This Week in Yankees History February 19th-25th Part One
February 19th
1900- Former Yankees Reserve INF/P Oscar Roettger (1923-1924) was born. (1900-1986)
Oscar Roettger had played for 3 teams over 4 seasons in the MLB, appearing in 15 games as a 1B, 6 games as a Pitcher and 1 game in the Outfield. As a Pitcher in the Minor Leagues, Roettger had set a Western League record in 1922 by issuing 237 BB along with a 16-16 pitching record, while appearing in 50 games. This earned him a season with the 1923 Yankees, where he basically sat around not pitching. As a Yankees Pitcher, he had appeared in 6 games with a 0-0 record with an 8.46 ERA. As a Yankees batter, Oscar had appeared in 6 games with no hits. On June 16,1924, Oscar was traded by the Yankeesto the AA St. Paul Saints (AA) for P Cliff Markle. On May 29,1925, Oscar was traded by the Yankees along with a Player to be Named Later, Catcher Fred Hofmann and $50,000 Cash to the AA St. Paul Saints (AA) for INF Mark Koenig. On October 28,1925, the Yankees would send INF Ernie Johnson to the Saints to complete the trade. Oscar would later play for the 1927 Dodgers. He would continue to play in the Minor Leagues (1928-1931), before returning to the MLB in 1932, finishing his brief MLB playing career with the Philadelphia A’s. As a 1B, Roettger had compiled a .314 Minor League BA along with 349 doubles and 116 HRs in 1,634 games. Oscar was a Coach for the 1937-1938 AA Rochester Red Wings (IL).
1932- Former Yankees Minor League OF Don Taussig was born.
Before the start of 1950 AL season, the Yankees had signed OF Don Taussig as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He had appeared in a couple of Class D league games in 1950, hitting just .195 in 56 games. Before the start of the 1951 AL season, the Yankees promptly sent him to the Giants in an unknown Minor League trade transaction. Taussig worked his way up through the Giants Minor League system. After 3 seasons with the 1955-1957 AA Dallas Eagles (TXL); he first made it to the MLB, when the Giants had moved to San Francisco in 1958. He would hit .200 for the Giants with 1 HR, spending the rest of the season with AAA Phoenix (PCL). He would play in the MLB with the Giants, Cardinals and finishing up with the new 1962 NL Expansion Team, the Houston Colt 45s.
1935- All-Star1st BasemanLou Gehrig signs an MLB player contract with the Yankees for $30,000, $7,000 less than he asked for, but still making him the highest-paid player on the team. The 32-yearold Lou Gehrig will hit .329 with 30 HRs, while driving in 119 runs for the 2nd-place 1935 Yankees.
1952- Former Yankees Minor League P David Cheadle was born. (1952-2012)
David Cheadle was selected by the Yankees in the 1st round (12th selection) of the 1970 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He never pitched for the Yankees at MLB level. On August 15,1973, Dave was sent by the Yankees to the Braves to complete an earlier deal that was made on June 7,1973. The Yankees would send 2 Players to be Named Later, Reserve Players: INF/OF Wayne Nordhagen and 1B/OF Frank Tepedino to the Braves for veteran MLB Starter Pat Dobson. He would appear in 2 games for the 1973 Braves, while posting a 0-1 record.
1954- 19-year-old OF Roberto Clemente signs with the Dodgers for 1 season at $5,000 along with a $10,000 signing bonus. The Dodgers thus beat out a number of other MLB clubs in the Clemente sweepstakes. They've outspent the prior 2 entrants; their cross-city rivals the Giants and the Yankees. They have simply beaten the Braves to the punch. By far the biggest spenders of the bunch (by all accounts exceeding Brooklyn's offer by at least 150%), the Braves were just a tad tardy with their offer, Clemente having already accepted the Dodgers' terms. The Dodgers may have won the 1st battle, but they will lose Clemente's services within 1 year when they fail to protect him in the MLB Rule 5 Player Draft, when the Pirates will select him.
1956- Former Yankees OF Ray Demmit (1909) passed away. (1884-1956)
In August of 1908, OF Ray Demmit was purchased by the Yankees from AA Newark (EL). He had appeared in 123 games for the 1909 Yankees, while hitting .243 with 4 HRs and 30 RBIs. On December 16,1909, Ray was traded by the Yankees along with P Joe Lake to the St. Louis Browns for veteran MLB Catcher Lou Criger. Ray would play in the MLB for 6 seasons with the Yankees, Browns (twice), White Sox and the Tigers from 1909 to 1919. He would finish his MLB playing career with a .257 BA with 8 HRs and 165 RBIs in 498 games.
1957- The Yankees had obtained Pitchers Art Ditmar and Bobby Shantz, P Jack McMahon, INF Clete Boyer, 1B Wayne Belardi and a Player to be Named Later from Kansas City for Yankees Pitchers Rip Coleman, Tom Morgan and Mickey McDermott, Shortstop Billy Hunter, OF Irv Noren and INF Milt Graff with a Player to be Named Later. MLB Commissioner Ford Frick ruled that INF Clete Boyer, who was an A’s “Bonus Baby” had to remain with the team until his bonus term expired with the A’s MLB roster. He did not join the Yankees until June 4,1957. The team immediately would send him to AA Binghamton (EL), he eventually join the Yankees at the MLB level in 1959. Art Ditmar would pitch well, going 47-32 for the Yankees from 1957-1960, except for in the 1960 World Series against the Pirates, losing his 2 starts. He had won 15 games in 1960, leading the Yankees Starters in victories. On June 14,1961, he was traded back to A’s along with Rookie OF/INF Deron Johnson for veteran AL Starter Bud Daley. Bobby Shantz became the 1st Yankees player ever to win an AL Golden Glove Award in 1957. He won the AL Pitcher’s Golden Glove Award from 1957-1960. Also, he would lead the AL Pitchers in ERA in 1957 with a 2.45 mark. He would be very effective out of the bullpen for the 1957-1960 Yankees, as well as being an occasional starter for Yankees Manager Casey Stengel. The Yankees key trade bait to Athletics in this February 1957 deal was veteran OF Irv Noren, a former .300 hitter with 2 bad knees. He would never hit .300 for the A’s. He had played in 488 games with the Bronx Bombers, while hitting .272 with 31 HRs and 198 RBIs. Tom Morgan was a serviceable bullpen reliever, who been with the team since 1951. Originally a starter who Manager Casey Stengel had converted into a reliever. Tom went 38-22 with a 3.48 ERA with 27 saves in 156 games. He would appear in 3 World Series, while pitching in 5 games, posting a 0-1 record with 5.95 ERA. Pitchers Rip Coleman (5-6) and Mickey McDermott (2-6, 4.24 ERA) would give the A’s MLB arms for their pitching staff. Billy Hunter had been Yankees Shortstop, but he was recovering from an ankle injury, which limited his 1956 AL season just to 39 games, but he did hit .280. Infielders Jack McMahon and Wayne Belardi never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. The A's front office will eventually admit that when they had signed INF Clete Boyer for a $40,000 bonus in 1955, it was on behalf of the Yankees, with the understanding that they'd later ship him to team after his bonus signing MLB roster time was finished for several players in the Yankees Minor League system.
Hurler Jack McMahon and 1B Wayne Belardi never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. First baseman Milt Graff, who had hit .317 with Yankees Birmingham club (SL), he would play for the 1957-1958 A’s. For the Players to be Named Later in the trade, on June 3,1957, the Yankees would send Minor league P Jack Urban to the A’s, he would pitch for them in 1957. Then Kansas City would send Minor League 2B Curt Roberts to the Yankees on June 4,1957, he was sent to the Minor Leagues by the team. He had played 2B for the 1954-1956 Pirates before joining Kansas City in 1956.
1959- Former Yankees Pitcher Tim Burke (1992) was born.
On June 9,1992, veteran MLB Starter Tim Burke was traded by the Mets to the Yankees for P Lee Guetterman. Tim would post a 2-2 record with a 3.25 ERA in 23 games before leaving the Yankees for MLB Free Agency. He would be signed by the Reds.
1962- Former Yankees INF and Minor League Coach (2007-2008) Alvaro Espinoza (1988-1991) was born.
The Yankees had signed INF Alvaro Espinoza as an MLB Free Agent. Espinoza had originally come up to the MLB with the 1984 Twins. His best Yankees season was in 1989, when he hit .282 with No HRs and 41 RBIs in 146 games. He had appeared in 447 games for the Yankees, while hitting .255 with 7 HRs and 94 RBIs. On March 17,1992, he was released by the Yankees. The Indians would pick up Espinoza. He would later play for the Mets and the Mariners before retiring from the MLB. In 2007-2008, he was a Yankees Minor League Coach at AAA Scranton (IL).
1982- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Chris Stewart (2008, 2012-2013) was born.
In 2008, Chris Stewart was signed an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. He had appeared in 1 game for Yankees, while spending most of the 2008 season with AAA Scranton. He was signed with the White Sox as an MLB Free Agent for 2009 AL season. On March 21, 2009, Chris was traded by the White Sox to the Yankees for future considerations (Minor League players). On November 9, 2009, Chris was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. On December 17, 2009, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Padres. On October 8, 2010, Chris Stewart was granted MLB Free Agency by the Padres. On January 11, 2011, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Giants. He made the 2011 Giants roster as a Reserve Catcher appearing in 67 games, while batting .204. In March of 2012, Chris was reacquired by the Yankees from the Giants for Minor League P George Kontos at the end of their 2012 MLB Spring Training Camp. He was back-up catcher for Yankees Catcher Russell Martin, appearing 55 games, while hitting .241 with 1 HR and 13 RBIs. In 2013, he appeared in 109 games for the Yankees as Starting Catcher, when injuries hit the team. Martin left as an MLB Free Agent after the season, signing with the Pirates, the Yankees failed to replace him with an experienced MLB player. They thought that Francisco Cervelli could take over, but he broke a hand in April then he was handed a 50-game suspension for PED use and the job was basically up for grabs. Stewart beat out young Catcher Austin Romine and ended up playing 109 games, including 98 starts behind the plate. He did a good job handling a makeshift pitching staff, as the Yankees ended up with a record over .500 and tied for 3rd place in the AL East in spite of a roster in flux all season and a myriad of injuries. He did not contribute much with the bat, hitting just .211 with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs, but that was not what the Yankees were looking for anyway. In the fall of 2013, the Yankees finally signed a real starting MLB catcher in veteran All-Star Brian McCann, with Cervelli and Romine still around to handle back-up duties. On December 2, 2013, the Yankees would trade Chris to the Pirates for a Minor League Player to be Named Later. On December 11, 2013, the Pirates would sent Minor League P Kyle Haynes to theYankees to complete the trade. Overall, as a Yankees player, Chris had hit .219 with 5 HRs and 38 RBIs in 165 games.
