This Week in Yankees History
January 24th - January 30th
January 24th
January 24th - January 30th
January 24th
1885 - Former Yankees 2B Earl Gardner (1908-1912) was born. Earl played 5 seasons for Yankees, hitting .263 in 273 games.
1936 - Yankees obtained P Bump Hadley and OF Roy Johnson from Senators for OF Jesse Hill and P Jimmy De Shong. Hadley will go 49-31 in 5 years with the Yankees. Johnson will hit .265 as reserve OF, before being sent to the Braves.
1939 - Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler and George Sisler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BWAA. George Sisler set a MLB season-record with 257 hits in 1920. He batted .420 in 1922 on his way to a .340 career average. Collins batted an even .333 for his career and stole 744 bases as a member of 4 World Series. The Yankees OF Willie Keeler, who "hit 'em where they ain't", batted .341 and 2,932 hits.
1953 - Former Yankees P Tim Stoddard (1986-1988) was born. Tim came to the Yankees in the Ed Whitson trade with the Padres. He posted a 10-6 record with 11 saves working out of the Yankees bullpen in 109 games.
1958 - Former Yankees P and MLB Bullpen Coach Neil Allen (1985, 1987-1988) was born. Neil went 7-4 in 56 games with 1 save in 2 tours with the team. He would later become the Yankees MLB bullpen coach.
1960 - Former Yankees P Russ Ford (1910-1913) passed away. In September of 1908, Russ Ford was drafted by the Highlanders from Atlanta (Southern Association) in the 1908 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Russ posted a 73-56 record in 143 games for the Yankees. Ford‘s best Yankees seasons were in 1910, when he went 26-6 and in 1911, when he posted a 22-11 record. On January 20, 1914, Russ Ford jumped from the Yankees to the Buffalo Buffeds of the Federal League. Russ Ford dominated the AL for a few seasons thanks to his devastating “emery ball”. The emery ball was a nominally illegal pitch that involved doctoring the baseball by scuffing it with emery paper. Ford disguised his illegal modification by claiming to throw a spitball, though he came clean about his technique after retiring as a player in 1936. Other MLB pitchers apparently figured out that he was getting away with scuffing and copied both his approach and the dodge of claiming that their pitches were spitballs. He is the brother of former MLB P Gene Ford. Russ Ford is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
1969 - Former Yankees P Tom Zachary (1928-1930) passed away. On August 23, 1928, Tom was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Senators. While pitching for the 1927 Senators, Tom Zachary gave up 3 of Babe Ruth's 60 HRs during the 1927 AL season, including his 60th HR on September 30, 1927. With the Senators, he appeared in 2 World Series (1924-1925) with a 2-0 mark. Zachary holds the MLB record for most wins in a MLB season without a loss. In 1929, Tom went 12-0 for the 1929 Yankees. He appeared in the 1928 World Series for the Yankees, posting a 1-0 mark. His overall Yankees pitching record was 16-4 in 36 games. On May 12, 1930, Tom was selected off waivers by the Braves from the Yankees. Tom pitched in majors for 19 seasons, before retiring at the age of 40 in 1936.
1980 - The Yankees signed INF/OF Jim Nettles as a free agent. He is the brother of Yankees 3B Graig Nettles. He will play at Columbus (AAA).
1991 - The Yankees signed MLB free agent OF/DH Pat Sheridan. Pat will hit .204 in 62 games for the Yankees during the 1991 AL season.
2000 - Yankees minor league INF prospect D'Angelo Jimenez suffers a broken neck when a car he is driving in the Dominican Republic collides with a bus. Jimenez is not paralyzed, but will miss the 2000 AL season. He figured to be the Yankees reserve infielder, taking over the role that Luis Sojo, now with the Pirates, filled during the 1999 AL season.
2006 - It is announced that more than 1,000 items of Joe DiMaggio memorabilia, including his 1947 AL MVP Award plaque and a signed photo of Marilyn Monroe, will be auctioned in May.
