This Week in Yankees History (7/12-7/18)
July 12, 2009 · Greg Cohen · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
July 12th – July 18th
July 12
1905 – The Tigers beat the Yankees by a score of 6-3, with the help of two errors by Highlander 1B Jack Doyle. The veteran Doyle was signed yesterday and this will be his only appearance for New York.
1911 – Yankees 3B Roy Hartzell, acquired from the Browns in January for Jimmy Austin and Frank LaPorte, has a career day as the Yankees cleanup hitter.
He hits a three-run double and another double in one inning, then piles on a sacrifice fly and grand slam HR, to drive in eight runs. It is an AL record until Jimmie Foxx’s 9 RBI in a game in 1933. Yankees defeated the Browns by a score of 12-2.
1912 – In the Yankees 4-1 win over the Browns, Yankees starter Jack Warhop swipes home in the third inning. It is Jack Warhop’s second steal of home plate in three years.
1921 – Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hits his 137th MLB career HR, passing 19th-century MLB star Roger Connor’s MLB record of 136 HRs.
1934 – Tigers starter Schoolboy Rowe fans 11 Yankees batters in a 4-2 win that puts the Tigers back in 1st place in the 1934 AL pennant race.
1951 – At Cleveland in the 1st game of a doubleheader, Yankees starter Allie “Super Chief” Reynolds no-hits Cleveland by a score of 1-0, for the 1st of his 2 no-hitters of the 1951 AL season.
Yankees OF Gene Woodling’s seventh inning HR off of Tribe starter Bob Feller is the difference in the 1-0 game. The Chief’s no-hitter is the first by a Yankee pitcher since Monte Pearson in 1938.
The night before this game, Yankees Manager Casey Stengel was asked why by the Cleveland news media, why he refused the Yankee bullpen pitchers to ride in golf carts on their way in from the bullpen.
Stengel replied that, “Yankees only ride in Cadillacs,” whereupon the Indians GM Hank Greenberg had a Cadillac convertible placed in the Yankees bullpen for the next game.
Obviously, it went unused with Allie Reynolds throwing a no-hitter. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Yankees win behind starter Vic Raschi as Joe DiMaggio cinches it with a three-run HR off of Tribe hurler Chuck Stobbs.
1955 – In the All-Star Game at County Stadium in Milwaukee, the AL takes a five-run lead on a three-run HR by Mickey Mantle off of Robin Roberts, only to see the NL tie it. Braves hurler Gene Conley strikes out the side in the 12th inning.
Stan Musial comes to bat in the bottom of 12th inning of a 5-5 All Star deadlock. AL C Yankee Yogi Berra complains about his feet hurting and Musial tells him “Don’t worry, I’ll have you home in a minute,” then “Stan the Man” hits a game-winning HR on the next pitch.
1959 – NBC-TV uses outfield TV cameras with 80-inch lenses to show the catchers’ signals during a Yankee-Red Sox game. MLB Commissioner Ford Frick requests that they halt its use. It doesn’t help Yankees, who drop their last four games to the Red Sox, who wins today’s game by a score of 7-3.
1968 – The Giants trade veteran P Lindy McDaniel to the Yankees for P Bill Monbouquette. Lindy McDaniel would pitch effectively three of five seasons as a Yankees relief pitcher, including a 9-5 mark with 25-saves season in 1970.
In December of 1973, he was traded to Royals for OF Lou Piniella and P Ken Wright. Bill Monbouquette was at the end of his fine MLB pitching career, which started with the Red Sox in the 1950’s, then the Tigers during the mid 1960s.
1977 – Yankees 2B Willie Randolph hits the game-winning HR as Yankees starter Don Gullett pitches the Bronx Bombers to a 5-2 win over the Brewers. The win stops the Yankees losing streak at three games.
1987 – The Yankees traded P Bob Tewksbury along with two minor league pitchers Rich Schied and Dean Wilkins to the Cubs for starter Steve Trout, who has just pitched back-to-back shutouts for the Cubs.
Steve went 0-4 in 14 games with a 6.60 ERA for the Yankees. On December 22,1987, Steve was traded by the Yankees along with reserve OF Henry Cotto to Mariners for pitchers Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker, and Wade Taylor.
1989 – Yankees 1978 Cy Young Winner Ron “Gator” Guidry retires from MLB baseball. During his 14-year career (1975-1988) with the Yankees, “Louisiana Lightning” compiles a 170-91 pitching record with a 3.29 ERA.
