This Week in Yankee History
May 23rd - May 29th
May 23rd
1901 - Former New York Yankees broadcasting announcer Arch McDonald (1940) was born (1901-1960). Arch McDonald was a longtime broadcaster for the Washington Senators (1934-1939, 1941-1959). He also broadcast games for the New York Yankees in1940. McDonald is remembered for his recreations. The Ol' Pine Tree died on a train coming home from a Washington Redskins-New York Giants game in New York.
1923 - Former Yankees reserve C William “Dutch” Drescher (1944-1946) was born. Bill hit .266 in 57 games for the Yankees during 1944-1946 AL seasons.
1924 - Former Yankees MLB Coach, Manager and General Manager Clyde King was born. He was a New York Yankees MLB coach in 1978 and 1981. King managed the team for part of the turbulent 1982 AL season. He then served as General Manager of the Yankees in 1985 and 1986. He was a member of the team's MLB coaching staff again in 1988. From 1998 to 2005, he was a special assistant to the General Manager of the Yankees.
1946 - New York Yankee players Joe DiMaggio, Nick Etten and Joe Gordon hit consecutive HRs during the Yankees 8-run, 5th inning against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit starter Virgil Trucks gave up the 1st–two HR shots, then reliever Hal White gives up Joe Gordon’s HR shot. The Yankees win the game by a score of 12-6.
1946 - Former Yankees reserve C Johnny Grabowski (1927-1929) passed away from fatal injuries suffered in a house fire (1900-1946). John Grabowski spent all of the 1925-1926 AL seasons with the Chicago White Sox, hitting .304 in 1925 and .262 in 1926. The unexpected came about on January 13,1927, when he was traded along with INF Ray Morehart to the New York Yankees for INF Aaron Ward. With the Yankees, Johnny became a reserve catcher for the duo of Pat Collins and Benny Bengough. Known more for his defense then his hitting, Johnny did have 25 RBI's in 70 games in 1927 along with a .277 batting mark. In 1928, he got into 75 games for the Yankees, but his BA dropped off to .238 with 21 RBI's. Grabowski was not used much during the 1929 AL season by the Yankees, getting into only 22 games and hitting only .203. When his stint with the Yankees was over, he played the 1930 baseball season with theSt. Paul Saints (AAA) of the American Association. Grabowski got into 102 games with 339 at bats, hitting.289.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees hits 3 consecutive HRs in a 6-5, 1stgame of a doubleheader victory over the Cleveland Indians. Two of his HRs came off of Tribe’s starter Bob Feller. The 3rd HR came off of reliever Bob Muncreif, which proved to be the game-winner. The Tribe would bounce back in the nightcap with a 5-1 win.
1956 - Former Yankees minor league player and Manager, Yankees Manager Buck Showalter (1992-1995) was born. Buck played outfield and managed in the Yankees farm system before becoming the team’s MLB manager in 1992. His Yankees manager record was 313-268, with 1 AL Playoff appearance in 1995. His 1994 Yankees team had a record of 70-43, when the MLB strike stopped the 1994 AL season.
1960 - The Yankees released veteran OF Elmer Valo. Elmer was at the end of a long MLB career. On December 11, 1959, Elmer was signed as a MLB free agent with the Yankees. He appeared in only 8 games for the Yankees in 1960 with no hits. The Washington Senators would pick him up.
1962 - New York Yankees Rookie OF/1B Joe Pepitone hits 2 HRs in the 9-run 8th-inning of the Yankees' 13-7 triumph over the Kansas City A’s. With his 2 homeruns, Joe becomes the only other Yankee besides Joe DiMaggio to hit 2 HRs in 1 inning. Joe Pepitone led off the 8th inning with a HR off of A’s starter Dan Pfister, later he hit a HR 3-run HR off of A’s closer John Wyatt. Also Yankees rookie INF Phil Linz gets his 1st MLB career hit, a HR.
