This Week in Yankees History (5/9-5/15)
May 9, 2010 · Greg Cohen · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
This Week in Yankees History
May 9th – May 15th
May 9th
1903 – The Boston Pilgrims top the visiting New York Highlanders by a score of 12-5, with a little help from Umpire Caruthers, who tosses out Highlanders P Jesse Tannehill and 2B Williams for a ball call at home.
1930 – The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers outfielders make only 2 putouts for an record, which has never been equaled. Tiger’s hurler George Uhle strikes out 8 batters in winning by the score of 5-4, and dropping the Yankees to 7th place. Hank Johnson (7 innings) and George Pipgras are the Yankee hurlers.
1934 – The New York Yankees obtained INF Fred Mullen and $20,000 from the Boston Red Sox for INF Lyn Lary. Fred Mullen never plays for the Yankees at the MLB level.
1940 – The press reports the impending sale of the New York Yankees by the Jacob Ruppert estate to political bigwigs Jim Farley and Jesse Jones. The Sporting News declares the sale will be for $4 million. The imminent sale will resurface on the front page several times during the next year, but it never happens. The Yankees will be sold in 1945 by the Jacob Ruppert Estate to a group of buyers, Del Webb, Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail.
1944 – Joe McCarthy returns as New York Yankees manager after missing much of the Yankees 1944 spring training and the early 1944 season due to illness. The team would finish in 3rd place with an 83-71 record.
1949 – At , the Detroit Tigers set back the 1st-place Yankees by the score of 4-1, behind the 5-hit pitching of Ted Gray . Yankees starter Vic Raschi also allows just 5 hits, including a HR by Richard Wakefield , in taking the loss.
1953 – At , the 1st place New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox by the score of 6-4. Mickey Mantle hits a HR off of P Bill Werle . Mickey is robbed of another when OF Jimmy Piersall makes a sensational catch at the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field.
1954 – Philadelphia A’s C Wilmer (Billy) Shantz, brother of P Bobby Shantz, hits a grand slam HR, the 1st HR of his MLB career. It comes off former A’s hurler Harry Byrd, who is now with the Yankees. Shantz will hit just one more MLB HR. Wilmer’s slam is all the offense the A’s get as the Yankees win the game by a score of 7-4. The nightcap ends in a 1-1 tie, after 9 innings. Bobby and Billy Shantz will be teammates once again with the New York Yankees during the 1960 season.
1958 – After 6 straight home rainouts, the Yankees play their 1st home night game of the 1958 season, against . Mickey Mantle breaks a 2-2 tie in the 3rd inning with an inside-the-park solo HR off of P Pedro Ramos . rolls to a 9-5 win over the Senators.
1959 – The New York Yankees sell back veteran hurler Murray Dickson to the A’s.
1964 – At Cleveland, Tribe starter Pedro Ramos gives up 4 HRs to Yankees Tony Kubek , Mickey Mantle , Joe Pepitone , and Hector Lopez , as the Yankees win by a score of 6-2. Pedro Ramos would finish the 1964 season with the Yankees, coming to the team in a late season trade in September. He would help out Yogi Berra’s bullpen, but was unable to play in the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, because the trade was made after August 31st.
1966 – At Metropolitan Stadium in , the New York Yankees (6-20) edge the Minnesota Twins by the score of 3-2. Roger Maris , Mickey Mantle , and Joe Pepitone , with the game-winner in the 9th inning, hit HRs for .
1979 – The New York Yankees released veteran golden glove OF Paul Blair , who then signs with the Cincinnati Reds.
1981 – Tom Paciorek hits his 2nd game winning, bottom-of-the-9th inning HR in as many games, a 3-run blow giving the Seattle Mariners, a 6-5 victory over the Yankees. The previous night, Paciorek led off the 9th inning with a solo HR to give the Mariners, a 3-2 victory over the Yankees.
1990 – At Yankee Stadium, the A’s edge the Yankees, by the score of 2-1 in 11 innings. A’s Rickey Henderson scores the 1st run, scoring from 2B on a 6-3 ground out. Rick Honeycutt is the A’s winning pitcher.