The Gator is most remembered for his 1978 AL season, when he went 25-3 with a WP .893 with a 1.74 ERA, winning the AL Cy Young Award.
1990 – The White Sox starter Melido Perez pitches a rain-shortened six-inning no-hitter over the Yankees, as the White Sox win the game by a score of 8-0. His brother Pascual is watching the game on the Yankees bench.
This is the seventh no-hitter of the 1990 MLB season, the most since 1917. Lance Johnson makes a diving over the shoulder catch in the fifth inning to save a hit and also he belts out a three-run HR.
2000 – In a six-player deal, the Reds traded veteran starter Denny Neagle (8-2, with a 3.52 ERA) and OF Mike Frank to the Yankees for minor leaguers 3B Drew Henson, OF Jackson Melian , pitchers Brian Reith and Ed Yarnall.
2008 – Former Yankees INF/DH/OF, MLB Coach and long time Yankees broadcast announcer Robert “Bobby “ Murcer (1965-66,1969-1974,1979-1983) passes away from cancer. Bobby was groomed to be the next Mickey Mantle, but it didn’t work out that way, but he still had a very good MLB career with the Yankees.
He made the AL All Star team in 1971-74. He won AL Golden Glove in 1972. His best Yankees season with the bat was in 1971, when he hit .331. In the winter of 1974, he was traded to the Giants for All Star OF Bobby Bonds.
Bobby would return to the Yankees in 1979, being reacquired from the Cubs. After finishing out his Yankee playing career in 1983, Bobby became a Yankees radio-television announcer.
2008 – In a 9-4 victory over the Blue Jays, the Yankees AL MVP Alex Rodriguez hits his 537th MLB career HR passing Yankees HOF CF Mickey Mantle on the all-time MLB career HR list.
Already this season, A-Rod has passed Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Mantle. Next up on the list is former Phillies HOF slugger Mike Schmidt who is 12th on the list with 548 MLB career HRs. As a Yankee player, A-Rod has hit 192 HRs. Also in the game Yankees Captain Derek Jeter hit his 200 MLB career HR for the Yankees.
July 13
1889 – Former Yankees and HOF P Stanley “The Silent Pole” Coveleski (1928) was born. Stan finished his long MLB career with the Yankees going 5-1 in 12 games in 1928. He was elected to the HOF in 1969.
1905 – The A’s “sell” catcher Mike “Doc” Powers to the Highlanders. Powers will be sold back to the A’s on August 7. As noted by Lyle Spatz, Powers was needed to replace back up C Red Kleinow, injured yesterday in a game with the Tigers. Doc Powers will play mainly at 1B, replacing starting 1B Hal Chase, whose nose was broken in the Tigers game.
1919 – Submarine starter Carl Mays quits the mound after two innings at Chicago, blaming his Red Sox teammates for lack of support a-field.
In defiance of Ban Johnson’s order that no action be taken until Mays is returned to good standing, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee trades Mays to the Yankees for P Bob McGraw, Allen Russell and $40,000.
Ban Johnson suspends Carl Mays indefinitely and orders AL umpires not to let him pitch for New York. The Yankees get a court order restraining Ban Johnson from interfering, further eroding Johnson’s authority and standing.
The AL directors will reinstate Carl Mays. In retaliation, on October 29th the National Commission will refuse to recognize the Yankees’ third-place finish and will withhold the players’ share of the pool. New York’s owners will pay the players shares out of their own pockets.
1920 – The fans are flocking to see the mighty Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hit HRs (12 HRs in June). A twin bill with the Browns draws a Polo Grounds record of 38,823 fans, the 3rd record-breaker of the year.
1920 – Former Yankees P Frank “Dutch” Hiller (1946,1948-49) was born. In 1943, Frank Hiller was signed by the Yankees as an MLB amateur free agent. He posted a 5-6 career record for the Yankees in 29 games, before being sold to the Cubs in February of 1950.
1923 – Yankees starter Bob Shawkey hits a triple and double in the third inning, tying an AL record for most extra-base hits by a pitcher in 1 inning. The Yankees downed the A’s by a score of 10-6.
1934 – In front of 20,000 fans during the 3rd inning at Navin Field in Detroit, Babe Ruth wallops a Tommy Bridges’ 3-2 pitch far over the RF wall for his 700th MLB career HR. The 4-2 Yankee victory over the Tigers put the Bronx Bombers back into first place, but Lou Gehrig is helped off the field in the 1st inning with a severe bout of lumbago.
