankees minor league OF Willie McGee was born. Willie was drafted by the Yankees in 1st round (15th pick) of the 1977 MLB amateur player draft (Secondary Phase). Willie never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On October 21, 1981, Willie was traded by the Yankees to the Cardinals for P Bob Sykes.
1960 - The Yankees make it official by announcing that General Manager George Weiss will retire after 29 years of service with the Yankees organization. George Weiss ran the Yankee farm system under General Manager Ed Borrow, before becoming the Yankees General Manager in 1946. Roy Hamey is named his successor. Weiss tells the NYC media that the Yankees have a good run of 5 years left, before the Yankees farm system talent is finished. He will join his former Yankees manager Casey Stengel in running the new 1962 NL expansion team in NYC, the Mets as their 1st General Manager.
1960 - The Yankees All Star RF Roger Maris defeated his fellow Yankees teammate CF Mickey Mantle for the 1960 AL MVP Award, by 225-222, (3 votes), the second-closest AL MVP vote ever, behind the Yankees Joe DiMaggio and Red Sox Ted Williams 1947 AL MVP election.
1960 - Former Yankees shortstop Everett “Deacon” Scott (1922-1925) passed away (1892-1960). MLB Shortstop Everett Scott played in 1,307 consecutive games, the MLB record until Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig came along. He began his streak on June 20, 1916 while playing for the Red Sox. On December 20, 1921, the Red Sox along with hurlers Sam Jones and Bullet Joe Bush to the Yankees traded Scott for P Rip Collins, INF Roger Peckinpaugh, P Bill Piercy, and P Jack Quinn. On May 6, 1925, Yankees Manager Miller Huggins in favor of Pee Wee Wanninger benched Scott. Ironically, less than a month later, his Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig began his own streak, when he entered a game as a pinch hitter for Wanninger. Scott's streak is still the third longest MLB streak behind Cal Ripken and Lou Gehrig. His Yankee career totals were .254 BA with 13 HRs with 173 RBI’s in 481 games. He appeared 11 World Series games with the Yankees hitting .230. On June 17, 1925, the Senators from the Yankees selected Scott off waivers.
1964 - CBS Inc. purchases 80% of the Yankee ownership for an estimated $11,200,000 from Yankees co-owners Del Webb and Dan Topping. The network later purchased the remaining 20% of stock from Dan Topping.
1964 - Former Yankees MLB Pitching Coach Billy Connors (1989-1990, 1995-1996, 2003) was born.
1976 - Former Yankees P Sidney Ponson (2006, 2008) was born. In 2 tours with the Yankees, Sidney went 4-5 in 21 games.
1981 - Former Yankees INF Wilson Betemit (2007-2008) was born. On July 31, 2007, Wilson was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees for P Scott Proctor. He appeared in 124 games for the Yankees, hitting .253 with 10HRs with 49 RBI’s. On November 13, 2008, Wilson was traded by the Yankees along with minor league players Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to the White Sox for 1B/OF/DH Nick Swisher and minor league player Kanekoa Texeria.
1982 - Former Yankees P Bill Zuber (1943-1946) passed away. On January 29, 1943, the Senators traded Bill with cash to the Yankees for P Milo Candini and INF Jerry Priddy. Bill posted an 18-23 record in 66 games for Yankees. On June 18, 1946, Bill was purchased by the Red Sox from the Yankees.
1995 - The Yankees named Joe Torre as their new manager, replacing the recently departed Manager Buck Showalter. Joe Torre, a former Cardinals' star and NL batting champion, will guide the Yankees to 4 World Championships in his 1st 5 years with the team. He will manage the Yankees until 2007.
2005 - Former Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli rejoined the Yankees as Joe Torre's MLB bench coach.
2007 - Former Yankees player and MLB coach Joe Girardi signs a 3 year, $7.8 million deal with a $3000,00 signing bonus and $2.5 million per season through 2010 AL season. He becomes the 32nd manager in Yankees History.
November 3rd
1878 - Former Yankees P Walter Clarkson (1904-1907) was born. During August of 1905, Walt was purchased by the Highlanders from the Jersey City (Eastern). Walt went 13-9 in 54 games with the Yankees with 1 save. On May 16, 1907, Walt was traded by the Highlanders along with OF Frank Delahanty to the Naps (Indians) for P Earl Moore.
