This Week in Yankees History October 16th-22nd Part One

October 16^th  

1895- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Bill Skiff (1926) was born. (1895-1976)

Bill Skiff had appeared in 6 games as a Reserve Catcher for the 1926 Yankees with .091 BA. Bill would later work for the Yankees organization as an MLB Scout and long-time Minor League Manager (1933-1937,1948-1949 and 1951). Also, Bill would work for the Brewers organization before retiring from baseball in the early 1970’s.

1900- Former Yankees Pitcher/PH Henry “Tomato Face” Cullop (1926) was born. (1900-1978)

Henry Cullop had only appeared in 2 games for the 1926 Yankees as a pinch-hitter, before being sent on October 19,1926 to the Senators to complete an earlier deal made on August 27,1926. The Yankees would send Players to be Named Later to the Senators for veteran Starter Dutch Ruether. On October 19,1926, the Yankees would send hurlers Garland Braxton and Nick Cullop to Washington to complete the trade. Later, Nick would become a long-time Minor League Manager for several MLB teams.

1921- In defiance of MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ban on World Series participants playing in post-season exhibitions, Yankee Outfielders Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel and Pitcher Bill Piercy launch a barnstorming tour in Buffalo, NY. Five days later, they cut it short in Scranton, Pa. In the meantime, Babe Ruth openly challenges MLB Commissioner Judge Landis to act. The Judge does, fining the players their World Series shares ($3,362.26) and suspending them until May 20th of the 1922 AL season. The 2 Yankee players will miss 33 games of the 1922 AL season. On December 20,1921, Bill Piercy was traded by the Yankees along with P Rip Collins, INF Roger Peckinpaugh, P Jack Quinn and $100,000 Cash to the Red Sox for 2 hurlers: Bullet Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones and Shortstop Everett “Deacon” Scott. In the 110 games that Babe Ruth played for the 1922 Yankees, he would hit .315 with 35 HRs and 99 RBIs. He was suspended 2 more times during the 1922 AL season. Meanwhile OF Bob Meusel would appear in 121 games for the 1922 Yankees, while hitting .319 with 16 HRs and 88 RBIs. Now with the 1922 Red Sox, hurler Bill Piercy would post a 3-9 record with a 4.67 ERA in 29 games.

1923- Soon after Yankees Slugger Babe Ruth receives his 1923 World Series winner's share of $6,160.46, MLB player (Tigers) and Insurance Agent Harry Heilmann, who beat Babe Ruth for the AL batting title by 10 points, sells him a $50,000 life insurance policy. Beneficiaries are Mrs. Ruth and adopted their daughter, Dorothy.

1936- Yankees AL All-Star 1B Lou Gehrig, who hit .354 with 49 HRs, 167 runs, and 152 RBIs is voted the 1936 AL Most Valuable Player. He had previously won the AL MVP Award in 1927. Until  the AL rule change in the early 1930’s, a player could win the AL MVP Award, only 1 time.

1949- Former Yankees Pitcher Don Hood (1979) was born.

On June 15,1979, P Don Hood was traded by the Indians to the Yankees for DH/C/1B Cliff Johnson. Don would post at 3-1 record with a 3.07 ERA and 1 save in 27 games for the Yankees before leaving the team for MLB Free Agency during the 1979 off-season 

1956- The Yankees would sell Reserve OF Bob Cerv to Kansas City for Cash. Bob would get a chance to play full-time in the Outfield with Kansas City, including having a great 1958 AL season by hitting .305 with 38 HRs and 104 RBIs; plus making the 1958 AL All-Star team as the starting LF. On May 19,1960, he would return to Yankees in trade for veteran 3B Andy Carey. There are several reports that the 1956 Bob Cerv deal was the 2nd part of the Enos Slaughter wavier claim by the Yankees made during the 1956 AL season. Originally the Yankees were going to send P Don Larsen as the player, but his 1956 World Series Perfect Game performance against the Dodgers had changed Yankees GM George Weiss trade plans.

1961- The Yankees had purchased veteran All-Star Pitcher Robin Roberts from the Phillies for $100,000 Cash. The Yankees made a major mistake when they wrote him off as a washed up in their 1962 MLB Spring Training Camp. Clippers Note: They should have kept him and dumped veteran P Bob Turley instead. Robin Roberts would be signed by the rival AL Orioles, going 10-9 in 1962, then he won 14 games in 1963. If the Yankees had kept him, he would have a better chance to win 300 games during his great MLB pitching career. 

1962- At Candlestick Park in San Francisco, a crowd of 43,9848 fans watched as the tying and winning runs are in scoring position, Giants Slugger Willie McCovey hit a hard-liner drive at 2B Bobby Richardson for the final Series out as the Yankees won Game 7 of the 1962 World Series by a score of 1-0 for their 20th World Series Championship. The game winning pitcher for the Yankees is Starter Ralph Terry, who after being the goat in 1960 and losing a game in 1961 World Series is finally becomes a Yankees World Series hero. Ralph Terry posted a 2-1 record for the Yankees in the Series. While Giants veteran Starter Jack Sanford is the loser, he would finish the 1962 World Series with a 1-2 record. The 1962 World Series had been delayed by 3-days of rain, which gave the Yankees Pitching staff a much-needed rest. Also, the World Series had 2 of the lowest batting averages in Series History; Yankees hitting just .199, while the Giants hitting .226.

1962- Former MLB Player and Yankees Minor League Manager Ray Powell passed away. (1888-1962)

Former MLB Player Ray Powell had managed in the Yankees organization from 1939 to 1942. He was the Manager of the 1939-1940 Easton Yankees (ESL), 1941 Norfolk Yankees (NSL) and the 1942 Fond Duc Panthers (WSL). In the MLB, he had played the Outfield for the Tigers and the Braves (1913-1924).

 1964- Despite guiding the Yankees to a 99-63 record; winning the 1964 AL pennant, the Yankees had fire Manager Yogi Berra, after losing the 1964 World Series to the Cardinals in 7 games. Yankees GM Ralph Houk feels that Yogi Berra didn’t have enough control over the veteran Yankee players; since many of them were his former teammates. The truth is that Yogi Berra was selected by the Yankees Co-Owners Dan Topping and Del Webb to manage the 1964 team. Yankees GM Ralph Houk wanted his own choice to manage the team. Meanwhile in St. Louis, Manager Johnny Keane of the World Championship Cardinals resigns unexpectedly. He will take Yankees Manager job, which opens as the result of the firing of Yogi Berra. Johnny Keane will be very unpopular Manager with several of the Yankees veteran players, as the team falls from a 1964 1^st place finish of 99-63 with Manager Yogi Berra to a 6^th place finish under Keane with a 77-85 record in 1965. He will be let go by the team in early May of 1966 with Ralph Houk returning to the Yankees dugout as the team’s manager. The 1966 Yankees will fall to last place in the AL with a 70-89 record. Yogi will be signed by the Mets as an MLB Coach.

