April 20th - April 26th
April 20th
1912 - The Yankees help the Red Sox open Fenway Park. They play 11 innings with the Red Sox winning 7-6.
1932 - The Yankees draw the largest paid attendance, 55,452 fans, for any Yankee Stadium opener.Yankees slugger Babe Ruth homers, as Yankees starter Lefty Gomez beats the A's Lefty Grove in the 8-3 victory over the Athletics.
1939 - The Red Sox show off their prize rookie OF Ted Williams before 30,278 in the opener at Yankee Stadium, delayed 2 days because of rain. After striking out twice, Williams collects a double off of Yankees P Red Ruffing, who wins the game by a score of 2-0. Lou Gehrig makes an error, goes hitless, and lines into 2 double plays in the only game featuring the 2 great sluggers. Other notables in what will become a historic box score include Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Red Rolfe, and losing pitcher Lefty Grove. Yankees score their 1st run on a HR by Bill Dickey and their 2nd tally on an error by Jimmy Foxx. Boston has base runners in each inning, but Ruffing tosses just the 2nd opening day shut out in Yankees history. Four umpires work the game including 3rd base umpire George Pipgras, the starting pitcher for the Yankees in the 1929 opener against Boston. Curiously, his opponent for that day was then Red Sox pitcher Red Ruffing.
1957 - Yankees 1B Bill “Moose” Skowron hits a fastball and drives it completely out of Boston’s Fenway Park. His hit went to the right of the flagpole in centerfield. He was only the 3rd player in MLB history to do it at Fenway Park.
1961 - Former Yankees Dugout Coach, player and Team Captain Don Mattingly (1982-1995) was born. Don played for 14 seasons with the Yankees before back injuries ended his MLB career. He finished with a lifetime BA of .307. He was an AL All Star first baseman (1984-1989). In 1984, Don won AL batting crown, hitting .343. In 1985, he was the AL MVP. He won the AL Silver Slugger award for 1st baseman from 1985-1987. He won the AL Golden Gloves for 1B in 1985-1988, 1991-94.
1988 - Claudell Washington hits the 10,000th HR in Yankees history in a 7 -6 victory over the Twins at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
April 21st
1887 - Future HOF MLB Manager Joe “Marsh” McCarthy is born in Philadelphia, Pa. Joe McCarthy will become the 1st MLB manager to win pennants with both NL (Cubs) and AL teams (Yankees, Red Sox), winning 9 league titles overall with 7 World Series championships. He will be inducted into Baseball’s HOF in 1977. His Yankee manager record was 1,460-867, with a .627 WP, with 8 AL Flags, 7 World Championships (1931-1946). He holds the Yankees Manager record for most wins in team’s history with Joe Torre in 2nd place and HOF Manager Casey Stengel is in 3rd place.1951 - At Griffith Stadium, Senators Gil Coan collects 2 triples in the 6th inning. The Senators score 7 runs in the frame, but that's it, as they lose to the Yankees, by a score of 8-7. Reliever Tom Ferrick is the winning pitcher for the Yankees.
1957 - Former Yankees P Jesse Orosco (2003) was born. Former All Star closer appear in 15 games for the Yankees with no record during the 2003 AL season.
1963 - The Yankees trade veteran P Jim Coates (1956, 1959-63) to the Senators for lefty P Steve Hamilton (1963-1970). The Yankees traded for Hamilton, who was a lefty reliever that they needed for their bullpen, since veteran lefty Louis Arroyo was out with arm injuries.
1963 - The Yankees obtain veteran INF Harry Bright from the Reds for cash. To make room for Bright on the Yankees 40 man roster, they remove a young outfielder at Greensboro, named Curt Belfry, who is immediately claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.
1977 - With the Yankees on a 2 and 8 slump, manager Billy Martin draws the starting Yankee lineup out of a hat. The Yankees beat the expansion Blue Jays by a score of 8-6. The revised lineup had clean up hitter Chris Chambliss batting 8th, he drives in 5 runs, Graig Nettles hits a HR, while Yankees starter Ken Holtzman is the winner with relief help from closer Sparky Lyle.
1980 - Former Yankee Closer Joe Page (1944-1950) passes away (1917-1980). Joe was the famous Yankee closer of the late 1940’s. He led the AL in saves in 1947 with 17 saves with 14 wins. In 1949, Joe did again with 27 saves with 13 wins. From 1947-1949, Joe won a total 34 games with 60 saves for the Yankees. An arm injury in early 1950, shorten his Yankees pitching career. He was released by the team during the 1950 Yankees spring training camp. Later, Joe would finish his MLB career with the Pirates.
