This Week in Yankees History February 5th-11th Part One

February 5^th

1891- Former Yankees Shortstop (1913-1921) and Player-Manager (1914) Roger Peckinpaugh was born. (1891-1977) 

On May 25,1913, Shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh was traded by the Indians to the Yankees for 2 Shortstops Bill Stumpf and Jack Lelivelt. In 1914, he had briefly managed the Yankees for 17 games; when the Team Owners had fired veteran Manager Frank Chance, posting a 9-8 mark. In 1919, Roger had led the Yankees in batting with a .305 BA along with a 29-game hitting streak. He had 8 good seasons with the Yankees as their starting shortstop until 1921, when he was traded to the Red Sox. His overall Yankees playing career totals were a .257 BA with 36 HRs and 427 RBIs in 1,219 games. On December 20,1921, Roger was traded by the Yankees along with Pitchers Rip Collins, Bill Piercy, Jack Quinnand $100,000 Cash to the  Red Sox for Pitchers Bullet Joe Bush, Sad Sam Jones and Shortstop Everett “Deacon” Scott. He would never play for the Red Sox, who later traded him that winter to the Senators. He would finish his MLB playing career with the 1927 White Sox. In 1928, he started managing the Indians from 1928 to 1933. He returned for 1 more season in 1941, his overall MLB Manager’s record was a 992-499 mark.

1921- The New York Yankees had announced the purchase of 10 acres of land in the Bronx. The Yankees will use the land as the site for their new park, which will be called Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees will continue to play at the Polo Grounds for the 1921-1922 AL seasons. The new Yankee Stadium will open in April of 1923. 

1926- Former Yankees PH/1B Hank Workman (1950) was born. (1926-2020)

Before the start of the 1948 AL season, the Yankees had signed 1B Hank Workman as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He had been a college star baseball player at USC. Hank had appeared in only 2 games for the 1950 Yankees, while hitting just .200. Workman would play 6 seasons in the Yankees Minor League system. When Hank retired from baseball, he would become a Lawyer in California.

1930- The Yankees had sold Shortstop Leo Durocher (1925,1928-1929) to the Reds. Durocher was a good infielder, but he lacked a power bat. His Yankees teammate Slugger Babe Ruth nicknamed him “All-American Out.” As Yankees player, he would hit .257 with No HRs and 63 RBIs in 210 games. He had appeared in 4 games with no hits the Yankees in the 1928 World Series. The Yankees front office was unhappy with his bad attitude, GM Edward Barrow had decided to dump him in favor of Rookie Shortstop Lyn Lary, who was a better hitter. All 7 AL teams passed on him on waivers, he was claimed by the NL Reds.

1935- At the of age of 39, MLB HR King and AL All-Star OF Babe Ruth is released by the Yankees. He will finish his long MLB playing career with the 1935 Boston Braves.

1936- Former Yankees Reserve OF/1B and MLB Baseball Executive James “Leroy” Thomas (1961) was born. (1936-2022)

In 1954, the Yankees had signed OF Lee Thomas as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. Lee was unable to break into the Yankees regular starting outfield. In 1961, he did make the team out of MLB Spring Training Camp, after spending 7 seasons in the Minor Leagues, but he only appeared in 2 games for the team, while hitting .500. Then on May 8,1961, Lee was traded to the new AL Expansion Team; the Angeles as part of the Ryne Duren-Bob Cerv trade. In 1961, Lee was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. In 1962, Lee was named to the 1962 AL All-Star team. He had 3-20 MLB HR seasons (1961-1962 and 1965). He had played for the Yankees, Angels, Red Sox, Braves, Cubs and the Astros, while hitting 106 MLB career HRs. In 1969, he had played pro ball in Japan. In 1970, he had played at AAA in the Cardinals farm system. After retiring as an active player, he would work in the Minor Leagues as a Coach and Manager for the Cardinals and the Reds Minor League organizations. From 1983-1988, he was the Cardinals Farm Director, later becoming an MLB General Manager with the 1988-1997 Phillies. He would rebuild the Phillies into a winning team. He had acquired players such as P Curt Schilling, OF Lenny Dykstra and P Mitch Williams, who played critical roles in the Phillies 1993 NL pennant-winning team, which lost the 1993 World Series to the Blue Jays. That same season, The Sporting News and Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, both named him Executive of the Year for all of MLB. When 4 straight losing seasons followed the 1993 NL Pennant, Thomas was replaced as GM by Ed Wade, his Assistant. He then returned to the Red Sox as a Special Assistant to the General Manager from 1998 to 2003, where he played a key role in Boston's signing of MLB Free Agent Outfielders Manny Ramírez in December 2000 and Johnny Damon, 1 year later. He would serve the Astros and the Brewers as a Pro Scout. On December 4, 2011, he would join the Orioles as a Special Assistant to Executive Vice President Dan Duquette with whom he had worked with in Boston. Lee held that front office position until 2014.

1942- The Boston Braves had obtained Minor League OF Tommy Holmes from the Yankees for 1B Buddy Hassett and OF Gene Moore in one of the best trades in Braves team history. In 1942, Buddy Hassett will hit .284 with 5 HRs and 48 RBIs for the Yankees; then he would join the Navy. He would never return to the MLB. The much-traveled Gene Moore will never play for the Yankees at the MLB level. Tommy Holmes couldn't break into Yankees All-Star Outfield, but he will be a solid .302 MLB career hitter. After leading the Braves to the 1948 NL Pennant, he will win the 1948 NL MVP Award.

1955- Former Yankees INF/Catcher Mike Heath (1978) was born. 

The Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1973 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected INF Mike Heath. He would appear in 33 games for the 1978 Yankees, while hitting .228 with No HRs and 8 RBIs. He did appear in 1 game of the 1978 World Series against the Dodgers for the team with no hits. Originally, he was drafted by the Yankees as a Shortstop. Due to a leg injury, Mike had been converted into a Catcher, while playing in the Yankees Minor League system. He was being groomed to be Thurman Munson’s replacement behind the plate, until he was traded to the Rangers in the Sparky Lyle-Dave Righetti trade in the fall of 1978. Mike had played in the MLB for 14 seasons with the Yankees, A’s, Cardinals, Tigers and the Braves. After retiring as an active MLB Player, Mike became a Minor League Coach and Manager. In 1996-1997, he managed teams in the White Sox organization.

1966- Former Yankees MLB Scout Eddie Dancisak (1960-1962) passed away. (1912-1966)

From 1937-1942,OF Eddie Dancisak had played Minor League baseball, almost entirely at the Class C and D levels. in February of 1944, he had entered the Army, being discharged in May of 1946. Ed would scout for the 1946-1948 St. Louis Browns, 1949-1959 Boston/Milwaukee Braves, 1960-1962 Yankees and the 1964-1966 Mets. Also, he was a Minor League Manager in the Indians and the Browns organizations during the late 1940’s.