2006 - Former Yankees minor league INF/OF Carlos Martinez passed away. On November 17, 1983, Carlos Martinez was signed by the Yankees as an MLB amateur free agent. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On July 30, 1986, Carlos was traded by the Yankees along with a player to be named later and C/DH/1B Ron Hassey to the White Sox for OF/1B/DH Ron Kittle, C Joel Skinner and INF Wayne Tolleson. The Yankees would send minor league C Bill Lindsey on December 24, 1986 to the White Sox to complete the trade. Carlos Martinez hit the famous HR off the head of Rangers OF Jose Canseco on May 25, 1993. He died at the age of 41 of AIDS-related causes.
January 25th
1876 - Former Yankees P Fred Glade (1908) was born. Fred went 0-4 in 5 games in 1908, after coming from the Browns.
1889 - Former Yankees C Les Nunamaker (1914-1917) was born. On May 13, 1914, Les was purchased by the Yankees from Red Sox. He appeared in 369 games for the Yankees hitting .262.On January 22,1918, Les was traded by the Yankees along with P Nick Cullop, INF Joe Gedeon, INF Fritz Maisel, P Urban Shocker and $15,000 to the Browns for P Eddie Plank and 2B Del Pratt.
1908 - Former Yankees P Roy Sherid (1939-1941) was born. Roy went 23-24 in 87 games with 7 saves for the Yankees.
1918 - Former Yankees P Steve Roser (1944-1946) was born. Steve went in 5-4 in 20 games with 1 save, before being sold to Braves.
1943 - The Yankees sell future HOF P Lefty Gomez to the Braves. Gomez will never pitch in a game for the Braves, who decided to release the veteran left-hander. Gomez will eventually sign with the Senators in May, only appearing in 1 game before retiring from MLB.
1945 - Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb purchased the Yankees for $2.8 million from the heirs of previous owner Jacob Ruppert. The new owners announce that Ed Barrow will remain in place as GM, but a month later they will install Larry MacPhail as the Yankees new GM. Edward Barrow was the Yankees President and GM from 1939-1945, running the team for the Jacob Ruppert estate.
1956 - Former Yankees P Dale Mohorcic (1988-1989) was born. On August 30, 1988, Dale was traded by the Rangers to the Yankees for reliever Cecilio Guante. Working out of the Yankees bullpen, Dale went 4-3 in 45 games with 3 saves. On November 8, 1989, Dale was released by the Yankees. He would finish out his MLB career with the Expos.
1966 - Yankees veteran shortstop Tony Kubek announces his retirement due to a serious back problem. During a 9-year MLB career, Tony Kubek was named to 3 AL All-Star teams and played on 7 Yankee pennant winners and 3 World Championship clubs. He was the AL Rookie Of Year in 1957, hitting .297 in 127 games. Tony will become a successful MLB baseball announcer.
1999 - The Mets games for the coming 1999 NL season will broadcast by WPIX-TV, Channel 11, after being aired on WOR-TV, Channel 9, since the club inception in 1962. The Yankees games, which had been aired for nearly 50 years on WPIX-TV, will now be seen on Channel 5, a FOX-TV affiliate.
1999 - MLB free agent OF/DH Tim Raines is signed by the A’s to a $600,000 contract. Raines hit .290 for the 1998 World Champion Yankees. He has a .296 MLB career batting average.
January 26th
1927 - Former MLB player and Yankees MLB scout Bob Nieman (1977-1984) was born (1927-1985). Bob played 12 seasons in MLB. After retiring in 1962, he became a MLB scout with the Indians, Dodgers, A’s and finally with the Yankees from 1977-1984. Bob passed away in 1985.
1950 - Former Yankees minor league P Mike Pazik was born. Mike was a 1st-round pick in the 1971 MLB amateur player draft (secondary phase). He was in the Yankees organization from 1971 through part of 1974. He went 13-8 for Syracuse Chiefs in 1973 and in 1974, split between Syracuse and Tacoma (Twins), again went 13-8. Mike never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. On May 4, 1974, Mike was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the Twins for veteran P Dick Woodson.