1983- Former Yankees Reserve OF/1B Frank Colman (1946-1947) passed away. (1918-1983).
Frank Colman was a backup OF/1B for 6 MLB seasons during the 1940's. He played for the 1942-1945 Pirates. On June 17,1946, Frank was purchased by the Yankees from the Pirates. He had appeared in 27 games with the Yankees, hitting just .163 with 3 HRs and 11 RBIs. When his MLB playing days ended due to an injury, he played for the AA Seattle Rainers (PCL). Frank was a Player-Coach for the AA Toronto Maple Leafs (IL) before returning to London as Player-Owner. Also, he played for the AA Newark Bears (IL) at 1 point in his playing career. Six seasons of his 13-year Minor League playing career were with the AA Toronto Maple Leafs (IL). He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the London Sports Hall of Fame.
1996- Former Yankees Pitcher J. P. Sears (2022) was born.
J.P. Sears was drafted by the Mariners in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Player Draft from The Citadel (Charleston, SC). While pitching for the Citadel, he would post a 17-15 record with a 4.09 ERA in 46 games. He would pitch for the Mariners organization in 2017. On November 18, 2017, he was traded by the Mariners along with P Juan Then (Minors) to the Yankees for MLB Reliever Nick Rumbelow. His Yankees Minor League pitching record is 16-13 with a 3.07 ERA and 5 saves in 46 games. In 2022 Yankees MLB Spring Training Camp, he made the team as a Reliever. He would go 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in 7 games for the 2022 Yankees. On August 1, 2022, Sears was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League Pitchers Cooper Bowman, Luis Medina and Ken Waldichuk to the Oakland Athletics for MLB Starter Frankie Montas and Reliever Lou Trivino.
1998- Former Yankees Minor League INF Leo Righetti passed away. (1925-1998)
Leo Righetti was a Minor League player for 12 seasons, 8 of them in either the AAA or Open classification. His son Dave Righetti was an MLB Pitcher with the Yankees and Giants, while another son, Steven Righetti had played in the Minor Leagues. In 1944, Leo would debut with the Binghamton Triplets (EL), hitting .232 in 67 games and fielding .887 at Shortstop. Also, he was briefly with the 1944 AA Newark Bears (IL), hitting just .143 in 4 contests. He did not play pro baseball in 1945. In 1946, Leo only managed a .166 BA in 57 games for Binghamton (EL), the lowest average that year by any EL player with 100 at-bats, let alone 200 plate appearances. He fielded only .855 in 30 games at 3B and .915 in 10 games at 2B. In 1947, Righetti made strides in by hitting .251 with a career-high 10 HRs with 81 RBIs for the Victoria A’s. In 1948, he would hit only .162 for Binghamton and .237 for the Augusta Tigers. Back with Augusta in 1949, the infielder would hit .225 with 4 HRs with 46 RBIs. He did not play pro baseball in 1950. Righetti moved to the Pacific Coast League in 1951, playing with the AAA Sacramento Solons as a Reserve INF. He hit just .202 in 122 games. In 1952, he was with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens (AA)and the AA Charleston Senators (AA), hitting a combined .199 in 113 games. He had the lowest average of any American Association player with 100 AB or 100 games. He had fielded .973 at 2B, close to the league lead. In 1953, Leo was on the AAA San Francisco Seals (PCL); he hit .258, while fielding .961 at Shortstop. With the AAA Seals again in 1954, Righetti would hit .255. In 1955, he played for both the AAA Seals and the Seattle Rainers (PCL), while batting .264. With the 1956 AAA Rainiers, Righetti would hit .280 with 61 runs and fielding .951, almost leading PCL Shortstops. In 1957, Leo would finish his pro baseball career, by splitting the season between 2 AAA team’s: Seattle and Sacramento in the PCL. He would hit .264 in that final pro season, while fielding .965 at Shortstop.
February 20th
1887- Former Yankees Pitcher Carroll “Boardwalk” Brown (1914-1915) was born. (1887-1977)
After being acquired from Athletics on July 6,1914, Boardwalk Brown would post a 9-11 record with a 3.62 ERA in 39 games for the 1914-1916 Yankees. He had been a 17-game winner for the 1913 A’s Pitching staff, but he was not used by the team in 1913 World Series against the Giants. After a 3-6 season in 1916, the Yankees would release Brown to AA Louisville (AA), ending his MLB Pitching career.
1896- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher (1917-1920) MLB Manager and Baseball Executive Muddy Ruel was born. (1896-1963)
On August 21, 1917, Catcher Muddy Ruel was obtained from the St. Louis Browns for Cash. He was playing with the Memphis team (SA), so Yankees let him finished out the season with them before joining the team. In the Bronx, Ruel would share the catching duties with Truck Hannah from 1918 to 1920. Muddy had appeared in 170 games for the Yankees, while hitting .251 with 1 HR and 46 RBIs. On December 15,1920, he was traded by the team along with INF Del Pratt, P Hank Thormahlen and OF Sammy Vick to the Red Sox for Pitchers Harry Harper and Waite Hoyt, INF Mike McNally and C Wally Schang. He was the Yankees starting catcher on August 16,1920 at the Polo Grounds, when a Carl Mays' pitch hits Indians batter Ray Chapman on the head, resulting in Chapman's death the next day.Later, he would defend Mays and said that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Muddy would play in the MLB for 19 seasons, known as a fine defensive catcher in AL. He had played for the Browns (twice), Yankees, Red Sox (twice), Senators and the Tigers before finishing up with the White Sox. He would play in 1,468 games, while hitting .275 with 4 HRs and 536 RBIs. He had appeared in the 1924-1925 World Series with the Senators playing in 14 games, while hitting .200. After retiring as a player, Ruel spent a decade as an MLB Coach with the 1935-1945 White Sox. Then he became a Legal Assistant to the MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler in 1946.He would work with Chandler for only 1 year before accepting his only MLB managerial job with the 1947 St. Louis Browns, where he led the 1947 team to a dismal 59–95 record, good for the AL cellar.Then Ruel was an MLB Coach for the 1948-1950 Indians, winning another World Championship as a Coach with the Tribe in the 1948 World Series.He was later named as the Director of the Tigers' farm system before taking on the role as the Tigers' GM from 1954 to 1956.
1913- Former Yankees OF/1B and MLB Coach Tommy “Old Reliable” Henrich (1937-1942,1946-1950) was born. (1913-2009)
Originally signed by the Indians, Tommy Henrich never hit below .300 in the Minor Leagues and showing power at the plate. After batting .346 for the 1936 New Orleans Pelicans (SA), he appeared to be in line to join the Tribe. However, the Indians instead sold his player contract to the AA Milwaukee Brewers (AA), allegedly because the club regarded Jeff Heath as a better prospect. Rather than go to Milwaukee, Tommy and his father wrote a letter to MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Landis, stating their belief that the Indians were denying him a chance to reach the MLB. Landis would rule in his favor, as he would declare Henrich a MLB Free Agent. On April 19,1937, Tommy Henrich was signed as an MLB Amateur Free Agent for $25,000 bonus with the Yankees. He would play 11 seasons with Yankees finishing with a lifetime BA of .282 with 182 HRs with 795 RBIs in 1,284 games. He would appear in 4 World Series for the Bombers, while hitting .262 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs in 21 games. Yankees Broadcast Announcer Mel Allen had nicknamed Tommy “Old Reliable” because of his timely hits at the plate and great defensive plays in the outfield; when the Yankees needed them in a game. He was named to the AL All-Star teams in 1942 and 1947-1950. When the Yankees helped need at 1B due to player injuries, Tommy Henrich would step in and helped out Yankees Manager Casey Stengel. After retiring as an active player, he became a Yankees MLB Coach. Also, he was an MLB Coach for the 1957 Giants and the 1958-1959 Tigers. Tommy Henrich died in 2009 at age 96, after suffering a series of strokes. At the time of his death, he was the 5th oldest living former MLB Player and the oldest living Yankee Player.
1935- Lou Gehrig signs a MLB player contract with the New York Yankees for $30,000, $7,000 less than he asked for, but still making him the highest-paid player on the team. The 32-yearold 1st baseman will hit .329 with 30 HRs, while driving in 119 runs for the 2nd-place Yankees.
1947- Former Yankees Reliever Tom Buskey (1973-1974) was born. (1947-1998)
In 1969, the Yankees had signed hurler Tom Buskey as an MLB Amateur Free agent. He had posted a 0-2 record with a 5.64 ERA and 2 saves in 12 games for the 1973-1974 Yankees before being traded to the Indians in the Chris Chambliss trade on April 26, 1974. Tom had died from injuries received in an auto accident in 1998.
1959- Former Yankees Pitcher Bill Gullickson (1987) was born.
On August 26,1987, veteran MLB Starter Bill Gullickson was traded by the Reds to the Yankees for P Dennis Rasmussen. He would record a 4-2 mark with a 4.88 ERA in 8 games for the 1987 Yankees before leaving for MLB Free Agency and signing to pitch for a pro team in Japan.