1934 – Former Yankees OF Ken Hunt (1959-1960) was born (1934-1997). In 1952, the Yankees signed Ken Hunt as a MLB free agent. He appeared in only 32 games during the 1959-60 AL seasons, batting .303 for the Yankees.
He was unable to crack the regular starting Yankee OF. In December of 1960, Ken was drafted by the LA Angels in the AL team expansion player draft. Former Yankees Manager Casey Stengel, who helped the Angels with scouting reports on MLB players available, recommended him to the Angels management.
1940 – Former Yankees reliever Jack Aker (1969-72) was born. The Yankees obtained Jack from the Seattle Pilots for P Fred Talbot during the 1969 AL season. Working out of the Yankees bullpen, Jack went 16-10 with 59 saves in 126 games with the Yankees.
On May 17, 1972, he was sent by the Yankees to the Cubs to complete an earlier deal made on January 20, 1972. The Yankees sent a player to be named later to the Cubs for OF Johnny Callison. The Yankees would send P Jack Aker on May 17, 1972, to the Cubs to complete the trade.
1940 – Joe DiMaggio drives in seven runs during the Yankees 10-4 win against the Browns in the first game of doubleheader. DiMaggio had four hits in that game, 2 HRs and 2 singles. In the second game, the Yankee Clipper adds a two-run HR, to finish the day with nine runs batted in and help the Yankees complete a sweep of the Browns, by a score of 12-6.
1947 – Making his 14th MLB uniform switch, Bobo Newsom joins the Yankees. His 7-5 pitching record for the rest of the 1947 AL season will help the Yankees to win the AL flag. The next season, Bobo Newsom will join the Giants.
1948 – Vic Raschi of the Yankees drives in the winning runs with a bases-loaded single in the fourth inning and is the winning pitcher as the AL again tops the NL by the score of 5 -2 in the All-Star Game held at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
AL All Stars Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, George Kell, and starter Hal Newhouser miss starting in the AL lineup due to injuries.
1952 – Yankees starter Vic Raschi gives up only one hit as the Yankees rout the Tigers by the score of 11-1 in the 1st game of a doubleheader. The Yankees win the second game by a score of 12-2.
1959 – The Red Sox sweep their five-game series with Yankees with a 13-3 rout featuring a big sixth inning. Gene Stephens pinch runs for Ted Williams and, when the Red Sox bat around, Gene Stephens then hits a grand slam HR.
1960 – The Yankees host the 29th All-Star game with AL losing by a score of 6-0. Yankees starter Whitey Ford is the losing pitcher, while Pirates starter Veron Law is the winner for the NL.
The midseason classic only draws a crowd of 38,362 fans at Yankee Stadium. The following Yankees were on the 1960 All Star team, C Yogi Berra, Pitchers Jim Coates and Whitey Ford, C Elston Howard, CF Mickey Mantle, RF Roger Maris, and 1B Bill Skowron.
1961 – White Sox veteran starter Early Wynn gets an early departure as he retires just two Yankees in the first inning.
Then Mickey Mantle (30th) and Roger Maris (34th) belt back-to-back HRs to send the veteran pitcher to the showers. For Mantle, it is the 13th HR in his MLB career off of Early Wynn, his favorite target. The Yankees win the game by a score of 6-2.
1964 – The Yankees hit four HRs in Cleveland, to top the Tribe by a score of 10-4. Yankees starter Roland Sheldon pitches a complete game, giving up only 6 hits and 4 runs. The Yankees four HRs were hit by Clete Boyer one HR (two-run), Tom Tresh two HRs, (two-run HRs), and a solo HR shot by Mickey Mantle.
1973 – Yankees OF Bobby Murcer hits three HRs, all off of Royals starter Gene Garber, as he knocks in all the runs in the Yankees’ 5-0 win over the Royals. Yankees veteran starter Mel Stottlemyre scatters 6 hits in racking up his 39th shut out of his MLB Yankees career.
1979 – Current Yankees minor league hurler Kei Igawa was born.
1984 – The Yankees retire Roger Maris (No. 9) and Elston Howard (No. 32) Yankee uniform numbers. The team also erects plaques in their honor to pay tribute to their achievements as Bronx Bombers.
July 14
1908 – Former Yankee reliever Johnny “Grand Ma” Murphy (1932, 1934-1943, 1946-47) was born. (1908-1970.) Johnny went 91-53 in 415 games with 104 saves for the Yankees.
Johnny would later work in the front office for the New York Mets, first as the Director of Player Development, then as a General Manager before having a fatal heart attack in 1970.
