This week in Yankees Baseball April 1st-April 7th

April 1st

1912- Former Yankee P Jacob “Whistlin’ Jake” Wade (1946) was born. (1912-2006)
On December 15,1944, Jake Wade was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the New York Yankees for Johnny Johnson. He posted a 2-1 mark in 13 games with 1 save for the Yankees. On August 5,1946, he was purchased by the Washington Senators from the Yankees.

1934- Former Yankees minor league INF Rod “Hot Rod “ Kanehl was born. (1934-2004)
In 1954, the New York Yankees originally signed Rod Kanehl as amateur MLB free agent. He played in their farm system until the fall of 1961, when he was drafted in the minor league player draft by the New York Mets on advice from their new Manager Casey Stengel. Rod never saw MLB action with the Yankees, but Casey Stengel remember him from a Yankees spring camp training session, where he jumped on a bike to run down a fly ball. He played for the Mets from 1962-1964. The Yankees wanted to give him a shot at 3B job in spring of 1967, but the Mets refused to release him from his lifetime reserve clause in his MLB player contract, even though they had him on their Buffalo AAA team roster.

1939- Former Yankees P Phil Niekro (1984-1985) is born in Blaine, Belmont County, Ohio.
Phil "Knucksie" Niekro will make his MLB debut in 1964 with the Milwaukee Braves. He will win 318 games over a 24-year MLB career. He will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1997. Phil went 32-20 in 65 games as a Yankees pitcher during the 1984-1985 AL seasons.

1955- Former Yankees reserve OF Larry Murray (1974-1976) was born.
Outfielder Larry Murray was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 5th round of the 1971 MLB amateur player draft. He appeared in 20 games as a reserve OF with the Yankees from 1974-1976. Larry Murray was part of a trade that brought P Mike Torrez to the Yankees from Oakland A’s in April of 1977.

1969- New York Yankees All Star OF/1B Mickey Mantle (1951-1968) retires from MLB. He ends his MLB career with 2,415 hits and 536 HRs in 18 seasons with the Yankees, numbers that would have certainly been higher if not for persistent knee injuries. He was the last active player from the Yankee Dynasty years (1949-1964) to retire from MLB. He will be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with his longtime Yankees teammate Whitey Ford in 1974.

2008- The New York Yankees set a MLB record by winning their 11th straight home opener. Oddly, the MLB record had been held by the 1945-1954 Pittsburgh Pirates, a club which lost 100 or more games 3 times in that period. The Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 3-2. Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang only allows 2 runs in 7 innings for the win over the Toronto Blue Jays Ace Roy Halladay.

April 2nd

1918- The New York  Yankees purchased 1B "Tioga" George Burns from the Detroit Tigers and immediately trade him to the Philadelphia A’s for OF Ping Bodie (1918-1921). The Yankees already had Wally Pipp as their starting first baseman. George Burns would return to the Yankees in 1928.

1930- Former Yankees minor league P Art Ceccarelli was born.
Despite being in the New York Yankees organization twice, Art never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. On May 4,1954, Art was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Brooklyn Dodgers. On November 22,1954, Art was drafted by the Kansas City A’s from the New York Yankees organization in the 1954 MLB Rule 5 player draft. On May 19,1960 Art was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees for P Mark Freeman. Art was assigned to the Richmond Virginians (AAA) in May of 1960, where he went 9-4 with a 3.96 ERA.

1931- At Engel Stadium, Miss Jackie Mitchell strikes out Yankee sluggers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game held in Chattanooga, TN. The 17-year-old girl, a member of the Chattanooga Lookouts roster, also walks Tony Lazzeri in Chattanooga's 14-4 loss to the New York  Yankees. In 1933, Mitchell will pitch for the House of David baseball team.

1945- Former Yankees P Mike Kekich (1969-1973) was born.
Mike Kekich is known more for off the field actions as a Yankee than as a player. Fritz Peterson and Mike swapped wives and families one year, causing a quite a media stir. In one of the stranger deals in baseball history, Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson swapped wives, children, and dogs during the winter of 1972-1973. Kekich never married the former Mrs. Peterson but Peterson did marry Susanne Kekich and they had 4 children of their own. They are still married today.  Mike came over from the Dodgers in the Andy Kosco trade in December of 1968. He went 31-24 as a Yankees pitcher before being exiled to the Cleveland Indians after the wife/family swap was revealed to the public during 1973 Yankees spring training camp. Mike appeared in 125 games for the Yankees posting a 31-32 record with 1 save. On June 12,1973, he was traded by the New York Yankees to the Cleveland Indians for hurler Lowell Palmer. Mike originally came up with the Dodgers in 1965.  Then he played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, then pitching in Mexico before coming back to the Seattle Mariners in 1977.

1955- Former Yankees OF Billy Sample (1985) was born.
On February 27,1985, Bill Sample was traded by the Texas Rangers along with a player to be named later to the Yankees for veteran INF Toby Harrah. The Rangers would send Eric Dersin to the Yankees to complete the trade. Billy hit .288 in 59 games for the Yankees before being traded on December 6, 1985, to the Atlanta Braves for minor league player Miguel Sosa.

1957- Current Co-Owner of the New York Yankees Hank Steinbrenner was born.
Hank Steinbrenner is co-owner and managing general partner of the New York Yankees alongside his younger brother Hal Steinbrenner. He inherited the team on his father, George Steinbrenner's death in 2010, although the two brothers had been running the team since 2007, when their father's illness forced him to curtail his daily activities.