1963- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Phil Lombardi (1986-1987) was born. (1963-2021)
The Yankees in the 3rd round of the 1981 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected Catcher Phil Lombardi. He would hit .250 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in 25 games for the 1986-1987 Yankees. On December 11,1987, he was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League P Steve Frey and OF Darren Reed to the Mets for Shortstop Rafael Santana and Minor League Player Victor Garcia.
1972- Former Yankees OF/DH Shane Spencer (1998-2002) was born.
Shane Spencer was selected by the Yankees in the 28th round of the 1990 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He was a replacement player during spring training camp in 1995, crossing the picket line during the 1994 MLB strike. Like many of the young organization players, who were told to play or be released by their teams, Spence crossed the picket line to stay with the Yankees organization. In 1998, playing with the AAA Columbus Clippers; he would hit .322 with 18 HRs and 67 RBIs in 87 games. Spencer had a call-up in September of 1998 to remember, when he hit .373 with 10 HRs with 27 RBIs. In 2000, Shane was hitting .282 with 9 HRs and 40 RBIs in 73 games, as the Yankees regular LF, when he injured his leg in outfield at Shea Stadium. He would never regain his playing form after that 2000 season ending injury. After the 2002 season, Spencer was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. He finished his Yankees playing career with a .263 BA with 43 HRs and 167 RBIs in 345 games. Later, Spence would play for the Indians, Rangers and the Mets. He had played pro baseball in Japan for 2 seasons with the 2005-2006 Hanshin Tigers. He had hit .237 with 15 HRs and 50 RBIs for the Tigers, before being released. His final MLB player career totals were a .262 BA with 59 HRs and 242 RBIs. After his playing career ended, Spencer's would turn to coaching. He served as the Hitting Coach for the Lake Elsinore Storm, the Class A affiliate of thePadres from 2008 until 2012. In 2013, he was named the Hitting Coach for the independent Somerset Patriots (ATLL). From 2016-2019, he was the Manager for the Hexen Heroes in Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).
1975- Former Yankees Reserve OF Donzell McDonald (2001) was born.
OF Donzell McDonald was selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1995 MLB Amateur Player Draft. In 2001, he had appeared in 5 games for the Yankees as a Reserve Outfielder, while hitting .333. At the end of the season, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency. He would rejoin the Yankees organization in 2004, but he did not appear with the Yankees at MLB level, instead spending the 2004 season with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL)
1976-The Yankees had sold veteran C/DH Ed Herrmann to the Angels. On April 1,1975, Ed Herrmann was traded by the White Sox to the Yankees for 4 Minor League players: P Fred Anyzeski, OF/1BJohn Narron, OF Ken Bennett, C Terry Quinn and Cash. None of the 4 Yankees Minor League players appeared at the MLB level for the White Sox. Ed would appear in 80 games for the Yankees, while hitting .255 with 6 HRs and 30 RBI’s.
1984- Former Yankees Catcher Brian McCann (2014-2016) was born.
Catcher Brian McCann was selected by the Braves in the 2nd round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He was on the 2005 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. He was a 7-time NL All-Star team member (2006-2011 & 2013). In 2010, he was named the MLB All-Star Game MVP. McCann was a 5-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (2006 & 2008-2011). Brian had 7 20-HR Seasons with the Braves: (2006 & 2008-2013). Overall, for the Braves, Brian had appeared in 1,105 games, while hitting .256 with 176 HRs and 661 RBIs. On November 23, 2013, MLB Free Agent McCann agreed to a 5-year, $85 million player contract with the Yankees, with a vesting option for a 6th season. In 3 seasons in Yankees pinstripes, Brian had had appeared in 405 games, while hitting .277 with 69 HRs and 227 RBIs. OnNovember 17, 2016, McCann was traded by theYankees along with Cash to the Astros for 2 Minor League Pitchers: Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.
1985- Yankees Team Owner George Steinbrenner gives Yankees Manager Yogi Berra the dreaded vote of confidence. The Boss says that Yogi Berra will remain Yankee Skipper for the entire 1985 AL season, regardless of how badly the team might struggle. Yogi Berra will last only 16 games in 1985, before being fired by Steinbrenner. This will lead to a boycott of the New York Yankees organization by Yogi Berra that will last for 15 years.
1994- Current Yankees Pitcher Luis Severino (2015-2022) was born.
Before start of the 2012 AL season, Luis Severino was signed by the Yankees as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He began his pro career that season with the DSL Yankees 1, putting up a sparkling 1.68 ERA in 14 starts to earn a promotion to the US. After recording a 1.37 ERA in his 1st 6 games for the DSL Yankees 1 in 2013, he was moved up to the Class A Charleston RiverDogs (SAL), skipping short-season Class A ball. He went 1-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 4 games for Charleston. Luis was back with the team to start the 2014 season. In 14 starts, he was 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA to earn a promotion to the Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL) on June 20th. In the FSL, he was 1-1 with a 1.33 ERA in 4 starts, and moved up again a month later, joining the AA Trenton Thunder (EL). His rapid progression up the Yankees organizational ladder meant that he was almost 5 years younger than the league average at that point but it did not faze him as he went 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 6 starts. Combined between the 3 stops, his record was 6-5 with a 2.47 ERA in 24 starts, with 113 innings pitched, during which he allowed 93 hits and walked 27 while striking out an outstanding 127 batters. He pitched for the World Team in the 2014 Futures Game. Having now vaulted near the top of the Yankees' top prospects list and being considered the #35 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, he returned to AA Trenton to start the 2015 season. In 8 starts, he was 2-2 with 3.32 ERA ,he was promoted on May 31st, to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL). He was outstanding at that level, with a pitching record of 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 11 starts. The Yankees called him up to make his MLB Pitching debut on August 5th, facing their historic rivals the Red Sox. He gave up only 2 hits in 5 innings, walking none, while striking out 7 Red Sox batters, but the Sox managed to score twice, with 1 of the runs being unearned and the other coming off a HR by David Ortiz. Meanwhile, his opponent, knuckleballer Steven Wright, stymied the Yankees' bats and Luis was saddled with a 2-1 loss in spite of his nice effort. He won his 1st MLB game on August 22nd, when he defeated the Indians by the score of 6-2, pitching 6 innings and finally getting some run support by his Yankees teammates. He had a 2.04 ERA after 6 MLB starts, then ran into a buzz-saw by the Blue Jays on September 11th, as Ben Revere led off the game with a hit, followed by a Josh Donaldson HR and Justin Smoak added a 2-run HR shot later in the 5-run 1st inning. He was charged with the 11-5 loss. Luis would finish the 2015 AL season with a 5-3 record with a 2.89 ERA in 11 games for the Yankees. In 2016, he would split the season with Scranton, where he went 8-1 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 games and the Yankees posting a disappointing 3-8 record with a 5.83 ERA in 22 games. Severino showed his star potential in 2017, as he quietly took over the mantle of the Yankees' ace, consistent with a season in which the team was driven by a group of emerging young players. He was 5-4 with a 3.54 ERA in the 1st half, but Luis was still named to the All-Star team for the 1st time as an injury replacement, in large part because of his dominant 124 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings. He then switched to another gear after the break, giving up a total of just 5 runs in 32 2/3 innings over his 1st 5 starts, good for an ERA of 0.83, and winning 4 games. He finished the 2017 season with a 14-6 record with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 193 1/3 innings.
When it came time to pick a starting pitcher for the most important game of the season, the ALWC against the Twins at New Yankee Stadium on October 3rd, it was Severino was Manager Joe Girardi's pick. It was a very rough outing however. He came out with no command of his fastball or breaking pitches, quickly fell behind in the count to lead-off hitter Brian Dozier, and then was stunned when the 2nd baseman jumped on a 99-mph fastball up the middle and drove it to the top of the left field wall for a HR. After getting Joe Mauer to pop up, he allowed a walk to Jorge Polanco, prompting a visit from Pitching Coach Larry Rothschild and activity in the bullpen. The next batter, Eddie Rosario, hit another HR, to make it 3-0. He then allowed a single to Eduardo Escobar and a double to Max Kepler, and his night was over after just a third of an inning. But Chad Green made a great outing in relief, striking out the next 2 Twins batters to limit the damage, and then the Yankees' bats took over, with a 3-run HR by Didi Gregorius off of Starter Ervin Santana in the bottom of the 1st ensuring that he would not be involved in the decision. His short outing had taxed the bullpen, but the Yankees were able to win by the score of 8-4, and move on to the next round. He did a lot better in his next start, in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Indians on October 9th, as he pitched 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 9 batters to lead the Yankees to a 7-3 win. He made 2 other starts in the ALCS, losing 1 game, allowing 4 runs in 8 2/3 innings as the Yankees were eliminated by the eventual World Champions, the Astros.