1934 – At Navin Field in Detroit, in an effort to keep the consecutive game streak intact, the Yankees have lumbago-stricken Lou Gehrig’s bat lead off and list him as the shortstop in the line up. After singling in the 1st inning, the “Iron Horse” leaves the game without fielding as the Tigers pound out 11 doubles to edge the Yankees, by a score of 12-11.
1939 – The Yankees tie the AL record with only one assist, as Yankees starter Red Ruffing wins by a score of 8-3 over the Tigers.
1947 – Former Yankees OF Danny Walton (1971) was born. On June 9, 1971, the Yankees obtained OF Danny Walton from the Brewers for INF/OF Frank Tepedino and OF Bobby Mitchell. Walton never turned out to be the power hitter the Yankees were hoping for. He would be traded to the Twins for back–up C Rick Dempsey in the fall of 1972.
1957 – Bill “Moose” Skowron of the Yankees hits an MLB-record second pinch-hit grand slam HR of the 1957 AL season, off of Jim Wilson of the White Sox, in the second game of a doubleheader. Bill Skowron’s hit comes in the ninth inning as the Yankees score 6 runs to win the game by a score of 6-4. The White Sox take the first game by a score of 3-1.
1964 – Oriole’s Bob Johnson’s sixth straight hit as a pinch hitter sets an AL mark, but the Yankees win the game by a score of win 4-3. Yankees starter Al Downing pitches a complete game picking up his sixth victory of the season. The Orioles veteran reliever Stu Miller took the loss.
1967 – Former Yankees 3B/1B Robin Ventura (2003-2004) was born. The Yankees signed Robin as a MLB free agent during the winter of 2002. He was traded by the Yankees on July 31, 2004 to the Dodgers for 2 minor league players OF Bubba Crosby and pitcher Scott
Proctor.
1982 – Former Yankees OF and AL MVP Jackie Jensen passed away (1927-1982). Jackie was an All American football star at USC in college.
On October 13, 1949, he was purchased by the Yankees from the Oakland Oaks (PCL). Jackie was unable to crack the regular Yankee outfield lineup despite hitting .298/. 369/. 500 mark as a part time player in 1950 and having a solid 1951 AL season.
On May 3, 1952, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Spec Shea, INF Jerry Snyder, and OF Archie Wilson to the Senators for outfielders Irv Noren and Tom Upton. In 1958, he was voted AL MVP while playing for the Red Sox.
1988 – Former Yankees OF Whitey Witt (1922-1925) passed away (1895-1988). On April 17, 1922, he was purchased by the Yankees from the A’s. Whitey appeared in two World Series with Yankees.
In May of 1925, the Yankees released Whitey Witt. Later on that season, the Dodgers would sign Whitey. He would finish his MLB career in 1926 with them.
1994 – Former Yankees reserve INF Cesar Tovar (1976) passed away. He batted .250 in 13 games in September of 1976 for the Yankees.
1994 – Former Yankees INF Jimmie Reese (1930-1931) passed away. On January 4, 1928, Jimmie was traded by Oakland (PCL) to the Yankees for INF Lyn Lary and $100,000. Debuting with the Yankees in 1930, the 28-year-old hit.346/. 382/.489 in 77 games while backing up Tony Lazzeri.
He was assigned as Babe Ruth’s roommate and famously joked that in reality, he roomed with Ruth’s suitcase. He said Ruth treated him “like a son.” In 1931, Reese returned to earth, hitting .241/.293/.335 and playing in 65 games. His Yankees career totals were .286 BA in 142 games.
That winter, he became the player to be named later in part of a deal to the St. Paul Saints (AAA) for P Johnny Murphy and Jack Saltzgaver. For many years, Jimmie Reese was a MLB coach for the Angels.
July 15
1907 – The White Sox pound the Highlanders, by the score of 15-0, the 2nd time this 1907 AL season they’ve beaten New York by that score. They’ll beat them in 1950 by the same score, the Yankees team record for most runs by an opponent in a shutout.
1908 – Former Yankees OF Jake Powell (1936-40) was born. On June 14, 1936, Jake was traded by the Senators to the Yankees for OF Ben Chapman. Jake hit .271 for the Yankees in 272 games. He appeared in three World Series with the Yankees, appearing in 8 games and hitting .435.
In 1938, Bob Elson interviewed Powell for a pre-game show on WGN radio in Chicago. Elson asked Powell what he did as a policeman in Dayton, Ohio during the off-season. Powell said, “I crack niggers on the head.”
