This Week in Yankees History
April 25th - May 1st
April 25th
April 25th - May 1st
April 25th
1883 - Former Yankees P Russ Ford (1909-1913) was born. Russ had 2 outstanding seasons with the Yankees, going 26-6 in 1910 and 21-11 in 1911. He went 73-56 in 143 games as a Yankees pitcher. On January 20,1914, Russ jumped from the Yankees to the Buffalo Buffeds of the rival Federal League.
1904 - New York Highlanders starter Jack Chesbro posts the 1st of his 41 wins of the 1904 AL season, a MLB, AL and Yankees club record that still stands. Jack Chesbro was the NL top winner in 1903, with the Pittsburgh Pirates posting a 28-6 record.
1916 - At the Polo Grounds, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox pitches a 10-inning complete game to defeat the New York Yankees, by the score of 4-3. Ruth gives up 2 earned runs on 8-hits, but is hitless at-bat.
1924 - Former Yankees P Art Schallock (1951-1955) was born. On July 12, 1951, Art Schallock was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He appeared in 28 games for the Yankees, posting a 3-2 mark. On May 11, 1955, Art was selected off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles from the Yankees.
1933 - New York Yankees rookie starter Russ Van Atta makes a successfully MLB pitching debut, when he pitches a 5-hit shutout against the Washington Senators. With the bat, Russ collects 4 singles in 4 at-bats. Yankees CF Earle Combs adds 5 hits as the Yankees win by score of 16-0.
1966 - Former Yankees P Darren Holmes (1998) was born. On December 22, 1997, he was signed as a MLB free agent with the Yankees. He posted a 0-3 record in 34 games with 2 saves for the 1998 Yankees. He didn’t appear in the 1998 World Series. On March 30, 1999, Darren was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for P Ben Ford and Izzy Molina.
1967 - Whitey Ford wins his final and 236th game as a Yankee--an 11-2 win over the White Sox. In the game Ford allowed two runs on eight hits in nine innings of work.
1982 - Just 14 games into the 1982 AL season, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fires Yankees Manager Bob Lemon and replaces him with former manager Gene Michael, the man who Bob Lemon had replaced last September.
1983- Current Yankees minor league 1B Juan Miranda was born in Cuba. He is currently playing in AAA at Scranton. Juan has appeared in 13 games (2009-2009) for the Yankees hitting .368.
April 26th
1873 - Former Yankees reserve 3B Jim Cockman (1905) was born. In September of 1905, Jim was sent from Newark (Eastern) to the New York Highlanders in an unknown transaction. Jim only appeared in 13 games for the Yankees; hitting just .105 in his only season in the ML.
1883- Former Yankees P Ray “Slim” Caldwell (1910-1918) was born. Ray Caldwell posted a 99-99 pitching career record in 258 games for the Yankees. His best Yankees seasons were in 1914, he went 17-9 and in 1915, posting a 19-16 mark. On December 18, 1918, he was traded by the Yankees along with OF Frank Gilhooley, P Slim Love, C Roxy Walters, and $15,000 cash to the Red Sox for P Ernie Shore, OF Duffy Lewis, and P Dutch Leonard.
1913 - The New York Yankees purchased C John Gossett (1913-1914) from the Chicago White Sox. He appeared in only 49 games for the Yankees, just hitting .159.
1917 - Former Yankees P Sal “The Barber” Maglie (1957-1958) was born. On September 1, 1957, Sal was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sal went 2-0 in 6 games with 3 saves in 1958. In 1959, he was 1-1 in 7 games for the Yankees, before being sent to the St. Louis Cardinals to finish his long MLB career. He was one of the few players to play for all 3 MLB teams in New York City during the golden years of 1947-1957.
1919 - Former Yankees P Virgil “Fire” Trucks (1958) was born. On June 15, 1958, Virgil was traded by the Kansas City A’s along with P Duke Maas to the Yankees for P Bob Grim and OF Harry “Suitcase” Simpson. Virgil went 2-1 in 25 games, with 1 save before retiring from MLB in April of 1959. Virgil had played 17 years in MLB, starting out with the Detroit Tigers, then playing for the St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City A’s, before coming to the New York Yankees in 1958.