In 2018, he was given the honor of being the Yankees' Opening Day Starter for the 1st time, being preferred over veteran Starter Masahiro Tanaka. On May 2nd, he recorded the 1st complete game and shutout of his MLB pitching career by pitching a 5-hitter. He did not chose the easiest opponent, either, as he was facing the defending World Series champions, the Astros. He was off to a great start, as the win improved his record to 5-1 with a 2.11 ERA after 7 starts. He ended up going 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 32 starts and 220 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings. He was named to the All-Star Game again and for the 2nd straight season, started the ALWC at home, this time facing the A’s on October 3rd. Things went better this time, as he gave up just no hits through the 1st 4 innings, although he did walk 4 batters and used a lot of pitches. After allowing his 1st 2 hits, back-to-back, in the top of the 5th, he gave way to Reliever Dellin Betances, who received credit for the Yankees' 7-2 win. He was back on the mound for Game 3 of the Division Series against the Red Sox on October 8th. This turned out to be one of the turning points of the entire 2018 AL postseason, as the Yankees had managed to take one of the 1st 2 games at Fenway Park, and with the Red Sox's bullpen appearing shaky, were confidant with the scene having switched to New Yankee Stadium. Severino got through the 1st inning fine, but in the 2nd, he allowed a run on a pair of singles and a stolen base, then compounded the problems in the 3rd with a couple more runs on 3 hits. The roof then completely caved in in the 4th inning, when he allowed the 1st 3 Red Sox batters to reach base, and then gave way to Lance Lynn. Lance allowed all 3 inherited baserunners to score as Boston went on to score 7 runs and never looked back after that. Luis was charged with the 16-1 loss, one of the worst in the Yankees' long MLB Postseason history. In spite of his struggle in the postseason, the Yankees were very much counting on Severino to be their ace for the foreseeable future. On February 15, 2019, they signed him to a 4-year extension for $40 million, with an option for a 5th season. He was also penciled in as their 2019 Opening Day starter for the 2nd straight season. However, before that could happen, he was slowed down by shoulder inflammation during spring training camp, making it highly unlikely he would be ready in time for opening day. Indeed, the Yankees announced a couple of weeks later that he would miss all of April. A 2nd MRI on April 8th after suffering a setback in rehab, giving a hint that his absence would be a protracted one. He finally made it back to the Bronx on September 17th, when he pitched 4 innings in an 8-0 win over the Angels. He would finish the 2019 AL season with a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA in 3 games. In the 2019 AL Postseason, he would beat the Twins, but he lost his 2nd start to the Astros. The Yankees were hoping for Severino to return to form in 2020, but got some bad news at the start of their MLB Spring Training Camp on February 20th, as he was affected by a right forearm strain, a problem that had apparently 1st surfaced after his ALCS start the previous October. He was shut down as a preventive measure and the Yankees were still hoping that he would be ready for Opening Day. However, on February 25th, the Yankees' worst fears were confirmed as it turned out that he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire 2020 AL season. In 2021, he would appear in just 4 games, posting a 1-0 record. In 2022, he would pitch in 19 games, while posting a 7-3 record with a 3.18 ERA.
1996- Current Yankees Pitcher Clarke Schmidt (2020-2022) was born.
Clarke Schmidt was the 1st-round selection of the Yankees in the 2017 MLB Amateur Player Draft with the 16th overall pick. He had pitched 3 seasons at the Univ. of So. Carolina, but his junior season in 2017 had been interrupted after 9 starts as he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which made his selection by the Yankees a bit of a surprise. He began his pro baseball career in 2018, but he was limited to 8 appearances and 23 1/3 innings as he was completing his recovery from the TJ surgery. He would pitch for 3 different teams, including both of the Yankees' affiliates in the Gulf Coast League. His real first taste of competition came in 2019, when he went a combined 6-5 with a 3.47 ERA in 19 games, while logging in 90 2/3 innings. Once again, he did not pitch a full season, as he missed sometime early in the year, and then Clarke made 3 starts for the GCL Yankees East in late June and early July before returning to the Class A Tampa Tarpons (FSL). In mid-August, he had received a promotion to the AA Trenton Thunder (EL) after having gone 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA for Class A Tampa. He had pitched his best ball for Trenton, by going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his 3 starts in the Eastern League. In 2020, he was invited to the 2020 Yankees MLB Spring Training Camp. In 2020, he was not able to pitch in the Minor Leagues, as they were shut down by the COVIDS-19 Pandemic; but his name was part of the Yankees' 60-player pool. Clarke would start the year at their Alternate Training Site in Scranton. He was called up by the Yankees to make his MLB Pitching debut on September 4th, pitching in relief against the Orioles. He would appear in 3 games for the 2020 Yankees, finishing with a 0-1 record with a 7.11 ERA. In 2021, he had posted a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in 4 games as a reliever. In 2022, he would post a 5-5 record with a 3.12 ERA and 2 saves in 29 games.
2006- Former Yankees and long-time MLB Broadcasting Announcer Curt Gowdy (1949-1950) passed away. (1913-2006)
After working the 1949-1950 AL seasons working with Mel Allen, Curt Gowdy would leave the Yankees in 1951 to announce games for the Red Sox until 1966. He had started his broadcasting career with the Yankees in 1949. Later, he would work as a Baseball Announcer for NBC-TV’s “Game of the Week” as well as their World Series and MLB All-Star Game coverage.
2012- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB OF Raul Ibanez, who had spent the last 3 seasons with the Phillies to be their left-handed DH for the upcoming 2012 AL season. During the 2012 AL season with Yankees outfield injuries, Raul will appear in 130 games for the Yankees, hitting .240 with 19 HRs with 62 RBIs. In 2012 AL Post season play, he hit .308 with 3 HRs and 5 RBIs. After the 2012 MLB Postseason had ended, the Yankees would grant Raul MLB Free Agency. He would be sign by the Mariners for the 2013 AL season.
Fenton Mole had played in the Yankees Minor League system from 1946-1947, then he played for the1948 AA Portland Beavers (PCL). Mole had played 10 games at 1st base in September of 1949 for the Yankees, hitting just .185 with No HRs and 2 RBIs. Fenton had played for the Yankees 1949 AA Newark Bears (IL) appearing in 107 games, while hitting .269 with 16 HRs and 53 RBIs. Fenton did not appear in the 1949 World Series win against the Dodgers. The 1949 AL season was Casey Stengel's 1st year as skipper of the Yankees, he used a variety of 1B with veteran OF Tommy Henrich appearing in 52 games there, more than any other player. However, Henrich was used more often in the outfield, appearing in 61 games there in 1949. Veteran NL 1B Johnny “Big Cat” Mize, who came to the Yankees in late August from the Giants that season, also he appeared in 6 games at 1B. Fenton was still on the MLB roster as of January 1951, but he never played for the Yankees, after 1949 AL season. He was playing in the Yankees Minor League system with the AAA Syracuse Chiefs (IL), AAA Kansas City Blues (AA) and the AAA San Francisco Seals (PCL). Fenton, who had over 100 Minor League HRs, may have attracted Casey Stengel's attention in 1948, when he was the top HR hitter for the AA Portland Beavers (PCL) while Stengel was managing the rival Oakland Oaks in the PCL. He would retire from pro baseball after the 1952 season had ended.
2018- The Yankees address their lack of experienced infielders by acquiring 2B/3B Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks, in return for 2 Minor League prospects; INF Nick Solak and P Taylor Widener. The D-Backs would immediately flip Solak and another Minor League pitching prospect, Anthony Banda to the Rays for OF Steven Souza, their 2nd move in 2 days to address their failure to re-sign OF J.D. Martinez. For Tampa, the shedding of experienced players continues, as Souza is the 3rd player to leave in a span of 4 days, after P Jake Odorizzi and OF/DH Corey Dickerson. Brandon Drury will have vision problems while playing for the Yankees limiting him to appear in only 18 games, while hitting just .176 with 1 HR and 7 RBIs. On July 26, 2018, Drury was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League OF Billy McKinney to the Blue Jays for MLB veteran Starter J.A. Happ.
2021- Former Yankees hurler and MLB Pitching Coach Stan Williams (1963-1964) passed away. (1936-2021)
Stan Williams was obtained by the Yankees from the Dodgers in winter of 1962 for veteran Yankees 1B Bill “Moose” Skowron. He had pitched for the Dodgers since 1958. He had appeared in the 1959 World Series against the White Sox in 1 game with no decision. In 1963, the Yankees won the AL pennant, Stan Williams went 9-8 with a 3.21 ERA. In the 1963 World Series, he pitched 3 innings in relief against his old team, the Dodgers, who swept the World Series from the Yankees in 4 games. In 1964, he appeared in 21 games with the Yankees, starting 10 games, he had a record of 1-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 21 games. Williams incurred an injury one day, when he threw a pitch and landed wrong off the mound. It hurt his ability to throw fast after that injury. Overall, Stan went 10-14 with a 3.43 ERA in 50 games for the Yankees. After the 1964 World Series, he was traded to the Indians, where he appeared in only 3 games in 1965, none in 1966 and just 16 in 1967 (with an ERA of 2.62). He spent much of 1965-1967 in the Minor Leagues with AAA teams in the PCL: Seattle, Spokane and Portland. In 1966 with the Spokane Indians, he had a 1.65 ERA, mostly as a Reliever (the team ERA was 3.53). Finally, in 1968, he became a regular pitcher in the MLB again. He went 13-11, a fact which masks that he started 24 games, but also Stan was a Reliever, who had finished 16 games; while saving 9. In 1969, Stan was more of the same, as he recorded a 6-14 record, starting 15 games, finishing 26 games and saving 12 games. In 1970 with the Twins, he became a full-time Reliever, going 10-1 with 15 saves as Twins won their AL Division. In 1971, he was a Reliever most of the season with the Twins getting 4 saves, before moving to the Cardinals for the end of the season. In 1972, he finished out his MLB pitching career in Boston with 3 appearances. He spent much of 1972 season in the Minor Leagues with AAA Louisville (AA) and Salt Lake City (PCL). His 2.73 ERA with Louisville was much lower than the team ERA of 3.48. Overall, Stan William had appeared in 482 MLB games, while posting a 109-04 record with a 3.48 ERA and 42 saves. After retiring Williams managed the AA Bristol Red Sox(EL) in 1974; then he coached with the Red Sox (1975-1976), White Sox (1977-1978), Yankees (1980-1982), Reds (1984), Yankees again in 1987-1988, then moving back to the Reds again (1990-1991) and finishing his coaching career the Mariners (1998-1999).
February 21st
1904- The Yankees would purchase veteran MLB Catcher Deacon McGuire from the Tigers. The 41-yearold Catcher had been playing in the MLB since 1884, starting with the Toledo Blue Stockings (AA). He would play for the 1904-1907 Yankees, while appearing in 225 games, hitting .230 with No HRs and 67 RBIs. On June 7,1907, Deacon was selected off waivers by the Boston Americans (aka Red Sox) from the Yankees. He will end his MLB playing career in 1912 with the Tigers.