1997 – Against the Kansas City Royals in the 6th inning, the Yankees catch Jay Bell in a rundown when is suddenly called out by umpire Dale Ford , who thinks he passed the preceding base runner, Jose Offerman . However, Offerman had been forced out at 3B. Royals’ manager Bob Boone argues until the umpires agree and put runners back at 2B and 3B and call for a resumption of play. Chili Davis then lines a 2-run single off of Yankees starter Kenny Rogers to tie the score. The Royals win the game by a score of 7-5 in 12 innings, with the victory going to Randy Veres . The Yankees protest that the rundown play should not have been reversed. Gene Budig of office will dismiss the protest, stating that with the rundown there were several scenarios, where Jay Bell could have escaped a tag.
1999 – The New York Yankees defeat the Seattle Mariners by the score of 6-1. Reliever Mike Stanton makes his 1st MLB start for the Yankees, ending his MLB record streak of 552 consecutive relief appearances prior to his 1st start. The previous MLB record was 443 games, which was set by Gary Lavelle of the San Francisco Giants.
May 10th
1868 – Future MLB player, Manager and Hall Of Fame baseball executive Edward Barrow is born. Ed was the manager of 1918 World Champion Boston Red Sox. He was the manager who decided to make Babe Ruth, an everyday player because of his hitting. In 1920, Ed will leave the Red Sox to become the Yankees General Manager, who will through a series of trades with the Red Sox build the Yankees into a World Championship team. In 1931, he signed former NL manager Joe McCarthy to manage the Yankees. In 1932, He hired George Weiss to run the Yankees farm system. He will be with the Yankees front office until 1945, when the Jacob Ruppert Estate sells the team to Del Webb, Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail (1868-1953).
1911 – The Detroit Tigers lose their 1st home game of the 1911 AL season by a score of 6-2, as Yankees hands Tigers starter George Mullin his 1st loss. The Tigers have a 21-2 record and will lead the until July 4th .
1913 – The Yankees commit 8 errors, but still end up beating the Tigers , by a score of 10-9, in 10 innings. Three of the errors are made by SS Claud Derrick , who will field just .872 for the year. Related? In 10 days, the Yankees will deal for Indians shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh to stabilize their infield.
1926 – At Yankee Stadium , Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth hit back-to-back HRs off of Tigers ‘ starter Sam Gibson , and the New York Yankees outscore the Detroit Tigers by the score of 13-9. Herb Pennock is the winning pitcher for the Yankees.
1934 – Lou Gehrig hits 2 HRs (including a grand slam ) and a pair of doubles, tying the record with 4 long hits, and drives in 7 runs, but leaves the game after 5 innings with a severe cold. The Yankees top the White Sox by the score of 13-3. During the game, Yankees OFBen Chapman (1930-1936) shouts racial remarks at a Jewish fan. His behavior will lead the Yankees to trade him in 1936 to the Washington Senators. In 1947, he will lead the dugout bigots in protest of Brooklyn Dodgers black INF Jackie Robinson as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.
1936 – By beating the Philadelphia A’s , by the score of 7-2 at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees move into 1st place and will remain there the rest of the 1936 AL season. Rookie OF Joe DiMaggio makes his belated home debut for the Yankees hitting his 1st MLB career HR, off of PGeorge Turbeville . Lou Gehrig has 4 hits with 2 RBIs with hurler Johnny Murphy , in his 1st start of the 1936 season, picks up the victory.
1937 – New York Yankees starter Monte Pearson pitches a 1-hitter in stopping the White Sox , by the score of 6-0. Joe DiMaggio hits his 1st two HRs of the 1937 AL season, while George Selkirk hits his 5th HR for NY. Chicago’s only hit is a 1-out 1st inning single by Larry Rosenthal , who was erased on a double play.
1946 – Before a Friday Ladies’ Day crowd at Yankee Stadium of 64,183 fans, the 1st-place Boston Red Sox win their 15th straight game, a 5-4 win over the Yankees . Earl Johnson gets the win with 4 innings of scoreless relief. A Joe DiMaggio grand slam HR accounts for the entire Bombers’ scoring.