1929 - Despite losing the game to the Philadelphia A’s, the Yankees turn a triple play.
1931 - At Griffith Stadium, a walk to Lyn Lary is followed by a Lou Gehrig HR, a smash which clears the fence, but bounces back into the hands of Senators CF Harry Rice. The base runner Lary thinks the ball has been caught on the fly for the 3rd out returning to the dugout without crossing home plate, Lou Gehrig, running with his head down, is ruled out for passing a runner in front of him costing the Yankees a possible victory (they lost by 2 runs), the 1931 HR crown (he tied Babe Ruth with 46) and 2-RBI’s to add to his record setting 184 for the season.
1936 - After surrendering 6 runs to the Boston Red Sox in the 1st inning. The Yankees rebound with 7 runs in the top of the 2nd inning in route of 12-9 victory at Fenway Park.
1953 - The Yankees sell 3B Loren Babe to the Philadelphia A’s for $30,000. Babe’s freedom from the Yankees organization will be very short, they will reacquire him in December of 1953. He was one of the many young players buried in their farm system during the 1950’s. Babe later was MLB coach with the Yankees and White Sox.
1955 - The Yankees new starter Bob Turley acquired from the Baltimore Orioles during the winter of 1954 pitches a 1-hit shutout. Bullet Bob struck out 10 batters to lead the Yankees to a 5-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
1961 - The Yankees 1960 AL MVP OF Roger Maris hits his 1st HR of the 1961 AL season, which will have him finish with a new AL and MLB record of 61 HRs. His Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle will finish with 54 HRs, while the Yankees, as a team will hit 240 HRs in 1961.
1969 - The Baseball Records Committee decides to give Babe Ruth credit for one more HR during his MLB career for a total of 715. The committee rules that one of Ruth's HRs had been incorrectly ruled a triple. The committee will later reverse its decision, returning Ruth to a MLB career total of 714 HRs.
1970 - Former Yankees reserve INF Yats Wuestling (1930) passed away. On May 30, 1930, he was traded by the Detroit Tigers along with P Owens Carroll and INF/OF Harry Rice to the New York Yankees for P Waite Hoyt and INF Mark Koenig. He appeared in 25 games for the Yankees hitting just .190.
1974 - The Yankees obtained 1B Chris Chambliss along with pitchers Richard Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw from the Cleveland Indians for Yankee hurlers Fred Beene, Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline and Tom Buskey. Chambliss and Tidrow will help the Yankees win the AL pennants in 1976-1978. Peterson became expendable after his celebrated wife and family trade with Yankees teammate Mike Kelich.
1976 - Former Yankees P Alex Ferguson (1918, 1921, and 1925) passed away. Alex had gone 3-1 in 18 games for the 1918 and 1921 Yankees. On February 24, 1922, Alex was selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox from the New York Yankees. On May 5, 1925, Alex was traded by the Boston Red Sox with OF Bobby Veach to the New York Yankees for P Ray Francis and $9,000. Alex went 4-2 in 21 games for the 1925 Yankees. On August 17, 1925, Alex was purchased by the Washington Senators from the New York Yankees.
1982 - Former Yankees C Truck Hannah (1918-1920) passed away. He appeared in 244 games for the Yankees, hitting .235.
1998 - Former Yankees General Manager Gabe Paul (1973-1977) passes away (1910-1998). Former Indians General Manager Gabe Paul came to the Yankees in 1973. He helped rebuild the team through a series of great trades that gave the Yankees championship teams with players like Lou Piniella, Chris Chambliss, Bucky Dent and others. George’s constant interference caused Gabe Paul leave the Yankees to go back to the Indians front office. The Yankees hired Al Rosen to replace Gabe Paul in 1978.