For this public statement, he received a 10 game suspension from MLB Commissioner Judge Landis. On December 5, 1940, Jake was purchased by San Francisco Seals (PCL) from the Yankees. Jake Powell committed suicide after being arrested by the police in Washington, DC for passing bad checks.
1917 – The Yankees send OF Lee Magee to the Browns for OF Armando Marsans.
1920 – Babe Ruth ties his 1919 record of 29 HRs with a game-winner in the 13th inning to beat the Browns by a score of 13-10. Two days later, he will break it by hitting two HRs off of White Sox hurler Richard Kerr.
1934 – Yankees slugger Lou Gehrig returns to 1B and goes 4-for-4, including three doubles, off of Tigers starter Schoolboy Rowe, but the Yankees lose to the Tigers by a score of 8-3.
1936 – After an absence of several weeks, Tigers Manager Mickey Cochrane rejoins the Tigers in New York City, as they split a doubleheader with the Yankees.
The Tigers take the opener, by the score of 5-1, then lose the second game by a score of 7-4, as the Yankees maintain their nine-game lead in the AL. Cochrane will suffer a relapse and Tigers coach Del Baker will take over the team on the 21st.
1952 – The Indian power hitters dazzle the Yankees with a triple steal in the first inning as Al Rosen scores, Larry Doby goes to 3B, and Luke Easter, in his only MLB theft, goes to 2B. The Yankees lose the game by the score of 7-3 to the Tribe.
1964 – Yankees Whitey Ford’s 2-0 win over the Orioles raises the Yankees to first place in the AL. Orioles P Dave McNally takes the loss. Joe Pepitone has 2 hits and 2 RBI’s for the Yankees.
1965 – At Yankee Stadium, Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle’s 5th inning HR, off of Nats hurler Phil Ortega, ties the game at 1-1, and the Yankees goes on to top the Senators, by the score of 2-1.
1969 – Red Sox slugger Reggie Smith collects five straight hits in the opener, stretching his AL hitting streak to 21 games, and leading the Red Sox to 7-6 win over the Yankees. He’ll get another hit in the nightcap, a 4-1 win by Yankees starter Stan Bahnsen (5-10), but his hitting streak will stop tomorrow.
1984 – Yankees minor league P Anthony Claggett (2009) was born. Anthony Claggett’s debut in the major leagues with the Yankees on April 18, 2009 was one to remember, but for the wrong reasons.
He came on in relief in the second inning when starter Chien-Ming Wang was chased after pitching 1+ innings. He closed out the inning, but not before the Indians had scored 14 runs in the inning (eight charged to Wang, and six to Claggett), the most ever given up by the Yankees in a single inning.
He then gave up two more runs in the third before leaving the came with his ERA standing at 43.20. The Yankees lost the game by the score of 22-4.
1990 – At Yankee Stadium, Royals slugger Bo Jackson slugs three straight HRs, the 3rd his MLB career 100th, HR then separates his shoulder in the sixth inning diving for a line drive off the bat of Yankees Deion Sanders. Sanders ends up with an inside-the-park HR but the Royals take home a 10-7 win. Bo Jackson will be out for six weeks.
1991 – Mariner’s Edgar Martinez just misses hitting for the cycle for the second game in a row. He strokes a single, double, and a triple in a 5-1 win over the Yankees. On the 14th, he had 2 singles, a triple, and a HR against the Indians.
1997 – Despite a sluggish pitching performance, Hideki Irabu wins his second MLB start, leading the Yankees over Indians by a score of 12-6. Irabu gives up 5 runs and 9 hits in 5 innings, allowing HRs to Tribe hitters Tony Fernandez, Marquis Grissom, and Matt Williams.
Cecil Fielder, the Yankees’ 270-pound DH, tries to score from first on a double and his head first slide results in a broken right thumb. Cecil Fielder will miss eight weeks of action for the Yankees.
2001 – The battle of two first place teams draws 59,470 fans at Philadelphia as the Yankees lose a sloppy game to the Phillies, by the score of 9-3. In the fifth inning, Jimmy Rollins takes 2B on a passed ball, and then swipes third for his 26th straight successful steal.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has three passed balls and should have been charged with a fourth, while shortstop Derek Jeter makes a critical error. Jorge Posada will lead the MLB in passed balls this season with 18.
2008 – The AL squad defeats the NL team, by the score of 4-3, in 15 innings at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. It is the first extra-inning wins ever for the AL after seven losses and one tie. The two teams combine for a record seven steals, six of them by the AL squad. The game goes four hours and 50 minutes, also a record.
