This Week in Yankees History
May 24th - May 30th
May 24th - May 30th
May 24th
1876 - Former Yankees C Fred Jacklitsch (1905) was born. On September 15, 1905, Fred was sent from the Providence (Eastern) to the 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 Yankees in 1928.
1918 - Stan Coveleski of the 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 (1953-54) was born (1926-1996). On June 12, 1953, Willie was purchased by the Yankees from the 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 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 Pitchers Herb Pennock and Stan Coveleski, Managers Miller Huggins and Connie Mack, or AL umpire Tom Connolly.
1930 - 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 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 - Tigers HOF 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. Cochrane suffered a bad concussion and probable fracture and never really came back as an All Star catcher for the Tigers.
1946 - The Yankees announced the resignation of long time Manager Joe “Marsh” McCarthy. 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 Yankees from the 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 Royals.
1954 - Former Yankees reserve OF Bobby Brown (1979-1981) was born. On June 14, 1978, Bobby was traded by the 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 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.
1977 - 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 Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1981 - Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner rips into Yankees All Star OF/DH Reggie Jackson, after the Yankees were defeated by the Indians 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 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 Padres to the Yankees, for players to be named later and $200,000 cash. The Yankees would sent hurlers Dennis Rasmussen and Edwin Rodriguez on September 12, 1983, to the Padres to complete the trade.
1974 - The Yankees obtained P Larry Gura from the Rangers for reserve C Duke Simms. Larry would go 5-1 for the Yankees in 1974, before being traded away to the Royals by Yankees Manager Billy Martin during the 1976 AL season. His overall Yankees pitching record was 12-9. Larry Gura and Billy Martin did not get along, as a Royal pitcher he would give Yankees constant trouble.
1978 - Former Yankees 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
192 8- The A’s kick in 7 errors to lift the 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 IL title in 1980. Also he served as Yankees MLB coach on the 1981-82 teams. He would later manage the Orioles.
1952 - The Yankees released veteran OF Johnny Hopp. On September 5, 1950, Johnny was purchased by the Yankees from the 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 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 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. Kucks and 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 - 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 with the collarbone injury.
1971 - Yankees obtained P Rob Gardner from the 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 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 spent most of his 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 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 Dodgers with no hits. On December 16,1953, Don was traded by the Yankees along with Jim Finigan, Johnny Gray, Vic Power, Bill Renna and Jim Robertson to the A’s for Loren Babe, Harry Byrd, Tom Hamilton, Carmen Mauro and Eddie Robinson.
2006 - Angel Berroa hit a 3-run HR in the 8th inning, as the Royals escaped a jam in the bottom of the 9th inning after a near 2-hr rain delay, edging the Yankees by the score of 7-6, to halt a 13-game losing streak and 14game streak at Yankee Stadium since 2005. The Royals' 19-game losing streak from July 28-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 Yankees club history to reach the milestone.
May 27th
1914 - Yankees sell P Guy Cooper to the Red Sox for cash. Guy appeared in only 1 game for the Yankees with no record.
1933 - The Yankees enter the 8th inning trailing 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 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 - Orioles catcher Clint “Scraps “ Courtney used an oversized catchers’ mitt in an effort to handle the knuckleball pitches of P Hoyt 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 (1951-54) was born. On June 15, 1951, Bob was traded by the Senators to the 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 Orioles from the Yankees.
1927 - In his 1st starting assignment for the Yankees, reliever P Wilcy Moore loses a heartbreaker to the Senators, by the score of 3-2, in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Lou Gehrig is spiked at 1st 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 HR of the year, a 3-run shot. Tris Speaker played most of Game 1 for the Senators despite fracturing his left thumb in batting practice.
1941 - The Yankees defeated the 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 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 Yankees waived veteran reliever Gerry Staley to the White Sox. On September 14, 1955, Gerry was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the 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 White Sox AL championship team’s pitching staff.
1960 - Veteran 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 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 the 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 season, his ERA was 5.50 for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees (A).
1971 - Former Yankees 3B Clete Boyer, involved in a dispute with 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 Yankees obtained P Jim Hardin from the 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. Jim passed away in 1991.
1977 - Yankees starter Ron Guidry has a rare bad outing dropping a 9-4, a 16-hit loss to the White Sox before a Jacket Day crowd of 54, 881 fans at Yankee Stadium.
1995 - Rookie starter Mario Rivera makes his 2nd MLB start for the Yankees, picking up a 4-1 victory over the 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 Angels, losing by a score of 10-0, lasting only 3 1/3 innings.
2004 - Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera posted his 300th MLB career save in a Yankees 7-5 victory over the 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 (1903-05) was born. In March of 1903, the Highlanders purchased Dave from the 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 (1947-48) was born. On November 22, 1935, George was sent from the Yankees to the 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 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 Browns, after leaving with the Yankees in the 1930’s, where he was blocked by the presence of HOF 1B Lou Gehrig.
1941 - Former Yankees INF John Kennedy (1967) was born. After being obtained from the Dodgers for OF/1B John Miller and P Jack Cullen, John hit .196 in 78 games for the Yankees before being purchased by the Pilots in 1968. He was not the answer to the 1967 Yankee infield problems.