While the 2 brothers have let General Manager Brian Cashman make most baseball-related decisions since taking over, Hank quickly developed a reputation for being outspoken and for making ill-informed comments, in the mold of his father. Among some his more infamous statements in 2008, he said that the idea that there was a mass of Boston Red Sox fans across the country as a creation of ESPN, and criticized members of the Tampa Bay Rays for picking fights with Yankee players when they were being subsidized by the richer team through luxury tax payments.

In spring training of 2011, he made another sortie that reminded everyone of his father's less-inspired moments, blaming the team's "poor" performance in 2010 on the fact that players had celebrated too much following the 2009 World Series and, in a dig clearly aimed at team captain Derek Jeter, who had built a luxury home in Tampa, FL over the previous off-season, were "too busy building mansions" and had become complacent. He was conveniently forgetting that the Yankees had been fighting neck-and-neck with the Rays all season for the best record in the major leagues, and made it all the way to the ALCS, where they lost a tightly-fought series against the Texas Rangers; no independent observers had accused the team of slacking off at all during the season. Steinbrenner had to apologize immediately for his remarks and clarify that he was not singling out Jeter, but dug himself a deeper hole by stating that his remarks were a "euphemism", thereby indicating that he did not know the meaning of that word either.

His outburst brought him a rebuke from MLB Commissioner Bud Selig as well, as Steinbrenner stated that the Commissioner supported changes to the revenue sharing and luxury tax system in the current round of collective bargaining with the Players Association; the New York Yankees are of course the largest payers into the system, given their enormous payroll. Selig had to publicly remind Steinbrenner that MLB owners were not authorized to speak on labor-related issues during the ongoing negotiations.

1960- Former Yankees minor league INF Tom Barrett was born.
The New York Yankees in the 26th round of the 1982 MLB amateur player draft drafted infielder Tom Barrett. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. He was the brother of Boston Red Sox INF Marty Barrett. On December 11,1986, Tom was traded by the Yankees along with veteran OF/1B Mike Easler to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Charles Hudson and minor league player Jeff Knox.

1964- Former Yankees DH Pete Incaviglia (1997) was born.
Pete Incaviglia was with the New York Yankees for 21 days appearing in only 5 games with a BA .250, before being released by the team.

1970- Former Yankees P Jon Lieber (2003-2004) was born.
Signed as a MLB free agent in 2003,  hurler Jon Lieber went 14-8 with the New York Yankees in 2004 before leaving the team as a MLB free agent to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.

2001- On Opening Day 2001, New York Yankees starter Roger Clemens becomes the all-time AL career strike out leader passing Hall OF Fame Washington Senators starter Walter Johnson. Royals INF Joe Randa is his 3,509 AL strikeout victim. By passing Walter Johnson, Roger Clemens now takes over the 7th spot in MLB history.

2003- Baltimore Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick's record streak for games played and total chances without an error by a shortstop ends as Yankees OF Bubba Trammell's  3rd inning grounder tips off his glove.

2003- Todd Zeile hits a HR in his 1st at-bat for the New York Yankees, becoming the only MLB to hit a HR for 10 different MLB teams. In addition to hit a HR with the Yankees, Zeile had also gone deep for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Texas Rangers, New York  Mets, and the Colorado Rockies. He will add the Montreal Expos to the list before then end of the 2003 MLB season.

 2011- The Commissioner's office demands that the New York Yankees stop relaying hand signals from the stands to their hitters at New Yankee Stadium, something which is expressly prohibited by a directive from Major League Baseball. New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman apologizes to Joe Garagiola Jr. and says the team will comply.

April 3rd

1879- Former Yankees P John Frill (1910) was born. (1879-1918)
On August 6,1909, John Frill was sent from the Newark (Eastern League) to the New York Yankees in an unknown transaction. John went 2-2 in 10 games with 1 save for the Yankees. On July 13,1910, John was purchased by the Jersey City (Eastern League) from the Yankees.

1919- One of the most bizarre off-the-field spring training incidents in New York Yankees history takes place in Jacksonville, Florida. New York  Yankees OF Ping Bodie competes against an ostrich named "Percy" in a spaghetti-eating contest! Bodie wins the eating competition, when Percy passes out after his 11th plate of pasta.

1929- Former Yankees P Art Ditmar (1957-1961) was born.
 Art Ditmar was originally signed by the Philadelphia A’s in 1948. Ditmar would get his 1st look at the MLB in 1954 when the Philadelphia A’s used him in 14 games. He posted a 1-4 record. Also he spent time in 1954 with Ottawa (International League, AAA), going 6-12 with a 3.56 ERA. One of Art's highlights in baseball came in 1954 as he was the winning pitcher in the final game ever played by the Philadelphia A's before their franchise shift to Kansas City. "It was a game against the Yankees," recalled the rubber-armed right-hander. "Casey Stengel wanted to get every good hitter he could into the lineup. Yogi Berra played 3rd base and Mickey Mantle played shortstop. I pitched 6 innings and Marion Fricano finished."

On February 19,1957, Art was traded by the Kansas City A’s along with players to be named later, Infielders Wayne Belardi, Jack McMahan, and P Bobby Shantz to the Yankees for a player to be named later, OF Irv Noren, INF Milt Graff, Pitchers Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan, Rip Coleman and INF Billy Hunter. The Yankees would send P Jack Urban to the A’s to complete the trade. The A’s would send infielders Curt Roberts and Clete Boyer to the Yankees to complete the trade. In 1957 with the Yankees, Art went 8-3 with a 3.25 ERA. He would go 13-9 in 1959 and 15-9 in 1960 as a starter for the Yankees. He failed to win both of his two 1960 World Series starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees in 1957-1958 against the Milwaukee Braves, and against the Pirates in 1960. He went 1-2 in 5 World Series games for the Yankees with a 3.18 ERA.