1911 - Former Yankees Manager John Keane (1965-1966) was born (1911-1967). Johnny Keane replaced Yankees Manager Yogi Berra, after he left the Cardinals in 1964. Keane was 81-101 with the Yankees before being replaced in the beginning of the 1966 AL season, by former Manager Ralph Houk. He was disliked by many of the veteran Yankees players. Johnny was the wrong man to manage a veteran Yankee team. In the spring of 1967, Johnny suffered a fatal heart attack, while working as a MLB scout for the Angels.
1934 - The Yankees All Star 1B Lou Gehrig wins the AL Triple Crown after hitting .363 BA, with 49 HRs and 165 RBIs, but Lou will not win the AL MVP award. The A’s backstop Mickey Cochrane, who with .320 with 2 HRs and 76 RBIs is named 1934 AL Most Valuable Player.
1942 - The BWAA selected Yankees 2B Joe “Flash” Gordon as the 1942 AL MVP Player. Joe hits .322 with 18 HRs and 103 RBIs. Gordon of the Yankees leads the AL in strikeouts (95), most ground balls hit into double plays (22) and the most errors at 2B base (28).
1945 - Former Yankees P Ken Holtzman (1976-1978) was born. On June 15, 1976, Ken was traded by the Orioles along with P Doyle Alexander, OF Jimmy Freeman, C Ellie Hendricks, and P Grant Jackson to the Yankees for Pitchers Rudy May, Tippy Martinez, Dave Pagan, Scott McGregor, and C Rick Dempsey. Ken went 12-10 in 44 games with the Yankees; he was a major disappointment for the team. On June 10, 1978, Ken was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs for a player to be named later. The Cubs would later send P Ron Davis on June 12, 1978 to the Yankees to complete the trade.
1955 - The Yankees tour Japan and draw a record crowd of 64,000 fans, when they play the 1st game against the All-Japan Stars in Osaka. 3B Andy Carey slugs 13 HR’s, and Elston Howard bats .468 on the 25-game tour. According to "Elston and Me" by Arlene Howard (University of Missouri Press, 2001), the goodwill tour of Japan took place in 1955, immediately following the Yankees loss to the Dodgers in the 1955 World Series. The amount of HRs hit by Andy Carey affects his MLB batting swing, he tries to be a HR hitter in AL, but he fails.
1963 - Former Yankees minor league P Mike Christopher was born. Mike was drafted by the Yankees in the 7th round of the 1985 MLB amateur player draft. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On December 5, 1989, Mike was drafted by the Dodgers from the Yankees in the 1989 MLB minor league player draft.
1963 - Former Yankees OF Marcus Lawton (2005) was born. On August 27, 2005, Marcus was traded by the Cubs to the Yankees for minor league player P Justin Berg. He appeared in 21 games, hitting just .125 before being released by the Yankees. He is the brother of former Yankee OF Marcus Lawton.
1968 - Former Yankees P Paul Quantrill (2004-2005) was born. On December 17, 2003, the Yankees signed Paul as a MLB free agent. Paul posted an 8-3 record in 108 games with 1 save for the Yankees. On July 2, 2005, Paul was traded by the Yankees to the Padres for hurlers Darrell May, Tim Redding and cash.
1973 - Former Yankees P Armando Benitez (2003) was born. On July 16, 2003, he was traded by the Mets to the Yankees for Ryan Bicondoa (minors), Jason Anderson and Anderson Garcia. He posted a 1-1 record in 9 games for the 2003 Yankees. On August 6, 2003, he was traded by the Yankees to the Mariners for veteran reliever Jeff Nelson.
1992 - The Yankees make one of their best modern trades ever by acquiring OF Paul O'Neill from the Reds for OF Roberto Kelly. Paul O'Neill will help the Yankees win World Championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, and the 2000 AL seasons. The Yankees front office had asked Kelly to move to RF for rookie CF Bernie Williams; he refused to do so and was traded by the team.
2001 - In Game 6, the Diamondbacks get 21 hits in the 1st 6-innings against the Yankees to set a record for hits in a World Series game. The 1921 Giants in Game 3 against the Yankees, and the 1946 Cardinals in Game 4, against the Red Sox, established the previous WS record of 20 hits. The D-Backs win by a score of 15-2, forcing a decisive Game 7. Randy Johnson is the winning pitcher, while Andy Pettitte is the losing pitcher for the Yankees.