1965- Former Yankees Minor League OF Darren Reed was born.

On June 4,1984, OF Darren Reed was selected by the Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1984 MLB Amateur Player Draft (Secondary Phase). Darren never appeared at the MLB level with the Yankees. In 1987, he would split time playing with the AA Albany-Colonie (EL) and the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). On December 11,1987, he was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League P Steve Frey and C Phil Lombardi to the Mets for MLB Shortstop Rafael Santana and Minor League Player Victor Garcia. He would play in 82 MLB games with the Mets, Expos and the Twins.

1976- At Riverfront Stadium, a crowd of 54,826 fans watched Reds Starter Don Gullett and Reliever Pedro Borbon combine for a 5-hitter as the Reds win the Opening Game of the 1976 World Series over the Yankees by the score of 5-1. Three hits by Reds Slugger Tony Perez, who is the 1st DH in World Series history and 2B Joe Morgan with a HR supply the Reds offense. Yankees Starter Doyle Alexander took the loss.

1977- At Dodger Stadium, a crowd of 55,955 fans watched the Dodgers stay alive with a 10-4 victory in Game 5 of the 1977 World Series against the Yankees. Dodgers hitters Steve Yeager and Reggie Smith would hit HRs, while veteran Dodgers Starter Don Sutton pitches a complete game. Yankee Starter Don Gullet only goes 4 innings, while allowing 4-Dodger runs. Late inning HRs by Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson provide the Yankees offense.

 1993- Former Yankees Pitcher Jimmie DeShong (1934-1935) passed away. (1909-1993).

On September 15,1933, P Jimmie DeShong was purchased by the Yankees from the AA Sacramento Senators (PCL). He had previously pitched in 6 games for the 1932 A’s. In 1933, Philadelphia Manager Connie Mack had sent him to the AA Sacramental Senators (PCL). He went 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA and 6 saves in 60 games for the Yankees. On January 17,1936, Jimmie was traded by the Yankees along with OF Jesse Hill to the Senators for P Bump Hadley and OF Roy Johnson. With the Nats, he would win 18 and 14 games in a season, before fading in 1939. The Yankees would re-obtained Jimmie from the Senators in June of 1939, but he did not appear with them at the MLB level, instead he would be pitching for their AA club, the Newark Bears (IL).

1995- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB Pitcher Dwight Gooden was an MLB Free Agent. He would go 11-7 with a 5.01 ERA in 29 games for the 1996 World Champion Yankees. He would throw his 1^st MLB Pitching career No-Hitter. After a 9-5 season with a 4.91 ERA in 20 games in 1997, he would leave the team for MLB Free Agency. He would be signed by the Indians. He will return to the Yankees in 2000 finishing his MLB Pitching career.

1999- The Red Sox roll over the Yankees by the score of 13-1 behind a strong pitching of Starter Pedro Martinez. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra gets 4 hits for the Red Sox, while John Valentin gets 5 RBIs. Garciaparra, Valentin and Brian Daubach, all hit HRs for the Red Sox. The Yankees now lead the 1999 ALCS 2-games-to-1.

2003- The Yankees would capture their 39th AL pennant beating the Red Sox by the score of 6-5, thanks to Aaron Boone's 11th inning HR off of veteran P Tim Wakefield at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Boone becomes the 5th player to end an MLB Post-Season series with a HR joining Pirates Bill Mazeroski (1960 WS), Yankees Chris Chambliss (1976 ALCS), Blue Jays Joe Carter (1993 WS) and the Mets Todd Pratt (1999 NLDS 2).

2009- At New Yankee Stadium, the Yankees take Game 1 of the 2009 ALCS with a 4-1 win over the Angels. The Yankees would take advantage of 3 Angel fielding errors to score their runs, but the critical play is a 2-out pop-up that falls untouched between Angels 3B Chone Figgins and Shortstop Erick Aybar in the 1st inning, allowing Yankees base-runner Johnny Damon to score the Yankees' 2nd run. Bronx Starter CC Sabathia pitches 8 innings for the victory, while Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera gets the save.

2012- Detroit takes a 3 games to none lead in the 2012 ALCS behind another strong performance by Ace Starter Justin Verlander. He gives up no runs through the 1st 8 innings before allowing a lead-off HR to Eduardo Nunez in the 9^th inning, but he needs relief help from Reliever Phil Coke, who gets the last 2 outs in a 2-1 win. Delmon Younghomers off of Yankees Starter Philip Hughes for the Bengals' 1st run in the 4^th inning, then Quintin Berry scores the 2nd run on a double by Miguel Cabrera in the 5^th inning.

2017- The Yankees notch their 1st win in the 2017 ALCS by defeating the Astros by the score of 8-1 in Game 3 played at Yankee Stadium. A crowd of 49,373 fans watched 3-run HRs by Todd Frazier and Aaron Judge help New York build an 8-0 lead by the end of the 4^th inning, as they cruise from there as veteran Yankees Starter CC Sabathia is the winner over Astros Starter Charlie Morton.

2019- At Yankee Stadium, Game #4 of the 2019 ALCS is rained out. This rainout will cost the Yankees and Astros a travel day back to Houston for Game# 5, if needed to be played.

2020- Former Yankees Minor League P Jack McMahan passed away. (1932-2020) 

Before the start of the 1952 AL Season, P Jack McMahan was signed by the Yankees as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would never appear with the team at the MLB level. On November 27,1955, Jack was drafted by the Pirates from the Yankees in the 1955 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. The Pirates would trade Jack to the Kansas City during the 1956 season. Between the 2 clubs, he had posted a 0-5 record with a 3.04 ERA in 34 games. On February 19, 1957, he was traded by the Athletics with Players to be Named Later, INF Wayne Belardi, Pitchers Art Ditmar and Bobby Shantz to the Yankees for a Player to be Named Later, MLB OF Irv Noren, INF Milt Graff, Shortstop Billy Hunter, Pitchers Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan and Rip Coleman. On April 5,1957, the  Yankeeswould send P Jack Urban to the Athletics to complete the trade. The Kansas City would send INF Curt Roberts (April 4,1957) and INF Clete Boyer (June 4,1957) to the  Yankees to complete the trade. With the Yankees, Jack would pitch for 1957-1958 AAA Denver Bears (AA) and the 1959 AAA Richmond Virginians (IL) before finishing up his pro pitching career with a 1960 Braves AA team.

October 17^th

1908- Former Yankees 3B, MLB Coach and MLB Manager (1949-1952) Robert “Red” Rolfe (1931,1934-1942) was born. (1908-1969). 