1950 - Former Yankees reserve C (1924), Minor league manager and MLB player Chick Autry passed away. Chick was reserve catcher in ML. He appeared in 2 games for the 1924 Yankees with no hits. Also he played for the Indians and White Sox. After retiring from MLB as an active player, he managed in the minors for the Pirates and Yankees. His last manager job was with the Yankees with the Beaumont Exporters in the Texas League for the 1948-1949 seasons.
1955 - Former Yankees reserve INF Brian Doyle (1978-1980) was born. On February 17, 1977, Brian was traded by the Rangers along with INF Greg Pryor and cash to the Yankees for veteran INF Sandy Alomar. Brian had a very busy 1978 season, being sent from the Yankees to Tacoma Yankees (AAA) 5 times. In 1978 MLB post season, Brian filled in at 2B for the injured Willie Randolph. In the 1978 ACLS, Brian hit .286 in 3 games. In the 1978 World Series against the Dodgers, Brian hit .438 drove in 4 runs in 6 games for the Yankees. With the return of a healthy Willie Randolph at 2B, Brian spent the next 2 seasons moving between the Yankees and Columbus Clippers (AAA). On December 8, 1980, Brian was drafted by the A’s from the Yankees in the 1980 MLB Rule 5 player draft.
1958 - Former Yankees reserve OF Mike Patterson (1981-1982) was born. On May 20, 1981, he was traded by the A’s along with minor leaguer Chuck Dougherty and 1B Dave Revering to the Yankees for 1B/DH Jim Spencer and P Tom Underwood. Mike appeared in 15 games for the Yankees, hitting .200.
1962 - Yankees All Star outfielder’s Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle sign contracts with Columbia Pictures to appear in “Safe at Home!” a movie that is to be shot during the 1962 Yankees spring training camp. The movie will star Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as themselves and feature cameos by Yankee players Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Yankees Manager Ralph Houk.
1962 - Former Yankees reserve C (1925) and MLB manager Steve O’Neill passed away. On December 15, 1924, Steve was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Red Sox. Steve appeared in 35 games for the 1925 Yankees, hitting .286. Steve would manage the Indians, Tigers, Red Sox and Phillies. In addition he was a MLB coach and scout before retiring from the game.
1989 - The Yankees signed MLB free agent P Chuck Cary (1989-1991). Chuck would go 11-22 in 60 games as a Yankee before being released by the team in October of 1993.
1995 - Former Yankees reserve OF Richard Tettelbach (1955) passed away (1929-1995). Richard Tettelbach, who played at Yale University with George H.W. Bush, was in the AL during 1955-1957. Also he had a 6-year minor league career, hitting .302. Tettelbach was at Yale from 1948-1950. Before 1951 AL Season, Richard Tettelbach was signed by the Yankees as an MLB amateur free agent. He was a star with Norfolk Tars in 1952, a team that went 96-36; Tettelbach led the Piedmont League with 30 stolen bases, while hitting .317, good for 3rd in the league. While in Triple A in 1955 with Denver Bears, he played with many future MLB players, including future Yankees Don Larsen, Marv Throneberry, Whitey Herzog, Tony Kubek and others. In September of 1955, Richard made his MLB debut with the Yankees appearing in 2 games with no hits. On February 8, 1956, Richard was traded by the Yankees along with a player to be named later, C Lou Berberet, INF Herb Plews and P Bob Wiesler to the Senators for INF Bobby Kline and P Mickey McDermott. The Yankees would send minor league OF Whitey Herzog on April 2, 1956 to the Senators to complete the trade. Most of his MLB at-bats came with the 1956 Senators. He played LF, a position where Roy Sievers was the regular from 1954-1959 for the Senators. Whitey Herzog, Tettelbach's former teammate at Denver, played CF.
1998 - The Yankees signed MLB free agent P Doug Linton. The Yankees would release Doug during their 1998 spring training camp.
1999 - The Yankees released reserve C Alberto Castillo. They signed MLB free agent P Jason Grimsley. For the Yankees, Jason Grimsley will post a 10-4 record with 2 saves in 118 games (1999-2000). In 1999, he will go 7-2 in 55 games with 1 save for the Yankees.