2005 - At Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez slugs his way to the best performance of his MLB career, hitting 3 HRs in his 1st three at-bats off of Angels’ starter Bartolo Colón. The Yankees win the game by a score of 12-4, as Rodriguez becomes only the 11th player in MLB history to collect 10 or more RBIs in a game. He is one RBI shy of the AL record of 11 set in 1936 by former Yankees HOF INF Tony Lazzeri, and 2 short of the MLB mark of 12 shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993), both of the St. Louis Cardinals.
2006 - At Yankee Stadium, Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Yankees by the score of 4-2, despite setting a team record of walking 14 Yankee batters.
2009 - Boston Red Sox completes a 3-game sweep with a 4-1 victory over the Yankees, Boston's 10th consecutive victory. Jacoby Ellsbury pulls off a straight steal of home against Yankees starter Andy Pettitte in the 5th inning in the game's key play. Justin Masterson has now won both of his starts in place of the injured starter Daisuke Matsuzaka.
April 27th
1894 - Former Yankees reserve C/1B Bob Williams (1911-1914) was born. Bob hit .164 in 46 games for the Yankees.
1903 - The New York Highlanders suffer the 1st shutout loss in their team history, in a 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia A’s.
1916 - Former HOF Yankees and Cardinals OF Enos “Country” Slaughter (1954-1955, 1956-1959) was born. On April 11, 1954, he was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Yankees for OF Bill Virdon, P Mel Wright, and INF Emil Tellinger (minors). His 1st tour with the Yankees was unsuccessful, just hitting .248 in 69 games. On May 11, 1955, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Johnny Sain to the Kansas City A’s for P Sonny Dixon and cash. On August 25, 1956, Enos was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Kansas City A’s for $50,000 in cash. He hit .350 in the 1956 World Series for the Yankees. Enos performed better for the team with his 2nd tour before fading during the 1959 AL season, being sent to the Milwaukee Braves to finish his long MLB career, which began with the St. Louis Cardinals.
1935 - The Yankees turn a 1st-inning triple play during a 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia A’s. The A’s had runners on 1B and 2B, when A’s Slugger Jimmy Foxx lined out to 2B Tony Lazzeri, who fired to 1B Lou Gehrig, who then threw to shortstop Frank Crosetti, who was covering 2B. Also the Yankees turned a game ending double play in the 9th inning, when the A’s had the bases loaded.
1947 - Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium drew a crowd of more than 58,000 fans to honor the ailing star suffering from throat cancer. In the game, Sid Hudson of the Washington Senators out-duels Yankees starter Spud Chandler winning the game by a score of 1-0.
1957 - Former Yankees minor league player OF/1B Willie Upshaw was born. In 1975, Willie Upshaw was signed as an 5th round draft pick by the Yankees. He was lost in the MLB Rule 5 player draft in winter of 1977, when the new AL eastern division expansion team, the Toronto Blue Jays, selected Willie Upshaw.
1977 - The Yankees obtained starter Mike Torrez from the Oakland A’s for P Dock Ellis, INF Marty Perez and OF Larry Murray. Mike would go 14-12 in 31 games posting 3.95 ERA with 15 complete games and 2 shutouts. He would win 2 games in the 1977 World Series for the Yankees before leaving the team for MLB free agency and signing with the Boston Red Sox.
April 28th
1925 - Former Yankees P Clarence “Cuddles” Marshall (1946, 1948-1949) was born. On December 9, 1944, Clarence was traded by the Seattle (PCL) to the Yankees for Johnny Babich and Richard Hearn (minors). He went 6-4 in 45 games with 3 saves. On May 15, 1950, he was purchased by the St. Louis Browns from the Yankees.
1930 - Former Yankees P Thomas “Snake” Sturdivant (1955-1959) was born (1930 - 2009). In 1948, the Yankees signed Tom as an MLB amateur free agent. He was originally an INF with strong arm, but he had a weak bat. He switched to pitching. His best Yankees career seasons were in 1956-57. Tom posted a 16-8 record in 32 games with a win against the Dodgers in 1956 World Series. In 1957, Tom went 16-6 in 28 games. In 1958, he battled with arm injuries, only going 3-6 in 15 games. On May 26,1959, Tom was traded by the Yankees along with P Johnny Kucks and INF Jerry Lumpe to the Kansas City A’s for P Ralph Terry and INF/OF Hector Lopez. Tom’s Yankees pitching career totals were 36-25 in 105 games. Tom passed away in 2009.