2005 - Former Royals Manager Tony Peña was hired by the Yankees as their 1B MLB coach. Tony tells the NYC media that he would withdraw as a candidate to manage the Dominican Republic team in next year's inaugural World Baseball Classic.
November 4th
1910 - Former Yankees P Joe Beggs (1938) was born. Joe went 3-2 in 14 games Yankees in 1938. On January 4, 1940, Joe was traded by the Yankees to the Reds for P Lee Grissom.
1931 - The Yankees purchased OF George “Twinkletoes” Selkirk from Jersey City (International League). He would join the Yankees in 1934, spending 9 nine years (1934-1942) with the Yankees, hitting .290 for them. After Babe Ruth leaves the team, he will wear Yankee uniform No. 3. Selkirk batted over .300 five times, twice drove home more than 100 RBI, played on 5 World Championship teams (1936-1939 and 1941), and made the AL All-Star team in 1936 and 1939. In 1942, he joined the Navy and served during World War II. After retiring as active player, George was a minor league manager for the Yankees and Braves. In 1957-1958, he was the General Manager for the Kansas City A’s. He would later work as GM for the new expansion Senators from 1963-1968. After leaving the Senators, he rejoined the Yankees organization as a MLB scout.
1947 - Former Yankees P Lloyd Colson (1970) was born. On June 6, 1967, the Yankees in the 28th round of the 1967 MLB amateur player draft drafted Lloyd. He appeared in only 1 game for the Yankees during the 1970 AL season with no record.
1948 - Former Senators and Yankees OF Jake Powell (1936-1940) shot and killed himself in a Washington, D.C. police station. Jake was an OF for the Senators (1930, 1934-1936 and 1943-1945), Yankees (1936-1940) and Phillies (1945). He helped the Yankees win the World Series every year from 1936-1939. His final Yankees career totals were a .271 BA with 13 HRs with 124 RBIs in 272 games. In 11 MLB seasons, he played in 688 games with 116 doubles, 26 triples, 22 HRs, 327 RBIs, finishing with a .271 BA. On July 29, 1938, in a pre-game radio interview, White Sox broadcaster Bob Elson asked Powell what he did in the off-season. He replied (falsely) that he was a police officer in Dayton, Ohio. When Elson asked what Powell did to stay in shape, Powell responded that he "cracked niggers over the head with [his] nightstick." After a surge of public outrage, including calls that Powell be banned for life, MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis suspended Jake Powell for 10 games. On November 4, 1948, Powell was arrested in Washington, D.C, for passing bad checks. Distraught and mentally unstable, Jake pulled out a gun while in police custody and committed suicide.
1953 - Former Yankees P Roy Slagle (1979) was born. Roy was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1976 MLB amateur player draft (Secondary Phase). Roy appeared 1 game for the 1979 Yankees, pitching 2 scoreless innings.
1961 - Former Yankees minor league P Logan Easley was born. On June 8, 1981, he was drafted by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 1981 MLB amateur player draft. Logan never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 26, 1986, he was traded by the Yankees along with pitchers Doug Drabek and Brian Fisher to the Pirates for pitchers Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements.
1967 - Former Yankees reserve OF Ryan Thompson (2000) was born. Ryan hit .260 for the Yankees in 33 games during the 2000 AL season.
1976 - The 2 new AL franchises, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays select 30 players apiece from other AL teams in the 1976 AL expansion player draft. The Yankees lose veteran reliever Grant Jackson and rookie OF/INF Juan Bernhardt to the Mariners. They lose veteran shortstop Jim Mason, rookie 3B Garth Iorg and OF/DH Otto Velez to the Blue Jays in the draft.
1981 - The Reds traded veteran All Star OF Ken Griffey Sr. to the Yankees for P Fred Toliver and minor-league P Brian Ryder. Ken Griffey was about to become a free agent, so the Reds traded him.
1982 - Yankees MLB Coach Mike Ferraro lands his 1st MLB managing job, signing a 2-year contract to lead the Indians. He will be fired before the end of the 1983 AL season.