1947 – Former Yankees P John Cumberland (1968-1970) was born. John went 3-4 in 18 games with the Yankees, who drafted him from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. John was traded to the San Francisco Giants for veteran starter Mike McCormick. He later became a MLB pitching coach, working for the Boston Red Sox, among other MLB teams.
1952 – The New York Yankees RF Hank Bauer goes 5-for-6 in an 18-3, romp over the Boston Red Sox . The Red Sox come away with a record-tying 10 assists in the 5th inning.
1953 – Veteran New York Yankees starter Vic Raschi makes his 1st relief appearance in 2 years, limiting the Boston Red Sox to 3 hits in 4 innings, as the Yankees win by the score of 7-4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident, which will keep him out of action for 3-weeks, whenJim Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody’s argument with umpire Jim Duffy . Del Wilber hits his 2nd consecutive pinch HR in the 8th inning; his 1st HR came on May 6th .
1956 – At Yankee Stadium , starter Bob Lemon gives the Cleveland Indians, a 7-2 victory over the Yankees . Mickey Mantle has a solo HR in the 6th inning for New York. For Mickey Mantle, it is his 20th HR of May , a new record. The slugger adds a double and 2 singles and is hitting .425 with 50 RBIs.
1959 – The Yankees sweep doubleheader from the Washington Senators at Yankee Stadium, winning by scores of 6-3 and 3-2 in 10 innings.Mickey Mantle ‘s HR in the 3rd inning of the opener starts the Yankees scoring as they beat Nats starter Chuck Stobbs . Mantle singles and scores the winning run in the 10th inning of the nightcap. Yogi Berra has a HR in the 2nd game. Yogi sets a new MLB record for consecutive errorless games by a catcher with 148.
1965 – At Fenway Park , the 9th-place New York Yankees lose again to Boston Red Sox, by a score of 3-2, when Carl Yastrzemski out-hits a hobbling Mickey Mantle . Yaz hits a pair of HRs and sacrifice fly, while Mantle is 3-for-4 with a HR. After Mantle doubles with 2 outs in the 9thinning off of starter Jim Lonborg , who is lifted. Red Sox closer Richard “The Monster” Radatz gets the final out of the game. It is Jim Lonborg’s 1st MLB career win.
1996 – New York Yankees veteran starter David Cone undergoes surgery to remove an aneurysm in his pitching arm.
May 11th
1903 – John Ganzel hits the 1st Highlanders Home Run. As they defeat the Detroit Tigers by a score of 8-2. Also his teammate, William “Wild” Conroy hit a homerun for the Highlanders.
1919 – Washington Senators Starter Walter Johnson , pitched 12 scoreless innings in a duel with Jack Quinn of the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds . Johnson allowed only 2 hits and retired 28 batters in a row. Future NFL Bears owner George Halas , batting leadoff for the Yankees, went 0-for-5, striking out twice.
1928 – Former Yankees minor league player and MLB pitching coach Mel Wright (1974 – 1975) was born. Mel was part of the trade that brought OF Enos “Country” Slaughter to the Yankees in 1954. He was traded along with OF Bill Vidron to the St. Louis Cardinals. He would return to the Yankees in 1974 as new Yankees Manager Bill Vidron’s pitching coach.
1946 – New York Yankees P Tiny Bonham puts the brake on the Boston Red Sox’s 15-game winning streak, with a 2-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium.
1954 – The New York Yankees sell INF Jim Brideweser (1951-1953) to the Baltimore Orioles. In 1950, the Yankees signed Jim Brideweser as an MLB amateur free agent. Jim couldn’t break into the Yankee starting infield. He appeared in only 57 games for the Yankees hitting .546.
1955 – The New York Yankees obtained P Sonny Dixon from the Kansas City A’s for veteran OF Enos Slaughter and P Johnny Sain. Slaughter would return to the Yankees in 1956, his 1st stay was disappointing only hitting .249. Johnny Sain was at the end of his MLB playing career. Dixon would appear in 3 games for the Yankees, going 0-1, before leaving the MLB.
