This Week in Yankees History
May 2nd - May 8th
May 2nd
May 2nd - May 8th
May 2nd
1923 - Walter Johnson recorded his 1st shutout of the 1923 season and the 100th of his MLB record 113 career shutouts as the Washington Senators defeated the Yankees by the score of 3-0. Yankees shortstop Everett Scott received a medal from the AL for playing in his 1,000th consecutive game. Scott ‘s streak extended for another 307 games, giving him an MLB record of 1,307 games, until future Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig broke it with his 2,130 consecutive games streak.
1939 - Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees did not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending at 2,130 his streak of consecutive games played. An ailing Gehrig removed himself from the Yankees starting lineup, telling his manager Joe McCarthy that he could not play because of continuing weakness. Doctors will later diagnose Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal disease that affects the muscles. Gehrig will never play again for the Yankees. Lou Gehrig replacement at 1st base, Babe Dahlgren led the Yankees hitting attack with a HR and double as the Yankees beat the Tigers by a score of 22-2.
1948 - Former Yankees P Larry Gowell (1972) was born. In 1967, the Yankees in the 4th round of the MLB amateur player draft drafted Larry Gowell. He went 0-1 in 2 games for the Yankees during the 1972 AL season. On October 4, 1972, Gowell hit a double off of Brewers P Jim Lonborg for his 1st and only MLB hit and the last hit by a pitcher in a regular season AL game before the start of the DH rule. The baseball Gowell hit was accepted as a historical baseball into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, where it now resides.
1962 - Former Yankees reserve INF Jim Walewander (1990) was born. Jim appeared in only 9 games for the 1990 Yankees, hitting just .200.
1965 - Former Yankees reserve OF Felix Jose (2000) was born. Felix appeared 20 games for the 2000 Yankees, hitting .241.
1975 - Former Yankees minor league P Mark Johnson was born. On February 1,1999, Mark was traded by the Florida Marlins along with pitchers Todd Noel (minors) and Ed Yarnall to the New York Yankees for 3B Mike Lowell. Mark did not appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. On December 13, 1999, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers from the New York Yankees in the 1999 MLB Rule 5 player draft.
1979 - Former Yankees minor league P Jason Arnold was born. In 2001, Jason Arnold was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round (63rd overall) of the amateur MLB player draft. He signed for $400,000. Arnold began his pro career at short season A with the Staten Island Yankees. He went 7-2 with a 1.50 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Opponents hit just .157 against him. He was 3rd in the New York-Penn League in ERA, behind only Ross Peeples and Ian Snell. On July 27, 2001, Jason no-hit the Vermont Expos, it was the league's lone no-hitter that year. He made the league All-Star team alongside Snell as the top right-handed pitchers. Baseball America rated him the #9 prospect in the Yankees chain, the #3 pitcher after Brandon Claussen and Sean Henn. In 2002, he started the season in the Yankees system pitching well for both the Tampa Yankees (7-1, 2.48, and 83 K in 80 IP) and Norwich Navigators (1-2, 4.15, 18 K in 17 1/3 IP). In July, Arnold was traded in a deal that sent him, P Ted Lilly and OF John-Ford Griffin from the Yankees to the Oakland A’s. The Yankees got P Jeff Weaver from the Detroit Tigers and Detroit picked up 1B Carlos Pena, P Franklyn German and P Jeremy Bonderman from Oakland. The A’s traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays. He retired as a player in 2006, unable to recover fully from arm injuries
1984 - Former Yankees minor league pitcher now with the Chicago White Sox, LaMarr Hoyt faced 27 batters in a 3-0, a 1-hitter shutout against the Yankees. Don Mattingly had the only hit for New York, an opposite-field blooper in the 7th inning, which is followed by a double play. Hoyt was one of the Yankee minor leaguers sent to the White Sox in the Bucky Dent trade made in 1977.
1992 - Yankees P Scott Sanderson became the 12th pitcher in MLB history to surrender 4 HRS in a single inning. Sanderson was rocked in the 5th inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins with Shane Mack, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, and Randy Bush hitting the HRs. The Twins need all the homers as they won the game by a score of 7-6.
1995 - The Boston Red Sox defeat the Yankees by the score of 8-0, scoring their runs on grand slams in back-to-back innings by former college teammates John Valentin and Mo Vaughn. According to SABR statistician David Vincent, it is the 1st time ever that 2 grand slam HRs account for all the runs scored in a MLB game.