1934- Former Yankees Pitcher Doc Adkins (1903) passed away. (1872-1934)
Doc Adkins had appeared in 2 games for the 1903 Yankees with no record. After pitching in the Minor Leagues with the AA Baltimore Orioles (IL), he would retire from baseball becoming a successful Doctor in Durham, NC. While playing in Baltimore, Adkins had attended the Johns Hopkins Univ. Medical School. He would receive his Doctor’s M.D. in 1907. Also Doc had coached the baseball team at Trinity College now (Duke Univ.) from 1908-1914, while playing with the AA Orioles. His Trinity College teams had posted a 108-67-4 record. After the 1913 baseball season, Doc Adkins had retired from the Orioles; settling in Durham, NC to practice medicine until his death in 1934.
1945- Former Yankees Reserve OF Tom Shopay (1967,1969) was born.
The Yankees in the 34th round of the 1965 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected OF Tom Shopay. He would appear in only 36 games for the Yankees, while hitting just .189. On December 1,1969, he was drafted by the Orioles from the Yankees organization in the 1969 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. Tom Shopay would play in the Orioles organization until 1977. He saw parts of 1971-1972, 1975-1977 seasons with the Orioles, while spending most of his time with their AAA team, the Rochester Red Wings (IL). His final MLB playing career totals was a .201 BA with 3 HRs and 20 RBIs.
1947- Former Yankees Pitcher Terry Ley (1971) was born.
Pitcher Terry Ley was selected by the Yankees in the 3rd round (Secondary Phase) of the 1967 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He had appeared in 6 games for the 1971 Yankees with no record. On December 2,1971, he was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League P Gary Jones to the Rangers for veteran MLB INF Bernie Allen.
1961- Former Yankees Catcher (1986-1988) and MLB Manager Joel Skinner was born.
On July 30,1986,Joel Skinner was traded by the White Sox along with OF/1B/DH Ron Kittle and INF Wayne Tolleson to the Yankees for a Player to be Named Later, C/1B/DH Ron Hassey and INF/OF Carlos Martinez. The Yankees would send Minor League C Bill Lindsey on December 24,1986 to the White Sox to complete the trade. He was a good defensive catcher, but he had a very weak bat. Joel would only hit .214 with 8 HRs and 54 RBIs in 206 games for the Yankees. On March 19,1989, Joel was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League OF Turner Ward to the Indians for veteran OF/DH Mel Hall. Joel was the son of former MLB player and Manager Bob Skinner. Later, Joel Skinner was an MLB Manager for the Indians.
1982- The Yankees had signed OF Roberto Kelly as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would play for the Yankees from 1987-1992 and again in 2000. On November 3,1992, Roberto Kelly was traded by the Yankees to the Reds for Minor League OF Joe DeBerry and MLB OF Paul O'Neill. He had refused to move from CF to RF to make way for Rookie OF Bernie Williams; the Yankees would trade him to the Reds.
1985- Former Yankees OF Oscar Azocar (1990) was born. (1985-2010)
On November 22,1983, OF Oscar Azocar was signed as a MLB Free Agent for the Yankees by MLB Scout Fred Ferreira. Originally, he was a Pitcher in the Minor Leagues from 1984 to 1986. He had posted a 14-5 record with a 2.31 ERA. He began playing the outfield in 1987, hitting .359 for the Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees (FSL) that season. In 1990, Azocar played 94 games for the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). He was called up to the Bronx. Oscar made his MLB player debut on July 17th, getting a Pinch-Hit single in his 1st MLB at-bat against the Royals. The following day, he hit a HR, doubled, and singled against the Royals. Overall, he had appeared in 65 games for the Yankees that summer and was used more than any other player in LF by the Yankees, who also played Mel Hall, Hensley Meulens, Claudell Washington, Deion Sanders, Dave Winfield and others at that position season. He would hit for a good average, but Oscar hardly drew any walks as a batter, which diminished his value as a player significantly; especially since he had little power. After the 1990 AL season, Oscar Azocar was traded by the Yankees to the Padres for Reserve OF Mike Humphreys. In June of 2010, he would pass away at the age of 45 from a fatal heart attack.
1988- Current Yankees Pitcher Tyler Lyons (2019-2021) was born.
On August 11, 2019, veteran NL Reliever Tyler Lyons was released by the Pirates. On August 15, 2019, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. In 2019, he went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA (8.2IP, 4ER) in 11 regular season relief appearances for the Yankees. He was a member of both the 2019 ALDS and ALCS rosters. Lyons, 32, made 1 appearance for the Yankees in 2020 (1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 HP) in his only stint with the club (9/22-25). The left-hander spent most of the 2020 season at the Yankees’ Alternate Site and was a member of the Yankees Postseason Player Pool. Over 8 MLB seasons with the Cardinals (2013-2018), Pirates (2019) and the Yankees (2019-2020), he owns a 13-12 MLB pitching record with a 4.30 ERA (282.2IP,135ER) and with 3 saves in 162 games (20 starts). Lyons was originally selected by the Cardinals in the 9th round of the 2010 1st-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma St. Univ. After the 2020 MLB season had ended, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. On January 6, 2021, he wassigned as an MLB Free Agent by the team. He was in the 2021 Yankees MLB Spring Training Camp trying to make the Yankees bullpen as a lefty relief specialist, when he suffered arm injuries that cause him to miss the 2021-2022 seasons.
1991- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB Reliever Steve Howe as an MLB Free Agent. Howe would go 3-1 with a 1.68 ERA and 3 saves in 37 games for the 1991 Yankees. Overall, Steve would pitch for the Yankees until his release by the team in June of 1996. He had posted an overall pitching record of 18-10 with a 3.57 ERA and 31 saves in 229 games.
2005- The Yankees had signed OF Mike Vento as an MLB Free Agent. He would spend the 2005 season with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). The Yankees in the 40th round of the 1997 MLB Amateur Player Draft had originally selected Mike Vento. He will appear in only 2 games with no hits with the 2005 Yankees. The team would grant him MLB Free Agency. He would be signed by the Nationals for the 2006 NL season.
2006- Former Yankees Pitcher Mark Freeman (1959) passed away. (1930-2006)
In 1952, the Yankees had signed P Mark Freeman as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He began his pro career in 1952, pitching for the Class AA Binghamton Triplets (EL), going 7-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 17 games (14 starts). In 1953, he was with the Triplets again; he would post a 6-7 mark with a 2.94 ERA in 28 games (10 starts). In 1954, he would pitch for the Birmingham Barons, going 5-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). He did not play pro baseball in 1955. From 1956-1958, Mark would pitch for the AAA Denver Bears (AA), going 10-14 with a 4.87 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) in 1956. In 1957, he would post a 12-6 record with a 3.46 ERA in 24 starts. Then in 1958, he posted a 13-10 record with a 4.77 ERA in 33 games (32 starts). On April 8,1959, he was traded by the Yankees to the A’s for P Jack Urban. He made his MLB Pitching debut with the A’s on April 18th against the Indians, pitching 3 innings of relief, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs. Also, in 1959, Freeman would spend 26 games (23 starts) with the AAA Seattle Rainiers (PCL), posting a 13-9 record with a 3.42 ERA. On May 8,1960, Mark would be sent back to the Yankees by the A’s. Mark would make 1 appearance for the 1960 Yankees, pitching 7 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. In total, he had made 4 MLB appearances while posting a 5.06 ERA. On May 19,1960, Mark was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs for P Art Ceccarelli. With the 1960 Cubs, he would make 30 appearances, with 22 of them coming in relief. He had posted a 3-3 record with a 5.63 ERA. Earlier that 1960 season, Mark had made 5 appearances for the Yankees AAA team, the Richmond Virginians (IL) as well. He had posted a 2-1 record with a 3.00 ERA for Richmond. In 8 Minor League seasons, Mark went 68-57 with a 3.95 ERA in 176 games (148 starts).
2010- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB Korean Pitcher Chan Ho Park to a 1-year contract. Park had pitched against the Yankees for the Phillies in 2009 World Series. He would post a 2-1 record with a 5.60 ERA in 27 games for the Yankees before being put on waivers by the team. He would finish the 2010 MLB season with the Pirates, while posting a 2-2 record.
This Week in Yankees History February 19th-25th Part Two
February 22nd
1895- Former Yankees Pitcher Edward “Peck” Monroe (1917-1918) was born. (1895-1969)
On September 15,1916, P Ed “Peck” Monroe was drafted by the Yankees from Class A Memphis Chickasaws (SA) in the 1916 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. For the 1917-1918 Yankees, Ed had posted a 1-0 record with a 3.52 ERA in 10 games. He had 1 complete game along with 1 save in his short Yankees pitching career. In 1919, Ed would return to the Minor Leagues, pitching for the AA St. Paul Saints (AA.)
1919- Former Yankees Reserve 2B John Lucadello (1947) was born. (1919-2001)
On March 1,1947,INFJohn Lucadello was selected off waivers by the Yankees from the St. Louis Browns organization. He had been with the Browns since 1938, playing until 1941, when he spent the next 4 years in the Navy. In 1946, he would return to the Browns, playing in 87 games, while hitting .248 with 1 HR and 15 RBIs. John would only appear in 12 games with the 1947 Yankees, while hitting just .083. He would finish out the 1947 season playing for the Yankees AA team, the Kansas City Blues (AA). Johnny would spend the next 4 seasons (1948-1951) all in AA ball, with his best numbers coming in 1948, when he hit .275 with 12 HRs for the AA Newark Bears (IL.) In 6 MLB seasons, John had played in 239 games, while hitting .264 with 5 HRs and 60 RBIs. After the 1954 season had ended, John would retire from pro baseball.