In the 1960 World Series against the Pirates, he lost the 1st and 5th games. Yankees Manager Casey Stengel is still the target of criticism as to why he started Ditmar in the opening game instead of Whitey Ford. Ditmar defended his manager's decision. "Whitey had arm trouble. I think Casey figured he would be better off pitching the 2nd game in Forbes Field rather than Yankee Stadium with the short right field. The controversy was that Ford could have pitched 3 games if necessary. The thing is he didn't even pitch the 2nd game. Yankees veteran right-hander Bob Turley started the 2nd game and won 16-3."

During the 1961 AL season, while suffering from arm problems, Art only went 2-3 in 12 games for the Yankees, before being traded back to the Kansas City A’s on June 14th along with rookie OF/INF Deron Johnson for veteran starter Bud Daley, where he finished out his MLB career with a 72-77 record with a 3.98 ERA. His overall New York Yankees pitching career record was 47-32 in 168 games with 12 saves. A graduate of American International College in Springfield, MA, Art Ditmar became the director of parks and recreation in Brook Park, Ohio. He coached the baseball and basketball teams at the school while working on his master's degree. He retired to Myrtle Beach, SC; he will be the 1st to tell you that he wasn't the pitcher of record when Bill Mazeroski hit his epic shot HR in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.

1952- Former Yankees minor league P Rick Earle (1976) was born. Rick Earle never pitched for the Yankees at the MLB level.

1960- Former Yankee minor league OF Jose Vidal was born. (1960-2011)
On May 19,1969, outfielder Jose Vidal was traded by the Seattle Pilots to the Yankees for OF Richard Simpson. Jose never plays for the Yankees at the MLB level. He passed away on January 7, 2011.

1961- The New York Yankees reacquired veteran hurler Duke Maas (1958-1960) from expansion LA Angels for reserve INF Fritz Brickell (1958-1959).  Duke Maas injured his pitching arm, after appearing in 1 game for the 1961 Yankees. Duke never pitched again in MLB, despite having surgery and a comeback attempt that ended in 1964.  His best season as a Yankees starter was in 1959, winning 14 games. He was drafted by the LA Angels in 1960 AL Player Expansion draft. His Yankees career pitching record was 26-12 before the arm injury finished his MLB career. Both players passed away at young ages, Fritz Brickell at 30 in 1965, from cancer. Duke Maas passes away at the age of 47 in 1976.

1962- Former MLB and Yankees Minor league Manager Dave Miley was born.
Catcher Dave Miley signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1980. He spent 7 seasons in the minor leagues. Miley was a MLB coach for the Reds in 1993. He was managing the team's AAA affiliate at Louisville, when he was named interim MLB manager in 2003. His position was confirmed after a few weeks. Dave led the Reds until 2005, when Jerry Narron replaced him, with the team holding the worst record in the NL. He never managed to push the team over .500 during his 3 seasons at the helm. He then returned to managing in the minor leagues signing with the New York Yankees organization. In 2006, he was at Columbus (International League). Then in 2007, he moved to Scranton with the Yankees.  Dave was named International League manager of the year in 2007 for his work with the Scranton Yankees. In 2008, he led the Scranton team to the IL championship. The 2009 Scranton team lost in the International League playoffs. Dave returned to Scranton for the 2012 International League season.

1967- The New York Yankees obtained INF John Kennedy from the Dodgers for OF/1B John Miller, P Jack Cullen and the temporary transfer of INF Roy White to the Dodgers Spokane AAA farm club in the Pacific Coast League.  The Yankees had arranged for the Dodgers work with Roy White on his infield play at 2B, but in the end, he would become an outfielder.

1972 – The New York Yankees released veteran MLB pitchers Jim Hardin (1971) and Gary Waslewski (1970-1971). Both players were washed up as MLB pitchers. Jim Hardin never fully recovered from his arm problems that developed while he was with the Baltimore Orioles. Gary Waslewski came up with the Boston Red Sox in 1967, appearing in 2 games of the 1967 World Series.

1979- Former Yankees OF/1B Harry “Suitcase” Simpson (1957-1958) passed away. (1925-1979)
Harry Simpson originally came up to the MLB with the Cleveland Indians in 1951. He played for the Tribe in 1952-1953 AL seasons. He spent the 1954 baseball season at Indianapolis (American Association, AAA), missing the Tribe’s 1954 AL pennant run. In May of 1955, the Tribe traded him to the Kansas City A’s. Yankees Manager Casey Stengel once called him the best defensive right fielder in the American League. His best MLB season was in 1956, when he batted .293 with 21 HRs and 105 RBIs for the A's.  On June 15,1957, Harry Simpson was traded by the A’s along with P Ryne Duren and OF Jim Pisoni to the Yankees for INF Billy Martin, P Ralph Terry, INF/OF Woodie Held, and OF Bob Martyn. Harry appeared in 99 games for the Yankees during the 1957-1958 AL seasons. Harry hit 9 triples in 1957, giving the Yankees 3 players with the same number, with Yankee teammates Hank Bauer and Gil McDougald.  In the 1957 World Series against the Milwaukee Braves, he played in 5 games for the Yankees. He was 1 for 12 with 4 strikeouts. On June 15,1958, Harry was traded by the Yankees along with veteran reliever Bob Grim back to the A’s for veteran MLB hurlers Duke Maas and Virgil “Fire” Trucks. Simpson hit grand slam HRs for 4 different MLB teams (Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Kansas City A’s and the Chicago White Sox). In 1959, Harry ended his MLB career playing after playing with the A’s, White Sox and finishing with Pirates. After playing in the high minor leagues for 2 seasons, then he went to Mexico to play baseball before retiring  as a active player in 1964.