1998 - New York Yankees pitchers Roger Clemens (7 innings) and Paul Quantrill (2 innings) combine to 1-hit the Oakland Athletics, by the score of 7-0. Oakland's only hit is a single by rookie Ben Grieve.
May 3rd
1904 - Former Yankees HOF P Charles “Red” Ruffing (1930-1942, 1945-1946) was born. Red would lead the Yankee pitchers in career wins with 231 wins, until Whitey Ford broke the club record in 1967, who finished with 236 wins as a Yankee. Also he was a pretty good pitching pitcher for the Yankees hitting a Grand Slam HR. Ruffing will win 273 games during a 22-year MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1967.
1912 - Leading by the score of 18-5 after 8-innings, Philadelphia A’s pitchers gave up a record 9-inning outburst of 10 runs to the Yankees before finally P Eddie Plank stopped them at 18-15.
1916 - Former Yankees C Ken “Hawk” Silvestri (1941, 1946-1947) was born. Hawk played in 33 games for the Yankees, before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
1936 - Future HOF CF Joe DiMaggio made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees. Joe had 3 hits in a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Browns at Yankee Stadium. Joe hits a triple and 2 singles drove in a run and scored 3 runs.
1945 - The Yankees released veteran OF Paul “Big Poison” Waner (1944-1945). He had retired as a MLB player. He appeared in 10 games with the Yankees (1944-1945) after a fine MLB career in the NL retiring with a lifetime BA of .333.
1950 - Yankees starter Vic Raschi commits 4 balks in his 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox, thereby tying a MLB record for balks in a game. He would finish the 1950 AL season with a record tying 6 balks. Raschi was troubled by the new rule that requires a one-second stop before delivery with men on base.
1951 - Yankees rookie INF Gil McDougald ties modern MLB record by driving in 6 runs in 1 inning by tripling home 2 runs and adding a grand slam HR later. The Yanks score 11 runs in that 9th inning, a MLB record for runs scored in the final inning of a regulation game. They chased 3 St. Louis Browns pitchers and won the game by a score of 17-3 at St. Louis’ Sportsman Park. Gil would go on to win the AL Rookie Of Year award for the 1951 AL season.
1952 - The Yankees obtained OF Irv Noren and INF Tom Upton from the Washington Senators for OF Jackie Jensen and Archie Wilson, P Spec Shea and INF Jerry Snyder. Jackie Jensen was expendable because the Yankees had Mickey Mantle, Hank Bauer, and Gene Woodling playing in the outfield.
1959 - OF Charley Maxwell of the Detroit Tigers hit 4 consecutive HRs in a doubleheader sweep of the Yankees by scores of 4-2 and 8-2, at Briggs Stadium. During his MLB career Maxwell will hit 40 of his 148 MLB HRs on Sunday. He loved to hit against the Yankees, he hit over 23 HR’s against them during his MLB career with the Tigers and White Sox.
1965 - The Yankees obtained C Doc Edwards from the Kansas City A’s for P Rolland Sheldon and C Johnny Blanchard. This is a classic Yankees GM Ralph Houk trade trading bad for worst and trying to save player contract money ordered by the new CBS ownership. Doc Edwards hit .190 in 45 games for the Yankees. At the age of 32, Johnny Blanchard had only played in 12 games hitting just .145 for the Yankees. He would retire as MLB Player in spring of 1966, after playing for the Kansas City A’s and Milwaukee Braves in 1965. John was still a better defensive catcher than Edwards, who would go to the minors in 1966, before returning to MLB for his final season with Philadelphia Phillies in 1970. Plus Blanchard still could play 1B/OF. Sheldon appeared only in 3 games with the Yankees, with a 0-0 record, before the trade to the A’s. He would finish the 1965 AL season with a 10-8 record in 32 games. Yankees should have held on to both of them.
1980 - Yankees 1B Don Mattingly connected for 3 sacrifice flies in a 9-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. Don Mattingly became only the 6th MLB player to accomplish this feat.