April 22nd
1903 - At American League Park, the Highlanders lost their 1st game to the Senators, 3-1, before 11,950 fans. Washington elects to bat first, but the New Yorkers score in the bottom of the opening inning to take a 1-0 lead. Each starter gives up 6 hits with Jack Chesbro, the NL top winner last year with the Pirates (28-6) taking the loss. Al Orth, in his 2nd season with the Senators is the winner.1915 - Pinstripes first appeared on Yankees player uniforms.
1920 - Babe Ruth plays his 1st game as a Yankee. Babe goes hitless and his outfield error proved to be the game losing miscue in a 6-5 loss to the A’s.
1923 - The 1st Sunday game at Yankee Stadium draws an estimated 60,000 fans, but the Yankees suffer their first loss of the year, 4-3, to the Senators.
1931 - Babe Ruth of the Yankees collides with Charlie Berry, Red Sox catcher and former pro football player, while trying to score on a sacrifice fly. Ruth is carried off the field at Fenway Park and taken to a local Boston hospital.
1933 - Former Yankees reserve C Bob Schmidt (1965) was born. Bob hit .250 in 20 games for the Yankees as a back up catcher.
1956 - Yankees P Don Larsen hits a grand slam homerun off of P Frank Sullivan of the Red Sox, as New York wins 13-6 at Yankee Stadium.
1959 - At Griffith Stadium, Whitey Ford of the Yankees pitched a 14-inning, 1-0, shutout, against the Senators, giving up only 8 hits, while striking out 15 batters. The Yankees won in the 1st half of the 14th inning on a Moose Skowron solo HR, ending the longest contest in MLB history ending 1-0 on a home run.
1961 - Former Yankees P Jimmy Key (1993-1996) was born.In 1992; Jimmy was signed as a free agent by the Yankees. He went 43-23 as a starter for the Yankees before leaving the team as a free agent in 1996.
1970 - The Yankees drop an 18 inning, 2-1 game to the Senators when Mike Epstein’s sac fly scores Ed Stroud. Yankees CF Bobby Mercer’s 9th inning HR had tied the game 1-1.
1993 - Former Yankees Shortstop Mark Koenig (1925-1930) passed away (1904-1993). He was the starting shortstop for the Yankees during mid-1920s. He finished his Yankees career with a BA of .285
1997 - After 4 months of on-and-off negotiations, the Yankees acquired the rights to Japanese P Hideki Irabu from the Padres for $3 million. Irabu's Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, gave the San Diego exclusive rights to the 27-year-old right-hander, but Irabu refused to sign with the Padres, saying he would only go with the Yankees.
April 23rd
1903 - Behind the pitching of Harry Howell, the Highlanders win their 1st MLB game, 7-2, over the Senators.1937 - Former Yankees 1st baseman Duke Carmel (1965) was born. Duke was drafted by the Yankees from the Mets in the 1964 Rule 5 player draft. He appeared in 6 games with no hits in 8 plate appearances. He originally came up in the Cardinals organization, and then he was traded to the Mets.
1947 - Yankees released former bullpen ace Johnny ”Grand Ma” Murphy (1932,1934-1943, 1946) He appeared in 383 games with 93 wins and 107 saves as the Yankee bullpen ace. He would play his last MLB season with the Red Sox before retiring in 1947. He would later become the Director of Player Development for the Mets, signing many of the young Mets, who would later played on the 1969 World Championship team. He passed away in January 1970 of a heart attack.
1975 - OF Roy White of the Yankees again hits a HR from both sides of the plate, this time in an 11-7 loss to the Red Sox. Roy White’s last switch-hit HRs was on August 13, 1973.
1981 - Current Yankees P Sean Henn was born. Sean was drafted by the Yankees in the 26th round of the 2000 amateur player draft. He is 2-6 in 36 games with a 4.43 ERA. Sean is currently on a minor league rehab assignment for the Yankees, after starting the 2008 AL season on the DL.
1992 - Former Yankees INF/OF Deron Johnson (1960-61) passes away (1938-1992). Deron was never able to find a regular position to play with the Yankees. At 3B, he was blocked by Clete Boyer and at 1B was Bill Skowron. Plus the Yankees starting OF was filled by CF Mickey Mantle, RF Roger Maris and LF combo of Yogi Berra-Hector Lopez. In June of 1961, he was traded along with veteran P Art Ditmar to the A’s for veteran starter Bud Daley.
1999 - In a 10-7 victory over the Blue Jays, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada of the Yankees become the 1st teammates to hit a HR from both sides of the plate in the same MLB game.
April 24th
1895 - Former Yankees P Harry Harper (1921) was born. Harry came to the Yankees in the Waite Hoyt trade with the Red Sox in December, 1920. He went 4-3 in 8 games.1905 - The Yankees hit onto a triple play during a 4-3 loss to the Senators.