2001 - In Game 7 of a classic World Series, the Diamondbacks rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning defeating the Yankees and their usually unbeatable closer, Mariano Rivera by the score of 3-2. The 4-year-old D-Backs, the youngest franchise to win a Fall Classic, ended the Yankees string of 3 consecutive World Championships. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling shared the Series MVP honors. The D-Backs pitchers are the 1st multiple winners since the Dodgers trio of Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager shared the MVP award in the 1981 World Series.
2003 - Former Yankees All Star 1B Don Mattingly is named as the MLB hitting coach of the Yankees replacing Rick Down.
November 5th
1883 - Former Yankees INF Otis Johnson (1911) was born. Otis appeared in 71 games with the Yankees in 1911, just hitting .234.
1892 - Former Yankees C/OF Alfred ‘”Roxy” Walters (1915-1918) was born. On July 23, 1915, Roxy was purchased by the Yankees from Waco (Texas). He hit .265 in 193 games for the Yankees. On December 18, 1918, Roxy was traded by the Yankees along with P Ray Caldwell, OF Frank Gilhooley, P Slim Love, and $15,000 to the Red Sox for P Ernie Shore, OF Duffy Lewis, and P Dutch Leonard.
1907 - The Highlanders traded 2B Jimmy Williams and OF Danny Hoffman to the Browns for P Fred Glade, 2B Harry Niles and OF Charlie Hemphill. Glade will pitch in just 5 games in 1908, before retiring from MLB.
1924 - Former Yankees P John “Sonny” Dixon (1956) was born. Sonny went 0-1 in 3 games for the Yankees, after being acquired from the A’s for veteran P Johnny Sain and OF Enos Slaughter, before leaving the MLB for good.
1955 - Former Yankees reserve C Bobby Ramos (1982) was born. On April 5, 1982, the Expos traded Bobby to the Yankees for reserve C Brad Gulden. Bobby will appear in only 4 games for the Yankees, hitting just .091. Bobby was sold back to the Expos in November of 1982.
1973 - Current Yankees OF/DH Johnny Damon (2006-2009) was born. Since signing with the Yankees as a MLB free agent, Johnny has appeared in 576 games hitting .285 with 125 HRs and 296 RBI’s. The Royals originally signed him, and then he was traded to the A’s. Then he signed as a MLB free agent with the Red Sox.
1996 - Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is the unanimous choice as AL 1996 Rookie of the Year Award. Jeter becomes the 8th Yankees player to win the award and the 5th unanimous choice in AL history.
November 6th
1942 - The Yankees are notified that INF Frank Crosetti will be suspended for 30 days, commencing opening day of the 1943 AL season for pushing Umpire Bill Sommers in Game #3 of the 1942 World Series. Frank was fined $250, as was Yankees 2B Joe “Flash” Gordon.
1953 - Former Yankees P John Candelaria (1988-1989) was born. On January 15, 1988, John was signed as a MLB free agent with the Yankees. John went 16-10 in 35 games with the Yankees. On August 29, 1989, John was traded by the Yankees to the Expos for INF Mike Blowers.
1961 - Former Yankees 3B Roy Hartzell (1911-1916) passed away. On February 11, 1911, Roy was traded by the Browns with cash to the Yankees for 3B Jimmy Austin and 2B Frank LaPorte. He appeared in 699 games for the Yankees, hitting .261 with 8 HRs with 266 RBIs.
1968 - Former Yankees reserve OF Chad Curtis (1997-1998) was born. On June 9, 1997, Chad was traded by the Indians to the Yankees for P Dave Weathers. Chad would hit .291 in 93 games in 1997, but he slumped to .243 in 151 games in 1998. On December 13, 1999, Chad was traded by the Yankees to the Rangers for minor league hurlers Brandon Knight and Sam Marsonek.
1968 - Yankees sell INF Ruben Amaro Sr. to the Angels for a disclosed amount of money believed to be greater than the waiver price. Ruben was a major disappointment for the Yankees, who had traded for him to replacing the retiring Yankees regular shortstop Tony Kubek.
1971 - Former Yankees OF Bubba Trammell (2003) was born. On March 19, 2003, Bubba was traded by the Padres along with Mark Phillips (minors) and cash to the Yankees for OF/DH Rondell White. Bubba appeared in only 22 games for the Yankees, hitting .200, before leaving the team for personal reasons, which were never made public.
1978 - The Yankees released P Andy Messersmith, who will sign with the Dodgers. Andy Messersmith never really recovered from the separated shoulder injury suffered in spring training, when he was run into on a play at 1B with Yankees1B Cliff Johnson.