2000 - The Yankees signed free agent MLB veteran OF Roberto Kelly. Roberto will only appear in 10 games with the Yankees during the 2000 AL season, hitting only .120. He had originally started his MLB career with the Yankees, before being traded to the Reds for OF Paul O’Neill.
2007 - The Yankees signed free agent MLB veteran reserve INF Miguel Cairo. Miguel will appear in 54 games, hitting .254 for the Yankees before being released by the team on August 15, 2007. He will be picked by the Cardinals and finished the 2007 MLB season with them.
January 27th
1888 - Former Yankees reserve OF Alan Wickland (1919) was born. He hit .152 in 26 games for the 1919 Yankees.
1896 - Former Yankees P Milton Gaston (1924) was born. Milt went 5-3 in 29 games for the Yankees, before being traded to the Browns in Urban Shocker trade.
1901 - Former Yankees P Fred “Lefty” Heimach (1928-1929) was born. Fred went 13-9 in 48 games with the Yankees.
1921 - The Yankees obtained shortstop John Mitchel from the Vernon for P Ernie Shore, P Bob McGraw and C James “Tuck” Hannah. John hit .262 in 17 games for the Yankees before being traded to Red Sox in the Joe Dugan deal.
1929 - Former Yankees minor league INF Bobby Kline was born. On February 8, 1956, Bobby Kline was traded by the Senators along with P Mickey McDermott to the Yankees for a player to be named later, C Lou Berberet, INF Herb Plews, OF Richard Tettelbach and P Bob Wiesler. The Yankees would send minor league OF Whitey Herzog on April 2, 1956 to the Senators to complete the trade. Kline never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level.
1968 - The Yankees drafted John Andrews in the 5th round of the 1968 MLB amateur player draft, but did not sign the player.
1978 - Former Yankees All Star P Monte Pearson passed away (1908-1978). Monte was acquired by the Yankees in trade that sent starter Johnny Allen to the Indians in 1935. He pitched for the Yankees from 1936-1940. His best Yankees season was in 1936, when he went 19-7 and made the AL All Star team. Monte Pearson threw the 1st no-hitter at Yankee Stadium against the Indians in 1938. He appeared in the 1936-1939 World Series with the Yankees going 4-4. His Yankees pitching career record was 63-27. He was sold to the Reds in 1940.
1978 - Former Yankees reserve INF Angel Berroa (2009) was born. On January 6,2009, Angel was signed as a MLB free agent by the Yankees. Angel appeared in 21 games for the 2009 Yankees, hitting just .136. On July 7, 2009, he was released by the Yankees. He would finish the 2009 MLB season with the Mets.
1991- Former Yankees veteran reserve 1B Dale Long (1960, 1962-1963) passed away (1926-1991). On December 5, 1949, Dale was drafted by the Yankees from the Tigers in the 1949 MLB minor league player draft. Don will not appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 16, 1950, Dale was drafted by the Pirates from the Yankees in the 1950 MLB rule 5 player draft. In 1956, Don was a NL All Star 1B with the Cubs, during that season Don set a MLB record of hitting 7 HRs in 7 straight games. During the 1958 NL season with the Pirates, he caught 2 games as a left-handed catcher. Don was obtained from Giants in August of 1960. Don hit .366 in 26 games for the1960 Yankees. He was lost in the 1960 AL Expansion Player Draft to the new Senators. On July 11, 1962, Dale was re-obtained from the Senators for minor league OF Don Lock (Richmond AAA). He hit .298 in 41 games for the 1962 Yankees. The Yankees released Dale during the 1963 AL season; he was only hitting .200, while appearing in only 14 games. He appeared in 2 World Series with the Yankees (1960 and 1962) hitting .250.
2003 - Former Yankees P Bob Kammeyer (1978-1979) passed away (1950-2003). Bob was drafted by the Yankees in the 21st round of the 1972 MLB amateur player draft. Bob went 0-0 in 8 games for the Yankees during the 1978-1979 AL seasons. In 1978, he went 12-2 for the Tacoma Yankees (AAA). The following season at Columbus (AAA), Bob posted a 16-8 record. In 1980, Bob was named International League Pitcher of the Year, while pitching with the Columbus Clippers posting a 15-7 record with 2.91 ERA and 13 complete games. Despite posting a 63-35 mark at AAA level for the Yankees for 3 seasons, Bob didn’t get a real chance to break into the Yankees starting rotation.