1990 - Former Yankees OF Charles “King Kong” Keller (1939-1949, 1952) passed away (1916-1990). Charlie’s successful New York Yankees career was cut short by bad problems. He finished with a lifetime BA of .285 for the Yankees with 184 HR’s with 723 RBI’s. He was on the AL All Star team in 1940-1941, 1943, 1946-1947. He appeared in 4 World Series with the Yankees hitting .306 with 7 HRs with 11 RBIs in 19 games.
1995 - New York Yankees rookie starter Mario Rivera makes his MLB debut for the team, starting against the California Angels. Mo only lasts 3 ½ innings giving up 8 hits, 3 walks in a 10-0 loss to the Angels.
May 24th
1876 - Former Yankees C Fred Jacklitsch (1905) was born. On September 15, 1905, Fred was sent from the Providence (Eastern) to the New York Highlanders in an unknown transaction. He appeared in 1 game for the Yankees. Before the 1906 AL Season, he was sent from the Highlanders to the York (Tri-State) in an unknown transaction.
1900 - Former Yankees P Allan Shealy (1928) was born. He went 8-6 in 23 games with 2 saves for the 1928 Yankees.
1918 - Stan Coveleski of the Cleveland Indians pitched a 19-inning,complete game to defeat the Yankees by a score of 3-2. Former pitcher Smokey Joe Wood, now an outfielder, hit a HR for the win.
1926 - Former Yankees INF Willie Miranda (1953-1954) was born (1926-1996). On June 12, 1953, Willie was purchased by the New York Yankees from the St. Louis Browns. Willie was a slick fielding INF for the Yankees, who appeared in 130 games, hitting .241 for the Yankees before being sent to the Baltimore Orioles in the big 17-man trade in December of 1954.
1928 - In the 1st game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, a record 12 future Hall of Famers played in the Yankees 9–7 victory over the A’s. This number does not include non-playing Hall of Famers PitchersHerb Pennock and Stan Coveleski, Managers Miller Huggins and Connie Mack, nor AL umpire Tom Connolly.
1930 - New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hits HRs in both games of a doubleheader, giving him 9 HRs in one week.
1936 - Yankees INF Tony Lazzeri, batting 8th in the Yankees lineup, posted an AL record with 11 runs batted in, while hitting three HRs -2 of them grand slams - and a triple in a 25-2 rout of the Philadelphia A’s. His Yankees teammate, OF Ben Chapman sets the modern MLB record of reaching 1B safely, 7 times in a 9-inning game. Also Yankees INF Frank Crosetti hits 2-HRs and Joe DiMaggio had a solo HR shot.
1937 - Detroit Tigers future Hall Of Fame C Mickey Cochran’s MLB career is brought to a jarring premature end, when he is struck in the side of the head by a Yankees P Bump Hadley fastball at Yankee Stadium. Mickey Cochrane suffered a bad concussion and probable fracture and never really came back as an All Star catcher for the Tigers.
1946 - The New York Yankees announced the resignation of long time Manager Joe “Marsh” McCarthy (1931-1946). He is replaced by Bill Dickey, who is named the team’s interim manager. McCarthy resigned because of reported gall bladder troubles. During his 15-year run with the Yankees, he guided the Yankees to 8 AL pennants and 7 World Series Championship titles. His final Yankees Manager record was 1,460 wins with 867 losses with .627 WP. His 1,460 wins leads the Yankee managers all time victory list.
1946 - Former Yankees reserve C Ellie Rodriguez (1968) was born. On November 30, 1964, Ellie was drafted by the New York Yankees from the Kansas City A’s in the 1964 1st year MLB player draft. Ellie played for the Yankees in 1968, appearing only in 9 games, just batting .208 before going in the 1968 AL Expansion player draft to the Kansas City Royals.