1935 - Former Yankees closer Pedro “Pete” Ramos (1964-1966) was born. On September 5, 1964, Pedro was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Yankees for players to be named later and $75,000 in cash. He went 1-0 in 13 games with 8 saves in September of 1964 to help the Yankees win the AL pennant. Since he was obtained on September 5th, Pedro wasn’t able to pitch for the Yankees in the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees sent P Ralph Terry on October 21, 1964 and P Bud Daley on November 27, 1964 to the Indians to complete the trade. Indians GM Gabe Paul purposely delayed the trade with the Yankees, so he couldn’t pitch in the World Series for the Yankees. Overall, Pedro would go 9-14 in 130 games with 30 saves for the Yankees. In another CBS Management ordered salary dump, Pedro was traded on December 10, 1966, by the Yankees to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Joe Verbanic and cash.
1950 - Yankees sell OF Richard Wakefield to the Chicago White Sox as part of a deal which brought P Joe Ostrowski to the Kansas City Blues, the Yankees top AAA club. This touched off the great Wakefield controversy, because he refused to report to the White Sox, unless they gave him a $5,000 bonus in lieu of the World Series share that he expected to earn with the Yankees. Wakefield claimed that the Yankees had convinced him to sign for the 1950 AL season for $17,500, $5,000 less than he had been receiving with his 1949 club, the Tigers, by “guarantying him a World Series share.” The White Sox, relying on a guarantee of their own that the Yankees cancelled the deal, refused to return P Joe Ostrowski; nor would they pay Wakefield’s salary. The teams appeal to MLB Commissioner Albert “Happy” Chandler, who ruled in favor of the White Sox and cancelled the deal. On June 15, 1950, the Yankees would finally obtained P Joe Ostrowski from the St. Louis Browns.
1953 - A terrific brawl breaks out at Sportmans Park in St. Louis during the 10th inning of a Yankees–Browns game. Six players are fined a total of $850, an AL record up to that date. The Yankees and former Yankees catcher Clint “Scraps” Courtney had been carrying a personal war of their own over the past 2-seasons. Clint had been traded away by the Yankees in 1951. In the top of the 10th inning, the Yankees took the lead 7-6, when Yankees base-runner Gil McDougald bowled over Courtney at home plate, as he scored the go-ahead run. In retaliation, Courtney slid into Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto with “spikes up” in what the Yankees viewed a an deliberate attempt to injured a player, especially because Courtney was trying to stretch a single into a double and was a dead out at 2B. Both of the team benches cleared, AL Umpire John Stevens suffered a dislocated collarbone, while attempting to separate the players, who were involved in the fighting. When peace was finally restored, the Browns fans had littered the playing field with garbage, causing a 17-minute delay and near forfeit of the game. Clint Courtney was fined $250, along with his Browns teammate, INF Billy Hunter, who was fined $150. The following Yankee players were fined for being involved in the fighting: INF Billy Martin $150, INF Gil McDougald $100, 1B Joe Collins $100 and P Allie Reynolds $100.
1972 - The Yankees purchased P Jim Roland from the Oakland A’s on waivers. Jim would go 0-1 in 16 games, before being traded to the Texas Rangers for veteran reliever Casey Cox in August of 1972.
1985 - The New York Yankees hired Billy Martin as their manager for a 4th time. The fiery Martin, one of George Steinbrenner's favorite managers, replaces Yankees fans favorite Yogi Berra, who is fired just 16 games into the 1985 AL season. Yogi Berra will stay away from Yankee organization for many years because of George’s action. One of the lowest points of the 1980’s lost decade marred by George’s poor baseball management decisions. Yogi Berra would stay away from the Yankees for over a decade.