2002- Luis (Tite) Arroyo is inducted into the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. The Puerto Rican Reliever, who made the NL All-Star squad as a Rookie with the 1955 St. Louis Cardinals, posted a 40-32 MLB career pitching record with 36 saves with a 3.93 ERA and 36 saves in 8 MLB seasons. Arroyo is best remembered for his 1961 AL season with the Yankees, when he went 15-5 with a 2.19 ERA along and 29 saves. During his MLB Pitching career started in 1955 and ended in 1963, Luis pitched for the Cardinals, Pirates and the Reds before joining the Yankees during the 1960 AL season. He would later become a Latin American MLB Scout for the Yankees.

2019- The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame elects 4 new members, all of whom are Canadians: Gord Ash, former GM for the Toronto Blue Jays; Jason Bay and Ryan Dempster, who both starred in the MLB in the previous decade; and long-time Yankees MLB and Minor League Coach Rob Thomson.

February 6^th

1880- Former Yankees INF/OF Frank LaPorte (1905-1907,1908-1910) was born. (1880-1939)

On August 25,1905, INF Frank LaPorte was purchased by the Yankees from AA Buffalo (EL). He became a regular in 1906-1907 for the Yankees. While he had made his MLB Player debut in 1905 as a 2B, he mostly played at 3B in 1906. Then in 1917,  he would split his playing time between 3B and the Outfield. Thereafter, though, he would be primarily a 2B for the rest of his MLB playing career except for the 1913 season; when he went back to 3B. On October 13,1907, he was traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Yankees to the Boston Americans (aka Red Sox). The White Sox would send OF Jake Stahl to the Yankees. The Americans would send INF Freddy Parent to the White Sox. On August 17,1908, Frank was traded by the Red Sox back to the Yankees for 2B Harry Niles. LaPorte did well with the bat with the 1909 Yankees, hitting .298. Serving again as a Yankee regular in 1910, he hit .264 in 124 games. Overall, Frank would appear in 516 games for the Yankees, while hitting .274 with 6 HRs and 227 RBIs. On February 11,1911, he was traded by the Yankees along with 3B Jimmy Austin to the St. Louis Browns for INF/OF Roy Hartzell and Cash.

1896- Yankees and Red Sox Hall of Fame OF/Pitcher Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland. (1896-1948)

Babe Ruth will amass a record 714 MLB HRs and 2,217 RBIs with a lifetime MLB batting average of .342 on his way to his Hall of Fame election in 1936. Babe was originally acquired by the Red Sox from the Minor League team, the AA Baltimore Orioles (IL) as a Pitcher along with Pitcher Ernie Shore and Ben Egan for more than $25,000 Cash. As an MLB Pitcher, Babe Ruth would record a 94-46 mark with 2.24 ERA. He was 3-0 in World Series play with the Red Sox, including a World Series 29 2/3 scoreless innings record that stood until 1962, when Yankees Starter Whitey Ford broke it. Then his Red Sox Manager Edward Barrow converted him to an Outfielder to take advantage of his power hitting ability.Ruth would hit .391 with 49 HRs and 224 RBIs in 391 games for Boston. His trade by the Red Sox to the Yankees in January of 1920 will start the rise of the Yankees as one of the most dominant teams in MLB history. He will play for the Yankees from 1920 to 1934. Ruth had appeared in 2,084 games for the team, while hitting .349, while hitting 659 HRs with 1,978 RBIs. Babe would only pitch in 5 games for the Yankees during his Bronx playing career, posting a 5-0 record with a 5.52 ERA. He was named to the 1^st AL All Star team in 1933, then he was on the 1934 AL squad. In 7 World Series with the Bronx Bombers, Ruth hit .347 with 15 HRs and 30 RBIs. In 1923, he won the AL MVP Award, hitting .393 with 41 HRs and 130 RBIs in 152 games, at that time if you won the MVP Award, you couldn’t win 1 again, the MVP Award rules were later changed in the 1930’s costing Babe and his Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig several chances to be named the AL MVP. In 1924, Babe would hit .378 with 46 HRs and 124 RBIs in 153 games; he won the 1924 AL Batting Crown with his .378 BA. On February 26,1935, Babe Ruth will be released by the Yankees, he will finish out his long MLB playing career with the Boston Braves before retiring from the game on May 25,1935. Babe Ruth will be elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1936, receiving 95.1% of Baseball Writers voting ballots. In 1938, Ruth was briefly an MLB Coach for the Dodgers. He would be inducted into the Baseball’s Hall Fame of Fame in 1939.

1926- The St. Louis Browns had acquired veteran Catcher Wally Schang from the Yankees for Pitcher George Mogridge and Cash. Although Wally Schang is 36 years old, he will hold the job as starting Catcher for the Browns for the next 4 seasons. In 1926, he would hit .330 for the Browns. His trade was considered to be a rare Yankees GM Edward Barrow mistake. George Mogridge didn’t pitch with the 1926 Yankees. The Yankees will have several catchers sharing duties as starting catchers until the arrival of future starting All-Star Catcher Bill Dickey in 1928.

1926- Former Yankees 1B and MLB Coach Dale Long (1960,1962-1963) was born. (1926-1991)

On December 5,1949, 1B Dale Long was drafted by the Yankees from the Tigers organization in the 1949 MLB Minor League Player Draft. Dale will not appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. On November 16,1950, Dale was drafted by the Pirates from the Yankees organization in the 1950 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. In 1956, Dale was a NL All-Star 1B with the Cubs, during that season, Dale had set an MLB record of hitting 7 HRs in 7 straight games. During the 1958 NL season with the Pirates, he caught 2 games as a left-handed catcher. The Yankees had obtained Dale Long from the Giants for Cash on August 21,1960. Dale would hit .366 in 26 games for the 1960 Yankees. In December of 1960, Dale was lost in the 1960 AL Expansion player draft to the “new” Washington Senators. The Yankees didn’t want to protect the 35- year-old Long in the expansion player draft. On July 11,1962, he was re-obtained from the Senators by the Yankees for Minor League OF Don Lock, who was with the AAA Richmond Virginians (IL). He would hit .298 in 41 games for the 1962 Yankees. The team would release Dale during the 1963 AL season. He was only hitting .200, while appearing in only 14 games. Then he became a Yankees MLB Coach. He had appeared in 2 World Series with the Yankees in 1960 and 1962, while hitting .250.