1954 - Former Yankees reserve OF Bobby Brown (1979-1981) was born. On June 14, 1978, Bobby was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies along with OF Jay Johnstone to the Yankees for P Rawly Eastwick. Bobby’s best season with the Yankees was in 1980, when he hit .260 in 137 games. Overall Bobby hit .245 in 198 games for the Yankees. On April 6, 1982, Bobby was sent by the Yankees to the Seattle Mariners to complete an earlier deal made on April 1,1982. The Yankees sent a player to be named later, pitchers Bill Caudill, and Gene Nelson to the Mariners for P Shane Rawley. The Yankees sent OF Bobby Brown on April 6, 1982 to the Mariners to complete the trade.
1974 - Former Yankees P Cliff Markle (1915-1916,1924) passed away. Pitcher Cliff Markle played for the New York Yankees in 1915 and 1916.On March 21, 1919, Cliff was purchased by Salt Lake City (PCL) from theNew York Yankees. He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1921 and 1922. He joined the St. Paul Saints in 1923. On June 16, 1924, Cliff was traded by St Paul (American Association) to the New York Yankees for Oscar Roettger. On July 22,1924, Cliff was purchased by St Paul (American Association) from the New York Yankees. Cliff went 25-12 with a 3.36 ERA while leading the American Association with 184 strikeouts. He played briefly for the Yankees again in 1924 before returning to the Saints. Overall, he went 211-144 with a 3.69 ERA in his minor league career. His Yankees pitching career totals were
1977 - New York Yankees Graig Nettles and Carlos May slam back-to-back HR’s in the 7th inning during the Yankees 6-5 come back victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1981 - New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner rips into Yankees All Star OF/DH Reggie Jackson, after the Cleveland Indians defeated the Yankees by a score of 12-5. Reggie was mired in a 4 for 28 batting slump that has dropped his 1981 AL season batting average to .197.
1989 - Yankees reliever Lee Guetterman gave up 5 runs in the 9th inning of a New York 11-4 loss to the California Angels, ending his consecutive scoreless inning streak at 30 2/3 innings. It is the longest season-opening streak in the MLB since Harry Brecheen's in 1948, and the longest season-opening streak ever by a reliever.
May 25th
1922 - After being thrown out at 2B, trying to stretch a single, Yankees slugger Babe Ruth throws dirt in the face of Umpire George Hildebrand, then he goes after a fan. Ruth is ejected from the game. He is eventually fined $500 and suspended for 1 game by AL President Ban Johnson.
1950 - Former Yankees P John “The Count” Montefusco (1983-1986) was born. John went 10-3 in 24 games with the Yankees before serious hip problems ended his MLB pitching career. On August 26, 1983, John was traded by the San Diego Padres to the Yankees, for players to be named later and $200,000 cash. The Yankees would send hurlers Dennis Rasmussen and Edwin Rodriguez on September 12, 1983, to the Padres to complete the trade.
1974- The New York Yankees obtained P Larry Gura from the Texas Rangers for reserve C Duke Simms. Larry would go 5-1 for the Yankees in 1974, before being traded away to the Kansas City Royals by Yankees Manager Billy Martin during the 1976 AL season. His overall Yankees pitching record was 12-9. Larry Gura and Yankees Manager Billy Martin did not get along, as a Royal pitcher he would give Yankees constant trouble.
1978 - Former Yankees reserve OF Mike Vento (2005) was born. Mike was drafted by the Yankees in the 40th round of the 1997 MLB amateur player draft. In 2005, he appeared in 2 games with the Yankees with no BA.
May 26th
1928 - The Philadelphia A’s kick in 7 errors to lift the New York Yankees to a 7-4 win.
1932 - Former Yankees minor league manager and MLB Coach Joe Altobelli was born. Joe led the Columbus Clippers (AAA) to an International League title in 1980. Also he served as Yankees MLB coach on the 1981-1982 teams. He would later manage the Baltimore Orioles.