1991 - Former Yankees Bonus Baby 1B Frank Leja (1954-1955) passed away (1936-1991). Frank was signed out of high school in 1953, with rave reviews by scouts as being the next Lou Gehrig. He was on the Yankees MLB roster for 2 years because of the 2-year rule that required bonus players, who signed for a certain amount of money had to stay with their MLB team for 2 years. He appeared in only 19 games in 1954-1955 AL seasons for the Yankees before going to the minors, with Bill Skowron, Elston Howard and Marv Thornberry ahead of him at 1B on the Yankees and in the farm system. In 1961, he was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. Frank would reappear briefly in the majors in 1962 with the expansion LA Angels, appearing in only 7 games. His final MLB BA was .043 in 26 games.
2004 - Former Yankees reserve C Darrell Johnson (1957-1958) passed away. Darrell joined the New York Yankees in the winter of 1954, as part of the 17-player trade between the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He was back up catcher for Yogi Berra during the 1957-58 AL seasons. He appeared in only 26 games hitting just .226 for the Yankees. On November 30, 1959, Darrell was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals from the Yankees organization in the 1959 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He would later become a MLB manager after his active MLB playing days were over.
May 4th
1918 - The Yankees set a MLB record by recording 8 sacrifices in 1 game (6 bunts and 2 sac flies) during their 5-4 win at Fenway Park. The Yankees took advantage of the less-than-nimble and far-from-handed Red Sox pitcher named Babe Ruth.
1929 - Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig hits 3 consecutive HRs against the Tigers during an 11-9 victory at Yankee Stadium. Also during the 6th inning, Lou’s 2nd HR was sandwiched between HR’s by his Yankees teammates Bob Meusel and Babe Ruth.
1931 - In an effort to put less strain on his leg, Babe Ruth played 1B as Lou Gehrig moved to right field. Gehrig committed a costly error in the outfield helping the Washington Senators beat the Yankees, by a score of 7-3. This change of positions experiment ends the next day.
1933 - Yankees starter Lefty Gomez’s no-hit bid is spoiled in the 9th inning, when Detroit Tigers 2B Charlie Gehringer leads off the 9th inning with a HR. Gerald Walker follows with a double, goes to 3rd on a wild pitch by Gomez, score on a INF out before finally Gomez settles down and retires the side. Final score of the game was Yankees 5, Tigers 2.
1936 - The Yankees waived OF Dixie Walker to the Chicago White Sox. Dixie Walker was blocked by the current Yankees Outfield (DiMaggio, Selkirk and Chapman), with Keller and Henrich right behind him in the Yankees farm system. Dixie would have a good MLB career in NL, especially with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1971 - Former Yankees P Joe Borowski (1997-1998) was born. Joe went 1-1 in 25 games for the Yankees, after being obtained from the Atlanta Braves.
1974 - Former Yankees reserve INF/OF Miguel Cairo (2004, 2006-2007) was born. Miguel appeared in 257 games for the Yankees, hitting .269.
1981 - Yankees reliever Ron Davis struck out 8 consecutive batters in the 4-2 victory over the Angels at Anaheim Stadium, tying a AL record set by Nolan Ryan.
1985 - Former Yankees P and AL Umpire Bill Kunkel (1963) passed away from cancer (1936-1985). On November 26, 1962, Bill was drafted by the Yankees from the Milwaukee Braves in the 1962 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Bill went 3-2 in 23 games with the Yankees during the 1963 AL season. After retiring as an active player, he became a professional umpire reaching the ML in 1968. He was the father of former MLB shortstop Jeff Kunkel.
May 5th
1903 - The Yankees turn their 1st triple play in their club’s history during an 11-3 win against the Philadelphia A’s.
1914 - The Yankees turn a triple play during a 6-0 loss to the Washington Senators.
1922 - Construction begins at 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx for Yankee Stadium, the 11-month building project would be finished allowing the Yankees to open the 1923 AL Season, ending the Yankees stay at the Polo Grounds.
1925 - Shortstop Everett Scott of the Yankees was benched; ending his streak of 1,307 consecutive games played that started in 1918, while playing for the Boston Red Sox. Scott, who gave way to Pee Wee Wanninger at shortstop, had the longest MLB playing streak before Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig started his 2,130 game MLB streak.
1925 - The Yankees obtained OF Bobby Veach and P Alex Ferguson from the Boston Red Sox for P Ray Francis and $8,000 in cash. Veach hit .353 in 56 games for the Yankees. Bobby was the only Yankee to ever pinch-hit for Babe Ruth. He would retire after the 1925 AL season.