1980- Former Yankee reserve OF Justin Christian (2004) was born.
On July 14,2004, outfielder Justin Christian was purchased by the New York Yankees from River City (Frontier League).  Justin appeared in 24 games as a reserve outfielder hitting .250 with the 2008 Yankees. On December 12, 2008, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. On May 8, 2010, Justin was signed as a MLB Free Agent with the New York Yankees. He doesn’t appear with the Yankees at the MLB level,  instead playing for Scranton (AAA.) On November 6,2010, Justin was granted MLB free agency by the Yankees. He signed with the San Francisco Giants for the 2011 NL season, appearing in only 3 games with them spending most of the 2011 season with their  AAA team.

1984- After rainy weather washes out yesterday's opener at Royals Stadium, Yul Brynner tosses out the 1st ball as the Royals opens with a 4-2 win over the Yankees. The threat of snow holds the crowd to just 10,006 fans. Royals starter Bud Black, with relief help from closer Dan Quisenberry, tops Ron Guidry, still winless in Openers. Onix Concepción hits Guidry's 1st pitch of the game for a HR, while Dave Winfield has a 2-run HR for the Yankees.

2005- In his 1st start for the New York Yankees, All Star starter Randy Johnson allows a run and 5 hits in 6 innings as New York open the 2005 MLB season with a 9-2 triumph over the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Johnson will win 17 games for the New York Yankees in the 2005 AL season.

April 4th

1883- Former Yankees OF/INF John “Silent John” Hummel (1918) was born. (1883-1959)
John Hummel appeared in 22 games for the Yankees hitting .295 during the 1918 American League season.

1933- Former Yankees minor league P Ted Wieand was born.
During the month of October 1960, Ted Wieand was sent from the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Yankees in an unknown transaction. Ted did not appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. Ted spent the 1961 baseball season with the Yankees AAA club, Richmond Virginians ( International League). He went 3-6 in 30 games. In 1962, he started out with Richmond again, going 0-0 in 12 games. The Yankees sent him to their AA club, the Amarillo Gold Sox; he finished out his professional career by going 4-1.

1952- Former Yankees Head MLB Trainer Herm Schneider (1977-1978) was born.
Herm Schneider has been a MLB trainer for over 30 years. He was born in the Netherlands, Schneider moved to the USA as a child. He worked in the New York Yankees organization from 1970-1978, the last two years as assistant trainer for the World Series champions. He also spent nine years as trainer of the Ponce Lions. In 1979, the Chicago White Sox hired Schneider as head trainer, a job he still holds as of 2010 (ranking 2nd to Gene Monahan among AL trainers in MLB service time). From 2002-2009, his White Sox had the fewest days missed due to injury of any AL team 5 years. In the 8-year period, they never finished lower than 3rd. From 1991-2000, his teams had used the DL 2nd least in baseball, behind the Minnesota Twins. He was head American League trainer at the 2003 All-Star Game, his 4th All-Star Game. He has won numerous awards.

1966- Former Yankees P Herb McQuaid (1926) passed away. (1889-1966)
On September 14, 1925, Herb McQuaid was traded by St. Paul Saints (American Association) to the New York Yankees for undisclosed players. Herb went 1-0 in 17 games for the 1926 Yankees.

1971- Former Yankees P Carl  “Sub” Mays (1919-1923) passed away at the age of 79. (1891-1971)
On July 30, 1919, the New York Yankees acquired veteran starter Carl “Sub” Mays from the Boston Red Sox for shortstop Al Russell, P Bob McGraw and $40,000 cash.  Mays had a dispute with the Boston front office, he demanded a trade to New York. He had accused his Red Sox teammates for not supporting him, while he was pitching. Originally the American League disallowed the trade, but the Yankees brought a lawsuit and got an  court injunction allowing Mays to join the team. As a Yankees starter, Carl Mays went 26-11 in 1920 and 27-9 in 1921. Overall as a Yankee starter, he was 79-39 for the team from 1919-1923. After being sold to the Cincinnati Reds in 1924 for $85,000, he went 20-9 for the Reds. He never got along with Yankees Manager Miller Huggins, which included a fistfight on the sidewalks of New York City. His trade was considered to be one of the worst in early Yankees team history. After he joined the Cincinnati Reds, Carl posted a 56-36 record. Carl Mays was the New York Yankee pitcher, who hit Cleveland Indians batter Ray Chapman with a pitch, which later resulted in his death during the 1920 AL season game.

1972- The New York Yankees released veteran  MLB INF Ron Hansen (1970-1971)
On February 28,1970, Ron Hansen was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Chicago White Sox, he was playing with a bad back and with limited range. In 1970, he hit .297 in 59 games for the Yankees before fading in 1971 with a .207 BA in 61 games. He originally came up to the MLB with the Baltimore Orioles. He was voted the 1960 American League Rookie of the Year.

1982- Former Yankees P Mel Queen Sr. (1942,1944,1946-1947) passed away. (1918-1982)
Mel Queen Sr. was the father of former MLB player and manager Mel Queen Jr.  The New York Yankees signed him as a amateur MLB free agent in 1938. He went 8-4 in 33 games for the Yankees before being sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1947 MLB season.

1984- On Opening Day, New York  Yankees veteran starter Tommy John ties a MLB record by playing in 26 MLB seasons. John beats the Minnesota Twins by a score of 4-2, for his 287th MLB win putting him 19th overall in MLB pitching career wins.