1952 - The New York Yankees released veteran OF Johnny Hopp. On September 5, 1950, Johnny was purchased by the Yankees from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .333 in 19 games in 1950. In 1951, he hit .206 in 46 games. At the time of his release, he was hitting only .160 in 16 games. He would be signed by the Detroit Tigers, hitting .217 before retiring from MLB at the end of the 1952 AL season.
1959 - The Yankees re-obtained P Ralph Terry and INF/OF Hector Lopez from the Kansas City A’s for hurlers Johnny Kucks and Tom Sturdivant and INF Jerry Lumpe. Terry had his MLB seasoning with the A’s, was now ready to pitch for the Yankees. Johnny Kucks and Tommy Sturdivant were battling arm problems, causing them to be ineffective on the mound. INF Jerry Lumpe was unable to unseat Tony Kubek at shortstop or Bobby Richardson at 2B. He would become a regular 2B with the A’s.
1962 - Detroit Tigers All Star RF Al Kaline fractured his collarbone while making a dramatic game-saving catch in right field. Kaline helped preserve a Tigers 2-1 victory over the Yankees, but he will miss 2 months of the 1962 AL season with the collarbone injury.
1971 - The New York Yankees obtained P Rob Gardner from the Oakland A’s for 1B Curt Blefary. In 1970, Rob went 1-0 for the Yankees, before being traded to the A’s for OF Felipe Alou. Gardner would go 8-5 in 1972 for the Yankees. Curt Blefary was a former Yankees minor league player (1963), who couldn’t hit anymore, when he returned to the team in 1969 in a trade with the Houston Astros for veteran All Star 1B/OF Joe Pepitone.
1973 - Former Yankees OF Chicken Hawks (1921) passed away. He hit .280 with 2 HRs with15 RBIs in 41 games for the Yankees in 1921.
1975 - Former Yankees DH/1B Travis Lee (2004) was born.Travis Lee spent most of his New York Yankees stay in 2004 on DL with a major shoulder injury that occurred in spring training.
1996 - Former Yankees 1B Don Bollweg (1953) passed away (1921-1996). On May 14, 1951, Don was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals along with $15,000 to the Yankees for veteran INF Billy Johnson. Don hit .297 in 70 games for the Yankees in 1953. Don appeared in 3 games of 1953 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers with no hits. On December 16,1953, Don was traded by the Yankees along with OF Jim Finigan, P Johnny Gray, 1B Vic Power, OF Bill Renna and C Jim Robertson to the Philadelphia A’s for INF Loren Babe, P Harry Byrd, OF Tom Hamilton, OF Carmen Mauro and 1B Eddie Robinson.
2006 - Angel Berroa hit a 3-run HR in the 8th inning, as the Kansas City Royals escaped a jam in the bottom of the 9th inning after a near 2-hour rain delay, edging the Yankees by the score of 7-6, to halt a 13-game losing streak and 14-game streak at Yankee Stadium since 2005. The Royals' 19-game losing streak from July 28th-August 19th last season was the only mark longer in Royals franchise history. Reggie Sanders hit his 299th MLB career HR for the Royals. After his next HR, he will become the just the 5th player in MLB history with at least 300 HRs with 300 stolen bases, joining Bobby and Barry Bonds, Andre Dawson and Willie Mays. For the Yankees, Derek Jeter got his 2,000th MLB career hit in the contest, becoming the 8th player in New York Yankees club history to reach the milestone.
May 27th
1914 - The New York Yankees sell P Guy Cooper to the Boston Red Sox for cash. Guy appeared in only 1 game for the Yankees with no record.
1933 - The Yankees enter the 8th inning trailing Chicago White Sox starter Ted Lyons by a score of 11-3, when they score 12 runs in that inning to win the game by a score of 15-11. The Yankees 12-run 8th inning rally was capped by a Grand Slam HR by Yankees C Bill Dickey to win the game.