1927- Former Yankees MLB Scout (1953-1968) and Royals Baseball Executive Art Stewart was born. (1927-2021)

In 1953, the Yankees had hired Art Stewart as an MLB Scout. He previous had worked for the St. Louis Browns as an MLB Scout. He was trained by legendary Yankees MLB Scout Lou Maguolo. He scouted, suggested and signed many players for the Yankees. From 1958-1969 Art was the Yankees Midwest Scouting Supervisor. He was working mainly in the Midwest, the 1st player that Stewart discovered and steered to the Yankees was a young Pitcher named Jim Bouton, who had not attracted any interest from MLB teams, while he was in pitching high school. In November of 1958, Art had signed Jim Bouton for the Yankees for $30,000. Bouton became a starting pitcher for the Yankees in the early 1960s. Since joining the AL expansion franchise in 1969. Stewart has served in multiple roles for the Kansas City Royals. In 1985, Stewart was the Royals Director of Scouting. In 1986, he was both Scouting Director and Player Development. From 1987 to 1997, he served as only the Scouting Director. From 1998 to 1999, Art became the Senior Special Assistant to General Manager. From 2001 to 2005, he became the Senior Advisor to the General Manager, and continues in that position in 2020.  Art is the longest tenured Kansas City Royals Associate. He was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Baseball Hall of Fame during 2008 season, on June 28th. Stewart represented the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame class of 2008, becoming the 23rd member of the elite Royals group.  Stewart is the Royals' Senior Advisor to General Manager (GM) Dayton Moore. Seventy players that Stewart drafted have played in the MLB. They include Bo Jackson, Kevin Appier, Brian McRae, Mike Sweeney, Johnny Damon, Joe Randa and Carlos Beltrán. In 2014, he co-authored a baseball book, " The Art of Scouting", with Kansas City Newspaper Writer Sam Mellinger. In an interview with Dick Kaegel of MLB.com on October 17, 2014, as the Royals advanced to their 1st World Series appearance since 1985, Stewart told a story from his Chicago childhood: "When I was 8 or 9 years old, playing ball as a kid, my mother said, 'You know, you're going to be in professional baseball someday.' I said, 'What do you mean, Mom?' She said, 'Because you were born on Feb. 6, Babe Ruth's birthday, in 1927, the same season that he hit 60 home runs.' She was right. Talk about scouting!" Stewart has been an associate in baseball now for 67 baseball seasons. 

1950- Former long-time Yankees MLB Coach (1929-1945), MLB Manager and Player Art Fletcher (1909-1922) passed away. (1885-1950)

Art Fletcher was an MLB Infielder for the Giants and the Phillies. In 1922, he would finish his MLB playing career with a .277 BA, while hitting 32 HRs and 675 RBIs. He was the Manager of the Phillies from 1923 to 1926. In September of 1929, Art had briefly managed the Yankees for 11 games, posting a 6-5 record, after Yankees Manager Miller Higgins had died. Yankees MLB Pitching Coach Bob Shawkey would take over the team from him in 1930. Art would be a Yankees MLB Coach from 1929 to 1945. He had suffered a heart attack during 1945 Yankees MLB Spring Training Camp forcing him into retirement from the Yankees. "Fletcher could have been the manager of the Yankees after the death of Huggins. Managerial posts with other clubs were offered him from time to time, but he preferred to remain a coach. Apparently, his experience with the Phillies had cured him. He never again wanted the responsibility and headaches that accompany a manager's job." - Fletcher's New York Times obituary.

1951- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher (1912) and MLB Manager Gabby Street (1929-1933,1938) passed away. (1882-1951)

On February 17,1912, veteran MLB Catcher Gabby Street was traded by the Senators to the Yankees for a Player to be Named Later and Shortstop John Knight. On February 22,1912, the Yankees would send C/1B Rip Williams to the Senators to complete the trade. Street will appear in 29 games as a Reserve Catcher for the team,  while hitting only .182 with No HRs and 6 RBIs. With the Nats, he was Ace Starter Walter Johnson’s favorite catcher. Despite having a weak bat, he was an excellent defensive catcher behind the plate with a strong throwing arm. The 1912 AL season was his last active MLB player season. Later, Gabby would become an MLB Manager for the 1929-1933 St. Louis Cardinals. From 1934-1937, he would manage in the Minor Leagues at the Class AA Level. Also, he had managed the 1938 St. Louis Browns in the AL.

1952- Former Yankees INF Del Paddock (1912) passed away. (1887-1952)

On July 21,1912, INF Del Paddock was purchased by the Yankees from Dubuque Dubs (3-IL). He had played in 46 games for the 1912 Yankees, while hitting .288 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs. Paddock showed that he could use the bat, with hitting .288 and also that adding 23 walks for a .393 on-base percentage. That would have been good enough for 7th in the AL in on-base percentage; if he had had enough plate appearances. His .378 slugging percentage was also 44 points above the team average. However, in the field at 3rd base, he made 14 errors in 41 games. Roy Hartzell was the regular Yankees 3B, a decent hitter, who only made 20 errors in 56 games at the position; while also playing quite a bit at other positions (Hartzell played more Outfield in his MLB playing career than 3B). It was his only final MLB season as a player. He had appeared in 1 game with the 1912 White Sox. On December 20, 1912, Del was purchased by the AA Rochester Hustlers (IL) from the Yankees. Paddock went to play for the AA Rochester Hustlers (IL) in 1913, then the AA Buffalo Bisons (IL) in 1914, the AA St. Paul Saints (AA) later in 1914. He would play for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1917. He had served in World War I. He was in the Dakota League with the Mitchell Kernels in 1921, then Del played with the Sioux City Packers in 1921.

1955- Former Yankees Pitcher Hank “Lefty” Thormahlen (1917-1920) passed away. (1896-1955)

Hank Thormahlen had pitched 6 seasons in the MLB, winning 29 games, also he pitched 14 years in the Minor Leagues, winning over 170 games. On August 14,1917, Hank was purchased along with INF Chick Fewster and OF Bill Lamar by the Yankees from the AA Baltimore Orioles (IL) for $20,000 Cash. On December 15,1920, Hank was traded by theYankees along with INF Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel and OF Sammy Vick to the Red Sox for Pitchers Harry Harper and Waite Hoyt, INF Mike McNally and C Wally Schang. His best pitching season in the MLB was with the 1919 Yankees, when he posted a 12-10 mark with an 2.62 ERA that was in the Top 10 in the 1919 American League. Overall, with the Yankees, Hank had appeared in 76 games; while posting a 28-18 record with a 3.06 ERA.

1960- Former Yankees Pitcher Frank “Noodles” Hahn (1906) passed away. (1879-1960)

In November of 1905, the Yankees had signed veteran NL Starter Frank “Noodles” Hahn as an MLB Free Agent. The Reds had released Hahn during the 1904 NL season. He would appear in 6 games for the 1906 Yankees, while posting a 3-2 record with 3.86 ERA in 6 games. He asked for his player release from the team. It was granted by the Yankees. Overall, as an MLB Pitcher, he had recorded a 130-94 mark with a 2.55 ERA in 243 games; while pitching for the Reds and the Yankees (1899-1906). After leaving MLB baseball in 1906, Hahn became a Veterinary Inspector for the United States Govt. in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had earned  a Medical Degree in Veterinary from the Cincinnati Veterinary College.

1969- Former Yankees Pitcher Bob Wickman (1992-1996) was born.