1994- In New York City, a total of 56,706 fans attend the 1994 Opening Day making it the largest crowd ever at new Yankee Stadium. Yankees starter Jimmy Key is winner with bullpen help from Bob Wickman with Xavier Hernandez picking up the save. The Yankees hitting attack by led by 3B Wade Boggs, who went 4 for 5 with a run driven in.

2010- The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox stage a classic battle to open the 2010 MLB season at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox winning the game by the score of 9-7 after trailing the Bronx Bombers by the scores of 5-1 and 7- 5. Yankee hitters Jorge Posada and Curtis Granderson hit back-to-back HRs in the 2nd inning.  Brett Gardner steals home as the Yanks build an early lead against Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, but a HR by Dustin Pedroia and 3 extra-base hits by Kevin Youkilis highlight the Sox's comeback. Veteran MLB reliever Chan Ho Park takes the loss in his Yankees debut, while Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima is the winner.

2012- The  New York Yankees wind down their 2012 Spring Training camp with several roster moves and a trade. Outfielder Justin Maxwell, who is out of minor league options is designated for assignment by the team. He had hit .260 with 16 HRs at Scranton, after suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the 2011 International League season. Veteran MLB INF Bill Hall selects MLB free agency after learning that he hasn't made the 2012  Yankees Opening Day 25 man roster. He had signed a minor league  deal with the team in February of 2012. Bill had played for the 2011 Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, hitting just .211 as a reserve player. The Yankees make a surprise trade, sending P George Kontos to the San Francisco Giants for reserve catcher Chris Stewart, who previously played for the 2008 Yankees and with Scranton. Yankees name him the MLB  team reserve catcher, sending C Francisco Cervelli to AAA to be the starting catcher for Scranton, because their starting catcher Austin Romine is starting the 2012 season on the DL list with back problems. Yankees Manager Joe Giardi tells the Press in case there is an injury to Yankees starting C Russel Martin, Cervelli will return to the club to be the number 1 catcher.

April 5th

1877- Former Yankees INF/OF William “Wid” Conroy (1903-1908) was born. (1877-1959)
In October of 1902, Bill Conroy jumped from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Highlanders. He appeared in 796 games for the Yankees, hitting .250 with 12 HRs and 266 RBI’s.  On February 17,1909, he was purchased by the Washington Senators from the New York Highlanders.

1913- In an exhibition game at Brooklyn, the Dodgers play their 1st game at their new ballpark, Ebbets Field.  Brooklyn beats the New York Yankees by the score of 3-2, with the Dodgers OF Casey Stengel hitting the park's 1st HR, an in-the-park homerun.

1921- Former Yankees P Robert Hogue  (1951-1952) was born. (1921-1987)
Bob Hogue went 4-5 in 33 games with the Yankees before being sent to the St. Louis Browns in 1952. He appeared in 2 games with the Yankees in the 1951 World Series against the Giants with no record.

1925- In a spring training game, the New York  Yankees whip the Brooklyn  Dodgers by a score of 16-9, but the headlines are about Babe Ruth. The Bambino collapses in the railroad station in Asheville, NC, he winds up in a New York City hospital. Ruth will undergo an operation for an ulcer on April 17th. He will be in bed until May 26th. The press calls the incident “Babe Ruth’s Bellyache.” The New York Yankees would fall to 7th place in the American League, while the Washington Senators capture the 1925 AL flag for the second straight season.

1934- New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth, who is sponsored by Quaker Oats Company, agrees to do three 15-minute broadcasts a week over NBC radio. The total of $39,000 for 13 weeks is $4,000 more than his current New York Yankees player contract. Of equal way, WSAL hires Red Barber to broadcast Cincinnati Reds games.

1938- Former Yankees INF Ron Hansen (1970-1971) was born.
On February 28,1970, veteran MLB INF Ron Hansen was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Chicago White Sox, he was playing with a bad back and with limited range. In 1970, he hit .297 in 59 games for the Yankees before fading in 1971 with a .207 BA in 61 games. He originally came up to the MLB with the Baltimore Orioles. He was voted the 1960 American League Rookie of the Year. That season Ron made the AL All Star team and hit 20 HRs for the Orioles. Later he became a MLB coach.

1970- Former Yankees minor league P Ryan Karp was born.
On June 1,1992, Ryan Karp was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9th round of the 1992 amateur MLB player draft.  On   February 9,1994, Ryan was traded by the New York Yankees along with INF Kevin Jordan and P Bobby Munoz to the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later and MLB P Terry Mulholland. On November 8,1994, the Philadelphia Phillies would send minor league player Jeff Patterson to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.

1973- The New York Yankees obtained INF Tom Matchick from the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Frank “No Homerun “ Baker. Frank Baker was a terrible infielder with the Yankees, while with the Orioles farm system; he became a better fielder and a good bench player for the Birds. Tom Matchick never played for the Yankees at MLB level.

1977- The New York Yankees acquired shortstop Bucky Dent from the Chicago White Sox for OF Oscar Gamble, Pitchers La Marr Hoyt and Bob Polinsky and an estimated $200,000 in cash. Dent will solidify the New York Yankees middle infield helping  the Yankees reach the World Series in 1977-1978. Oscar Gamble will have a fine season in Chicago. While La Marr Hoyt will blossom into the ace of the Chicago White Sox staff in the early 1980's.