1955 – The New York Yankees sell P Art Schallock (1951-1954) to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. Art Schallock had been obtained from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1951 AL season; going 3-2 in 28 games with 1 save for the Yankees.
1958 – Former Yankees P Walt Terrell (1989) was born. On July 22, 1989, Walt was traded by the San Diego Padres with a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for INF Mike Pagliarulo and P Don Sc hulze. The Padres sent P Freddie Toliver on September 27, 1989 to the New York Yankees to complete the trade. He posted a 6-5 record in 13 games for the 1989 Yankees. On November 13, 1989, Walt was granted MLB free agency.
1966 – The New York Yankees purchased INF Richard “Ducky” Schofield from the San Francisco Giants. He didn’t solve the 1966 Yankee infield problems. Schofield was obtained to replace the injured Yankees regular shortstop Ruben Amaro Sr.
1981 – Former Yankees reserve OF Sammy “Babe Ruth’s legs” Byrd (1929-1934) passed away. Sammy was often used as Babe Ruth’s late inning defensive replacement, earning the nickname of “Babe Ruth’s legs”. He appeared in 565 games for the Yankees, hitting .281. Sam appeared in 1 game of the 1932 World Series for the Yankees with no hits. On December 19, 1934, Sam was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds from the New York Yankees. He later became a professional golfer who won 23 pro events.
1990 – AL All Star OF Dave Winfield rejected a trade that would have sent him from the Yankees to the California Angels in exchange for starter Mike Witt . A no-trade clause in Winfield’s contract gave him the right to turn down the deal. Five days later, Winfield will reach an agreement with the Yankees and give his permission for the trade to take place.
2006 – Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees broke his left wrist and his consecutive-games streak ended in the Boston Red Sox 5-3 victory at Yankee Stadium . Going back to his days in Nippon Pro Baseball , he appeared in 1,768 consecutive games. Matsui had played in 518 consecutive games (a record for the start of a career) since joining the Yankees in 2003 after playing in 1,250 straight for the Yomiuri Giants from August 22, 1993, through 2002.
May 12th
1897 – Former Yankee 3rd baseman Joseph “Jumping Joe” Dugan (1922-1928) was born. On July 23, 1922, Joe Dugan was traded by the Boston Red Sox along with Elmer Smith to the Yankees for Chick Fewster, Elmer Miller, Johnny Mitchell, Lefty O’Doul, and $50,000 cash. Joe replaced the aging Frank “Home Run” Baker at 3rd base in 1922. He had 6 good seasons with the Yankees, hitting more than .280 in 5 of them.
1915 – The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians by the score of 4-2, despite hitting into a triple play.
1916 – Former Yankees P Henry “Hank” Borowy (1942-1945) was born. Hank went 66-30 with the Yankees, until he was sold to the Chicago Cubs during the 1945 season. At the time of trade he was 10-5 with the Yankees. The Cubs paid $97,000 for him.
Clippers Note: I have never read why he was traded away by the Yankees in mid-1945 season
1919 – For second straight day, the New York Yankees and Washington Senators battle into extra inning without a result. Today’s game ends in a 4-4 tie; the game is called because of darkness, after 15 innings are played.
1925 – Future Yankee HOF player, Coach and Manager Lawrence “Yogi” Berra was born (Player: 1946-1963, MLB Coach: 1976-1983, Manager: 1964, 1984.). Yogi Berra was one of the most beloved players to ever wear the Yankees pinstripes. He hit .285 in 18 years as a Yankee. Yogi played in 14 World Series for the Yankees with 10 World Championships with 71 World Series hits. Yogi was an AL All Star catcher and 3-time AL MVP winner. Yogi became one of the greatest catchers in the game through the help of former Yankees great Hall Of Fame catcher Bill Dickey. Yogi Berra is one of few MLB managers to win a pennant in each major league: Yankees (1964) and Mets (1973).
1930 – Former Yankees minor league OF Tom Umphlett was born. On June 12, 1962, Tom was traded by the Boston Red Sox along with cash to the New York Yankees for reserve INF Billy Gardner. Tom never played with the Yankees at MLB level. He spent the 1962 season with the Yankees AAA team in Richmond.