2003 - The Yankees signed veteran MLB free agent reliever Juan Acevedo. Juan will go 0-3 in 25 games with 6 saves out of the bullpen, before the Yankees released him in August of 2003. He will finish the 2003 AL season with the Blue Jays.
January 28th
1884 - Former Yankees P Tom “Salida Tom” Hughes (1906-1907, 1909-1910) was born. In August of 1905, Tom was drafted by the Highlanders from Topeka (Western Association) in the 1905 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Tom went 17-17 in 54 games with the Yankees.
1906 - Former Yankees INF Lyn Larry (1929-1934) was born. Lyn was purchased from Oakland Oaks (PCL) in 1928. He had 3 good seasons with the Yankees, before slipping in 1932. In 1934, he would be sent to the Red Sox.
1916 - Former Yankees P Bob Muncrief (1951) was born. On November 16,1950, Bob was drafted by the Yankees from the Cubs organization in the 1950 Rule 5 MLB player draft. He went 0-0 in 2 games with the Yankees during the 1951 AL season.
1928 - Former Yankees minor league C Jim Robertson was born. Before the 1949 AL season, the Yankees originally signed Jim Robertson, as an MLB amateur free agent. Jim played in the Yankees farm system until 1953. In 1949, he played for the Grand Forks Chiefs, hitting .248 in 153 at-bats. He played for the Quincy Gems in 1950, hitting .295 in 404 at-bats. With the Muskegon Reds in 1951, he hit .288, and with the Binghamton Triplets in 1952 he hit .303. He split the 1953 season between the Kansas City Blues and Syracuse Chiefs, hitting .278 with the Blues and .264 with the Chiefs. On December 16,1953, Robertson was traded by the Yankees with INF Don Bollweg, OF Jim Finigan, Johnny Gray, 1B Vic Power and OF Bill Renna to the A’s for P Harry Byrd, 1B Eddie Robinson, OF Tom Hamilton, OF Carmen Mauro, and INF Loren Babe. On April 15, 1954, he made his MLB debut. He spent his entire 1954 AL season with the A’s, hitting .184 in 63 games (147 at-bats). In 1955, he played in 6 games for the A’s, hitting .250 in 8 at-bats. He spent most of the 1955 season with the Portland Beavers (PCL), hitting .229 in 319 at-bats. Robertson played his final MLB game on May 10,1955. Overall, he played in 69 MLB games for the A’s, hitting just .187 in 155 at-bats.
1967 - The Yankees drafted P Terry Ley in the 3rd round of the 1967 MLB amateur player draft (Secondary Phase). Terry will appear in 6 games for the Yankees with no record in 1971. On December 2, 1971, Terry was traded along with minor league P Gary Jones to the Rangers for veteran INF Bernie Allen.
1976 - The Yankees released veteran OF Walt “No Neck” Williams. The Yankees Owner George Steinnbrenner would help Walt obtain a player contract with a team in Japan. After coming to the Yankees, Walt hit .113 and .281 in 125 games for the Yankees (1974-1975).
1987 - The Yankees signed MLB free agent P Bob Shirley (1983-1987). Bob posted a 14-20 record in 165 games with 5 saves before being released by the team in August of 1987.
1994 - The Yankees signed veteran MLB free agent P Bob Ojeda. Bob appeared in 2 games with no record before being released by the Yankees in May of 1994.
2001 - Former Yankees OF/DH/1B Curt Blefary (1970-1971) passed away. In 1962, the Yankees signed Curt Blefary was signed as a MLB free agent. He was removed from the 40-man Yankee roster, when they acquired veteran INF Harry Bright during the 1963 AL season. Curt was immediately claimed by the Orioles. In 1965, he was the AL Rookie Of Year award winner with the Orioles, hitting .260, 22 HRs with 70 RBI’s. On December 4, 1969, Curt was traded by the Astros to the Yankees for 1B Joe Pepitone. Curt only hit .212 as a Yankee. On May 26,1971, he was traded by the Yankees to the A’s for P Rob Gardner. He would play for the Orioles, Astros, A’s and Yankees during his 8-year MLB career.