1979- At Yankee Stadium, 52,719 fans see Milwaukee Brewers jump on Yankees starter Ron Guidry for 4 runs in the 6th inning, beating the Bronx Bombers by a score of 5-1. It's the most runs the 1978 AL Cy Young Award winner has allowed since the 1977 AL season. New York get singles from their 1st 3 hitters, but manage to score just 1 run in the 1st inning off of Brewers starter Mike Caldwell.

1995- The New York  Yankees acquired closer John Wetteland (1995-1996) from the Montreal  Expos for minor league 1B Fernando Segugnol and cash. Wetteland will help the Yankees to the World Championship in 1996. He will go 3-8 in 122 games with 74 saves as a Yankee closer before leaving the team for MLB free agency, signing with the Texas Rangers. John will win the 1996 World Series MVP Award and the Rolaids Relief Award.

2002- Former Yankees minor league manager William “ Sheriff” Robinson passed away. (1921-2002).
Sheriff Robinson managed the Amarillo Gold Sox (AA) in 1961, which featured future Yankees P Jim Bouton, INF Phil Linz and 1B Joe Pepitione, aka “ The Amarillo Gang”.  In 1962, he managed the Yankees AAA club, the Richmond Virginians (International League), before leaving the Yankees organization to join the New York Mets organization in 1963.

2012- The New York  Yankees acquired P Cody Eppley from the Texas Rangers. He is assigned to their Triple AAA team Empire  State roster aka Scranton.

April 6th

1954- Former Yankees P Ken Clay  (1977-1979) was born.
The New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1972 MLB amateur player draft drafted Ken Clay. He went 6-14 in 81 games for the Yankees. He appeared 2 World Series games for the Yankees with no record. On August 14,1980, Ken was traded by the New York Yankees along with a player to be named later to the Texas Rangers for veteran P Gaylord Perry. The New York Yankees sent minor league player Marvin Thompson on October 1,1980 to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.

1971- At Fenway Park‚ the Red Sox take their 2nd straight Opener against the Yankees‚ winning the game by the score of 3-1. Boston's  starter Ray Culp allows 5 hits in 9 innings in winning over Yankees starter Stan Bahnsen‚ who gives up 2 runs in 7 innings. Red Sox OF Reggie Smith has 3 hits and his throw to the plate in the 8th inning gets the last out.

1973- At Fenway Park in Boston, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becomes the 1st designated hitter in MLB history. In his 1st plate appearance, Blomberg walks with the bases loaded off of Boston Red Sox starter Luis Tiant. He will end up with 1 hit in 3 at-bats as the Yankees lose to the  Red Sox, 15-5. Joking with the media, Ron calls himself, “the Designated Hebrew.”

1974- The New York Yankees play their 1st home game outside of Yankee stadium since 1922, when they hosted the Cleveland Indians at Shea Stadium. 12-year-old Teddy Kennedy‚ Jr.‚ flanked by his father and NYC Mayor Abe Beame‚ tosses out the 1st ball. Missing from the ceremony is New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner‚ indicted 2 days earlier for illegal campaign contributions. Graig Nettles' 2-run HR in the 4th inning off of  the Indians' Gaylord Perry opens the scoring and the Yankees score 4 more times to win. Charlie Spikes scores the only Cleveland run in the 9th inning following a triple off starter and winner Mel Stottlemyre. Perry‚ who is warned once for an illegal pitch‚ is the loser today‚ but he will win his next 15 decisions.  The Yankees beat the Indians by the score of 6-1 The Yankees will play at Shea Stadium for the 1974-1975 American League seasons, while Yankee Stadium is being rebuild. This would be Mel Stottlemyre’s last opening day start for the New York Yankees.

1977- Former Yankees reserve INF/OF Andy Phillips  (2005-2007) was born.
The New York Yankees in the 7th round of the 1999 MLB amateur player draft drafted Andy Phillips.  In 2005, Andy won the James P. Dawson Award for being the best Yankees rookie in 2005 spring training camp. Andy appeared in 203 games for the Yankees hitting .253 with 11 HRs and 60 RBI’s. After the 2007 American League season, Andy Phillips was released by the New York Yankees organization.

1982 -A freak heavy spring snowstorm brings subfreezing temperatures across the northeast and mid-west and causes the postponement of home opener for the New York Yankees and other MLB teams.

1983- Former Yankees reserve INF Bronson Sardinha (2007) was born.
Bronson Sardinha was drafted by the New York Yankees with their 1st round selection in 2001 MLB amateur player draft. A shortstop in high school, Sardinha has played short, third and the outfield in the minors. He is the brother of Dane Sardinha and Duke Sardinha. He has moved through the Yankees minor league system at a normal pace spending roughly one year at every level, except AA where he played for 2 seasons. Sardinha had hit .391 as a high school senior. The New York Yankees took him with the 34th pick of the 2001 amateur draft and signed him for a $1,100,000. At the time, it was the highest any Hawaii high school player was drafted.
 
Assigned to the GCL Yankees, he hit .303 with 11 steals in 13 tries. He led the Gulf Coast League with 42 runs (in 55 games), was 8th in BA average. He was honored as the GCL All-Star shortstop. Baseball America rated him as the GCL's #3 prospect after Chad Petty and Anderson Hernandez. At age 19, Sardinha hit .263 with 15 steals in 21 tries for the Greensboro Bats but fielded just .889 at shortstop, far less than the other player they tried there, Robinson Cano. Shortly after the short-season leagues began, he was demoted to the Staten Island Yankees in part to learn the outfield. He hit .323 in 36 games, helping Staten Island to a title. Had he qualified, he would have edged Jorge Cortes for the New York-Penn League OBP lead and ranked 4th in average. As Cano had been demoted with Sardinha, other managers accused George Steinbrenner of adding talent for the pennant run. Baseball America rated him the #4 prospect in the NYPL, ahead of teammates Chien-Ming Wang (#6) and Cano (#11). Sardinha started 2003 with the Tampa Yankees and hit .193 in 59 games before being demoted to the Battle Creek Yankees, where he batted .275in 71 contests. He split 2004 baseball season between the Tampa Yankees and Trenton Thunder he hit .289 with 8 home runs and 62 RBI. After that season he was named the 9th best prospect in the Yankees system by Baseball America. He hit .315 in 63 games for Tampa and .267in 72 for Trenton. He reached base in 46 consecutive games early in the season. Had he qualified, he would have led the Florida State League in batting average.