July 16
1892 – Former Yankees reserve C Bubbles Hagrave (1930) was born. In 1930, the Yankees used Bubbles Hargrave as a backup catcher to Bill Dickey. He hit .278 on a Yankees team whose batting average was .309.
1904 – At Hill Top Park in New York City, Highlanders starter Jack Chesbro swipes home in the bottom of the 10th inning to win his own game, by the score of 9-8.
1920 – Yankees slugger Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit 30 HRs in a MLB season. The historic HR breaks his own season mark of 29 HRs and the “Rajah of Rap” will finish the 1920 AL season with a resounding 54 HRs.
1940 – Former Yankees reliever Tom Metcalf (1963) was born. Tom was signed by the Yankees in 1961, as an MLB amateur free agent. He went 1-0 in eight games for the Yankees in 1963. In 1964, he broke his pitching arm and never returned to MLB.
1942 – The Yankees obtained P Jim “Milkman” Turner from the Reds as partial payment for OF Fran Kelleher. Jim would lead in the AL in 1945 with 10 saves. Later, he would be Casey Stengel’s longtime pitching coach during the 1950s. Also Jim served as a pitching coach for Yankees Manager Ralph Houk.
1947 – Two days after joining the Yankees, P Bobo Newsom wins his 200th MLB career victory, his first as a Yankee by beating the Indians at Cleveland by a score of 3-1. It was the Yankees’ 17th straight win.
In the second game, the Yankees winning streak continues to 18 games, when Yankee starter Vic Raschi stops the Tribe by a score of 9-2.
1948 – The Browns frustrate the third-place Yankees, whipping starter Allie Reynolds by a score of 10-4. Bob Dillinger leads the way with a bases loaded triple, 3 singles, 2 stolen bases and 5 RBIs. Cliff Fannin holds the Yankees scoreless until Phil Rizzuto’s HR in the eighth inning.
1951 – While in Detroit, the Yankees optioned rookie OF Mickey Mantle to Kansas City Blues (AAA). Mantle, plagued with strikeouts three on the 13th and in a slump, will go 0-for-22 in his start with the Kansas City Blues (AAA), before ending with a tear at .361. The Yankees will recall him on August 20.
Pitcher Art Schallock takes Mickey’s place on the Yankees 25 MLB man roster and gives up seven hits in 2.3 innings in today’s 8-6 win.
1953 – The Browns tie a record with three successive HRs by Clint Courtney, Richard Kryhoski, and Jim Dyck in the first inning. Their five bases-empty HRs in three innings establishes a new mark. It’s enough to beat the Yankees by the score of 8-6.
1959 – After beating the Indians, yesterday the Yankees sweep a doubleheader today to knock the Tribe out of first place. Yankees win the opener when Yogi Berra ties the game in the ninth inning with a HR, and Mickey Mantle wins it, by the score of 7-5, in the 10th inning with a two-HR run shot off of pitcher Gary Bell.
Bobby Shantz wins the nightcap, by the score of 4-0. The Yankees are now 5 1/2 games out of 1st place in AL.
1961 – The Yankees edge the third place Orioles, beating starter Steve Barber by a score of 2-1. AL All Star CF Mickey Mantle drives home both Yankee runs.
1964 – Steve Barber regains first place for the Orioles with a successful 6-1 outing against the Yankees starter Jim Bouton.
1967 – At Yankee Stadium, Orioles outlast the Yankees to win the game by the score of 2-1, in 14 innings. The Yankees manage just only four hits, including a solo HR by Mickey Mantle, off of P Bill Dillman.
2003 – The Yankees send minor league pitching prospects Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa to Mets for hard-throwing embattled Mets closer, Armando Benitez.
The 30-year old All-Star reliever, who is slated to be the setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, blew 7 of 28 save opportunities and was object of much fan booing at Shea Stadium. Benitez will go 1-1 in nine games for the Yankees before being traded on August 6, 2003, to the Mariners for veteran reliever Jeff Nelson.
2005 – In an effort to bolster their injured pitching rotation, the Yankees acquired recently released Al Leiter from the Marlins. The 39-year old $8-million southpaw, who posted a disappointing 3-7 record and a 6.64 ERA with the Marlins, will quickly pay dividends for the Yankees by limiting the Red Sox to one run and two hits in his 1st start back as a Yankee.
July 17
1919 – The Yankees (21) and Browns (17) combined for 38 hits during the Browns 7-6, 17-inning win. The Browns winning run was a scored on a squeeze play.