On January 10,1992, Bob Wickman was obtained from the White Sox along with Pitchers Domingo Jean and Melido Perez in the Steve Sax trade. He would post a 31-14 record with a 4.21 ERA and 11 saves in 223 games for the Yankees. On August 23,1996, Bob was traded by the Yankees along with OF Gerald Williams to the Brewers for a Player to be Named Later, INF Pat Listach and P Graeme Lloyd. The Brewers would send P Ricky Bones on August 29,1996 to the Yankees to complete the trade. On October 2,1996, INF Pat Listach was returned to Brewers because of injury issues.

1970- Former Yankees Pitcher Mark Hutton (1993-1994,1996) was born in Australia.

In 1988, the Yankees had signed Australian hurler Mark Hutton, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He had a 1-3 record with a 5.30 ERA in 21 games with the team before being traded on July 31,1996 to the Marlins for P Dave Weathers. Mark had pitched for the Australia Baseball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

 1986- Former Yankees Minor League P Kanekoa Texeira was born.

The Brewers in the 31st round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected P Kanekoa Texeira, but he went unsigned. After 2 years of Jr. College, he went to the  White Sox in the 22nd round of the 2006 MLB Amateur Player Draft. In November of 2008, the White Sox had dealt him along with OF Nick Swisher to the Yankees for INF/OF Wilson Betemit, 2 Minor League Pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. He had recorded a 9-6 mark with 2 saves and a 2.84 ERA as a swingman for the 2009 AA Trenton Thunder (EL). That winter, the Mariners would claim him in the MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. After spending a couple of months in the MLB, the Mariners tried to send him down to the Minor Leagues, but he was claimed on waivers by the Royals. He would record a 1-0 mark with a 4.64 ERA in 27 games in relief for the Royals over the rest of the season; combined with his 0-1 record, with a 5.30 ERA in 16 games for the M's, he would finish the season with a 1-1 record with a 4.84 ERA in 43 games, all in relief, having given up 73 hits and 25 walks in 61 1/3 innings while striking out 33 batters. Kanekoa was back with the Royals in early 2011, after starting the season with the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (AA), while his 2.84 ERA over 6 games looked superficially good, the 13 hits and 3 walks that he gave up while striking out none in 6 1/3 innings showed that he actually struggled on the mound. The Royals tried to send him down, but this time his old team the Yankees put in a waiver claim on him. They kept him around for a little over a week before releasing him on July 6th; they would resign him again on July 19th. He was injured during his stint in the Yankees' organization, putting in a few rehab appearances with the GCL Yankees. He was not particularly sharp either with the AAA Scranton/WilkesBarre Yankees (0-1 with a 22.85 ERA) or with the AA Trenton Thunder (0-1 with a 10.64 ERA). After the 2011 AL season had ended, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. 

1986- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB Free Agent Reliever Al Holland (1986-1987). In 1986, he would post a 1-0 record with a 5.09 ERA and no saves in 25 games. Overall, with the Yankees, Al had posted a 1-0 record with 6.32 ERA and no saves in 28 games before being released by the team during the 1987 AL season.

1992- Former Yankees Minor League P Glenn Otto was born.

During the 2021 season, Glenn Otto had posted a combined record to go 7-3 with a 3.33 ERA (75.2 IP, 60 H, 28 ER, 17 BB, 115 K, 6 HRs) in 13 games with 12 starts with AA Somerset Patriots and the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. In 41 career games with 32 starts, the Otto’s pitching stats were a 14-7 record with a 3.07 ERA (167.1 IP, 137 H, 62 R/57 ER, 65 BB, 227K) over 4 Minor League seasons (2017-2019, 2021). The Spring, Tx., native was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 5th round of the 2017 1st-Year Player Draft, out of Rice Univ. On July 29, 2021, he was traded to the Rangers as part of Yankees prospect package for 2 MLB Players: All-Star OF Joey Gallo and Reliever Joely Rodriguez.

1996- Former Yankees Pitcher Bob Muncrief (1951) passed away. (1916-1996)

On November 16,1950, veteran P Bob Muncrief was drafted by the Yankees from the Cubs organization in the 1950 Rule 5 MLB Player Draft. Bob had spent the 1950 season with the Cubs AAA club, the LA Angels (PCL); while posting a 15-17 record with a 3.84 ERA in 43 games. He would spend part of the 1951 season with the Yankees AAA Kansas City Blues (AA) team; posting a 5-6 record with a 3.04 ERA in 41 games. He went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in 2 games with the 1951 Yankees. Bob had pitched in MLB for 12 seasons, while posting an 80-82 record with a 3.80 ERA in 288 games with the Browns, Indians, Pirates and the Cubs before finishing out with the 1951 Yankees. The Cardinals had originally signed Bob in 1934, but he was traded to the Browns in 1935. He was a member of the 1944 Browns and the 1948 Indians, appearing in 2 World Series as batter, but not as Pitcher. He was a member of the 1944 AL-All Star team as a member of the Browns. Bob had pitched for the 1952-1954 AAA San Francisco Seals (PCL). He had appeared in 1 game with 1955 Giants AA team, the Dallas Eagles (TXL) farm team before retiring from the game.

1998-The Yankees had acquired AL All-Star 2B Chuck Knoblauch from the Twins for former #1 Draft Pick Pitcher Eric Milton, 2 Class A Players: INF Cristian Guzman and Pitcher Danny Mota and a AAA player, OF/1B Brian Buchanan, plus $3 million in Cash. The former AL 1991 ROY Award Winner 2B Chuck Knoblauch will bat .265 with 17 HRs with 64 RBI while playing in 150 games in 1998, helping the Yankees win the 1998 World Championship.

2007- Former Yankees and MLB Pitcher Lew Burdette (1950) passed away. (1926-2007)

During World War II, Lew Burdette spent time in combat with the Army in Europe. In 1946, Lew had attended the Univ. of Richmond. In 1947, he was signed by Yankees MLB Scout Bill McCorry. He broke into organized baseball at age 20 with the Norfolk Tars (PL), going 1-1 with a 4.33 ERA. Next, Lew  would pitch for the Amsterdam Rugmakers (CANAM) the same season, going 9-10 with a 2.82 ERA. The next season, he was with the Quincy Gems in the (3-IL); posting a 16-11 record with a 2.02 ERA, tying Art Bohman for the league lead in wins and finishing 2nd to David Thieke in ERA. In 1949, Lew  would toil for the 1949 AA Kansas City Blues (AA), going just 6-7 with a 5.26 ERA. In 1950, Lew had posted a 7-7 record with a 4.79 ERA for the Blues; he got a late look with the 1950 Yankees, pitching in 2 games with no record. In 1951, He was sent back down to the AA San Francisco Seals (PCL), while posting a 14-12  record with a 3.21 ERA. On August 29,1951, Lew was traded by the Yankees along with $50,000 Cash to the Boston Braves for veteran P Johnny Sain. Burdette would come back to haunt the Yankees in 1957 World Series, winning 3 games for the Braves against his old team. In 1958, he was 1-2 against his old team in World Series as the 1958 Yankees reclaimed the World Championship from the Braves. Clippers Note: If Lew had stayed with the Yankees, he could have had a good chance of winning 300 games. He would finish his MLB Pitching career in 1967 with a 203-144 mark, while posting a 3.66 ERA and 32 saves in 626 games. He had pitched in the MLB for the Yankees, Boston and Milwaukee Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies before finishing up in the AL with the 1967 Angels. In 1960, he threw a No-Hitter against the Phillies. He had pitched in 2 World Series with the 1957-1958 Braves, posting a record of 4-2 with 25 strikeouts, 8 walks and 2 shutouts in 49 1/3 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.92 and a WHIP of 1.0338 in 6 games; hitting a HR in the process. In the MLB All-Star game, he was 0-0 with 2 strikeouts and a walk in 7 innings with 1.29 ERA in 2 games. He was a NL All-Star Game Pitcher in 1957 and 1959. Later on, retired Yankees GM George Weiss named Pitcher Lew Burdette and OF Jackie Jensen as 2 of the young Yankees players that he had traded away in the early 1950’s, that he should kept on the team.