In 2005, the 22-year-old produced at a .258 clip with 115 strikeouts and 30 doubles as the RF for Trenton. He hit .344 for the Grand Canyon Rafters in the Arizona Fall League; as it was a high-offense year, he failed to make the top 10 in average in the AFL. In 2006, he was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team. He batted .254 in 86 games with Trenton Thunder. He was promoted to AAA, hitting .286 in 52 for the Columbus Clippers (International League). Overall, he smacked 16 HRs.  He started the 2007 season with the Scranton Yankees (AAA). He hit only .222 with 11 HRs in 109 games. He spent some time back at Trenton (AA), where he hit .429 with 4 HRs in 15 games. In spite of his poor offensive production at Scranton, the Yankees recalled him in September, making his MLB debut on September 15th during a quadruple switch. He got his 1st at-bat MLB against Bryan Corey with Hideki Matsui on 1st and 1 out in the top of the 9th and grounded into a game-ending double play. On December 12, 2007, the Yankees granted him MLB free agency. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians organizations since leaving the Yankees in 2007.

1998- Former Yankees P John Wyatt (1968) passed away from a fatal heart attack (1935-1998).
After starring in the Negro Leagues, John Wyatt embarked on a 9-year career in the American League, where he saved 103 games. He was an American League All Star closer for the Kansas City A’s. In perhaps his most memorable appearance, he won Game 6 of the 1967 World Series for the Boston Red Sox. John appeared briefly with the 1968 Yankees after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox before moving on to the Detroit Tigers during the 1968 American League season.

2003- New York Yankee hitters Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson hit back-to-back HRs to start the game as the Bronx Bombers beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays by the score of 10-5. Yankees starter Roger Clemens wins MLB career victory #295.

2004- Former Yankees reserve C Lou Berbert (1954-1955) passed away (1929-2004).
In 1950, the New York Yankees signed Lou Berbert as an MLB amateur free agent. Lou was another of a long list of young catchers in the Yankees minor league system, which were blocked by the presence of All Star C Yogi Berra during the 1950’s. Lou appeared in 7 games for the Yankees. On February 8,1956, Lou was traded by the New York Yankees along with a player to be named later, INF Herb Plews, OF Richard Tettelbach and Bob Wiesler to the Washington Senators for INF Bobby Kline and P Mickey McDermott. On April 2,1956, the New York Yankees sent minor league OF Whitey Herzog to the Washington Senators to complete the trade.

2004- Former Yankees P Ken Johnson (1969) passed away. (1923-2004).
Veteran MLB knuckleball hurler Ken Johnson played briefly with the 1969 Yankees after coming from the Atlanta Braves before being sold to the Chicago Cubs. Ken appeared in 12 games for the Yankees, posting a 1-2 record. The veteran pitcher was originally signed by the Philadelphia A’s.

2009- Marquee MLB free agents starter CC Sabathia and 1B Mark Teixeira have a rough time in their pinstripe debuts for the New York Yankees. Sabathia gives up 6 runs on 8 hits in 4⅓ innings and Teixeira goes 0 for 4 as the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Yankees by the score of 10-5 at Camden Yards. Cesar Izturis hits a 2-run HR and Aubrey Huff a 2-run double for the Birds, as starter Jeremy Guthrie picks up the win.

April 7th

1907- Former Yankees P Oral “Hildy” Hildebrand (1939-1940) was born. (1907-1977)
On October 26,1938, Oral Hildebrand was traded by the St. Louis Browns along with OF Buster Mills to the New York Yankees for C Joe Glenn and OF Myril Hoag. He posted an 11-5 record in 34 games with the Yankees. He appeared 1 game of 1939 World Series for the Yankees with no record.

1933–Former Yankees reserve OF Bobby Del Greco (1957-1958) was born.
Reserve OF Bobby Del Greco hit .459 for his month with the Yankees in September of 1957 after being purchased from the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in 6 games with the Yankees in 1958, before being sold to Philadelphia Phillies in April of 1959.

1948- Former Yankees P Rick Sawyer (1974-1975) was born.
Rick Sawyer had no decisions in 4 games with the Yankees during the 1974-1975 AL seasons. On March 19, 1974, he was traded as part of a three-team trade by the Cleveland Indians along with Walt Williams to the Yankees. The Yankees send C Jerry Moses to the Detroit Tigers. The Indians sent P Ed Farmer to the  Yankees. The Tigers sent P Jim Perry to the  Indians. On July 31, 1976, Rick was sent by the  Yankees to the San Diego Padres to complete an earlier deal made for OF Gene Locklear on July 10, 1976.

1952- The New York Yankees waived P Dave Madison (1950) to the St. Louis Browns. Dave Madison signed with the New York Yankees in 1947. He appeared in 1 game for the Yankees with no decision during the 1950 AL season.

1969- HOF Ted Williams makes his MLB managerial debut for the Washington Senators. Williams loses his 1st game to the New York Yankees by the score of 8-4, on Opening Day at RFK Stadium. Williams will manage the Senators for 3 seasons, before moving with the team to Texas in 1972.