1926 - Former Yankees OF Bob Cerv (1951-1956, 1960-1962) was born. The Yankees signed Bob Cerv in 1950. He played for them from 1951-1956, before being sold to the Kansas City A’s. He returned to the Yankees in May of 1960, in a trade that saw former starting 3B Andy Carey go to the A’s. The Yankees lost him in the 1960 AL player expansion draft to the Los Angeles Angels. He returned to the Yankees in May of 1961 along with veteran reliever Tex Clevenger for Yankee pitchers Ryne Duren, Johnny James and OF Lee Thomas. The Yankees sold Bob in June of 1962 to the new NL expansion team, the Houston Colt 45s. Bob was always a good OF and hitter for the Yankees, but he could never break into a fulltime position in the Yankees outfield. His best MLB season was in 1958 as regular outfielder for Kansas City A’s, making the AL All Star team that season.
1954 - Baltimore Orioles starter Bob Turley gave up 2 hits to the Yankees but was defeated by Yankees Eddie Lopat by the score of 4-2. Yankees 1B Joe Collins drove in 3 runs for the Yankees with a triple. It was Turley's second 2-hit loss of the 1954 AL season; the Cleveland Indians had defeated him on April 2nd.
1970 - Former Yankees P Juan Acevedo (2003) was born. Juan was signed as a MLB free agent in January 2003. He went 0-3 in 25 games with 6 saves for the Yankees bullpen in 2003, before leaving the team for free agency.
1974 - Former Yankees P Vito Tamulis (1934-1935) passed away. Vito posted an 11-5 record with 1 save in 31 games. On December 4, 1937, he was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for Harry Davis.
May 6th
1890 - Former Yankees INF Luke “Danny” Boone (1913-1916) was born. Danny hit .236 in 88 games with the Yankees before finishing his MLB career with
the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1918.
1907 - Former Yankees P Ivy “Poison” Andrews (1931-1932, 1937-1938) was born. He went 8-6 for the Yankees during his 2 visits with the Yankees.
1911 - The New York Yankees turn a triple play during a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
1914 - The Yankees win a scheduled 7th inning game with the Washington Senators by a score of 4-0. During the pre-flight era, MLB games were occasionally shorten to 7 innings by mutual agreement by both teams, so as to allow the visiting team to catch a train on “getaway day.”
1915 - Babe Ruth, as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox had 3 hits, including his 1st MLB HR when he connected off of Yankees P Jack Warhop at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees edge the Red Sox by the score of 4-3 in 13 innings.
1921 - Former Yankees PH Richard Wakefield (1950) was born. On December 17, 1949, he was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Yankees for 1B Richard Kryhoski. Richard appeared in 2 games with the Yankees.
1930 - The Yankees obtained P Charles “Red” Ruffing (1930-1942, 1945-1946) from the Red Sox for OF Cedric Durst and $50,000 in cash. Red would led the Yankee pitchers in career wins with 231 wins, until the club record was passed by Whitey Ford in 1967, who finished with 236 wins as a Yankee. Also he was a pretty good hitting pitcher for the Yankees hitting .270 with 31 HRs and 213 RBIs. Ruffing will win 273 games during a 22-year career with the Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox. He will gain election to the Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1967.
1941 - Detroit Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg made the most of his last MLB game before entering the U.S. military for WW II, a memorable one, as he hits 2 HRs with 3 RBIs helping the Tigers to a 7-4 victory over the Yankees.
1982 - Gaylord Perry of the Seattle Mariners became the 15th MLB pitcher with 300 career victories, when he defeated the Yankees by the score of 7-3 at the Kingdome. Perry became the 1st pitcher to notch his 300th MLB career victory, since Early Wynn did it during the 1963 AL season.
1985 - Former Yankees reserve C Joe Glenn (1932-1933, 1935-1938) passed away. Joe Glenn was the back-up catcher for Bill Dickey. On October 26, 1938, Joe was traded by the Yankees along with OF Myril Hoag to the St. Louis Browns for P Oral Hildebrand and OF Buster Mills.
2005 - Former Yankees P Lee Stine (1938) passed away. (1913-2005) On December 19, 1936, Lee was purchased by the Yankees from the Cincinnati Reds. Lee Stine pitched 4 years in the majors, while he was young, finishing up with the 1938 Yankees, for whom he pitched in 4 games at age 24. His ERA that year with the Yankees was 1.04. He did not pitch in the 1938 World Series for the Yankees.