February 7^th

1936- Former Yankees Reserve 1B Frank Leja (1954-1955) was born. (1936-1991)

In 1953, Frank Leja was signed as the Yankee's 1st bonus player, when he received an offer of a reported $100,000 player contract. He was required to be on the Yankees MLB roster for 2 years, because of his “bonus player” status. Lejawas projected to be another Lou Gehrig by legendary Yankees MLB Scout Paul Krichell. He worked out at Yankee Stadium, hitting the 1st 9 of 10 pitches into the stands in HR territory. He would appear in only 19 games for the 1954-1955 Yankees, getting 1 hit in 7 at bats. Yankees Manager Casey Stengel didn’t want to play Leja, preferring to play his veteran players instead of the young untested rookie. He will spend 8 seasons playing in the Yankees Minor League System. In 1957, Frank had possibly his best pro player season ever; when he led the Eastern League with 117 RBIs, while hitting 22 HRs to help the Class AA Binghamton Triplets to the 1957 EL pennant. In 1958, Frank had another good season, when he hit for a .263 BA with 29 HRs for the AA New Orleans Pelicans (SA). In 1961, Leja had  another good season At AAA level, when he led the International League, while playing for the Yankees Richmond Virginians club with 98 RBIs, while hitting 30 HRs that was 2nd only to Rochester’s Boog Powell, who had hit 32 HRs. He would wind up with a Minor League career BA of .248 with 164 HRs. In 1959, when Yankees 1B Moose Skowron broke his arm during the season; the Yankees didn’t call Leja up to be a replacement 1B, instead they used Rookie 1B/OF Marv Throneberry and veteran C/1B/OF Elston Howard as replacements at 1B. On October 4,1961, Frank was traded by the Yankees to the Cardinals organization for Minor League OF Ben Mateosky. Leja did make it back to the MLB for a brief 7-game trial with the 1962 Angels, going hitless in 16 at-bats. Then the Angels would trade him to the Braves for P Bob Botz. He was 1 for 23 in the MLB, giving him a lifetime MLB .043 BA. Frank would finish up his pro baseball career in 1963 at age 27 with the Braves AAA team, the Toronto Maple Leafs (IL) appearing in 97 games, while hitting .240 with 17 HRs and 42 RBIs. 

1949- Yankees All-Star CF Joe DiMaggio signs a 1-year MLB player contract worth $100,000, becoming the 1st player to earn a 6-figure deal in MLB history. In 1948, Joe DiMaggio had batted .320, while leading the AL with 39 HRs and 155 RBIs, while playing in 153 games.

1955-  Former Yankees Reserve INF Damaso Garcia (1978-1979) was born. (1955-2020)

In 1975, the Yankees had signed INF Damaso Garcia as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would appear in 29 games for the team during the 1978-1979 AL seasons, while hitting .228 with No HRs and 5 RBIs. He didn’t appear in the 1978 World Series with the team against the Dodgers. On November 1,1979, Damaso was traded by the Yankees along with 1B Chris Chambliss and Pitcher Paul Mirabella for Starter Tom Underwood, Catcher Rick Cerone and Reserve OF Ted Wilborn. With the Blue Jays, he would be part of a double-play combo with Shortstop Tony Fernandez. Garcia was on the 1984-1985 AL All Star teams. He would win an AL Silver Slugger Award. In his MLB 11 season playing career Garcia would appear with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Braves, Dodgers and Expos. In 1990, after failing to make it as a Reserve Infielder with the Yankees in their MLB Spring Training Camp, Damaso would retire from baseball. His final MLB career playing records was a .283 BA with 36 HRs and 323 RBIs in 1,032 games.

1993- Former  Yankees Minor League P J. P. Feyereisen was born.

Pitcher J.P. Feyereisen was a 16th round selection by the Indians in the 2014 MLB Amateur Player Draft out of the Univ. of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, not necessarily known as a baseball hotbed. Baseball America named him the best prospect in NCAA Division III. He began his pro career that year with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (NYPL), where he went 3-0 with an unblemished ERA in 15 games. He saved 4 games and struck out 24 batters, while walking only 1 in 17 innings. Having opened some eyes, J.P. went to the Lake County Captains (MWL) to open 2015 season and continued to dominate, with an ERA of 1.08 in 16 games. On May 28th, he was promoted to the Lynchburg Hillcats (CL). Between the 2 stops, he was 1-1, 2.08 in 46 games,  as he recorded 12 saves and struck out 56 batters in 47 2/3 innings. In 2016, he was assigned to the AA Akron RubberDucks (EL). In 33 games, he was 4-3, with a 2.23 ERA, when on July 31st, he was 1 of 4 Tribe Minor League prospects traded to the Yankees in return for MLB Closer Andrew Miller. Accompanying him in the trade were Minor League Players: OF Clint Frazier, Pitchers Ben Heller and Justus Sheffield. He had finished the 2016 season with the Yankees AA team, Trenton Thunder (EL), posting a 3-0 record with a 0.50 ERA in 9 games. In the 2016 AZFL season, he had pitched for the Scottsdale team; while posting a 2-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in 10 games. He started the 2017 season with AA Trenton Thunder (EL) appearing in 13 games with a 0-0 record with a 2.70 ERA. Then he moved up to AAA Scranton (IL) posting 2-3 record with a 3.53 ERA in 24 games. In 2018, he pitched for AAA Scranton (IL), posting a 6-6 record with a 3.45 ERA and 1 save in 36 games. For the 2019 Minor League season, he returned to AAA Scranton’s bullpen, posting a 10-2 record with a 2.49 ERA along with 7 saves in 40 games. On September 1, 2019, Feyereisen was traded by the Yankees to the Brewers for Brenny Escanio and International Bonus Slot Money. 

1995- Former MLB and Yankees Reliever Cecil Upshaw (1974) died from a heart attack at the age of 52. (1942-1994).