Red Rolfe was a college baseball player, who had played at Dartmouth College from 1928 to 1931. On June 25,1931, Red signed with New York and attained his dream: “Ed Barrow outbid his rivals and landed Rolfe for a $6,000 dollar signing bonus, a fairly hefty amateur bonus at the time.” He came up to the 1931 Yankees for 1 game at shortstop. Then he played in the Minor Leagues from 1931-1933. In 1933, he won the International League MVP Award, while playing for the AA Newark Bears. Then in 1934, he played two-thirds of his games at shortstop, but from 1935, on he was chiefly a 3B for Manager Joe McCarthy’s starting infield. In 1935, he would hit .300 in 149 games. He would hold down the 3B position through the 1942 AL season. Red Rolfe would finish his 10-year Yankees playing career by hitting .289 along with 69 HRs and 497 RBIs in 1,175 games. He had led the AL 3B in fielding (1935-1936). He led the AL in hits (139) and runs (213) in 1939, posting his highest MLB season BA of .329. Red was named to AL All-Star team 4 times as a Yankees player. During his Bronx playing career, Red had suffered from Colitis health issues, which led to his MLB retirement in 1942. Rolfe had appeared in 6 World Series with the Yankees, playing in 28 games; while hitting .284 with No HRs and 6 RBIs. After his MLB playing career had ended, Rolfe had coached Baseball and Basketball at Yale Univ. from 1943 to 1946. In 1946, he was a Yankees MLB Coach.  

Yankees Manager Joe McCarthy thought that Red would become an MLB Manager, possibility replacing him, when he decided to retire as the team’s manager. New Yankees Team management in 1945, changed that idea with Joe McCarthy leaving the team in during the 1946 season. In August of 1947, Red left the Yankees organization in August of 1947 to join the Tigers organization to become their Chief MLB Scout. Then in 1948, he was Farm Director of the Tigers, then he was the Tigers Manager from 1949 to 1952. Red finishing with an overall AL Manager record of 278-256 with a WP of .521 in 539 MLB games. His best season as an MLB Manager was in 1950, when he finished in 2^ndplace with the Tigers to the 1^st place Yankees (with a 95-59 mark.)  He was named the 1950 AL Manager of the Year. Also, he was a coached the Toronto Huskies Pro Basketball team in the NBL in 1946, a predecessor of the NBA. From 1954 to 1967, Rolfe was the Athletic Director at Dartmouth College. In 1967, Red retired due to his health issues. One of the divisions of the Ivy League Baseball League is named the Rolfe Division in his honor. The other is the Gehrig Division, named after Lou Gehrig, who went to Columbia; he was Red's teammate with the Yankees (1931-1939). As part of 100^th MLB anniversary, the Yankees conducted a fan survey in 1969, to determine their “all-time” greatest team; Red Rolfe was voted the 3rd baseman.

1926- "Ruth, by Losing 36 Baseballs, Breaks Up Game in Montreal." The barnstorming Babe Ruth and his buddy Pitcher Urban Shocker are the Yankee ringers infiltrating this exhibition bout north of the border. The Associated Press reports: "Babe Ruth stopped a perfectly good ball game here today when, knocking 36 balls out of the grounds, he forced the game to be called shortly after the start of the 9th inning because the management had no more spheres. Ruth enjoyed a Roman holiday to the delight of 3,000 fans, who braved a chilling wind to see the home-run hero's mighty bat give Guybourg, a 4-3 victory over Beaurivage. Ruth's performance included 2 HRs. He also played shortstop, 1st base, pitched and umpired."

1929- Former  Yankees General Manager (1990) and MLB Player Hardy Peterson was born. (1929-2019)

Hardy "Pete" Peterson was an All-American Catcher at Rutgers Univ. who had played in the 1950 College World Series. He was signed by the Pirates that year, he would make his 1^st appearance in the MLB in 1955. He would appeared in 32 games in 1955, 30 games in 1957 (when he hit .301), and a couple of games each in 1958 and 1959 NL seasons. His playing career was cut short due to a collision at home where he suffered a severe arm fracture. He was never the same throwing afterwards and retired as a player after several unsuccessful attempts to come back. Later, Peterson was the Farm Director for the 1968 Pirates and the Scouting Director from 1969 to 1976. He was Co-General Manager of the Pirates, with Joseph O'Toole, in 1977-1978 and GM from 1979 to 1985. Peterson was General Manager of the Yankees in 1990 and Special Assistant to the GM in 1991. 

1929- The Yankees would sell veteran OF “Long Bob” Meusel to Reds for Cash. He had hit .261 with 10 HRs with 57 RBIs in 100 games for the  2^nd place 1929 Yankees. Bob had a .311 lifetime BA with 146 HRs with 1,005 RBIs for the 1920-1929 Yankees. He had 7 seasons with the team hitting .300 or better. Meusel had appeared with the Yankees in 6 World Series. In 1925, he would lead the AL in HRs with 33 and in RBIs with 133. He led the team in stolen bases 5 times; finishing his Yankees playing career with 131 stolen bases. Besides being a good hitter, he had a strong throwing arm in the outfield. He would finish out his MLB playing career with the 1930 Reds, while hitting .289 with 10 HRs and 62 RBIs in 113 games. When the 1930 NL season had ended, Bob would retire from the MLB. His older brother, Irish Meusel had played the Outfield for the 1921-1926 Giants. They had faced each other in 3 World Series (1921-1923.)

1929- The Yankees had signed former long-time Starter and MLB Pitching Coach Bob Shawkey as their Manager for the 1930 AL season. Yankees Interim Manager Art Fletcher, who finished the 1929 AL season with 6-5 record after Manager Miller Huggins illness and his death on September 25,1929 returns to Yankees MLB Coaching Staff; he will remain a Yankees MLB Coach until 1945; when he leaves the team due to serious heart problems. The Yankees GM Ed Barrow has already begun to reshape the 1930 Yankees by announcing the sale of veteran OF Bob Meusel to the Reds. He will continue his veteran player changes through the 1930 AL season, with many of the Yankee veterans being traded away, as the team began to bring in younger players.

1961- Former Yankees OF/1B/DH Dan Pasqua (1985-1987) was born.

On June 7,1982, OF/1B Dan Pasqua was selected by the Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1982 MLB Amateur Player Draft. Dan’s best season with the Yankees was in 1986, hitting .283 with 16 HRs and 45 RBIs. He never reached that mark again in the MLB. On November 12,1987, Dan was traded by the Yankees along with P Steve Rosenberg and C Mark Salas to the White Sox for 2 hurlers: Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen. As a Yankees player, Dan had appeared in 275 games, while hitting .251 with 42 HRs and 112 RBIs. He will play for the White Sox from 1988-1994. Overall, as an MLB player, he played in 905 games, while hitting .244 with 117 HRs and 390 RBIs.

1976- On a cold Sunday night at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, a crowd of 54,816 fans watching the Reds gang up on Yankees veteran Starter Catfish Hunter for 3 runs, but the Yankees battle back to tie it up at 3-3. With 2 outs in the 9th inning, Yankees Shortstop Fred Stanley throws Ken Griffey's easy grounder into the dugout. A walk and a Tony Perez single follow and the Reds to win Game 2 of the 1976 World Series by the score of 4-3.