1917 - George Mogridge of the Yankees pitches a no-hitter against the Red Sox, 2-1, at Fenway Park. Mogridge strikes out 3 batters and walks 3 batters, as he becomes the 1st Yankee pitcher to actually win a no-hit game.
1923 - U.S. President Warren G. Harding witnesses the 1st shutout ever thrown at Yankee Stadium as Babe Ruth hits a HR in New York’s 4-0 victory over the Senators.
1943 - Former Yankees P Joe Verbanic (1967-68, 1970) was born. On December 10, 1966, Joe was traded by the Phillies along with cash to the Yankees for veteran P Pedro Ramos. Joe went 11-10 in 75 games.
1965 - Former Yankees 3rd baseman Mike Blowers (1989-1991) was born.
On August 29, 1989, Mike was traded by the Expos to the Yankees for veteran P John Candelaria. Mike hit .219 in 76 games for the Yankees. On May 17, 1991, Mike was traded by the Yankees to the Mariners for a player to be named later and cash. The Mariners would later send Jim Blueberg (minors) on June 22, 1991, to the Yankees to complete the trade.
April 25th
1883 - Former Yankees P Russ Ford (1909-13) 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 Yankee. On January 20, 1914, Russ Jumped from the Yankees to the Buffalo Buffeds of the rival Federal League.
1904 - Highlanders starting P Jack Chesbro posts the 1st of his 41 wins of the 1904 season, an MLB, AL and Yankees club record that still stands. Jack Chesbro was the NL top winner in 1903, with the Pirates posting a 28-6 record.
1916 - At the Polo Grounds, Babe Ruth of the Red Sox pitches a 10-inning complete game to defeat the Yankees, 4-3. Ruth gives up only 2 earned runs on 8-hits, but is hitless at-bat.
1924 - Former Yankees P Art Schallock (1951-55) was born. On July 12, 1951, Art was purchased by the Yankees from the Pirates. He appeared in 28 games, posting a 3-2 mark. On May 11, 1955, Art was selected off waivers by the Orioles from the Yankees.
1933 - Yankees rookie P Russ Van Atta makes a successfully MLB debut, when he pitches a 5-hit shutout against the Senators and collects 4 singles in 4 at-bats. Yankees CF Earle Combs adds 5 hits as the Yankees win, by score of 16-0.
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.
April 26th
1883 - Former Yankees P Ray “Slim” Caldwell (1910-1918) was born.
Ray posted a 99-99 career record in 258 games for the Yankees. His best seasons were in 1914, when he went 17-9 and in 1915, posting a 19-16 mark. On December 18, 1918, he was traded by the Yankees along with Frank Gilhooley, Slim Love, Roxy Walters, and $15,000 cash to the Red Sox for P Ernie Shore, OF Duffy Lewis, and P Dutch Leonard.
1913 - The Yankees purchased C John Gossett (1913-14) from the White Sox. He appeared in 49 games, just hitting .159.
1917 - Former Yankees P Sal “The Barber” Maglie (1957-58) was born. On September 1, 1957, Sal was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the Dodgers. Sal went 2-0 in 6 games with 3 saves in 1958. In 1959, he was 1-1 in 7 games, before being sent to the Cardinals to finish his long MLB career.
1919 - Former Yankees P Virgil “Fire” Trucks (1958) was born. On June 15, 1958, Virgil was traded by the Athletics along with P Duke Maas to the Yankees for P Bob Grim and OF Harry Simpson. Virgil went 2-1 in 25 games, with 1 save before retiring from MLB in April of 1959.
1929 - Despite losing the game to the A’s, 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, and 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 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 - Yankees sell 3B Loren Babe to the A’s for $30,000. Babe’s freedom from the Yankees 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.
1955 - Yankees starter Bob Turley pitches a 1-hit shutout and struck out 10 batters to lead the Yankees to a 5 -0 victory over the White Sox.
1961 - Yankees 1960 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.
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.
1974 - Yankees obtained 1B Chris Chambliss and pitchers Richard Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw from the Indians for Yankee pitchers 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
1998 - Former Yankees General Manager Gabe Paul (1973-1977) passes away (1910-1998.). Gabe came to the Yankees in 1973; he helped rebuild the Yankees 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 in trades cause Gabe Paul to go back to the Indians, he was replaced by Al Rosen.
2005 - At Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez slugs his way to the best performance of his career, hitting 3 HRs in his 1st three at-bats off of Angels P 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 RBI in a game. He is one RBI shy of the AL record of 11 set in 1936 by former Yankees HOF Tony Lazzeri, and 2 short of the MLB mark of 12 shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993), both of the Cardinals.
2006 - At Yankee Stadium, Devil Rays beat the Yankees by a score of 4 -2, despite setting a team pitching record by walking 14 batters.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
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