1973- Former Yankees P Brett Tomko (2009) was born.
On February 13, 2009,  veteran hurler Brett Tomko was signed as a MLB free agent with the New York Yankees. He went 1-2 in 15 games for the Yankees before being released by the team. He would finish the 2009 AL season with the Oakland A’s.

1977- The New York Yankees open defense of their 1976 American League Championship by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers by the score of 3-0 at Yankee Stadium. Sparky Lyle recorded the 1st of 26 saves in relief of starter Catfish Hunter, who went 7-innings of 2-hit ball before getting hit by a line drive by Von Joshua. Yankees DH Jim Wynn hit a HR in his 1st at bat as a Yankee. It would be the highlight of his brief career with the Bronx Bombers.

2010- New Yankees centerfielder Curtis Granderson quickly makes his presence felt with the "Bronx Bombers". After hitting a HR in his 1st at-bat for the team on Opening day, April 4th, he hits a game-winning long ball off Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon in the 10th inning of today's game, which started as a pitching duel between Andy Pettitte and John Lackey, giving the Yankees a 3-1 victory. Chan Ho Park redeems his poor opening day performance with 3-innings of one-hit ball in relief to earn his 1st win in Yankees pinstripes, while Mariano Rivera picks up his 2nd save in as many days.

2011- Barely a week into his MLB career, Minnesota Twins 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka suffers a broken fibula in a collision with a sliding Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees, who is trying to break up a double play. The Yankees win the game by the score of 4-3. New York Yankees starter A.J. Burnett is the winner, benefiting from a 3-run rally in the 4th inning.

Happy Birthday to Yankees Co-Owner Hank Steinbrenner

April 2, 1957- Current Co-Owner of the New York Yankees Hank Steinbrenner was born.
Hank Steinbrenner is Co-Owner and Managing General Partner of the New York Yankees alongside his younger brother Hal Steinbrenner. He inherited the team on his father, George Steinbrenner's death in 2010, although the 2 brothers had been running the team since 2007, when their father's illness forced him to curtail his daily activities.

While the 2 brothers have let Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman make most baseball-related decisions since taking over the team, Hank quickly developed a reputation for being outspoken and for making ill-informed comments, in the mold of his father. Among some his more infamous statements in 2008, he said that the idea that there was a mass of Boston Red Sox fans across the country as a creation of ESPN, and criticized members of the Tampa Bay Rays for picking fights with Yankee players when they were being subsidized by the richer team through luxury tax payments.

In spring training of 2011, he made another sortie that reminded everyone of his father's less-inspired moments, blaming the team's "poor" performance in 2010 on the fact that players had celebrated too much following the 2009 World Series and, in a dig clearly aimed at team captain Derek Jeter, who had built a luxury home in Tampa, FL over the previous off-season, were "too busy building mansions" and had become complacent. He was conveniently forgetting that the Yankees had been fighting neck-and-neck with the Rays all season for the best record in the major leagues, and made it all the way to the ALCS, where they lost a tightly-fought series against the Texas Rangers; no independent observers had accused the team of slacking off at all during the season. Steinbrenner had to apologize immediately for his remarks and clarify that he was not singling out Jeter, but dug himself a deeper hole by stating that his remarks were a "euphemism", thereby indicating that he did not know the meaning of that word either.

His outburst brought him a rebuke from MLB Commissioner Bud Selig as well, as Steinbrenner stated that the Commissioner supported changes to the revenue sharing and luxury tax system in the current round of collective bargaining with the Players Association; the New York Yankees are of course the largest payers into the system, given their enormous payroll. Selig had to publicly remind Steinbrenner that MLB owners were not authorized to speak on labor-related issues during the ongoing negotiations.

1994 Yankee Stadium Opening Day

April 4, 1994- In New York City, a total of 56,706 fans attend the 1994 Opening Day making it the largest crowd ever at new Yankee Stadium. Yankees starter Jimmy Key is winner with bullpen help from Bob Wickman with Xavier Hernandez picking up the save. The Yankees hitting attack by led by 3B Wade Boggs, who went 4 for 5 with a run driven in.

1974 New York Yankees Opening Day at Shea Stadium

April 6, 1974- The New York Yankees play their 1st home game outside of Yankee stadium since 1922, when they hosted the Cleveland Indians at Shea Stadium. 12-year-old Teddy Kennedy‚ Jr.‚ flanked by his father and New York City Mayor Abe Beame‚ tosses out the 1st ball. Missing from the ceremony is New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner‚ indicted 2 days earlier for illegal campaign contributions. Yankees 3B Graig Nettles' 2-run HR in the 4th inning off of  the Indians' starter Gaylord Perry opens the scoring and the Yankees score 4 more times to win. Former Yankees OF Charlie Spikes scores the only Tribe run in the 9th inning following a triple off of Yankees starter and  winner Mel Stottlemyre.

Gaylord Perry‚ who is warned once for an illegal pitch by the home plate umpire‚ is the Tribe's loser today‚ but he will win his next 15 decisions of the 1974 AL season.  The Yankees beat the Indians by the final score of 6-1. The New York Yankees will play at Shea Stadium for the 1974-1975 American League seasons, while Yankee Stadium is being rebuild. This would be Mel Stottlemyre’s last opening day start for the New York Yankees (1965-1974). New York Yankees Manager Bill Vidron will be the 1st Yankees Manager not to manage or win a game at Yankee Stadium since 1922 AL season with Miller Huggins at the Polo Grounds.