2002 - The Yankees signed veteran MLB free agent INF Ron Coomer. Ron would appear in 55 games hitting .264 for the Yankees in 2002, before leaving the team for free agency.
2004 - The Yankees signed MLB free agents OF/DH Darren Bragg and OF Tyler Houston. Darren Bragg and Tyler Houston will not play for the Yankees at the MLB level during the 2004 AL season, spending the season at Columbus (AAA).
January 29th
1885 - Former Yankees INF George “Hack” Simmons (1912) was born. He hit .239 in 110 games in 1912.
1930 - The Red Sox sell former AL HR king Ken Williams to their rival Yankees for the waiver price. Williams, a lifetime .319 hitter, will be released prior to the start of the 1930 AL season. He will never again play in the MLB.
1943 - The Yankees traded 2B Jerry Priddy and minor league P Milo Candini to the Senators for P Bill Zuber and cash consideration. Bill Zuber was classified 4-F in the war draft, will not have a winning season with the Yankees, while Milo Candini will go 11-7 for the Senators in 1943.
1948 - MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler fines the Yankees, Cubs and Phillies $500 each for signing high school players.
1951 - Former Yankees minor league INF Sergio Ferrer was born. On March 26, 1977, Sergio was traded by the Phillies to the Yankees for OF Kerry Dineen. Sergio never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. He was assigned to Syracuse Chiefs (AAA), appearing in 67 games, hitting .281. On December 9, 1977, he was traded by the Yankees to the Mets for INF Roy Staiger.
1955 - John Williams Cox buys Yankee Stadium from the Dan Topping-Del Webb partnership. He immediately sells the grounds to the Knights of Columbus. He will leave Yankee Stadium to Rice University in 1962.
1960 - Former Yankees All Star INF Steve Sax (1989-1991) was born. Steve was signed as a free agent replacing Willie Randolph at 2B. He hit .315, .260 and .304 as a Yankee, making the AL All Star team in 1989-1990. On January 10, 1992, Steve was traded by the Yankees to the White Sox for pitchers Melido Perez, Bob Wickman, and Domingo Jean.
1961 - Former Yankees reserve OF/1B/DH Mike Aldrete (1996) was born. On June 12, 1996, Mike was traded by the Angels to the Yankees for P Rich Monteleone. Mike appeared in 32 games for the 1996 Yankees, hitting .250. He appeared in 2 games of the 1996 World Series against the Braves with no hits. On November 4, 1996, Mike was granted free agency by the Yankees.
1964 - Former Yankees P John Habyan (1990-1993) was born. On July 20, 1989, John was traded by the Orioles to the Yankees for OF Stanley Jefferson. John will spend the rest of the 1989 season at Columbus (AAA). He went 11-9 in 154 games for the Yankees with 10 saves. On July 30, 1993, John was traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Yankees to the Royals. The Cubs sent P Paul Assenmacher to the Yankees. The Royals sent OF Karl Rhodes to the Cubs.
1966 - The Yankees drafted Darrell Evans in the 2nd Round of the 1966 MLB amateur player draft (secondary phase), but did not sign the player.
1982 - The Yankees named AL All Star 3B Graig Nettles as their team captain. Nettles, becomes the 1st Yankees captain since Thurman Munson, who was killed in August of 1979 in airplane crash in Ohio.
1992 - The Yankees signed MLB free agent P Allan Anderson. He never appears in a game with the Yankees.