2008 - Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina won the AL Golden Glove award for the 7th time in his MLB career, but for the 1st time in 5 years.
November 7th
1911 - Former Yankees reserve C Herbert “Workhorse” Crompton (1945) was born. On November 1, 1944, Herb was drafted by the Yankees from the Pirates organization in the 1944 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He appeared in only 36 games, hitting just .192 for the Yankees.
1933 - Former Yankees reserve OF/1B Bob Hale (1961) was born. On July 28, 1961, Bob was purchased by the Yankees from the Indians. He appeared in only 11 games for the Yankees, hitting .154, before retiring from MLB at the end of the 1961 AL season.
1938 - Former Yankees 3B/C Jake Gibbs (1962-1971) was born. The Yankees signed Jake for $100,000 as an MLB amateur free agent in 1961. Jake was originally signed as a 3B, but he was converted into a catcher. Jake hit .233 in 10 seasons with the Yankees. He helped Thurman Munson with his catching skills, when he first came up with the Yankees before retiring in 1971 as an MLB active player. Jake was an All-American quarterback at Old Miss, before deciding on a MLB career with the Yankees.
1938 - Former Yankees P and Broadcaster Jim Kaat (1979-1980) was born. On May 11, 1979, Jim was purchased by the Yankees from the Phillies. Jim appeared in 44 games with the Yankees, posting a 2-4 record with 2 saves, before being sent to the Cardinals in 1980.
1944 - Former Yankees P Joe Niekro (1985-1987) was born (1944-2006). On September 15, 1985, Joe was traded by the Astros to the Yankees for minor league players to be named later and P Jim Deshaies. The Yankees sent Neder Horta on September 24, 1985 and Dody Rather on January 11, 1986 to the Astros to complete the trade. Joe went 14-15 in 36 games for the Yankees. On June 7, 1987, the Yankees traded Joe to the Twins for C/1B/DH Mark Salas. Joe passed away in 2006.
1963 - Yankees All Star catcher Elston Howard becomes the 1st black player to win the AL MVP Award. Howard beats out Tigers RF Al Kaline by 248 votes to 148 votes in the AL MVP balloting. Ellie hit .287 with 28 HRs, 85 RBIs in 135 games for the 1963 AL Champion Yankees.
1968 - Former Yankees P Russ Springer (1992) was born. On June 5, 1989, Russ was drafted by the Yankees in the 7th round of the 1989 MLB amateur player draft. Russ appeared in 14 games with the Yankees with no record during the 1992 AL season. On December 6,1992, Russ was traded by the Yankees along with P Jerry Nielsen and 1B J.T. Snow to the Angels for starter Jim Abbott.
1978 - In a controversial selection, Red Sox OF Jim Rice is named AL MVP over Yankees P Ron Guidry. Rice led the AL in HRs (46), RBI’s (139), hits (213), triples and slugging percentage (.600), and became the 1st AL player to accumulate 400 total bases in a season since Joe DiMaggio in 1937. Ron Guidry posted a 25-3 record with 248 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA for the AL pennant-winning Yankees. Ron Guidry will win the AL Cy Young Award.
1997 - The Yankees traded veteran P Kenny Rogers to the A’s for a player to be named and cash considerations. The A’s will send 3B Scott Brosius to the Yankees on November 18, 1997 to complete the trade.
2006 - Former Yankees pitcher (1951-1955) and MLB Pitching Coach (1961-1963) Johnny Sain passed away (1917-2006). John was obtained from the Braves in August of 1951 for Yankees rookie P Lou Burdette and $50,000. John was 20-20, with 67 saves for the Yankees coming out of the bullpen and being an occasional spot starter. His best Yankees season was in 1953, posting a 14-7 mark with 19 saves. Johnny led the AL in saves in 22 in 1954, while going 6-6. He was traded during the 1955 AL season to the A’s along with veteran OF Enos Slaughter for A’s P Sonny Dixon. John would later become a very successful MLB pitching coach with the Tigers, Yankees, Twins and the Braves. He was the Yankees pitching coach from 1961-1963. Whitey Ford won 25 games during Johnny Sain’s 1st year as Yankees pitching coach. Johnny left the Yankees after the 1963 AL season, when Yogi Berra was named the new Yankees manager.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