The side-arming Reliever Cecil Upshaw had saved 27 games, while helping the Braves win the 1969 NL West Division. In 9 MLB seasons, Upshaw made a total of 348 MLB appearances, all were in relief. On April 26,1974, he was traded by the Indians to the Yankees in the Chris Chambliss trade. Cecil would post a 1-5 record with a 3.02 ERA along with 6 saves in 36 games for the 1974 Yankees. On December 5,1974, Cecil Upshaw was traded to the White Sox by the Yankees for veteran Reserve INF Eddie Leon.

1996- Former Yankees (1981-1990) and MLB OF Dave Winfield (1973-1995) announces his MLB player retirement at the age of 44. Winfield had compiled 3,110 hits, while hitting .283 with 465 HRs and 1,833 RBIs during his 22-year MLB playing career that started with the 1973 Padres, followed by the Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and the Indians. A 12-time MLB All-Star player, he joins Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial as the only MLB players with 3,000 MLB career hits and 400 HRs. Dave Winfield will be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001, being the 1^st player from the San Diego Padres franchise entering Baseball’s Hall of Fame. As a Yankees player, Dave would hit .290 with 205 HRs with 818 RBIs in 1,172 games. He had never played a game in the Minor Leagues; going straight from college to the Padres.

2000- Former Yankees Minor League P Juan Then was born.

Juan Then was originally signed by the Mariners. On November 18, 2017, Reliever Nick Rumbelow was traded by the Yankees to the Mariners for 2 Minor League Pitchers: JP Sears and Juan Then. In 2018, Juan Then went 0-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 11 games for Yankees East team in the Gulf League. He did not pitch in 2019 season. On June 15, 2019, the Yankees had acquired veteran MLB 1B/DH Edwin Encarncion from the Mariners in exchange for Minor League P Juan Then.

2003- Current Yankees Minor League OF Jasson Dominguez was born.

Outfielder Jasson Dominguez was signed by the New York Yankees as an Amateur Free Agent on July 2, 2019, only a few months after he had turned 16. His signing bonus was $5.1 million, a record for an international signing. As a point of comparison, the Yankees' total international bonus pool that year was $5.4 million, so 95% of that went to Jasson. He was considered the top international prospect available during that signing period, and the NYC media immediately started hyping him as the next great Yankees player, with comparisons to Mickey Mantle as a switch-hitter with power, or Bo Jackson as an exceptional all-around athlete, or Mike Trout as the best baseball player currently. There were stories about his showing unbelievable power for a teenager and so on, which earned him the nickname "The Martian" as a reflection of his otherworldly talent. He became even more of a legend due to circumstances that delayed his pro debut, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, as he was unable to play in 2020. He was not even invited to hang around the Yankees' Alternate Training Site. In spite of that, his stock as a prospect continued to rise: he was ranked #38 by Baseball America before the 2020 season, and had risen to #33 in 2021 on the strength of nothing other than having blown an extra candle on his birthday cake in the interim. When he finally took the field, it was with the FCL Yankees in June of 2021. He hit .200 in 7 games and was quickly promoted to the Tampa Tarpons ( Low-SEL.) Barely a month after playing his 1st pro game, he was elected to play in the 2021 Futures Game, where he was easily the youngest player. He ended up batting .258 in 50 games for Tampa, with 5 HRs and 18 RBIs. It was nothing earth-shattering, but wasn't bad at all for someone, who was just about the youngest player in all of Low-A. He returned to the 2022 Futures Game. In 2022, he would play for 3 teams (2- Low A ,1-AA) appearing in 120 games, hitting .273 with 16 HRs and 59 RBIs. He is expected to start at the AA level with Hudson Valley for the 2023 Minor League season.

2009- Former Yankees Pitcher John Gabler (1959-1960) passed away. (1930-2007)

In 1949, the Yankees had signed hurler John Gabler to an MLB Free Agent contract. He was sent to the Class D Belleville Stags. The 18-year-old rookie spent his 1st season with a last-place team under 4 different managers. John would end up with a 5-7 record with a 4.75 ERA. He had appeared in 18 games, while pitching 91 innings. It would be the 1959 MLB season before Gabler got his 1st chance with the Yankees. He had spent most of the season with the AAA Denver Bears (American Association). John had a 14-8 record with a 3.39 ERA for the Bears. In late 1959 season, he got into 3 games with the Yankees, posting a 1-1 record, while pitching 19 innings with a 2.79 ERA.  John was rewarded for his good effort in 1959, when he started the 1960 AL season with the Yankees. He got into 21 games, going 3-3, pitching in 52 innings, but his ERA went up to a 4.15 mark. He was then sent down to the AAA Richmond Virginians (IL), where he finished out the 1960 baseball season with a 4-4 record with a 2.71 ERA, thus missing pitching in the 1960 World Series against the Pirates. Gabler was able to get one more shot at the MLB, when the new Expansion Washington Senators, who had drafted him from the Yankees organization on November 28,1960 in the 1960 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. He was with the expansion Senators for the entire 1961 AL season, while posting a 3-8 record with a 4.86 ERA, while appearing in 29 games. In 1962, he found himself back in the Minor Leagues, where he began the season with the Senators AAA team, the Syracuse Chiefs (IL);  then he would finish the 1962 season with the AAA Jacksonville Suns (IL) in the Indians organization. He had a combined record of 8-13 in 34 games, while pitching 145 innings, giving up 169 base hits and 43 walks for a 4.72 ERA. This was to be John Gabler's last  active season in pro baseball. He had pitched in the Minor Leagues a total of 13 seasons. He did not play during the 1952-1953 baseball seasons due to military service for the Korean War. His trip through the Minor Leagues saw him play in 8 different leagues with 10 different teams. Over these 13 seasons in the Minors, he came up with a lifetime 112-93 pitching career record in 322 games.

2014- In a major reversal, Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez decides to drop his lawsuit against the MLB and the MLB Players Association. He will serve his 1-year suspension for his role in the Biogenesis Scandal. Alex will attempt to come back in 2015. Also, he will not attend the Yankees 2014 MLB Spring Training Camp, which was to be opening up shortly, where his presence would have been a major media distraction for the team.

February 8^th

1911- Former Yankees Reserve INF (1934-1937), MLB Coach and Manager Don “Jeep” Heffner was born. (1911-1989)

Don Heffner was a Reserve INF for the 1934-1937 Yankees before being traded to the St. Louis Browns for Reserve INF Billy Knickerbocker in 1938. With the Browns, he would become a regular Infielder for 4 seasons. After his MLB Playing career had ended in 1944, Don Heffner would become a Minor League Manager, a long-time MLB Coach and briefly managed in the MLB. In 1949, Heffner left the Elmira club to return home to be with his daughter, Virginia Heffner, who was diagnosed with Leukemia. Sadly, she would pass away on September 11, 1949. From 1958-1960, he was a Kansas City A’s MLB Coach. In 1961, he was a member of the Tigers MLB Coaching staff. In 1964-1965, he was a Mets MLB Coach. Then he would manage the 1966 Reds for the 1st half of the 1966 NL season. From 1967-1968, Don was a member of the Angels MLB Coaching staff. 