1978- At Dodger Stadium, a crowd of 55,985 fans watched the Yankees win their 4th straight game by the score of 7-2 to clinch their 2nd consecutive World Championship over the Dodgers. Yankees Infielders Brian Doyle and Shortstop Bucky Dent have 3 hits apiece. Yankees Shortstop Bucky Dent would be named 1978 World Series MVP.  Bronx veteran Starter Catfish Hunter gets his final World Series career win with relief help from Closer Rich Gossage. Dodgers Starter Don Sutton takes the loss, finishing the 1978 World Series with a 0-2 record.

1985- Former Yankees Player and MLB Coach Lou Piniella is named the 1986 Manager of the Yankees replacing veteran Manager Billy Martin, who had piloted the 1985 Yankees to 2nd place finishing with a 91-54 record in the AL East. Lou will guide the 1986 Yankees to a 90-72 record for 2^nd place finish in the AL East.

1993- Former Yankees Reliever Brody Koerner (2021) was born.

On June 10, 2015, P Brody Koerner was drafted by the Yankees in the 17th round of the 2015 MLB Amateur Player Draft. On August 3, 2021, the Yankees called him up to the Bronx, when the team was hit with pitching staff injuries. He worked out of the Yankees bullpen. In 2021, he was pitching at AAA Scranton for his 2^nd season at that level. He had posted a 3-3 record with a 2.95 ERA in 16 games. Brody did not pitch in 2020 due to the COVIDS-19 shutting down the 2020 Minor League season. In 2019, he was with AAA Scranton (IL), while posting a 4-6 record with a 5.63 ERA in 21 games. He had started the season with AA Trenton Thunder (EL), while posting a 0-2 record with a 2.36 ERA in 6 games. On August 3, 2021, Brody Koerner was 1 of 3 pitchers to make their MLB Pitching debuts for theYankees against the Orioles. The Yankees had to make some emergency call-ups, when that day's scheduled starter, Gerrit Cole, and a number of mounds-mates were placed on the COVID-19 List. Luis Gil made the start for Bronx Bombers, and after 6 scoreless innings; was followed by Stephen Ridings, who added a scoreless frames. Brody, the oldest and most experienced of the trio, handled the final 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 2 hits and 1 walk as the Yankees registered an easy 13-1 win over the Birds. All 3 had been pitching for the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, until that time. He would appear in 2 games for the 2021 Yankees, with no decisions with 3.00 ERA. On October 13, 2021, Brody was granted MLB Free agency by the Yankees.

2000- In a come-from-behind victory by the score of 9-7 over the Mariners, Bronx Slugger David Justice propels the Yankees with a 3-run HR to their record 37th AL Pennant setting up the for the 1st time in 44 years a Subway Series (Yankees vs. Mets) in New York City. The last NYC Subway Series that was played was in 1956, in a World Series featuring the Yankees facing the Dodgers.

2003- Early editions of the New York Post include an editorial claiming the Yankees lose to the Red Sox, that the team couldn't get the job done in Game 7 of the ALCS. Although the Yankees did trail the Red Sox, the team rallies to beat their archrivals in 11 innings by the score of 6-5.

2009- The Yankees take a 2-0 lead over the Angels in the 2009 ALCS by winning a 13-inning marathon by the score of 4-3 at New Yankee Stadium. Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez HRs off of Angels Reliever Brian Fuentes in the bottom of the 11^th inning to tie the game and the winning run scores, when INF Maicer Izturis throws the ball away, while trying to start an inning-ending double play, allowing Yankees base runner Jerry Hairston to score the winning-run from 2nd base.

2017- At Yankee Stadium, a crowd of 48,804 fans watched the Yankees even the 2017 ALCS with a 6-4 win over the Astros in Game 4. The Astros head into the bottom of the 7th inning leading the Yankees by the score of 4-0, thanks in part to a bases-clearing double by Yuli Gurriel, but Bronx Slugger Aaron Judge gets the Yankees on the scoreboard with a huge HR, then adds a run-scoring double that ties the game in a 4-run 8th inning during which the Bronx Bombers bats around against 3 Houston relievers. Bronx Bomber Catcher Gary Sanchez drives in 3 runs for the Yankees. Yankees Starter Sonny Gray starts the game, but Reliever Chad Green picks-up the win, while Bronx Closer Chapman picks-up the save closing out the Astros batters in the 9th. 

2019- At Yankee Stadium in Game 4, the Astros will take a 3 games to 1 lead in the 2019 ALCS by defeating the Yankees by the score of 8-3 following a 1-day rain postponement. Astros hitters George Springer and Carlos Correa deliver the key blows, each hitting a 3-run HR, while Yankees Catcher Gary Sanchez replies with a 2-run HR shot for the Bronx Bombers.

October 18^th

1901- Former Yankees Minor League and MLB Executive Parke Carroll was born. (1901-1961)

Parke Carroll was a front-office baseball executive in Minor Leagues and MLB, who was perhaps best known, in baseball circles for his 2-year stint as the General Manager of the 1959-1960 Kansas City A’s. During those 2 years, he engineered a few trades that sent key players to the Yankees, but his most notable deal came on December 11,1959, in which Carroll sent OF Roger Maris to the Yankees along with 2 other players for P Don Larsen (author of a 1956 World Series Perfect Game), Reserve1B/OF Marv Throneberry, MLB Outfielders Hank Bauer and Norm Siebern. First, he had tried to trade RF Roger Maris to the Pirates for Shortstop Richard Goat, but the Bucs Manager Danny Murtaugh nixed the trade. With the aid of the short RF Porch in Yankee Stadium, Maris set a single-season MLB HR record with 61 HRs in 1961 in just 2-seasons after leaving the A's. Only Norm Siebern would pay dividends for the A's however, as he was their regular 1B from 1960-1963. Pat Carroll did pickup 2 good young players from the Yankees during the 1959 AL season, INF Jerry Lumpe and OF Russ Snyder, who did help the A’s before they were traded away by the team in the early 1960’s. Carroll's dealings with the Yankees were controversial because the A’s, under Team Owner Arnold Johnson, sent many top players to New York in apparently 1-sided trades during the mid-to late-1950s. Johnson and the Team's Director of Player Personnel, George Selkirk had previously traded quality players such as veteran hurler Bobby Shantz, Bonus Baby Rookie INF Clete Boyer, Veteran MLB OF/1B Harry "Suitcase" Simpson and Minor League Reliever Ryne Duren to the Yankees. Also, Johnson had business ties with Yankees Co-Team Owner Del Webb; he had owned Yankee Stadium in the Bronx prior to purchasing the A’s in the winter of 1954 from the Connie Mack family. All these factors led to charges from fans, Sportswriters and other MLB teams that Johnson and Carroll ran the team as a Yankees farm team at the MLB level. Actually, the A’s traded away many of the former Yankee good players that they had acquired like INF Billy Martin, Reliever Tom Morgan, 1B/OF Vic Power and INF/OF Woody Held to other AL teams; that the Yankees didn’t trade with especially the Indians and Tigers. Carroll came to the A’s directly after working in the Yankees organization as Business Manager for the Bombers' 2 top AA  farm clubs: the Kansas City Blues (AA) and the Newark Bears (IL). A former Sportswriter who served as Sports Editor of the Kansas City Journal Post. Carroll entered baseball; when that newspaper ceased publication during World War II. He joined the team in their 1st season in Kansas City in 1955 as Vice President and Business Manager. After the end of the 1958 AL season, Parke was promoted to General Manager by A’s Team Owner Arnold Johnson. The A’s Owner previously had not handed the GM title to a specific Baseball Executive, preferring to divide the GM’s job responsibilities among himself, George Selkirk and Carroll. However, Johnson died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage during the A’s 1960 MLB Spring Training camp. His unexpected death forced the sale of the team to a Chicago Insurance Executive named Charlie Finley, who fired Carroll at the end of the 1960 AL season, replacing him with former MLB GM Frank "Trader" Lane. Ironically, only months later, on February 4,1961, Parke Carroll, also died suddenly of a heart attack at age 56 in Kansas City.