1993 - The Yankees signed 1B Fernando Seguignol was an MLB amateur free agent. He was assigned to the 1993 GCL Yankees and struggled, batting only .217 as an OF. In 1994, the teenager improved to .289, though he struck out 61 times in 266 AB’s. He led the NY-PA League with 9 triples that year. In 1995, he was traded to the Expos for P John Wetteland. In 2003, Fernando returned from Japan to play in the USA, signing with the Yankees. He was 5 for 7 in limited appearances with the Yankees. He was 5 for 13 with the Tampa Yankees. He spent most of 2003 season, producing at a .341 clip with 28 HRs in 402 AB’s for the Columbus Clippers (AAA). He led the IL in HRs and BA, led all of full-season MIL baseball in slugging percentage. He was named the DH on the IL All-Star team and won the IL MVP award. In 2004, he went back to play in Japan, where he is still active.
2005 - The Yankees signed veteran MLB free agent OF Doug Glanville. The Yankees will release him during their 2005 spring training camp.
2007 - Former Yankees pitching coach and former MLB pitcher Art Fowler passed away. (1922-2007) He was Billy Martin’s longtime pitching coach with the Tigers, Rangers, Yankees and the A's. As MLB pitcher (1954-1964), Art went 54-51, with the Reds, Dodgers and Angels. As a MLB pitching coach, Art Fowler never believed in running for his MLB pitchers, he is quoted as saying "If you pitched with your legs, Jesse Owens would have won 30 games."
January 30th
1923 - The Yankees GM Edward Barrow raided his old team the Red Sox again, this time obtaining P Herb Pennock exchange for INF Norm McMillan, P George Murray, OF Camp Skinner and $50,000. Herb would win 162 games as a Yankee starter, finishing with a career winning percentage of .643. Herb had 165 complete games in 346 games with 19 shutouts and 700 strikeouts. In 1924, he went 21-9 for the Yankees. Then in 1926, Herb posted a 23-11 mark. In the World Series, he went 3-2 in 10 games with a 1.95 ERA for the Yankees.
1948 - Former Yankees Hall Of Fame starter Herb Pennock (1923-1933) collapses and dies from a heart attack. Pennock, who was 53, had been serving as the General Manager of the Phillies since 1944. He would be inducted into baseball’s Hall Of Fame in 1948.
1954 - Former Yankees reserve OF Dave Stegman (1982) was born. On April 30, 1981, Dave was sent by the Padres to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on April 6, 1981. The Padres sent a player to be named later to the Yankees for minor league player Byron Ballard. He appeared in 2 games for the 1982 Yankees with no hits. On November 22, 1982, Dave was granted free agency by the Yankees.
1961 - Former Yankees 2B Aaron Ward (1917-1926) passed away. Aaron Ward was the 2B for the Yankees in the days before Tony Lazzeri. Coming up to the Yankees in 1917 at age 20, he was one of the youngest players in the AL. He became a Yankees regular in 1920. He was in the World Series of 1921, 1922 and 1923 (he hit .417 in the 1923 World Series, which the Yankees won). Ward was one of several players who held out at the start of 1922 season for better contracts. Ward succeeded in getting a big raise. When Tony Lazzeri came up, Ward was traded to the 1927 White Sox for a season, thus missing the great 1927 Yankees experience. On January 13, 1927, Aaron was traded by the Yankees to the White Sox for C Johnny Grabowski and INF Ray Morehart. Ward’s final Yankees career status were .268 BA with 45 HRs, 391 RBI’s in 908 games. He finished out his MLB career with the 1928 Indians. "Babe Ruth was great, but then we expect Babe Ruth to be great. Let us give credit where credit is due, and give most of the credit to Wardie and [manager Huggins]." – New York Yankees Owner Jacob Ruppert after the 1923 World Series.
1964 - Former Yankees P Hipolito Pena (1988) was born. On March 30, 1988, he was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees for OF/1B Orestes Destrade. He appeared in 16 games for the 1988 Yankees, posting a
1-1 record.
1978 - Former P Addie Joss and former baseball executive and team owner Larry MacPhail are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Larry MacPhail was one of the owners who bought the New York Yankees in 1945 from the Jacob Ruppert estate. He would be the Yankees President and General Manager from 1945-1947. In the fall of 1947, he sold his share of the Yankees to co-owners Del Webb and Dan Topping. MacPhail was very unpopular with the Yankee players, who were very happy to see him leave.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