1923 – An unsympathetic Yankees Manager Miller Huggins refuses to remove Yankees starter Carl Mays. He allows the Indians to batter Mays for 20 hits and 13 runs during a Tribe 13-0 win. Yankees Manager Miller Huggins and Carl Mays never got along well, it will end with Carl Mays later being traded to the Reds after the 1923 AL season ends.
1930 – Former Yankees minor league OF Jerry Lynch was born. Before the 1951 AL Season, Jerry was purchased by the Yankees from Greenville (Cotton States). Jerry never played for the Yankees at the MLB level.
On November 30, 1953, he was drafted by the Pirates from the Yankees in the 1953 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He would play in the NL with the Pirates and Reds finishing his 14-year MLB career with a lifetime BA of .277.
1934 – Yankees slugger Babe Ruth draws his 2,000th MLB base on balls at Cleveland. He will retire from MLB in 1935 with a MLB walk record of 2,062.
1936 – Yankees Red Rolfe, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Dickey hit third-inning HRs against the Tigers to tie the AL record, since topped. Yankees roll to a 9-4 victory, dropping the Bengals to fourth place in the AL. Goose Goslin has a pair of HRS for the Tigers.
1938 – Former Yankees OF/INF Deron Johnson (1960-1961) was born. In 1956, Deron Johnson was signed by the Yankees as an MLB amateur free agent. Deron was never able to find a regular position to play with the Yankees.
At 3B, Clete Boyer blocked him and at 1B there was Bill Skowron. Plus Mickey Mantle (CF), Roger Maris (RF) and Yogi Berra-Hector Lopez (LF) filled the Yankees outfield. In June of 1961, he was traded along with veteran starter Art Ditmar to the A’s for veteran hurler Bud Daley. Deron would become a star in the NL with the Reds and Braves in the mid-1960’s.
1941 – In front of more than 60,000 fans at Cleveland, Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak is ended at 56 games. Indian Pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby, Sr., plus sensational plays by 3B Ken Keltner, stop the Yankee Clipper’s hitting streak, but the Yankees edge the Indians by a score of 6-5.
1947 – The Yankees sweep a doubleheader against Indians by scores of 3-1 and 7-2 to extend their winning streak to an AL record 19 games. The streak matches that of the 1906 White Sox.
1948 – Yankees starter Ed Lopat scatters 11 hits to beat the Browns, by a score of 4-0. It is the Yankees hurler’s second shutout in a row and his third this 1948 AL season.
1950 – Yankees rookie pitcher Whitey Ford wins his first MLB game, beating the visiting White Sox, by the score of 4-3. Closer Tom Ferrick finished game for the Yankees.
1955 – Earl Torgeson of the Tigers steals home in the 10th inning to beat the Yankees by a score of 6-5.
1959 – White Sox veteran starter Early Wynn and the Yankees Ralph Terry match zeros for 8 innings at Yankee Stadium. Before Chicago’s Jim McAnany collects the first White Sox hit in the ninth inning. Jim Landis adds a second hit to drive home two runs to give the Sox, a 2-0 win. Early Wynn matched Ralph Terry by also allowing just two hits.
1961 – The Yankees top the Orioles by a score of 5-0, behind Whitey Ford’s 13th straight win. Mickey Mantle (No. 33) and Bill Skowron hit long HRs at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
The nightcap goes into the fifth inning when, with two outs and the Yankees up by the score of 4-1, when a thunderstorm strikes. The umpires wait 65 minutes before calling the game, thus washing out HRs by Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
1961 – MLB Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick decrees that Babe Ruth’s record of 60 HRs in a 154-game schedule in 1927 “cannot be broken unless some batter hits 61 or more within his club’s 1st 154 games.”
As the 1961 AL season with expansion of two new teams: Washington Senators and LA Angels, the AL goes to a 162 game schedule for the 1961 season.
1977 – The Yankees lose by a score of 8-4, for their third straight loss to the Royals. The Yankees have now lost seven of their last nine games and are now three games in back of the AL eastern division leading Orioles.
1978 – In the latest incident in his feud with manager Billy Martin, the Yankees Reggie Jackson ignores instructions and attempts to bunt in the 10th inning of a tie game with the Royals.
Jackson pops up; the Yankees lose the game by the score of 9-7, in the 11th inning. Manager Billy Martin serves Jackson with a five-day suspension without pay. The Royals’ three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium left the Yankees in fourth place in the AL East, 14 games behind the Red Sox.
1987 – Yankees’ first baseman Don Mattingly becomes the first AL player to hit a HR in seven consecutive games.
1989 – White Sox C Carlton Fisk gets his 2,000th MLB career hit in a 7-3 win over the Yankees.