1949 - Former Yankees MLB and Minor League Pitching Coach Mark Connors was born. He hooked on with the Yankees organization in 1979, serving as a MLB scout for the 1st year. Next, he was the pitching coach for the Greensboro Hornets AA (1980-1982), Columbus Clippers AAA (1983-mid-1984), and Fort Lauderdale Yankees A (mid-1985). He also served the first 2 of 3 stints as a MLB coach for the Yankees (mid-1984 to mid-1985 and May, 1986-1987). He was the Yankees Bullpen coach in 1990 and 1993. Mark was the team’s MLB pitching coach in 1991-92.
1960 - Baltimore Orioles catcher Clint “Scraps “ Courtney used an oversized catchers’ mitt in an effort to handle the knuckleball pitches of PHoyt Wilhelm. The mitt, designed by Baltimore manager Paul Richards, a former MLB catcher was 50 percent larger than the standard catcher’s mitt. Courtney handled Wilhelm's pitches flawlessly in a 3-2 win over the Yankees. The oversized mitt will later be banned by the AL. Courtney was a former Yankees minor league catcher, who had been blocked by Yogi Berra. Also he was one of the 1st modern MLB catchers to wear glasses behind the catcher’s mask during the 1950’s.
May 28th
1923 - Former Yankees P Bob “Sarge” Kuzava (1951-1954) was born. On June 15, 1951, Bob was traded by the Washington Senators to the New York Yankees for pitchers Fred Sanford, Tom Ferrick and Bob Porterfield. Bob went 23-20 in 104 games with 13 saves for the Yankees. He appeared in 3 World Series for the Yankees (1951-1953), going 0-0 in 3 games, with 2 saves, with an ERA of 2.08. On August 7, 1954, Bob was selected off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles from the Yankees.
1927 - In his 1st starting assignment for the New York Yankees, reliever PWilcy Moore loses a heartbreaker to the Washington Senators by the score of 3-2, in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Lou Gehrig is spiked at1st base by Bucky Harris as Firpo Marberry scored the winning run. The Yankees won the opener by the score of 8-2, as Babe Ruth hit his 12th HRof the year, a 3-run shot. Despite fracturing his left thumb in batting practice, OF Tris Speaker played most of Game 1 for the Senators
1941 - The New York Yankees defeated the Washington Senators by a score of 6-5, in the 1st night game played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C.
1946 - The 1st night game is played at Yankee Stadium as the Washington Senators beat the Yankees by a score of 2-1. The crowd of 49,917 fans came to the 1st night game by Yankees, showing the value of night games over daytime games, especially on weeknights.
1956 - The New York Yankees waived veteran reliever Gerry Staley to the Chicago White Sox. On September 14, 1955, Gerry was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Cincinnati Reds. He would only appear in 3 games for the Yankees with no record. He would become one of the main bullpen pitchers of the 1959 Chicago White Sox AL championship team’s pitching staff.
1960 - Veteran New York Yankees Manager Casey Stengel is hospitalized with a virus, forcing MLB coach Ralph Houk to take over the team for 13 games. Houk made several changes that were retained, when Casey Stengel came back to the team, including putting Clete Boyer at 3B, which clearly helped the Yankees rally from 3rd place to win the 1960 AL pennant. The other changes included moving Hector Lopez from 3B to LF and letting reserve Johnny Blanchard do some of the catching duties. The Yankees went 7-6 under Ralph Houk’s control. Houk had passed his audition for the Yankees Managers job, because Casey Stengel’s Yankees manager contract would expire in October 1960. Also this was a sign that the platoon system in the Yankees infield was expiring.
1968 - The AL owners agreed to divide itself into 2 divisions and reduced its schedule to 156 games. The following divisional alignment is set for the 1969 AL season: Eastern: Orioles, Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, Yankees, and Senators. Western: Angels, White Sox, Royals, Twins, Athletics, and Mariners.