1980 - Former Yankees P Bob Porterfield (1948-1951) passes away (1923-1980). Bob had an 8-11 mark with Yankees, while trying to pitch with back problems. He was traded by the Yankees, along with pitchers Tom Ferrick and Fred Sanford to the Washington Senators for P Bob “Sarge” Kuzava. He would bounce back with the Senators winning 13, 22, 13 and 10 wins each season after being traded away by the Yankees. His trade was a rare Yankees mistake by Yankees General Manager George Weiss.
1989 - OF Rickey Henderson of the Yankees set a MLB record, when he led off a game with a HR for the 36th time in his MLB career, breaking a tie with former MLB All Star OF Bobby Bonds.
2006 - Former Yankees reliever Steve Howe (1991-1996) passes away in an auto accident (1958-2006). In 1991, the Yankees signed the former Dodgers reliever Steve Howe as a MLB free agent. Steve went 18-9 with 21 saves in 229 games as a Yankees relief pitcher from 1991-1996.
2007 - Former Yankees OF Archie Wilson (1951-1952) passed away. In 1947, the Yankees signed Archie Wilson, as an MLB amateur free agent. Archie only played in 7 games for the Yankees. On May 3,1952, he was traded by the Yankees along with OF Jackie Jensen, P Spec Shea, and INF Jerry Snyder to the Washington Senators for outfielders Irv Noren and Tom Upton.
April 29th
1879 - Former Yankees P Frank “Noodles” Hahn (1906) was born. In November of 1905, Hahn was signed as a free agent with the New York Highlanders. He posted a 3-2 record in 6 games for the 1906 Yankees.
1883 - Former Yankees P Walter “Rube” Manning (1907-1910) was born. On July 18, 1907, Rube was purchased by the New York Highlanders from Williamsport (Tri-State). He posted a career record of 22-32 in 84 games for the Yankees. His best Yankee season was in 1908, when he posted a 13-16 mark.
1888 - Former Yankees INF Ernie Johnson (1924-1925) was born. On May 31, 1923, Ernie was selected off waivers by the New York Yankees from the Chicago White Sox. Ernie appeared in 159 games as a reserve INF for the Yankees, hitting .327. On October 28, 1925, he was sent by the Yankees to St Paul (American Association) to complete an earlier deal made on May 29, 1925. The Yankees sent a player to be named later, Fred Hofmann, Oscar Roettger and $50,000 to St Paul (American Association) for INF Mark Koenig. His son Don Johnson pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 1943-1948.
1914 - Former Yankees P Marv Breuer (1939-1943) was born. Marv appeared in 60 games for the Yankees, posting a 25-26 record. He appeared 2 World Series games (1941-1942) for the Yankees with no record. Marv did not appear in the 1943 World Series for the Yankees.
1923 - The Yankees signed 20-year-old prospect 1B Lou Gehrig to a contract paying him a salary of $2,000 and a bonus of $1,500. New York Yankees MLB scout Paul Krichell had watched the Columbia star blast a 450-foot HR against NYU, one day earlier.
1924 - Mercersburg Academy P Bump Hadley threw a perfect game against the Hadley-Lynn team of Massachusetts. A future Yankees starter, Hadley struck out 26 of the 27 batters he faced. Bump Hadley went 49-31 in over 5 seasons with the Yankees after being obtained in January of 1936 from the Washington Senators.
1929 - Former Yankees P Mickey McDermott (1956) was born. He came to the Yankees in a mid season trade with the Washington Senators in 1956. He went 2-6 in 23 games for the Yankees. He was sent to the Kansas City A’s in February of 1957 in the Bobby Shantz trade.
1933 - In a strange play at home plate, C Luke Sewell of the Washington Senators tags out 2Yankees runners on the same play. Lou Gehrig had held up, thinking a fly ball would be caught. Dixie Walker closes up on him. Sewell tagged both Yankees base runners out, while trying to score.
1939 - The New York Yankees stage their 1st Ladies Day promotion at Yankee Stadium.
1966 - Former Yankees OF/DH Jon Vander Wal (2002) was born. John hit .260 in 84 games for the Yankees during the 2002 AL season, before leaving the team as free agent.