1918- Former Yankees Minor League P Cookie Cuccurullo was born. (1918-1983)

On October 24,1946, P Cookie Cuccurullo was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees for veteran AL All-Star Starter Tiny Bonham. Cookie had gone 3-5 with a 4.55 ERA and 5 saves in 62 games for the 1942-1945 Pirates. The Yankees would assign him to their AA Club, the Newark Bears (IL). He never appeared in the MLB with the Yankees. In 1948, he would pitch for the Yankees AA club, the Oakland Oaks (PCL) before leaving the Yankees organization at the end of the 1948 PCL season.

1927- Yankees veteran Starter Sad Sam Jones is traded to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for Pitcher Joe Giard and OF Cedric Durst. In 1926, he had posted a 9-8 record for the Yankees. The 35-yearold Jones will have an 8-14 record in his only season in St. Louis, who will trade him to the Senators. He will continue to pitch in the MLB for 7 more seasons. Sam Jones had recorded a 67-56 mark with a 4.06 ERA in 202 games with the 1922-1926 Yankees. His best season for the Yankees was in 1923, when Sam had posted a 21-8 record in 29 games. He had appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees, while pitching in 5 games, finishing with a 0-1 record. He will continue to pitch in the MLB until 1935, before retiring at the age of 42. Sam will finish his MLB Pitching career with a 229-217 record along with a 3.84 ERA and 31 saves in 647 games. Joe Giard was a former Bronx hurler, who was traded away to the Browns in 1924 trade for P Urban Shocker. Joe went 0-0 with an  ERA in 16 relief appearances in his last MLB Pitching career season. Cedric Durst will be a Reserve OF/1B and Pinch-Hitter for the Yankees, while hitting .249 with 6 HRs and 71 RBIs before being traded on May 6, 1930 by the Yankees along with $50,000 Cash to the Red Sox for Starter Red Ruffing.

1942- Former Yankees AL All-Star Pitcher Fritz Peterson (1966-1974) was born.

The Yankees had signed hurler Fritz Peterson as an MLB Amateur Free Agent in 1963. His best Yankees season was in 1970, when he posted a 20-11 mark with a 2.90 ERA in 39 games and making the AL All Star team. Fritz went 109-106 with 3.10 ERA in 288 games during his pitching career with the 1966-1974 Yankees. After the public disclosure during the Yankees 1973 MLB Spring Training Camp, that Fritz and his Yankees teammate Pitcher Mike Kekich had traded their wives and families; Fritz’s days as a Yankees player were numbered. On April 26,1974, he was traded by the Yankees along with Pitchers Fred Beene, Tom Buskey and Steve Kline to the Indians for 1B Chris Chambliss, Pitchers Richard “Dirt” Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw. Fritz Peterson ended up with the best career ERA of any pitcher that ever pitched in historic Yankee Stadium (1923-2008), finishing with a 2.52 ERA. Whitey Ford came in 2nd with a 2.58 ERA. Peterson also had the lowest WHIP of any Yankee starting pitcher in the post-WWII era, 1.14. Overall, as an MLB Pitcher, Fritz posted a 133-131 record with a 3.30 ERA in 355 games, starting with the 1966 Yankees, Indians and finishing up with the Rangers in 1976. In July of 2009, Fritz published a book called Mickey Mantle is “Going to Heaven.” He runs an excellent baseball web site and has published more books on the Yankees.

1943- Former Yankees Reserve INF Bob Oliver (1975) was born. (1943-2020)

On December 1,1974, the Yankees had purchased Reserve INF Bob Oliver from the Orioles for Cash. Bob had hit .243 with 8 HRs for the 1974 Angles and the Orioles. He was expected to be the 1975 Yankees Reserve 1B and 3B. He would only hit .118 with No HRs and 1 RBI in just 18 games for the 1975 Yankees, before being released by the team on July 15,1975. He didn’t get along with Yankees Manager Bill Virdon. Oliver would play in the Minor Leagues for 2 seasons, before going to play pro baseball in Mexico. On April 29, 1975, Yankees Reserve 1B Bob Oliver sets an AL record by participating in 6 double plays in a 9-inning game. He would finish his MLB playing career by hitting .256 with 94 HRs and 419 RBIs in 847 games. He was originally signed as an MLB Amateur Free Agent by the Pirates. He had played for the Pirates, Royals, Angles, Orioles before finishing his MLB playing career with the 1975 Yankees.

1956- The Senators send veteran P Mickey McDermott and INF Bob Kline to the Yankees in exchange for Reserve C Lou Berberet, OF Richard Tettelbach, P Bob Wiesler and INF Herb Plews. INF Bob Kline never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. He was sent down to the AAA Denver Bears (AA); while veteran hurler Mickey McDermott would go 2-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 23 games for the 1956 Yankees. He had appeared in 1 game of the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers, pitching 3 innings in relief with no decision. In February of 1957, he would be traded to the A’s in the Bobby Shantz-Irv Noren trade. On April 2,1956, the Yankees would send Minor League OF Whitey Herzog to the Senators to complete the trade; he had hit .289 for the AAA Denver Bears (AA). Lou Berberet was blocked at the catcher’s position by All-Star Catcher Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, future Yankees Reserve Catchers Darrell Johnson and Johnny Blanchard. Both Tettelbach and Herzog were blocked in the Yankees Outfield by veteran players Mantle, Bauer and Noren. Bob Wiesler had posted an overall record of 3-6 with a 4.95 ERA in 26 games for the 1951,1954-1955 Yankees. He had spent time in the military for Korean War duty during the 1952-1953 AL seasons.

1956- Former Yankees Pitcher “Long Tom” Hughes (1904) passed away. (1878-1956)

On December 20, 1903, Starter Tom “Long Tom” Hughes was traded by the Boston Americans (aka Red Sox) to the Yankees for hurler Jesse Tannehill.  He had won 20 games for Boston in 1903, while Tannehill had won 15 games for the Yankees. Tom posted disappointing 7-11 record with 3.70 ERA in 19 games for the 1904 Yankees. On July 20, 1904, Tom was traded by the Yankees along with P Barney Wolfe to the Senators for veteran MLB Starter Al Orth. Meanwhile in Boston, Tannehill was on his way to a 21- win season for the 1904 Red Sox. 

1977- Former Yankees Pitcher Carroll “Boardwalk” Brown (1914-1915) passed away. (1887-1977)

On July 6, 1914, Starter Carroll “Boardwalk” Brown was purchased by the Yankees from the Philadelphia A’s. He had been a 17-game winner with the 1913 World Champion A’s. Brown had posted a 1-5 record with a 4.09 ERA in 15 games for the 1914 A’s. In 1914 with the Yankees, he would record a 6-5 mark with a 3.24 ERA in 20 games. In 1915, he would slip to a 3-6 record with a 4.10 ERA in 19 games. Overall, as a Yankees Starter, he had a 9-11 record with 3.62 ERA in 39 games for the team. The 1915 Yankees would release him to AA Louisville (AA) ending his MLB Pitching career.