1968 - Former Yankees minor league P Rickey Rhodes was born. Brother of MLB pitcher Arthur Rhodes, Ricky Rhodes was drafted in the 35th round by the Yankees in the 1987 MLB amateur player draft. In his 4 minor league seasons, he posted an ERA of 4.48. In his final minor league season, his ERA was 5.50 for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees (A).
1971 - Former Yankees 3B Clete Boyer, involved in a dispute with the Atlanta Braves Owner Paul Richards and Manager Lum Harris over alleged silly rules and mismanagement, is released and retires from MLB. Boyer had hit safely in the last 9 games of his 16-season career, including 5 HRs with 14 RBIs. A Gold Glove 3B Boyer was a .242 hitter with 162 HRs with 654 RBIs in 1,725 games for the A’s, Yankees and the Braves. Clipper Notes: Why the Yankees never made a bid to re-obtained Clete Boyer is still puzzling, because they were still having very serious problems at 3B, which would not be solved until the arrival of Graig Nettles in a trade from the Indians in November of 1972. Clete Boyer would go on to play professional baseball in Japan, before finally retiring as an active player. He would become a MLB coach for Billy Martin with the A’s and Yankees. Sadly Clete Boyer passed away in 2007.
1971 - The New York Yankees obtained P Jim Hardin from the Baltimore Orioles for P Bill Burbach, who was a failed 1st pick MLB amateur draft choice. Jim Hardin was still recovering from arm problems. Hardin went 0-2 in 12 games with the Yankees before being released by the team. Jim passed away in 1991.
1977 - New York Yankees starter Ron Guidry has a rare bad outing dropping a 9-4, a 16-hit loss to the Chicago White Sox before a Jacket Day crowd of 54,881 fans at Yankee Stadium.
1991 - Former Yankees reserve OF/INF Roy Cullenbine (1942) passed away. On August 31, 1942, Roy was selected off waivers by the New York Yankees from the Washington Senators. Roy appeared in 21 games with the Yankees hitting .364. Roy appeared 5 games of the 1942 World Series, hitting .263 for the Yankees. On December 17,1942, Roy was traded by the New York Yankees along with C Buddy Rosar to theCleveland Indians for INF Oscar Grimes and OF Roy Weatherly.
1995 - Rookie starter Mario Rivera makes his 2nd MLB start for the Yankees, picking up a 4-1 victory over the Oakland A’s. It is the only Yankee victory in a 10 game west coast road trip. Rivera had lost his MLB debut start on May 23rd to the California Angels, losing by a score of 10-0, lasting only 3 1/3 innings.
2004 - New York Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera posted his 300th MLB career save in a Yankees 7-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He also became the 1st Yankee and 17th reliever in MLB history to reach the 300 MLB save milestone.
May 29th
1875 - Former Yankees OF/3B David Fultz (1903-1905) was born. In March of 1903, the New York Highlanders purchased Dave Fultz from the Philadelphia A’s. Dave hit .240 in 305 games for the Yankees, before being traded back to the A’s for OF Danny Hoffman.
1910 - Former Yankees 1B George Mc Quinn (1947-1948) was born. On November 22, 1935, George was sent from the New York Yankees to the Cincinnati Reds in an unknown transaction. After appearing 38 games in 1936 for the Reds, he was returned to the Yankees. On October 5, 1937, he was drafted by the St. Louis Browns from the Yankees in the 1937 MLB Rule 5 player draft. On January 25, 1947, George was signed as a free agent with the Yankees. He hit .308 in 144 games in 1947. The next season, he slumped to .248 mark in 94 games. George had a good career with the St. Louis Browns, after leaving with the Yankees in the 1930’s, where he was blocked by the presence of Hall Of Fame 1B Lou Gehrig.