1903- Former Yankees Reserve INF George “Yats” Wuestling (1930) was born. (1903-1970)

On May 30,1930, Reserve INF George Wuestling was traded by the Tigers along with Pitcher Ownie Carroll and veteran OF Harry Rice to the Yankees for veteran P Waite Hoyt and INF Mark Koenig. George “Yats” Wuestling hit only .190 in 25 games with the 1930 Yankees. He would play in the Minor Leagues from 1931 to 1934, before retiring from baseball.

1914- Former Yankees Reserve OF Roy Cullenbine (1942) was born. (1914-1991)

On August 31,1942, switch-hitting OF Roy Cullenbine was selected off waivers for $7,500 Cash by the Yankees from the Senators. The Yankees had just lost OF Tommy Henrich to the Coast Guard for wartime service. He had appeared in 21 games for the 1942 Yankees, while hitting .364 with 2 HRs and 17 RBIs. The pennant-winning Yankees thought enough of him to put him 3rd in the batting lineup in all 5 games of the 1942 World Series against the Cardinals, batting him ahead of AL All-Star Slugger Joe DiMaggio. He hit .263 with 2 RBIs in the 1942 World Series. On December 17,1942, Roy was traded by the Yankees along with AL All-Star Catcher Buddy Rosar to the Indians for INF Oscar Grimes and OF Roy Weatherly.

1918- Former Yankees MLB Scout Rush Schon (1977-1979) was born. (1918-1988)

Second baseman Russ Schon had played in the Minor Leagues on-and-off from 1940 to 1949. Not much of a power hitter -- as records indicate, he hit only 1 HR in 1,773 career at-bats -- but he still wasn't completely anemic with his bat, hitting .289 in 540 at-bats for the 1940 Class D DeLand Red Hats  and .300 in 490 at-bats for the same club in 1941. After missing 1942 to 1945 seasons to service in the Navy during World War II; he would return to hit .306 in 112 games for the 1946 Jackson Senators.  Also, he had played for the Evansville Braves that year. In 1947, he would hit .310 in 255 at-bats for the Selma Cloverleafs. After not playing in 1948 to serve as the Univ. of Kansas baseball team’s Head Coach, he would hit .328 with a .408 on-base percentage in 67 at-bats for the 1949 Hutchinson Elks. He was also the 1st of 3 managers for the Elks that season, being replaced by Howard McCormick on May 24th. Later he would become a longtime MLB Scout, working for the Phillies (1950-1953),  Braves (1954-1961),  Angels (1961-1965),  Mets (1966-1976) and the Yankees (1977-?). He had signed, among others, Yankees Pitcher Clay Christiansen.

1931- Former Yankees 3B Andy Carey (1952-1960) was born. (1931-2011)

Before the start of the 1950 AL season, the Yankees had signed Andy Carey as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He had received a $60,000 Bonus from the team. Carey had played College baseball at St. Mary’s College in California. He reached the Yankees in 1952. Andy was a Reserve INF on the 1953 team. He became the Yankees regular 3B in 1954. Andy appeared in 4 World Series with the Yankees, his best one was in 1957, when he hit .286 against the Braves. Overall, he hit .175 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs in 16 Series games. His best Yankees regular season was in 1954, when he hit .302 with 8 HRs and 65 RBIs. In 1955, Andy married Hollywood Actress Lucy Marlow. In 1956 World Series, Andy made 1 of 2 Yankees defensive plays (CF Mickey Mantle was the other) in Don Larsen’s perfect game against the Dodgers. Andy did clash with Manager’s Casey Stengel platoon system of playing different infield positions, saying” I rather be a good 3B than average 2B”, hence Stengel never selected him for a spot of the AL All-Star teams that he managed during the 1950’s. Later part of his Yankee playing career, Andy was bothered by back and hand problems. During the 1959 AL season, the Yankees started using Hector Lopez and Clete Boyer at 3B over the veteran Carey, who had been dealing with several injuries at the time. On May 19,1960, Andy was traded by the Yankees to Kansas City for veteran OF Bob Cerv. Athletics would trade him to the White Sox during the 1961 AL season. The White Sox had tried to trade Andy to the Phillies during the 1962 MLB Spring training camp, but he refused to report to the team. Instead, he ended up going to the Dodgers instead. Andy would end his MLB playing career as a Reserve Infielder with the 1962 Dodgers, while appearing in 53 games, hitting .232 with 2 HRs and 13 RBIs. Andy would finish his MLB playing career with a lifetime .260 BA along with 64 HRs and 350 RBIs in 938 games. His favorite hobby was photography. After retiring from the MLB, he went into the brokerage business in California

1942- Former AL All-Star OF and Yankees MLB Coach (1985) Willie Horton was born.

Long time AL All-Star Tigers OF Willie Horton joined the 1985 Yankees MLB Coaching staff. Later, he was an MLB Coach for the 1986 White Sox.

1944- Former Yankees Pitcher John “Jack” Powell (1905-1906) had passed away. (1874-1944)

On March 6,1904, P Jack Powell was traded by the St. Louis Browns to the Highlanders for INF/P Harry Howell and Cash. Powell would post a 23-19 record with a 2.44 ERA in 47 games for the 1904 Yankees. Overall, John would post a 31-32 record with a 2.81 ERA in 84 games for the Yankees before returning to the Browns in 1906. As an MLB Pitcher, Jack Powell had finished his pitching career with a 245-254 record with a 2.97 ERA in 578 games in a 16-season Pitching career (1897-1912) starting with the Cleveland Spiders (NL), Cardinals, Browns (twice) and the Yankees.