2007 - The Yankees Hideki Matsui doubles to left in an at-bat against Jarrod Washburn. It his 2,000th hit between MLB and NPB and makes him the 46th member of the meikyukai.
May 7th
1896 - Former Yankees P Jonathan “Tom” Zachary (1928-1930) was born. Tom was the Washington Senators pitcher, who gave up Babe Ruth’s 60th Homerun on September 30, 1927. Tom was 16-4 with the Yankees, including a 12-0 mark in 1929, before being sold to the Boston Braves in 1930.
1903 - The New York Highlanders lose to the Boston Red Sox by the score of 6-2 in the 1st game played between the 2 teams. Bill Dineen was the winning pitcher for the Red Sox. Snake Wilse took the lost for the Highlanders. Red Sox 2B Hobe Ferris hit a HR.
1913 - Yankees starter Ray Keating yields a 2nd inning single to Chas Deal, then he pitches no-hit ball the rest of the way in a 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1943 - Former Yankees OF Steve Whitaker (1966-1968)) was born. He was talented player, who couldn’t control his temper. He batted .246, .243 and .221 for the Yankees. He was drafted by the Kansas Royals in 1968 AL player expansion draft. Steve was traded by the Royals to the Seattle Pilots for OF Lou Piniella during spring training. He finished his short MLB career with the San Francisco Giants.
1944 - Former Yankees minor league OF Billy Murphy was born. In 1962, the Yankees signed Billy Murphy, as an MLB amateur free agent. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 29, 1965, he was drafted by the New York Mets from the Yankees organization in the 1965 MLB Rule 5 player draft.
1957 - At a night game in Cleveland, Indians starter Herb Score was hit on the right eye by a line drive off the bat of Yankees Gil McDougald in the 1st inning. The ball broke Score's nose and damaged his eye; he will miss the rest of the 1957 AL season. The Yankees win the game by a score of 2-1. The eye injury effectively ended Score’s MLB pitching career. He was never the same power strikeout pitcher. Also the injury to Score affected Gil McDougal, who never as aggressive at the plate like he had been. He would retire from baseball after the 1960 World Series, refusing to go to the new Senators and turning down a $100,000 offer to be the player-manager of the other new expansion team, Los Angeles Angels. He would become the baseball Coach at Fordham University during the 1960’s.
1959 - The largest crowd in baseball history, 93,103 fans jam the Los Angeles Coliseum to watch the World Champion New York Yankees play the Los Angeles Dodgers in an exhibition game held for the benefit of crippled former Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers starter Sandy Koufax by a score of 6-2.
1966 - After only 4 victories in the 1st 20 games of the 1966 AL season, the Yankees Manager Johnny Keane was fired and was replaced by the team's GM and former skipper, Ralph Houk. The 1966 Yankees would post a 70-89 record; finishing last in AL. Johnny Keane was the wrong manager for the Yankees, replacing the popular Yogi Berra in October of 1964. Ralph Houk deserved to finish last place in 1966, since he was responsible for some of the poorest player personnel moves ever made in the team’s history, including the hiring of Keane to replace Berra, while he was the Yankees General Manager (1964-1966).
1969 - Former Yankees reserve 2B Ray Mack (1947) passed away. On December 6, 1946, Ray was traded by the Cleveland Indians along with C Sherman Lollar to the Yankees for OF Hal Peck, P Al Gettel, and P Gene Bearden. Ray appeared with only 1 game with the Yankees in 1947, before being sent to the Chicago White Sox. Lollar would share catching duties with Aaron Robinson and Yogi Berra, before being traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns in December of 1948.
1999 - Hideki Irabu of the Yankees opposes Mac Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners in the 1st match up of Japanese starting pitchers in MLB history. The Yankees win the game by a score of 10-1 with Ibrau going 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run. Suzuki lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up 5 hits, 7 runs, 5 walks and 3 strikeouts.
May 8th
1891 - Former Yankees P Chester “Red” Hoff (1911-1913) was born. Red went 0-2 in 12 games for the Yankees.
1903 - After losing their 1st ever game against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees behind starter Jack Chesbro, win by a score of 6-1 for their 1st victory. He throws a 6-hitter.
1911 - At New York, Boston Red Sox starter Smokey Joe Wood beats the Yankees by the score of 4-0, in 6 innings. He gives up just 1 hit, a single to Ray Caldwell.