1990 – At Yankee Stadium, Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. makes his MLB debut, pitching an inning of relief against the Yankees. He gives up three runs, but the Royals unload on Yankees starter Andy Hawkins (1-8) to win the game by a score of 10-7.
1996 – The Red Sox take a 9-2 lead over the Yankees into the seventh inning in at Fenway Park. New York scores three runs in the seventh inning, two runs in the eighth inning, and four runs in the ninth inning to move ahead, by a score of 11-9.
The Red Sox bounce back with three runs of their own in their last at bat to defeat Yankees by a score of 12-11 and end Yankees closer John Wetteland’s record save streak.
July 18
1916 – Former Yankees OF/1B Johnny “Hippity” Hopp (1950-52) was born. On September 5, 1950, John was purchased by the Yankees from the Pirates. He would hit .333 in 19 games for the Yankees. In 1951, he faded to a .206 mark.
He was only hitting .160 in 1952, when he was released by the Yankees in 1952. The Tigers, finishing his MLB playing career with them, would pick up Johnny.
1918 – Former Yankees pitcher AL Lyons (1944,1946-47) was born. Al went 1-1 in 19 games for the Yankees before being sold to the Pirates in 1947.
1933 -The Yankees win their ninth straight game taking the AL lead from the Senators, by beating the White Sox by a score of 5-4.
1934 – Twenty-two players hit safely in the Indians’s 15-14 win over the Yankees. Babe Ruth is hit in the leg by the ball and will be out for 10 days. It is the second time an injury has sidelined him this 1934 AL season.
1940 – Happy Birthday to former Yankees’ Manager Joe Torre (1995-2007)!
1944 – Former Yankees P Rudy May (1974-76, 1980-83) was born. On June 15, 1974, Rudy was purchased by the Yankees from the Angels for cash. Rudy posted 26-19 mark in 60 games with the Yankees.
On June 15,1976, he was traded along with C Rick Dempsey, pitchers Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor, and Dave Pagan to the Orioles for pitchers Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Grant Jackson, P Jimmy Freeman and reserve C Ellie Hendricks.
Rudy would return to the Yankees in 1980, posting a 15-5 mark with an AL leading ERA of 2.46. He will go 28-27 in 124 games with the Yankees from 1980-1983.
1947 – The Yankees 19-game winning streak comes to an end, when Tigers starter Fred Hutchinson shuts out the Yankees by a score of 2-0.
1954 – After winning 13 in a row, the Yankees lose the second game of a doubleheader to the Tigers by the score of 8-6. They now trail the Indians by 1/2 game.
1957 – In what will later be revealed as false testimony, Kansas City A’s owner Arnold Johnson denies before the Celler Committee that he had any ties to the Yankees ownership or has favored them in any MLB baseball trades made by the A’s.
This committee was looking into MLB legal activities including anti-trust laws and the MLB players reserve clause.
1960 – The Yankees score five runs in the third inning off of Tribe starter Richard Stigman, as Whitey Ford coasts to a complete game 9-2 victory over the Indians.
1961 – Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle poles two HRs, off of rookie P Joe McLain, to pace the Yankees to a 5-3 win over the Senators. In pre-game ceremonies, Mickey Mantle teamed with New York Congressman Eddie Dooley to win the HR-hitting contest against other Congressional-player duos.
1985 – Current Yankees INF Ramiro Pena (2009) was born. Ramiro appeared in 46 games this season hitting .267 before being sent back to Scranton (AAA).
1987 – Yankees Don Mattingly hits a HR in his 8th consecutive game, tying the MLB record set by former NL slugger Dale Long in 1956, but the Yankees lose to Rangers by a score of 7-2. His streak will end tomorrow when he goes 2-for-4, but hits no HRs.
1995 – The White Sox blast Yankees starter Jack McDowell for 13 hits and nine runs in 4 2/3 innings in their 11-4 win in the second game of a doubleheader. McDowell makes an obscene gesture to the fans as he is booed walking off the field.
1999 – On “Yogi Berra Day” at Yankee Stadium, David Cone becomes the 16th pitcher in MLB history and the third Yankees starter in team history to toss a perfect game beating the Expos, by a score of 6-0.
In pregame ceremonies former Yankees P Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his former catcher Yogi Berra commemorating his 1956 World Series perfect game against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.
2008 – The Yankees signed free agent 1B/DH Richie Sexton, who had been released by the Mariners. He would only appear in 22 games with the Yankees. He hit .250 before being released by the team in August of 2008.
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