1920- Former Yankees Pitcher Karl Drews (1946-1948) was born. (1920-1963)
Before the start of the 1939 AL season, the Yankees had signed Karl Drews as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. Karl would spend 1939 baseball season with the Class D Butler Yankees. The 19-yearold right-hander would appear in 31 games, while posting a 16-5 record along with a 3.66 ERA. Karl would spend time in the Yankees Minor League system until 1946, before getting a look at in the Bronx; after a posting 19-9 record for the 1945 AA Newark Bears (IL) with a 2.70 ERA. For the 1946 season, Drew posted a 14-9 record with the AA Kansas City Blues (AA). In 1946, the Yankees would have him up for a late season look, where he got into only 3 games. Karl was back with the Yankees in 1947, posting a 6-6 record with a 4.91 ERA and 1 save in 30 games. Karl made a couple of relief appearances against the Dodgers in the 1947 World Series. He would go 2-3 with a 3.79 ERA and 1 save in 19 games for the 1948 Yankees. His final Yankees Pitching career record was an 8-10 record with a 4.76 ERA and 3 saves in 52 games. On August 9,1948, he was purchased by the St. Louis Browns. He would post a 7-14 record for the Browns during the rest of the 1948-1949 AL seasons. In 1950, Karl would find himself back in the Minors with the AAA Baltimore Orioles (IL). Drews would post a 6-2 mark for the 1950 Orioles. In 1951, he would improve to 17 wins for the Orioles. He would find himself back in the MLB after being traded by the Orioles to the Phillies in 1951. Acquired by the Phillies late that season, he handed the Dodgers a critical loss in the final week in their battle with the Giants for 1st place in NL. In 1952, he then had his best MLB season with 14 wins, including 5 shutouts, while posting an excellent 2.72 ERA. In 1954, Karl would finish his MLB Pitching career with the Reds, with a 44-53 record with a 4.76 ERA and 7 saves in 218 games. Drews would spend the rest of his pro baseball career in the Minor Leagues, finishing up in 1960 at age 40 with the AAA Mexico City Diablos Rojos (MXL). Karl would spend 21 active seasons in pro baseball from 1939-1960. Statistics show that he appeared in 423 games, posting a 146-112 record, pitching 2,204 innings, giving up 2,100 base hits along with 1,050 walks for a career 4.25 ERA. In 1947, Karl's son, Ron had been born on the day that he had pitched in his 1st World Series game for the Yankees. Karl put away his Yankees cap from that game for him. In 1994, Ron Drews gave the Yankees cap to his son; Karl's Grandson Matt, on the day Matt Drews was selected as the Yankees # 1 selection in the 1993 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He never pitched for the Yankees at the MLB level. During the 1996 AL season, he was traded by the Yankees to the Tigers for veteran 1B/DH Cecil Fielder. After his pro baseball career was over, Karl became the Director for the Hollywood, Fla. Recreation Department. He was tragically killed on August 15,1963, at age 43, when he was hit by an intoxicated driver, after his car had stalled on a highway in Dania, Fl.
1929- Former Yankees Closer Ryne Duren (1958-1961) was born. (1929-2011)
Before the start of the 1949 AL season, Ryne Duren was signed as an MLB Amateur Free Agent by the St. Louis Browns. He would appear in the MLB with the 1954 Baltimore Orioles, pitching in 1 game. On September 21,1956, Ryne was sent by the Orioles to the Athletics to complete an earlier deal made on September 17,1956. The Orioles had sent a Player to be Named Later and OF Jim Pisoni to Kansas City for Players to be Named Later. Ryne Duren was frightening to bat against because he only intermittently had control of his prodigious fastball. Thick "Coke bottle" glasses, a reputation for heavy drinking and a tendency to throw warm-up pitches against the backstop only heightened batters' unease. Yankees veteran OF Hank Bauer told the Yankees GM George Weiss to “trade for him or ban him from the AL.” On June 15,1957, Ryne Duren was traded by the A’s along with Outfielders Jim Pisoni and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson to the Yankees for OF/INF Woodie Held, INF Billy Martin, OF Bob Martyn and P Ralph Terry. He would spend the rest of the 1957 season pitching for the Yankees AAA team, the Denver Bears (AA) as a Starter, while posting a 13-2 record with a 3.16 ERA in 18 games. In 1958, Ryne was with the Yankees, he would lead the AL in saves with 20, while posting a 6-4 record for the team. Ryne appeared in 2 games in the 1958 World Series against the Braves, going 1-1 with 1 save along with 14 K’s, while posting a 1.93 ERA. He made the AL All-Star teams in 1958-1959. In 1959, despite a losing record of 3-6 with 14 saves, Ryne had an ERA of 1.88. Duren was a showman in those days the Yankees bullpen was a part of the short-porch RF and only a low chain link fence served as the boundary. When called upon by Yankees Manager Casey Stengel to relieve, he wouldn’t use the gate, but would rather hop that fence with one hand and begin a slow walk to the mound with his blue Yankees warm-up jacket covering his pitching arm, even on the hottest days. When he finally took the ball from Yankees Manager Casey Stengel and began his warm-ups, the 1st pitch was always blazing fastball 20 feet over the catcher’s head. The 2nd warm-up pitch was a bit lower (but not slower) until on his 5th warm-up Ryne would finally find the plate. By the start of the 1961 AL season, his best days as a Yankees Closer were over, veteran MLB Reliever Luis Arroyo had replaced him in the bullpen as their Closer. Also, with Manager Casey Stengel was gone, Duren and Yankees new Manager Ralph Houk were not on the best of terms. On May 8,1961, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Johnny James and Rookie OF Lee Thomas to the Angels for 2 veteran MLB players; Reliever Tex Clevenger and OF Bob Cerv. He would make the 1961 AL All-Star team (Game #1) for the Angels. Ryne would pitch for the Angels, Phillies, Reds and the Senators before retiring as an active player in 1965. Following his MLB playing career, Ryne Duren would spend many years involved in Alcoholics Anonymous and the recovery movement. He would later write a book on his fight with Alcoholism during his 10-year MLB pitching career, titled “The Comeback.” This was one of the reasons that Ryne Duren had stayed away from Yankees Old Timer’s Day events until the 1980’s. In 1983, Ryne Duren was presented with the Yankees Family Award for his conquering Alcoholism and for his service as an Alcohol Abuse Educator. In 2003, Ryne Duren and Author Tom Sabellico wrote the book, "I Can See Clearly Now". Duren talks from the heart about life, baseball and alcohol. The foreword was written by former MLB Pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant
1936- Former Yankees Minor League OF Ray Mantle was born. (1936-2013)
The younger brother of Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, Outfielder Ray Mantle played 2 seasons of Minor League ball in the Yankees organization. In 1955, Ray hit .220 in 85 games with Class C Monroe Sports (EL). In addition to Mickey, Ray had a twin brother Roy Mantle, who was his teammate during his Yankees Minor League playing career. After the 1955 season, Ray was drafted into the US Army, he never returned to play pro baseball.
1936- Former Yankees Minor League OF Roy Mantle was born (1936-2001)
The younger brother of Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, Outfielder Roy Mantle played 3 seasons of Minor League baseball in the Yankees organization. He played for the 1955 Class C, Monroe Sports (EL), he hit .272 with 6 HRs; he was named a Cotton States League All-Star. He would be promoted to Class B Quincy Gems (3-IL) to finish the 1956 season. In addition to Mickey, Roy had a twin brother Ray Mantle, who was his teammate during his Yankees Minor League playing career. Roy’s pro baseball career ended with a serious leg injury. Some MLB Baseball Scouts thought that Roy had more talent than his older brother Mickey.
1938- Former Yankees Pitcher Steve Barber (1967-1968) was born. (1938-2007)
On July 4,1967, veteran AL Starter Steve Barber was traded by the Orioles to the Yankees for Players to be Named Later, 1B Ray “Buddy” Barker and Cash. The Yankees would send Minor League Players INF Chet Trail and OF Joe Brady to the Orioles in December of 1967 to complete the trade. Steve post a 12-14 record with a 3.58 ERA in 37 games for the Yankees before being selected by the Seattle Pilots in the 1968 AL Expansion Team Player Draft. Steve was still battling pitching arm problems, when he came to the Yankees, never recovering the form that made him a great young starter for the Orioles during the early 1960’s.
1956- Former Yankees Reserve OF and Minor League Coach Joe Lefebvre (1980) was born.
In the 3rd round of the 1977 MLB Amateur Player Draft, the Yankees had selected OF Joe Lefebvre. He had big seasons in the Minor Leagues in 1978 and 1979 for the AA West Haven Yankees (EL). In 1978, he had hit .266 for the 2nd-best slugging percentage in the Eastern League. Also, he was tied for 2nd in HRs (19), tied for the lead in triples (11), was 3rd in walks (76) and scored a league-best 102 runs. In 1979, Lefebvre would hit .292 in his 2nd straight year full-time at AA. One year after leading the league in runs, he tied for the lead in RBIs with 107. Joe was tied for 2nd in triples (10) and among the top 5 in walks (79) and HRs (21). He made the EL All-Star team, after being overlooked in 1978. At the MLB level with the Yankees, Joe had batted .227 in 74 games as a Reserve Outfielder. On March 31,1981, Joe was traded by the Yankees along with OF Ruppert Jones, Pitchers Tim Lollar and Chris Welsh to the Padres for MLB OF Jerry Mumphrey and P John Pacella. Also, Joe would play for the Phillies, but he had limited playing time before a serious knee injury ended his MLB active playing career. In 1987, Lefebvre had started coaching with the AA Reading Phillies (EL) and then he would move up to the AAA Maine Phillies (IL) in 1988. He was a Coach for the 1989 AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons. Moving over to the Yankees Minor League organization, he was a Coach for the 1990 and 1993 AA Albany-Colonie Yankees(EL). He was a roving Minor League Hitting Instructor in 1991-1992 and in 1994-1995. In 1996, he was the Hitting Coach for the Giants AAA team, the Phoenix Firebirds (PCL). From 1997-2001, Joe Lefebvre was the Giants' Coordinator of Minor League hitting. From 2002-2007, he was an MLB Coach for the Giants. In 2008, Lefebvre becomes "Senior Advisor, Player Personnel" for former HS teammate Brian Sabean. In 2011, he was named Senior Advisor, Scouting for the Giants.