1949- Former Yankees Reliever, MLB Player and Broadcaster Ed Farmer (1974) was born. (1949-2020)

On March 19,1974, Reliever Ed Farmer was traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Tigers to the Yankees. TheYankees sent C/DH/1B Jerry Moses to the Tigers. While Detroit sent veteran Starter Jim Perry to the Indians. Then the Tribe sent P&nbs**** Sawyer and OF Walt Williams to the Bronx. Ed’s stay in Yankees pinstripes was very short, just 2 days, never appearing in a game with the team. He had been assigned to AAA Syracuse Chiefs (IL) by the team, he had refused to report to the club. On March 21,1974, the Phillies would purchase Ed from the Yankees. He had pitched in the MLB with the Indians, Tigers, Yankees, Phillies (twice), Orioles, Brewers, Rangers, White Sox and finished his MLB pitching career with the A’s. Ed had posted a 30-43 record with a 4.30 ERA and 75 saves in 370 games. He was on the 1980 AL All-Star team. Farmer was an MLB Scout in the Orioles organization between 1988-1990, also he briefly had a White Sox front office role. In 1991, Farmer took a part-time role on White Sox radio broadcasts, then he was a full-time color commentator from 1992 to 2005. He became well-known among fans by the nickname "Farmio". In 2006, he took over play-by-play from John Rooney, he served in that role through the 2019 AL season, with Broadcast partners; Chris Singleton (2006–2007), Steve Stone (2008) and Darrin Jackson (2009–2019). Farmer served a total of 29 seasons as a White Sox Broadcaster; 28 of them full-time and 14 giving play-by-play. On April 1, 2020, Ed Farmer died of kidney disease at the age of 70. His final broadcast had been a Cactus League game during White Sox MLB Spring Training camp in February 2020.

1952- Former Yankees Reserve INF Jerry Royster (1987) was born.

On August 26,1987, INF Jerry Royster was traded by the White Sox along with INF Mike Soper (Minors) to the Yankeesfor a Player to be Named Later and P Ken Patterson. On September 19, 1987, the Yankees would send Minor League P Jeff Pries to the White Sox to complete the trade. The Yankees would release INF Juan Bonilla to clear an MLB roster spot for Royster. Jerry would appear in 18 games for the 1987 Yankees as a Reserve INF, while hitting .357 with No HRs and 4 RBIs. On April 4,1988, Jerry was released by the Yankees. He would rejoin the Braves for his final MLB season. Jerry originally came up to the MLB with the 1973 Dodgers, then he was traded to the Braves during the winter of 1975, where he became a full-time player. Later, Royster would play for the Padres before joining the White Sox.

1955- Former Yankees Pitcher George “Smiler” Murray (1922) passed away. (1898-1955)

In 1920, George Murray was signed out of No. Carolina St. College by the Yankees. He had pitched for the AA Rochester Colts (IL) before joining the team in May of 1922. As a 24-yearold Rookie, George had posted a 4-2 record with a 3.97 ERA in 22 games with the 1922 Yankees. On January 30,1923, he was traded to the Red Sox along with Outfielder’s Norm McMillian and Camp Skinner for veteran AL Starter Herb Pennock. The Yankees needed a veteran lefty for their Starting pitching staff for 1923 season, with several veteran righty starters already on the staff; young Murray would have been sitting on the bench according to Yankees Manager Miller Huggins. He will post a 9-20 record with a 5.48 ERA in 67 games with the 1923-1925 Red Sox, then he had a 7-4 record with a 5.89 ERA in 15 games with the 1926-1927 Senators. After pitching in Minor Leagues from 1928-1933. He would appear in 2 games with no decisions for the 1933 White Sox.

1960- Former Yankees Reserve INF Steve Kiefer (1989) was born.

After leaving the Brewers organization as an MLB Free Agent, Reserve INF Steve Kiefer moved to the Yankees organization. He hit .276 for the 1989 AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). Steve was 1 for 8 with 5 strikeouts for the 1989 Yankees to conclude his MLB playing career 

1960- Instituting a mandatory retirement age of 65, the New York Yankees Team Co-Owners Dan Topping and Del Webb relieved veteran Yankees Manager Casey Stengel of his duties. He had posted a 1,149-696 managerial  record for the 1949-1960 Yankees, including winning 10 AL pennants and 7 World Championships. Casey turns the tables on the 2 Yankees Co-Team Owners at his retirement press conference, saying he was fired as their Manager because of his age.

1966- Former Yankees Pitcher Alan Mills (1990-1991) was born.

On June 22,1987, P Alan Mills was sent by the Angels to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal that was made on December 19,1986. The Angels had sent a Player to be Named Later and P Ron Romanick to the Yankees for C Butch Wynegar. On June 22,1987,  the Angels would send P Alan Mills to the Yankees to complete the trade. Alan would post a 2-6 mark with a 4.19 ERA in 42 games for the Yankees. On February 29,1992, Alan was traded to the Orioles for Players to be Named Later. The Orioles would send the Yankees 2 Minor League Pitchers: Francisco De la Rosa (March 5,1992) and Mark Carper (June 8,1992) to complete the trade.

1977- At Yankee Stadium, a crowd of 56,407 fans watched Yankees Slugger Reggie Jackson became known as "Mr. October" when he hits 3 consecutive HRs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. His 3-HRs shots came on the 1st pitch off of Dodger Pitchers; Starter Burt Hooton, Relievers Elias Sosa and Charlie Hough. Jackson led the Yankees to an 8-4 victory and the 1977 World Championship over the Dodgers. He drove in 5 runs and earning 1977 World Series MVP honors for his performance. Yankees Starter Mike Torrez pick-up a complete game victory, his 2^nd of the Series, while Dodgers Starter Burt Hooton takes the loss.

1990- Former Yankees 1B Nick Etten (1943-1946) passed away. (1913-1990).

On January 22,1943, 1B Nick Etten was traded by the Phillies to the Yankees for 2 Players: 1B Ed Levy and P Al Gettel along with $10,000 Cash. On March 26,1943, both players were returned to the Yankees by the Phillies. The Yankees would then send Minor League C Tom Padden and P Al Gerheauser on March 26,1943 to the Phillies to complete the trade. Nick would  hit .271, .293 and .285 for the 1943-1945 Wartime Yankees before fading in 1946 to a .232 mark. During the 1945 AL season, Nick was named to the AL All-Star team. Overall, as a Yankees player, Nick appeared in 568 games, while hitting .275 with 63 HRs and 358 RBIs. He appeared in 5 games for the Yankees in the 1943 World Series against the Cardinals, while hitting just .105 with only 2 RBIs. On April 14,1947, Nick was re-purchased by the Phillies from the Yankees. In May, the Phillies returned him to the Yankees, after he had appeared in only 14 games for the team. He would spend the rest of the 1947 season splitting time between the 2 Yankees AA teams; the Newark Bears (IL) and the Oakland Oaks (PCL). He would continue to play in the Minor Leagues until 1950.

1997- Former Yankees Minor League 3B James Nelson was born.