1935 – Former Yankees OF/DH Felipe Alou (1971-1973) was born. After being obtained from the Oakland A’s, Felipe Alou hit .289 in 1971, and .278 in 1972, before fading during the 1973 AL season, and then he was sold to the Montreal Expos in September.
1959 – At Yankee Stadium , Yogi Berra committed an error as his errorless streak of 148 games for a catcher came to an end in a 7-6 loss to Cleveland Indians.
1967 – Former Yankees minor league P Kenny Greer was born. On June 1, 1988, Kenny Greer was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 10th round of the 1988 amateur player draft. Kenny never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. On September 17,1993, Kenny was traded by the New York Yankees to the New York Mets for veteran P Frank Tanana.
1978 – Former Yankees reserve 1B/DH Josh Phelps (2007) was born. On December 7, 2006, Josh was drafted by the New York Yankees from the Baltimore Orioles organization in the 2006 MLB Rule 5 player draft. Josh appeared in 36 games for the 2007 Yankees, hitting .267. On June 22, 2007; Josh was selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the New York Yankees.
1978 – At Royals Stadium , a potential game-ending routine fly ball became an Amos Otis walk-off inside-the-park HR as Yankee outfielders Reggie Jackson and Mickey Rivers collided in the outfield . The misplay turned a sure Goose Gossage save into a sour loss for the current World Champions Yankees .
1979 – Former Yankees MLB Scout (1967-1975) and MLB catcher Clyde Kluttz passes away. As a MLB scout for the Yankees, he convinced MLB free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter to sign with the Yankees on December 31, 1974. He also spent time with the Yankees as Director of Player Development in 1971-1973 and Scouting Director in 1974. Clyde was catcher, who played in the MLB from 1942-1952 with the Boston Braves, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing up with the Washington Senators in the AL.
1999 – The California Angels shut out the New York Yankees by the score of 1-0, behind the combined 3-hit pitching of Chuck Finley and Troy Percival . Finley struck out 11 Yankees in his 8 innings of work, including 4 in the 3rd inning, to become the 33rd pitcher in history to strike out 4 in a single frame. It is possible when a batter with 2 strikes on him takes a swing at strike 3; however, the catcher does not field the ball cleanly, and instead of tagging the runner out, the runner reaches the 1st base. The strikeout is recorded, but not the out.
May 13th
1914 – The New York Yankees acquired C/1B Les Nunamaker from the Boston Red Sox. He would be the Yankees main catcher until 1918, when he was traded in the Urban Shocker trade with the St. Louis Browns. His best season was in 1916, when Les hit .296 in 91 games for the Yankees.
1929 – At Cleveland’s League Park , the Indians defeated the Yankees , by a score of 4-3, in the 1st game in MLB history in which players from both teams wear numbers on the back of their jerseys.
1946 – The New York Yankees use air transport for travel as a MLB team for 1st time.
1948 – The New York Yankees obtained OF Leon Culberson and $20,000 in cash from the Washington Senators for OF Ed Stewart. Within a month, he would be returned to the Nats.
1950 – Former Yankees OF Juan Beniquez (1979) was born. On November 10, 1978, Juan was traded by the Texas Rangers along with minor league player Greg Jemison, pitchers Mike Griffin, Paul Mirabella and Dave Righetti to the New York Yankees for C Mike Heath, pitchers Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, and INF Domingo Ramos and cash. Juan appeared in 62 games for the Yankees, hitting .254. On November 1, 1979, Juan was traded by the New York Yankees along with pitchers Rick Anderson, Jim Beattie and C Jerry Narron to the Seattle Mariners for OF Ruppert Jones and P Jim Lewis.
1952 – The New York Yankees waived veteran P Frank “Stubby” Overmire to the St. Louis Browns. He went 1-1 in 15 games for the Yankees in 1951, after being obtained for Yankees P Tommy Byrne and $25,000 cash.
1953 – The New York Yankees waived P Johnny Schmitz to the Washington Senators
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