1967 - Veteran AL All Star starter Whitey Ford of the Yankees earned his final MLB career victory. His 236th win comes against the Chicago White Sox, an 11-2 decision at Yankee Stadium. Ford will enter the Hall Of Fame in 1974, along with his longtime Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle. He would finish with his Yankees pitching career record with 236 wins, becoming the club leader in wins, passing Red Ruffing who had 232 wins with the Yankees.
1971 - Former Yankees P Sterling Hitchcock (1992-1995, 2001-2003) was born. Sterling Hitchcock drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9th round of the 1989 amateur MLB player draft. Sterling went 16-16 for the Yankees before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in the Tino Martinez trade in the winter of 1995. The Yankees felt that he wasn’t going to be a big game pitcher; they decided to keep P Andy Pettite instead, so Sterling was traded. He signed as a MLB free agent in 2001; he stayed until the 2003 AL season, being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor leaguer players Justin Pope and Ben Julinard. His last stint with the Yankees, he posted a 6-9 record. His final Yankees pitching career totals were 22-24 in 116 games. He appeared in 1 game of 2001 World Series for the Yankees, picking up a victory. He pitched against the Yankees for the San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series with no decisions.
1975 - Yankees 1B Bob Oliver sets an AL record by participating in 6 double plays in a 9-inning game.
1977 - Lefty Ron Guidry gets his 1st starting assignment of the 1977 AL season as he blanks the Seattle Mariners by a score of 3-0, with late inning relief help from closer Sparky Lyle. Catcher Thurman Munson hits a 2-run HR. The win pulled the Yankees into 2nd place in the AL East.
1978 - Former Yankees minor league P Tony Armas Jr. was born. In 1994, Tony was signed an amateur MLB free agent, but never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. Tony was traded to the Boston Red Sox for veteran DH/catcher Mike Stanley during the 1997 AL season. He is the son of former MLB player Tony Armas.
1981 - Former Yankees minor league C Omir Santos was born. Selected by the New York Yankees in the 21st round of the 2001 amateur MLB player draft drafted Omir Santos. He never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. On October 29, 2007, he was released by the Yankees organization, becoming a free agent. In 2008 he played for the Baltimore Orioles. In 2009, he played for the New York Mets.
April 30th
1903 - The New York Highlanders won their home opener at Hilltop Park, by the score of 6-2, over the Washington Senators. A crowd of 16,293 fans watched the game. Jack Chesbro was the winning pitcher. Wee “Willie” Keeler made the 1st Highlanders home game hit, a single in the 1st inning. He went to 2nd base on an error, and then he scored the 1st Highlanders home field run on a double by Jimmy Williams.
1907 - Former Yankees P Walter “Jumbo” Brown (1932-1937) was born. Jumbo went 19-16 in 80 games with 2 saves, before being sold to the Cincinnati Reds.
1939 - Yankees All Star 1B Lou Gehrig makes the fateful decision to remove himself from the Yankees starting line-up after playing 2,130 consecutive games, but he keeps the move to himself for another two days. The Yankees had an off day on May 1, 1939, before starting a series in Detroit.
1940- Former Yankees OF Patsy Dougherty (1904-1906) passes away. On June 17, 1904, Patsy was traded by the Boston Americans (Red Sox) to the New York Highlanders for 3B Bob Unglaub. On April 30, 1903, he became the 1st batter ever at Hilltop Park, hitting leadoff against the New York Highlanders. Patsy appeared in 234 games for the Yankees, hitting .261. On June 6, 1906, Patsy was purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the New York Highlanders.
1946 - At Yankee Stadium, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians struck out 11 and pitched his 2nd of 3 MLB career no-hitters and his 1st since returning from a 3½-year stint in World War II. Bob Feller defeated the Yankees by the score of 1-0, on Frankie Hayes' HR in the 9th inning.
1979 - Former Yankees P Brandon Claussen (2003) was born. In 1998, the New York Yankees in the 34th round of the MLB amateur player draft drafted Brandon Claussen. He went 1-0 with the Yankees before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds for INF Aaron Boone during the 2003 AL season.