1963- Former MLB player, MLB Coach, MLB Scout and MLB Manager Don Wakamatsu was born.
Don Wakamatsu was an MLB Scout for the 2013 Yankees. In 2014, he has returned to MLB Coaching with the Royals. He had previously managed the 2009-2010 Mariners. He has previously coached for the Rangers, the A’s and the Blue Jays organizations.
1973- Former Yankees Reserve INF Russ Johnson (2005) was born.
As a Reserve INF Russ Johnson would appear in 22 games for the 2005 Yankees, hitting .222 with 0 HRs and 0 RBIs. He spent most of the 2005 season playing for the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL).
1982- The Yankees had purchased 3B Barry Evans from the Padres. Evans had hit .251 with 2 HRs and 39 RBIs in 207 games for the Padres. The Yankees would assign him to AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). He would hit .276 with 39 RBIs in 69 games at AAA, earning brief call to the Bronx, where he hit .258 with 0 HRs and 0 RBIs in 17 games. He was sent back to Columbus in 1983, he was drafted by the Twins organization in the Minor league Player Draft. He never appeared in the MLB again.
1982- Former Yankees INF Kelly Johnson (2014) was born.
On December 6, 2013, INF Kelly Johnson was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. Kelly was taking over at 3B position for the suspended All-Star 3B Alex Rodriguez, but his lack of hitting motivated the Yankees to acquire Padres veteran 3B Chase Headley in July. He had appeared in 77 games for the team, hitting just .219 with 6 HRs and 22 RBIs. On July 31, 2014, he was traded by the Yankees to the Red Sox for MLB INF Stephen Drew and Cash. He would finish the 2014 AL season with the Orioles.
1996- Former Yankees Reserve INF Thairo Estrada (2019-2021) was born.
In August 2012, INF Thairo Estrada signed with the Yankees as an International Free Agent. He made his pro player debut in 2013 with the Gulf Coast Yankees and spent the whole season there, batting .278 with 2 HRs and 17 RBIs in 50 games. He had played with 2014 Gulf Coast Yankees and short season Class A Staten Island Yankees, where he compiled a combined .272 batting average in 23 games, 2015 with Staten Island where he slashed .267 with 2 HRs and 23 RBIs in 63 games. In 2016, he would play for 2 Class teams; the Charleston RiverDogs (SAL) and the Tampa Yankees (FSL), where he hit .290 with 8 HRs, 49 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 118 total games between the 2 teams. Estrada would spend the 2017 season with the AA Trenton Thunder (EL). He was named an Eastern League All-Star. He would finish the season with a .301 BA, while hitting 6 HRs and 48 RBIs in 122 games. After the 2017 AL season had ended, the Yankees would add him to their 40-man MLB Roster. In January 2018, Estrada was shot in the hip in a robbery attempt. He would miss playing time in 2018 due to the shooting incident, also he had leg injury that occurred during the 2018 Minor League season. He hit only .192 in 18 games that he had played in. In 2019, he would split playing time between AAA Scranton and the Yankees. At AAA Scranton, Thairo would play in 60 games, while hitting .266 with 8 HRs and 32 RBIs. With the 2019 Yankees, he had appeared in 35 games, while hitting .250 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs. In 2020, he would appear in 26 games for the team, while hitting only .167 with 1 HRs and 3 RBIs. On April 11, 2021, the Yankees would sell him to the Giants.
2000- A Florida Department of Corrections report says Yankees OF/DH Darryl Strawberry tested positive for Cocaine on January 19th.
2005- Long-time San Diego Padres Broadcaster Jerry Coleman is selected as the recipient of this year's Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Award. The 80-yearold play-by-play man, who was the MVP of the 1950 World Series for the Yankees, he has spent 41 years in the broadcasting booth working for the Yankees (1958-1967), Angels and the Padres. He had served as a Marine Fighter Pilot during World War II and the Korean War.
2012- David Aardsma, the former Mariners Closer, who had missed all of 2011 AAL season because of a hip problem and Tommy John surgery, signs a 1-year deal with the Yankees. In 2012, Dave would appear in only 1 game with the 2012 Yankees with no record. During the 2013 MLB Spring Training Camp, the Yankees would release him.
February 23rd
1903 - Former Yankees OF Roy Johnson (1936-1937) was born. (1903-1973)
On January 17,1936, OF Roy Johnson was traded by the Senators along with P Bump Hadley to the Yankees for P Jimmie DeShong and OF Jesse Hill. Roy had appeared in 75 games for the 1936-1937 Yankees, while hitting .278 with 1 HR and 25 RBIs before being picked up on waivers by Boston Bees (aka the Braves).
1914- Former MLB Catcher and Yankees MLB Scout Mike Tresh was born. (1914-1966)
The Father of former Yankees-Tigers player Tom Tresh, Catcher Mike Tresh played 12 seasons in the MLB; almost all with the White Sox. On December 2,1937, Mike Tresh was traded by the Tigers along with Marv Owen and Gee Walker to the White Sox for Vern Kennedy, Tony Piet and Dixie Walker. He had played for Chicago from 1938-1948, finishing out his MLB playing career with the 1949 Indians. Mike had only 2 MLB HRs in over 1,000 games; unlike his son Tom who was a pretty good HR hitter. Mike was a good enough catcher that he never played any other position, while playing in the MLB. In 1945, he was named to the 1945 AL All-Star team. After his MLB playing days, he scouted for the Yankees and worked for Ford Motor Co. He had died on October 4, 1966, 2 days after the end of the 1966 AL season in which his son Tom with the Yankees had achieved his MLB career-best HR total of 27. His Grandson, Mickey Tresh, had played in the Minor Leagues from 1987-1990 with the Yankees and the Tigers organizations.
1916- Former Yankees Reserve OF Ed “Truck” Kearse (1942) was born. (1916-1968)
In 1942, Ed Kearse would appear in only 11 games as a Reserve Outfielder for the Yankees, while batting only .192. During WWII, Kearse had fought and was wounded in combat action in France. After receiving the Purple Heart Award, he would complete his 12-season Minor League career. During his last 2 seasons playing in the Minor Leagues, he was a Player-Manager: 1948 Ventura Yankees; 1949 Grand Forks Chiefs (1st part of the season) and the 1949 Paducah Chiefs (2nd part of the season).
1929- Former Yankees MVP All-Star C/OF/1B (1955-1967) and MLB Coach Elston Howard (1968-1980) was born. (1929-1980)
Elston Howard had played in the Outfield for the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro Leagues) for 3 seasons. He was switched to Catcher in 3 seasons in the Yankee Minor League system. In 1951-1952, Elston would serve in the Army. In 1953, Ellie had played for the AAA Kansas City Blues (AA) mostly as an Outfielder. In 1954, Howard had won the International League MVP Award, while playing for the AAA Toronto Maple Leafs as a Catcher and Outfielder. He would play for 14 MLB seasons for the Yankees (12) and the Red Sox (2). In 1955, he became the 1st Black MLB player for the Yankees. He would hit a HR in his 1st World Series at bat in 1955 against the Dodgers. Because of Yogi Berra, one of the greatest catchers in MLB history, Howard would play primarily in the outfield for the Yankees from 1955-1957 and more at 1B than at Catcher in 1959, due to Bill Skowron’s broken arm injury. In 1959 and from 1960 onwards, he was mostly at Catcher, as Berra moved to the Outfield to accommodate him. Howard had tied the following World Series records: most hits, inning, 1960, (2); most long hits, 5 game series, 1961 (4); most passed balls, game, 1964 (2). He would establish AL Catcher's records for PO (939) and TCA (1006) in 1964. In 1958, Howard had won the Babe Ruth Award. Ellie was an AL All-Star team member 9 times during his 14 MLB season playing career. In 1961, Elston attracted quite a bit of attention, when he hit .348, something that was unusual for a Catcher. He had previously hit .314 in 1958, he would go on to hit .313 in 1964, In 1963, he won the AL MVP Award, while hitting .287 with 28 HRs and 85 RBIs. In 1963-1964, Howard had won the AL Golden Glove Award for Catchers. On August 3,1967, Ellie was traded by the Yankees to the Red Sox for 2 Pitchers: Ron Klimkowski and Pete Magrini. Ellie would help the Boston pitching staff capture the 1967 AL pennant. That season, he would appear in his last World Series against the Cardinals. Howard would stay with the Red Sox for 1 more AL season. Upon his retirement as an active MLB player in September of 1968, he became the 1st Black Yankees MLB Coach. He had held this position until his premature death from heart failure in 1980 at age 51.
1954- The Cardinals had purchased veteran All-Star Starter Vic “The Springfield Rifle” Raschi from the Yankees for $85,000 Cash. Yankees GM George Weiss did this deal to show other Yankee veteran players what would happen to them, if they were going to stage an MLB player contract holdout with the team. His top salary as a Starter for the Yankees was $40,000. Raschi did a contract holdout before the start of the 1953 AL season. He would leave the Yankees (1945-1953) with a pitching career mark of 120-53 along with a .706 WP, with a 3.47 ERA, 99 complete games and 24 shutouts in 218 games. Vic had won 20 games 3 times in his pinstripe pitching career. In the World Series play, Vic had posted a 5-3 record, a .625 WP with a 2.24 ERA, 3 complete games and 1 shutout in 11 games for the Yankees.
He would never be an effective starting pitcher in the MLB, after the Yankees trade to the Cardinals. He would split the 1954-1955 MLB seasons between the Cardinals and finishing his MLB pitching career with the 1955 Kansas City A’s.