1983- Former Yankees Pitcher Chase Wright (2007-2008) was born.

The Yankees in the 3rd round of the 2001 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected P Chase Wright. He would debut professionally with the 2001 GCL Yankees, going 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA. Opponents hit .317 and he walked 21 in 25 innings, though he did strike out 33 batters. Returning to the team in 2002, Wright improved to 2-3, 3.43 ERA. His opponent batting average fell 100 points but control remained an issue as he walked 39 in 42 innings pitched, leading the GCL in bases on balls allowed. In 2003, Wright split time between the Staten Island Yankees (3-5, 3.56 ERA) and Battle Creek Yankees (1-1, 6.43 ERA). He was with the same 2 clubs in 2004, going 5-8 with a 5.44 ERA and a WHIP of 1.83 for Battle Creek and 0-1, 9.00 ERA for short-season Class A Staten Island (NYPL). Wright began to develop in 2005, posting a 10-4 record with a 3.75 ERA for the Charleston RiverDogs (SAL). In 2006, he was named the FSL Most Valuable Pitcher, thanks to a 12-3 record with a 1.88 ERA season with the Class A  Tampa Yankees. Wright had started the 2007 season in dominating form. In his AA debut with the Trenton Thunder (EL), he had shut out the Bowie Baysox for 7 innings, striking out 9 and allowing 3 hits and no walks on April 5th. Six days later, he allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in 7 scoreless innings, whiffing 10 batters against the Harrisburg Senators. With Bronx Starters Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang and Carl Pavano were injured, the Yankees called up the southpaw. He won his MLB Pitching debut on April 17, 2007 against the Indians, allowing 3 runs in 5 innings of work. It was part of a record-setting string as Kei Igawa and Sean Henn won the next 2 games. Never before in MLB history had a team swept a 3-game series with a pitcher winning his 1st career MLB game in each contest. Wright's 2nd game also was record setting, but in a way, Chase would probably like to forget. He gave up consecutive 4 HRs to Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek, tying the record for HRs allowed in an inning. In MLB history, the only prior pitcher to allow 4 consecutive HRs in an inning was veteran MLB Starter Paul Foytack of the 1963 Angels. When Hideki Matsui came off the DL, Wright was sent back to AA Trenton. Philip Hughes would  take his spot in the rotation, making the 2007 Yankees the 1st team in 52 years to give 3 starting pitchers their MLB Debut in the season's 1st 20 games (Igawa was the 3rd of the batch).  In 2007, Wright went 2-0 with a 7.20 ERA in 3 games for the Yankees. On February 4, 2009, Chase was traded to the Brewers for Outfielder-Catcher Eric Fryer. He would never pitch again in the MLB.

1983- One day after taking a job as Director of Sports Promotions for the Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.  Mickey Mantle is ordered to sever his ties with MLB by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Mickey Mantle joins fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays as former HOF MLB players who are banned from Baseball by Commissioner Kuhn for involvement with legalized gambling.

1984- After losing Type A Free Agent Pitcher Tommy Underwood to the Orioles, Oakland grabs Pitcher Tim Belcher from the Yankees organization as compensation. The #1 selection in the June 1983 MLB Amateur Player Draft, Belcher did not sign with the Twins; so, he was available for the January Player Draft. The Yankees had signed him on February 2nd, only to lose him because they had already submitted their list of 26 protected players, an administrative blunder which will cost Yankees General Manager Murray Cook his job.

2002- Former Yankees Pitcher Steve Roser (1944-1946) passed away. (1918-2002)

Before the start of 1940 AL season, the Yankees had signed Pitcher Steve Roser, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would spent the 1940-1943 seasons in the Minor Leagues, plugging along with a good season in 1941 with the Class A Binghamton Triplets (EL), when the 2nd-year Pitcher posted a 13-12 record with a 2.51 ERA, while pitching 197 innings. In 1943, he also fared well with the AA Newark Bears (IL), when he went 12-10 with a 3.61 ERA, while pitching 162 innings. Steve's good work paid off, he made his MLB Pitching debut with the Yankees on May 5, 1944, he would pitch well and he stayed with the team for the entire 1944 AL season. Steve would build up a 4-3 record with a 3.86 ERA, while appearing in 16 games, while pitching 84 innings. In 1945, Roser was back with the Yankees, he appearing in 11 games, while pitching 27 innings, but he had no decisions. After a bad start with the 1946 Yankees (1-1 with a 16.20 ERA in 4 appearances), he was sold to the Boston Braves on May 3,1946. Steve would appear in 14 games for the 1946 Braves, while posting a 1-1 record with a 3.60 ERA and 1 save. This effort finished off Roser’s MLB Pitching career with a 6-5 record with a 4.04 ERA and 2 saves in 45 appearances. His final Yankees Pitching career totals was a 5-4 record with 4.17 ERA and 1 save in 31 games. He would pitch for the Braves AA clubs in 1946-1947 seasons, before retiring as an active player.

2011- The Yankees lose veteran Reliever Alfredo Aceves to their AL Eastern Division rivals the Red Sox, who sign him to a 1-year MLB contract. The Yankees had offered him a split contract, but he wanted a full MLB player contract deal instead. Aceves, who has spent his entire MLB playing career with the Yankees, is coming off a back injury that cut short his 2010 AL season; he had suffered a broken collarbone in an off-season bicycle accident. Alfredo had posted a 14-1 record and 2 saves in 59 games with the 2008-2010 Yankees. 

2022- Former Yankees OF Gerald “Ice” Williams (1992-1996, 2001-2002) had passed away at the age of 55 from Cancer. (1966-2022)

Outfielder Gerald Williams was selected by the Yankees in the 14th round of the 1987 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He had won the 1992 James P. Dawson Award as the best Yankees rookie in the MLB Spring Training Camp. Overall, Gerald would appear in 384 games with the Yankees, while hitting .241 with 18 HRs and 85 RBIs. On August 23,1996, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Bob Wickman to the Brewers for a Player to be Named Later, INF Pat Listach and Reliever Graeme Lloyd. The Brewers would later send P&nbs****y Bones on August 29,1996 to the Yankees to complete the trade. INF Pat Listach was returned to the Brewers on October 2,1996, because of injury questions. Gerald would play for the Yankees (twice), Brewers, Braves, Rays, Marlins and finishing his MLB playing career with the 2005 Mets. He had appeared in the MLB Post Season with the 1995 Yankees and the 1998-1999 Braves. He would play for the Braves in the 1999 World Series. Williams would finish his 14-season MLB playing career with a .255 BA, while hitting 85 HRs with 365 RBIs in 1,168 games