1988 - Yankees All Star OF Dave Winfield drove in his 28th and 29th runs of the season in the Yankees 15-3 rout of Texas Rangers, tying the MLB record for RBI’s in April.
1989 - The Toronto Blue Jays acquired P Al Leiter from Yankees in exchange for veteran OF Jesse Barfield. Leiter will contribute significantly to the Jays' World Championship in 1993, winning nine of 15 decisions as a spot starter and long reliever.
1992 - Former Yankees INF Celerino Sanchez (1972-1973) passes away of heart attack in Mexico (1941-1992). In 1971, the Yankees for minor league INF Ossie Chavarria obtained former Mexican League baseball star from the Mexico City Tigers. Celerino played 3B for the Yankees until the arrival of Graig Nettles. He played in a total of 105 games for the Yankees hitting .242, before returning to Mexico.
1996 - Former Yankees minor league OF Jimmy “Gee Gee” Gleeson passed away. On December 8, 1936, Jimmy was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Cleveland Indians. Jimmy never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. While in the Yankees organization, he played for their Newark Bears (AAA) farm team (1937-1938). With the Newark Bears in 1937, he hit .298 and led the International League with 47 doubles. The next season, he hit .310 with 16 HRs and 81 RBIs. He led the IL again in doubles with 50. On January 24, 1939, Jimmy was purchased by the Chicago Cubs from the New York Yankees for $25,000.
1997 - First baseman Tino Martinez who got off to a painfully slow start with the Yankees in 1996, finished April of 1997, with 34 RBIs to set a MLB record for the month of April.
1999 - About 3,000 fans wearing T-shirts that said, "$hare the wealth" protested baseball economics at the Yankees-Royals game at Kauffman Stadium. The protesters turned their backs when the Yankees batted, then walked out during the 4th inning. The Yankees began the 1999 MLB season with baseball's top payroll at $85.05 million, and the Royals were 25th at $23.8 million.
May 1st
1896 - Former Yankees P William “Wild Bill” Piercy (1917, 1921) was born. Bill went 5-5 in 15 games for the Yankees. On December 20, 1921, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Rip Collins, INF Roger Peckinpaugh and P Jack Quinn to the Boston Red Sox for P Joe Bush, P Sam Jones and INF Everett Scott.
1913 - The Yankees released P Chester Hoff (1911-1913). Chester went 0-2 in 12 games for the Yankees.
1920 - Yankees OF Babe Ruth hit his 50th MLB career HR, and the 1st for the Yankees, in the Boston Red Sox 6-0 loss at the Polo Grounds. The HR cleared the roof in right field of the Polo Grounds, a feat matched only by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson of the Chicago White Sox.
1951 - On Mother's Day, Mickey Mantle hit the 1st HR of his MLB career off of P Randy Gumpert in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. In the same game, former Negro Leagues star Minnie Miñoso became the 1st black player in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise. Miñoso belted a HR in his 1st MLB at-bat off of Yankees starter Vic Raschi.
1952 - Former Yankees reserve INF Ernie Johnson (1923-1925) passed away. On May 31, 1923, Ernie was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the White Sox. Ernie appeared in 159 games as a reserve INF for the Yankees, hitting .327. On October 28, 1925, he was sent by the Yankees to St Paul (American Association) to complete an earlier deal made on May 29, 1925. The Yankees sent a player to be named later, Fred Hofmann, Oscar Roettger and $50,000 to St Paul (American Association) for INF Mark Koenig. His son Don Johnson pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 1943-1948.
1988 - MLB Free agents P Ron Guidry (Yankees), C Rich Gedman (Red Sox), C Bob Boone (Angels) and OF Tim Raines (Expos), all re-signed with their former clubs on the 1st day, they are allowed to do so. Pitcher Doyle Alexander (Braves) will re-sign on May 5th.
1991 - Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A’s surpassed Lou Brock as MLB career stolen base leader with his 939th steal in the 7-4 victory over the Yankees. Henderson broke the record in the 4th inning, when he stole 3B against Yankees catcher Matt Nokes.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