1941 - Former Yankees reserve INF John Kennedy (1967) was born. After being obtained from the LA Dodgers for OF/1B John Miller and P Jack Cullen, John hit .196 in 78 games for the Yankees before being purchased by the Seattle Pilots in 1968. He was not the answer to the 1967 Yankees infield problems.
1965 - Former Yankees 3B Charlie Hayes (1992, 1996-1997) was born. On February 19, 1992, Charlie was sent by the Philadelphia Phillies to theNew York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on January 8, 1992. The Philadelphia Phillies sent a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for minor league P Darrin Chapin. Charlie hit .257in 142 games for the Yankees. On November 17, 1992, Charlie was drafted by theColorado Rockies from the New York Yankees as the 3rd pick in the 1992 MLB player expansion draft. On August 30, 1996, Charlie was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. The New York Yankees sent Chris Corn (minors) (August 31, 1996) to the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete the trade. He shared the Yankees 3B duties with Wade Boggs. He appeared in 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, hitting only .188. On November 11,1997, Charlie was traded by the New York Yankees with cash to the San Francisco Giantsfor C Alberto Castillo and OF Chris Singleton.
1966 - Former Yankees P Hippo Vaughn (1908-1912) passed away (1888-1966). Pitcher Hippo Vaughn began his MLB career with the New York Highlanders in 1908. He was traded to the Washington Senators in the middle of the 1912 AL season. However, he achieved his greatest success after joining the Chicago Cubs the following year. In 9 seasons with the club, he won 20 games 5 times. His best season for the New York Yankees was in 1910, when he posted a 13-11 record. His Yankees pitching career totals were 23-29 in 73 games.
1976 - Former Yankees reserve INF/OF Jerry Hariston Jr. (2009) was born. Jerry Hairston is the son of Jerry Hairston Sr., brother of Scott Hairston, grandson of Sammy Hairston, and nephew of Johnny Hairston and Sam Hairston Jr.. He is part of only 3 three-generation MLB families, theBoones and Bells being the other two. On July 31, 2009, Jerry was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Yankees for minor league PChase Weems. Jerry appeared in 45 games for the Yankees, hitting .237. Jerry appeared in 3 games of the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .167. On November 10, 2009, the New York Yankees granted Jerry MLB free agency. He would sign with the San Diego Padres for the 2010 MLB season.
1977 - New York Yankees starter Ed Figueroa wins his 7th straight complete game defeating the Chicago White Sox by a score of 5-2. The Yankees 1B Chris Chambliss supplied most of the run support with a 2-run HR and a rare steal of home plate.
1980 - New York Yankees starter Luis Tiant is fined $500 for dropping the ball to the ground and throwing his glove into the stands in what appeared to be an act of defiance after Manager Richard Howser removed him from the game. Tiant had pitched shutout ball for 6 2/3 innings before giving up a triple to Barry Bonnell and then walking Al Woods. Yankees Manager Howser brought in closer Rich Gossage from the bullpen, and the “Goose" recorded his 5th save of the 1980 AL season. According to Tiant, he went to hand the ball to Howser while looking upward and did not see that the manager’s hands had returned to his hip pockets.
2000 - The Oakland A’s 2B Randy Velarde turned an unassisted triple play, just the 11th in MLB history, on a line drive hit by Yankees batterShane Spencer. With runners on 1st and 2nd bases running with the pitch, Velarde tagged Jorge Posada as he neared 2nd base, then touched the base to retire Tino Martinez. In 1995 spring training game, while with the Yankees, Velarde turned an unassisted triple play against the Dodgers.
2002 - New York Yankees starter Roger Clemens becomes the 3rd MLB pitcher to strike out 10 or more batters in at least 100 games. Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (175) are the other two MLB hurlers to have accomplished this feat.
2009 - On the road, the New York Yankees top the Cleveland Indians by the score of 3-1. Mariano Rivera saves an Andy Pettitte win for the 58th time, setting a new record for a pitcher duo; the old mark had been held by Dennis Eckersley and Bob Welch.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