1915 - The Yankees pound the Red Sox, by the score of 10-3, scoring all of their runs in the 4th inning. Sixteen Yankees will come to the plate in the 4th inning.
1919 - Yankees ace Bob Shawkey retires the 1st 14 batters, he faces, then he allows a single for the A’s only hit as the Yankees beat the Philadelphia A’s by score of 2-0.
1926 - The Yankees score 7 runs in the 2nd inning but lose to Detroit Tigers by the score of 14 -10, knocking themselves out of the AL lead; as the Washington Senators move into 1st place.
1927 - The Yankees draw a record crowd of 52,000 fans to Comiskey Park, but starter Waite Hoyt spoils the party by winning one of his league-leading 22 games, by a score of 9-0, the 2nd straight shutout of the Chicago White Sox. Yankees C Pat Collins homers in the 7th inning, while 1B Lou Gehrig adds a pair of triples.
1937 - Former Yankees OF Arturo Lopez (1965) was born. The Yankees signed Art as an MLB amateur free agent in 1961. When injuries struck the regular Yankee outfielders in 1965, Arturo was not the answer for the Yankees, appearing in 38 games, hitting just .143. A .280 hitter in the minors, he could never hit that well with the Yankees. He would play baseball in Japan with former Yankees teammate Joe Pepitone.
1953 - After 13 straight losses to the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox win a dramatic 11-inning, 2-1 thriller at Fenway Park. Billy Goodman's HR off of Yankees starter Johnny Sain gives Red Sox starter Hal Brown the victory. Dick Gernert's 2nd inning HR is the other Boston score. In Red Sox previous win over the Yankees on August 9, 1952, all of the Red Sox scoring came on solo HRs.
1957 - The Cleveland Indians clout 3 homers to back starter Early Wynn's 10-4 win over the Yankees. Mickey Mantle has a HR and 3 RBIs for the Yankees.
1959 - The Yankees obtained P Mark Freedman from the Kansas City A’s for veteran P Murray Dickson. Mark Freeman will only appear in 1 game for the Yankees in 1959, before being sent to the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Murray Dickson will go 2-1 for the A’s in 1959, before retiring from MLB.
1961 - The expansion Los Angeles Angels traded veteran reliever Tex Clevenger and OF Bob Cerv to the Yankees for Pitchers Ryne Duren, Johnny James and OF Lee Thomas. For Bob Cerv, it is his 3rd and final tour of duty in pinstripes. Tex Clevenger helped out the Yankee bullpen. Bob Cerv was once again was a backup outfielder and power bat off the Yankees bench. Ryne Duren had lost his Yankees closer job to Luis Arroyo. Johnny James injured his arm in spring of 1963 and never pitched again in the MLB. Lee Thomas would have some success in MLB. After retiring as a player, he later would become a General Manager for the Phillies and other MLB teams.
1962 - Former Yankees1B/OF Orestes Destrade (1987) was born. In 1981, the Yankees signed Orestes Destrade, as an amateur MLB free agent. He appeared in only 9 games for the Yankees in 1987, hitting .263 with only 19 at bats. On March 30, 1988, he was traded by the Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates for P Hipolito Pena.
1964 - In Cleveland, there are tornado warnings, but the Yankees supplies damage when CF Mickey Mantle cracks a 3-run HR off of P Tommy John in the 4th inning to lead New York to a 10-3 victory.
1971 - Former Yankees reserve C Todd Greene (2001) was born. The Yankees signed Todd Greene as a free agent. He hit .208 in 35 games in 2001, before being released by the team in March of 2002, during the Yankees spring training camp.
1991- Howard Spira is found guilty of trying to extort money from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Spira had already received $40,000 from Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner.
1994 - Danny Tartabull, Mike Stanley and Gerald Williams hit back-to-back-to-back HRs for the Yankees in the 6th inning of Bronx Bomber's 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
1999 - The Seattle Mariners defeat the Yankees by the score of 14-5, as Seattle’s 3B John Mabry gets 5 hits.
2009 - In his 1st game of the 2009 AL season after missing 6 weeks because of hip surgery, Alex Rodriguez hits the 1st pitch he sees from Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie for a 3-run HR in a 4-0 Yankees win that ends a 5-game losing streak. CC Sabathia pitches a 4-hit shutout in his best performance since signing a huge free agent contract over the winter.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