On January 15, 2020, Yankees had traded Reliever Stephen Tarpley to the Marlins for Minor League 3B James Nelson and Cash. Nelson has appeared in 328 games; while playing at the 2019 Class A level Jupiter Hammerheads (FSL) in the Marlins Minor League system, hitting .259 with 14 HRs and 147 RBIs. He didn’t play in 2020 season since the Minor Leagues were shut down due to the COVIDS outbreak. In 2021, he would play for the Class A Hudson Valley Renegades hitting .246 with 6 HRs and 40 RBIs in 77 games. During the 2022 season, he was released by the Yankees, after hitting just .222. He would finish the season playing for the Lexington Legends (AL).

2004- Former Yankees and MLB Scout Rip Tutor passed away. (1913-2004)

Rip Tutor was a long-time MLB Scout (1956-2004). Rip had scouted for the A’s, Yankees, Orioles (1968-1975),Mariners (1977-1989), Brewers (1990-1991), Angels (1993-? ) and the Braves. His player signees included Greg Briley, Roy Clark, Wayne Garland, Erik Hanson, Pat Lennon, Ron Musselman, Donell Nixon and Jim Presley.

2004- After 5 hours, 49 minutes and 471 pitches, the Red Sox outlasts the Yankees, winning the game by a score of 5-4, in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Boston's DH David Ortiz, who is the 1st player history to hit 2 walk-off HRs in during the postseason, ends the longest game in ALCS series history at 1:22 a.m. with a 2-out single into center field scoring base runner Johnny Damon from 2nd base in the 14th inning at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, down 3 games to none at the start of the game, stage a remarkable 9th-inning comeback just to get to extra innings, when pinch-runner Dave Roberts steals 2nd base with Bronx Closer Mariano Rivera on the mound before scoring the tying run on Bill Mueller's single.

2007- Long-time Yankees Manager Joe Torre ends his 12-season Manager’s job with the team, when he turns down a new Manager contract offer with a pay cut made by Yankees front office. He would finish 2^nd on the Yankees All-time Managers list with a 1,173-767 record with a WP .605 in 1,942 games (1996-2007). He had won World Championships with the Yankees in 1996,1998-2000. He would join the Dodgers in 2008 as their MLB Manager. In September 2010, Joe retired as the Manager of the Dodgers. He would later work in the MLB Commissioner’s Office. In 2014, Joe was elected to the Hall of Fame as Manager.

2012- The Tigers complete a 4-game sweep of the Yankees in the 2012 ALCS with an 8-1 win at home. The Tigers build a 6-0 lead after 4 innings, chasing Yankees Ace CC Sabathia, as Tigers Starter Max Scherzer cruises to an easy win. Delmon Young, who is named 2012 ALCS series MVP, drives in the winning run for the 4th straight game while the Tigers batters hit HR’s 4 times off of Bronx hurlers. The Yankees were thoroughly outplayed, never leading once in the 4 games, scoring only 6 runs and hitting a mere .157.

2017- In the 2017 ALCS, the Yankees win their 3rd straight game at Yankee Stadium to take a 3 games to 2 lead over the Astros. A crowd of  49,647 fans watched Veteran Yankees Starter Masahiro Tanaka baffles the Astros' hitters over 7 innings, giving up just 3-Houston hits and a walk; while the Yankees take a lead in the 2nd on an RBI single by Greg Bird. The Yankees added a 5th and final run in the 7^th inning, when Catcher Gary Sanchez connected for a HR against Astros Reliever Brad Peacock, while Yankees Reliever Tommy Kahnle pitched the final 2 innings of the game, allowing  just 1 Astro hit.

2019- At Yankee Stadium, in Game 5, the Yankees would extend the 2019 ALCS with a 4-1 win over the Astros. All the scoring takes place in the 1st inning: Astro baserunner George Springer scores on a wild pitch by Bronx Starter James Paxton for the Astros. Meanwhile Yankees 1B D.J. LeMahieu hits a lead-off HR against Astros Starter Justin Verlander for the Yankees, followed by a 3-run HR shot by Yankees CF Aaron Hicks. The 2 starters then pitch deep into the game as they give up no more runs. Yankees Closer Aroldis Chapman gets credit for the save.

This Week in Yankees History October 16th-22nd Part Three

October 22^nd

1887- Former Yankees Pitcher Myles Thomas (1926-1929) was born. (1887-1963)

On December 16,1925, Pitcher Myles Thomas was traded by the AA Toronto Maple Leafs (IL) to the Yankees for Cash and Players. Myles had posted a 14-12 record with a 4.70 ERA and 1 save in 71 games for the Yankees before being sold to the Senators on June 15,1929. After leaving the Senators in 1930, he would return to the Yankees organization, but he did not pitch at the MLB level with the team. On January 19,1932, Myles was traded by the Yankees along with OF George Quellich and Cash to the AA Hollywood Stars (PCL) for OF Jesse Hill. He would continue to pitch in the Minor Leagues until 1940, before retiring from the game. Overall, as an MLB Pitcher, he had a 23-22 record with a 4.64 ERA and 3 saves in 105 games.

1942- Former Yankees Reliever Cecil Upshaw (1974) was born. (1942-1995)

On April 26,1974, Reliever Cecil Upshaw was traded by the Indians along with 1B Chris Chambliss and P Richard Tidrow to the Yankees for Pitchers Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene and Tom Buskey. Cecil was a major disappointment for the Yankees, only going 1-5 with a 3.02 ERA and 6 saves in 36 games. On December 5,1974, he was traded by the Yankees to the White Sox for Reserve INF Eddie Leon. 

1943- Former Yankees Reserve OF Bobby Mitchell (1970) was born. (1943-2019)

On December 2,1968, OF Bobby Mitchell was drafted by the Yankees from the Red Sox organization in the 1968 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. In 1970, Bobby had hit .220 with No HRs and 4 RBIs in 10 games for the Yankees. On October 23,1969, Bobby was sent to the Braves by the Yankees as part of a conditional deal. On March 26,1970, Bobby was returned by the Braves to the Yankees as part of a conditional deal. On June 7,1971, he was traded by the Yankees along with Reserve 1B Frank Tepedino to the Brewers for OF Danny Walton. Bobby managed to stay in one place with Brewers until 1975.

1954- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Jamie Quirk (1989) was born.

On December 20,1988, veteran AL Catcher Jamie Quirk was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Yankees. Jamie appeared in only 13 games for the 1989 Yankees, while hitting just .083. On May 16,1989, he was released by theYankees. He originally came up to the MLB with the Royals. 

1963- Former Yankees Pitcher Bill Fulton (1987) was born.

On June 6,1983, Pitcher Bill Fulton was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1983 MLB Amateur Player Draft (June Secondary). His 1st MLB outing was memorable; on September 12, 1987, he gave up back-to-back-to-back HRs to the Blue Jays batters Ernie Whitt, Jesse Barfield and Kelly Gruber. Bill had appeared in 3 games with the 1987 Yankees, he posted a 1-0 record with a 11.57 ERA. He would pitch in the Yankees Minor League organization until 1989, before retiring from the game.

1973- Former Yankees OF/DH Ichiro Suzuki (2012-2014) was born.