1977 - Yankees starter Ed Figueroa wins his 7th straight complete game defeating the 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 - 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 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 A’s 2B Randy Velarde turned an unassisted triple play, just the 11th in MLB history, on a line drive hit by Yankees Shane 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 - 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.
May 30th
1884 - Former Yankees shortstop Rube Oldring (1905, 1916) was born. Rube hit .267 in 51 games for the Yankees with 2 tours with the team.
1894 - Former Yankees P Al Mamaux (1924) was born. On July 12, 1924, Al was purchased by the Yankees from the Reading (International League). He went 1-1 in 14 games in 1924.
1902 - Former Yankees P Louis McEvoy (1930-31) was born. Lou went 1-3 in 34 games with 4 saves in 2 seasons for the Yankees.
1912 - After a minor fire at Hilltop Park, the Yankees play a separate admission, day-night doubleheader against the A’s at the Polo Grounds. The Yankee lost the morning game by a score of 7-1, the second game of the doubleheader was rained out.
1913 - The Yankees purchased 2B Bill McKechnie from the Braves for cash.
Bill hit .134 in 45 games for the Yankees before jumping to the Federal League in 1914.
1929 - The Yankees obtained P Owen Carroll, shortstop George Weustling and OF Harry Rice for the Tigers for veteran starter Waite Hoyt and shortstop Mark Koenig.
1938 - Before a crowd of 81,841 fans at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the Red Sox by scores of 10-0 and 5-4. The game also featured a fistfight under the stadium stands between Yankees OF Jake Powell and Red Sox Player-Manager Joe Cronin, after they had been thrown out of the game. Jake Powell had charged the Red Sox P Archie Mc Kain, after he had hit him in the stomach. Joe Cronin came in from his shortstop position to protect his pitcher. That fight lasted for several minutes. The players were separated by the umpires and thrown out of the game. The visitors in those days had to approach their clubhouse through the Yankees dugout. This 2nd fight was broken up by the players and umpires. Joe Cronin and Jake Powell were later fined and suspended for 10 days for their actions by the AL President’s office.
1956 - Yankees All Star CF Mickey Mantle hit a HR that came within a foot-and-a-half of leaving Yankee Stadium. It hit the face of the upper deck in right field, 370 feet from home plate and 117 feet in the air. Mantle also became the 1st player in MLB history to hit 20 HRs by the end of May, as the Yankees beat the Senators by a score of 4-3.
1961 - Yankees hitters Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Bill “Moose” Skowron, each hit 2 HRs to lead the Yankees to a 12-3 rout over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Yankees C Yogi Berra also hits a HR for the Bronx Bombers. Yankees starter Ralph Terry was the winning pitcher, while veteran starter Gene Conley was the losing pitcher for the Red Sox.
1965 - Former Yankees INF Charlie Hayes (1992, 1996-97) was born. On February 19, 1992, Charlie was sent by the Phillies to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on January 8, 1992. The Phillies sent a player to be named later to the Yankees for P Darrin Chapin. Charlie hit .297 in 142 games in 1992, before being drafted by the Rockies in the 1992 MLB player expansion draft (Rockies-Marlins). On August 30, 1996, Charlie was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees for a player to be named later. The Yankees would send Chris Corn (minors) on August 31, 1996 to the Pirates to complete the trade. Charlie hit .284 in 20 games in 1996. In 1997, he hit .258 in 100 games for the Yankees. On November 11, 1997, Charlie was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the Giants for OF Chris Singleton and C Alberto Castillo (minors).
1966 - Former Yankees P James “Hippo” Vaughn (1908, 1910 - 1912) passed away (1888-1966) Hippo went 22-30 with the Yankees in 72 games before going to the Senators on waivers.
1967 - Veteran Yankees starter Whitey Ford announced his retirement from MLB baseball because of an elbow injury. His final Yankees appearance was a start in Detroit on May 21, but he lasted just 1 inning for the Yankees. He finished his Yankee MLB pitching career with a 236-106 record to be the all-time Yankee pitchers wins leader. He had passed former team leader Red Ruffing, who had 232 Yankee career wins during the 1966 AL season.
1977 - New York sluggers Graig Nettles and Reggie Jackson hit back-to back HR’s in 2nd inning to lead the Yankees past the Red Sox by a score of 5-4.
1991 - Former Yankees P Jim Magnuson (1973) passed away. (1946-1991) The Yankees claimed Magnuson from the White Sox in the 1971 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. He spent all of 1972 with the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA), having a 9-7 record, with a 3.48 ERA, with 3 saves for them. He was 10th in the International League in ERA and led his club. Jim finished his career in 1973, going 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA for Syracuse. Jim went 0-1 with a 4.28 ERA for the 1973 Yankees.
1992 - Yankees starter Scott Sanderson became the 9th MLB pitcher to beat all 26 MLB teams. As the Yankees defeated the Brewers by a score of 8-1, Scott Sanderson joined MLB hurlers Doyle Alexander, Rich Gossage, Tommy John, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez and Rick Wise, as MLB pitchers, who had defeated every MLB club.
(As always I'd like to thank Fw57Clipper51 for his great contribution.)
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