On July 23, 2012, veteran All-Star OF Ichiro Suzuki was traded by the Mariners along with Cash to the Yankees for 2 Minor League Pitchers: D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. He was hitting .288 in 95 games for Seattle, leading the ALwith 402 at-bats and 5 triples. The Yankees had recently announced that LF Brett Gardner was out for the rest of the 2012 AL season. In his 1st game for the Bronx Bombers, facing his former teammates less than 4 hours, after the deal was announced, he started in RF and batted 8th, singling off of P Kevin Millwood in his 1st at-bat in pinstripes as the Yankees beat  Mariners by the score of 4-1. He had a rebirth with the Yankees, hitting a solid .322 with 5 HRs and 27 RBIs in 67 games as the Yankees managed to finish ahead of the Orioles in the AL East. In his 1^st AL postseason action in over a decade, he was 5 for 23 (.217) as the Yankees defeated the O's in the ALDS, and then 6 for 17 (.353) with a HR as the Yankees' best hitter in their 4-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers in the ALCS. After the 2012 season, he re-signed with the Yankees for 2 years. Suzuki went into spring training with the Yankees in 2013 guaranteed to be the starter in RF, following his solid performance down the stretch the previous season. Indeed, with the Yankees struggling with age and injuries, and having lost a number of key players to MLB Free Agency, he was counted on as a cornerstone of the team's offense. However, things almost went very bad for him on March 2nd, when his sports utility vehicle was totaled in a 3-car wreck a couple of miles from the Yankees'  MLB spring training complex in Tampa, FL. He was not at fault as another driver plowed into him as he was making a left turn, and his airbags deployed properly to save him from serious injury. He was one of the mainstays of the Yankees' line-up in the season's early months as the Yankees got off to a much better start than expected in spite of a slew of player injuries. On August 21st, he hit a 1st-inning single against Blue Jays Starter R.A. Dickey for the 4,000th hit of his pro baseball career between Japan (1,278) and the United States (2,722). He was the 3rd player to reach the milestone at such a high level of play, following Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, who had gotten all of their hits in the U.S. Major Leagues. His Yankees Manager, Joe Girardi, put the feat in perspective: "I didn't have 4,000 hits in my whole career and you can go back to T-ball. To me it's an unbelievable feat, and he's some kind of hitter."

After the 2014 MLB season had ended, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency. On January 23, 2015, he had signed a 1-year contract with the Marlins. He would play in 153 games, hitting only .229 by far his worst average as a major leaguer. He would finish the season with 2,935 MLB hits, amid speculation that he would not return for another season that could give him a chance to join the 3,000 hit club. On the final days of the 2017 NL season, on October 4th, he made the 1st pitching appearance of his MLB playing career, pitching the 8th inning of a 7-2 loss to the Phillies, giving up 1 run on 2 hits. In May of 2018, he would retire from the game, while playing for his original MLB team, the Mariners. He became a Special Coach for the team.  

1974- The Yankees and Giants had traded their popular MLB All-Star Outfielders, both teams drawing the ire of their loyal fans. The Giants would send OF Bobby Bonds to Yankees for OF Bobby Murcer. Bonds production for the 1974 Giants had slipped to a .256 BA with 21 HRs and 71 RBIs in 150 games. He did win a NL Golden Glove for Outfielders. While with the 1974 Yankees, Bobby Murcer had hit .274 with 10 HRs and 88 RBIs in 156 games. Yankees Team Owner George Steinbrenner breaks his promise to Bobby Murcer that he’ll always be a Yankee player, while he owns the team. Bobby Bonds will only play 1 season for the Yankees before being traded to the Angels for OF Mickey Rivers and P Ed Figueroa. Meanwhile Murcer will last only 2 seasons with the Giants before being dealt to the Cubs in February of 1977. Bobby was very unhappy playing in Giants cold and windy Candlestick Park. He enjoyed playing for the Cubs, especially they didn’t have night games at Wrigley Field. During the 1979 MLB season, he will return to the Yankees in a trade with the Cubs. 

1982- Former Yankees All-Star 2B Robinson “Robbie” Cano (2005-2013) was born.

In 2001, the Yankees had signed INF Robinson “Robbie” Cano, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He is the son of former MLB P Jose Cano, who originally was signed by the Yankees, later he pitched in MLB with the Astros. Robbie has appeared in 1,374 games with the 2005-2013 Yankees, while hitting .309 with 204 HRs with 822 RBI’s. In 2006, he won the AL Silver Slugger award for 2B. He was named to the 2006, 2010-2013 AL All-Star teams. In 2010 and 2012, Robbie won AL Golden Glove for 2B. In the post season with the Yankees, Robbie has appeared in 51 games, while hitting just .222 with 8 HRs and 23 RBIs. He finished the 2013 AL season, appearing in 160 games, while hitting .314 with 27 HRs and 107 RBIs. He signed a 10-year contract as an MLB Free Agent with the Mariners. In the winter of 2018, he was traded by the Mariners to the Mets.

1996- In the 1996 World Series, Yankees Starter David Cone holds the Braves hitters, while CF Bernie Williams drives in 3 runs in a 5-2 win in Game 3 played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Braves, now lead the 1996 World Series, 2 games to 1.

2000- In Game 2 of 2000 World Series, the Yankees extend their World Series winning streak to 14 consecutive games defeating the Mets by the score of 6-5 in a contest, which is overshadowed by Bronx Starter Roger Clemens throwing the barrel of a shattered bat to Mike Piazza as the Mets Catcher runs to 1st base. The eagerly awaited at bat, due to the Clemens' beaning of Piazza in July, results in the 2 players confronting one another and the emptying of both team benches.

2002- Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak being broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995 is voted as baseball's most memorable moment by the fans participating MLB and MasterCard promotion. Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time HR record, Jackie Robinson becoming the 1st black to play in MLB, Mark McGwire breaking Yankees Roger Maris' single-season HR record and Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, were also in the top 5 events selected by the fans

2003- The Marlins win in dramatic fashion by the score of 4-3 over the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2003 World Series behind a leadoff HR by Alex Gonzalez in the bottom of the 12th inning. Miguel Cabrera also hits a HR for the Marlins as Closer Braden Looper had the win in relief.

2009- The Angels stave off elimination in Game 5 of the 2009 ALCS by beating the Yankees by the score of 7-6. California overcomes a 6-run Yankees rally in the 7^th inning by coming back with 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. Halos Reliever Brian Fuentes ends the tense contest by getting the Yankees batter Nick Swisher to fly out with the bases loaded in the 9^th inning.

2018- Former Giants and Yankees (1987-1988) Radio Sports Announcer Hank Greenwald passed away at the age of 83. (1935-2018)

Hank Greenwald was an MLB Sports Announcer on the West Coast, who had worked on the Giants and the Oakland A’s games. In 1986, he would join WABC-770 AM Radio in New York City to work on Yankees Radio broadcasts with Tommy Hutton. In 1989, he would return back to the West Coast to work the Giants again.