In 1930, the Yankees used former 1926 NL Batting Champ Bubbles Hargrave as a backup Catcher for Starting Catcher Bill Dickey. Bubbles would hit .278 with 0 HRs and 12 RBIs in 45 games on a Yankees team, whose BA was .309. His Brother Pinky Hargrave, also had played in the MLB. In 1931, Bubbles returned to Minor Leagues, later he would become a Minor League Manager.
1972- Former Yankees OF/DH Rondell White (2002) was born.
The Yankees had signed OF Rondell White as an MLB Free Agent. He was injured most of the 2002 AL season with the Yankees. He only hit .240 with 14 HRs and 62 RBIs in 126 games. On March 19, 2003, Rondell White was traded by the Yankees to the Padres for OF Bubba Trammell, Minor League Player Mark Phillips and Cash.
February 24th
1875- Former Yankees Catcher/1B Henry “Monte” Beville (1903-1904) was born. (1875-1955)
Catcher/1B Henry Beville had appeared in 91 games for the Yankees, hitting just .200 with No HRs and 31 RBIs. On July 27,1904, he was loaned to the Tigers by the Yankees. Players were often loaned to a team to replace an injured-player, the team would normally receive money in the transaction; the Yankees asking for nothing for Beville. He never was returned to the team. Monte had batted just .207 in 54 games for 1904 Tigers, ending his MLB playing career.
1877- Former Yankees Reserve INF James “Champ” Osteen (1904) was born. (1877-1962)
In January of 1904, the Yankees had purchased INF James Osteen from the Senators. He would appear in only 28 games as a Reserve INF for the Yankees; just hitting .196 with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs. He would return to the Minor Leagues in 1905, playing there except brief MLB appearances with the 1908-1909 Cardinals. He would continue to play in the Minor Leagues until 1914.
1907- Former Yankees Reserve OF/1B Robert “Suitcase Bob” Seeds (1936) was born. (1907-1993)
On August 22,1936, OF/1B Bob Seeds was traded by the AA Montreal Royals (IL) to the Yankees for Players to be Named Later. The Yankees would send 2 Minor League players: Pitcher Marv Duke and Catcher Norm Kies on November 30,1936 to the Royals to complete the trade. Both players had been playing in the Yankees Minor League system since 1932. Bob only appeared in 13 games for the 1936 Yankees, while hitting .262 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs. In the 1936 World Series, Bob would appear in 1 game for the Yankees with no hits. In 1937, Bob had played for the AA Newark Bears (IL), while hitting .305 with 20 HRs in 151 games. Back with the Bears in 1938, he would hit 7 HRs and had 17 RBIs with 30 total bases in 2 days, on May 6-7th. He was hitting .335 with 28 HRs in 59 games for the AA Bears. On June 24,1938, Bob Seeds was purchased by the Giants from the Yankees. He would finish the 1938 MLB season with the Giants, while appearing in 81 games, hitting .291 with 9 HRs and 52 RBIs. After his MLB playing days, Bob had owned and managed the Class C Amarillo Gold Sox (TXL-NMXL.)
1922- The Yankees had sold P Alex Ferguson to the Red Sox. Alex had gone 3-1 with a 5.91 ERA and 1 save in 17 games for the 1921 AL season, but the 1922 Yankees had added 2 veteran AL hurlers: Joe Bush and Sad Sam Jones from the Red Sox in a trades to build up their MLB Pitching staff. In May of 1925, Alex would briefly rejoin the Yankees, posting a 4-2 record with a 7.99 ERA and 1 save in 21 games before being sold to the Senators in August. He would go 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 7 games for the Nats. He would pitch in the 1925 World Series for the Senators, going 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in 2 games against the Pirates.
1948- The White Sox had traded Starter Ed Lopat to the Yankees for AL All-Star Catcher Aaron Robinson, Pitchers Bill Wight and Fred Bradley. Ed had posted a 50-49 record with a 3.18 ERA and 1 save in 113 games for Chicago in 4 seasons. In 1947, Lopat had gone 16-13 with a 2.81 ERA and 22 complete games. He had posted a 13-2 record against the Indians and 6-6 against the Yankees. Eddie Lopat will star for 7 seasons in Yankees pinstripes, winning 21 games in 1951, going to a 16-4 mark in 1953. Aaron Robinson had been an AL All-Star Catcher in 1946, while hitting .296 with 16 HRs in 100 games. In 1947, he fell to .270 mark with 5 HRs in 74 games, as Yankees Rookie Catcher Yogi Berra was becoming the Yankees starting catcher. Aaron would play for the White Sox for 1 season, hitting .252 with 8 HRs and 39 RBIs in 98 games before being traded to the Tigers for Rookie lefty hurler Billy Pierce. Fred Bradley had gone 13-4 with the Yankees AA club, the Kansas City Blues (AA). He would pitch for the 1948-1949 White Sox, while appearing in 9 games with no decisions posting a 5.90 ERA, which would end his MLB Pitching career. Rookie Yankees hurler Bill Wight had posted a 2-2 record with a 4.46 ERA in 14 games for the 1946 Bronx Bombers. In 1947, he spent the season with the AA Kansas City Blues (AA), while posting a 16-9 record with a 2.85 ERA in 29 games. He appeared in only 1 game with the 1947 Yankees, pitching a complete game victory. The 1948 White Sox would use him as a Starter, he would go 9-20 with a 4.80 ERA in 34 games. Later, he would have a 10 win and 15-win seasons for Chicago. He would pitch in the MLB until 1958; finishing with an MLB Pitching career record of 77-99 along with a 3.95 ERA and 8 saves in 347 games.
1974- Former Yankees Reserve INF Mike Lowell (1998) was born.
The Yankees in the 20th round of the 1995 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected INF Mike Lowell. He would appear in 8 games for the 1998 Yankees, while batting .267. With Scott Borias starting at 3B, who just had received a 3-year new player contract for his excellent 1998 AL season; Mike became a tradeable INF prospect for the Yankees. On February 1, 1999, Mike Lowell was traded by the Yankees to the Marlins for 3 young Pitchers: Mark J. Johnson, Ed Yarnall and Todd Noel. He would go on to be the starting 3B for the Marlins. Then he would finish his MLB playing career with the Red Sox. In October of 2010, Mike Lowell had retired from MLB.
1976- Former Yankees Pitcher Randy Keisler (2000-2001) was born.
The Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1998 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected Pitcher Randy Keisler. Randy had posted a 2-2 record with a 7.19 ERA in 14 games before being released by the Yankees. He had criticized the Yankees front office in the NYC Sports Media about their handling of young pitchers.
1976- The Yankees had signed former NL Batting Champion OF/DH Tommy Davis as an MLB Free Agent. He was expected to share the 1976 Yankees DH duties with Ron Bloomberg. Tommy Davis despite having a good MLB Spring Training Camp with the Bombers, the team at the end of their spring camp would release him. Yankees Manager Billy Martin had decided to keep more Pitchers on the MLB 25-man roster than position players. He will catch on with the Angels for the 1976 AL season.
1978- Former Yankees Reserve OF Dewayne Wise (2012) was born.
On January 4, 2012, OF Dewayne Wise was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. On July 31,2012, Wise was released by the Yankees. He had appeared in 56 games, while hitting .262 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs. With the Yankees, Wise made another highlight reel catch, tumbling into the LF stands at New Yankee Stadium to catch a pop-up off the bat of the Indians' Jack Hannahan on June 26th. He was helped out of the stands and immediately ran to the dugout, as if he had just made the inning's 3rd out, fooling Umpire Mike DiMuro. Replays showed, however, that he had dropped the ball, and that he had in fact not even recovered it, simply pumping his fist into his empty glove as if he had made the catch and then high-5 teammate Shortstop Derek Jeter; DiMuro never asked to be shown the ball, as is proper protocol, and the Yankees got away with a phantom out. Wise was used twice as a Pitcher in 2012 AL season by the Yankees against the White Sox on June 29th, when he pitched two-thirds of an inning in a 14-7 loss, his other mound appearance was with the White Sox appearing against the Twins.
1982- Yankees Reserve Catcher Gustavo Molina (2011) was born
On December 15, 2010, Catcher Gustavo Molina was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Yankees. He appeared in only 3 games with the 2011 Yankees, while hitting just .167. He would spend most of the 2011 season playing at AAA Scranton (IL). On October 3, 2011, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. On December 13, 2011, he was resigned as an MLB Free Agent by the team. He would spend the 2012 season with AAA Scranton. After the 2012 AL season, the team would grant him MLB Free Agency.
1988- Former Yankees Reserve 1B/OF Chris Parnelee (2016) was born.
On June 6, 2006, 1B/OF Chris Parnelee was selected by the Twins in the 1st Round (20th Pick) of the 2006 MLB Amateur Player Draft. On December 29, 2014, the Twins granted him MLB Free Agency. He would sign with the Orioles organization for the 2015 AL season. In 2016, he was signed by the Yankees organization. He was assigned to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL). He was hitting .252 with 7 HRs and 21 RBIs in 43 games, when the Yankees suffered a rash of injuries to their 1B, prompting a call-up to the Bronx on June 4th. Once again, he got off to a hot start, going 4 for 8 with a double and a pair of HRs in his 1st 6 games, but he too went on the DL, a victim of a strained hamstring. He was back in the Minors by season's end. In the Triple-A National Championship, he hit a 3-run HR off of the Starting Pitcher in the 1st inning in a 3-1 win for Scranton; he was named the game's MVP. That fall, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency; the Oakland Athletics would sign him for the 2017 AL season.
2012- Former Yankees MLB Coach (1987) and Minor League Player Jay Ward passed away. (1938-2012)
In 1956, the Yankees had signed OF Jay Ward as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On December 2,1958, Jay was drafted by the A’s from the Yankees organization in the 1958 Minor League Player Draft. The A’s would trade him to the Dodgers, who later sent him to the Twins. He made his MLB player debut with the 1963 Twins. In 1966, he would travel to Japan to play baseball with the Chunichi Dragons. His last MLB appearance was in 1970 with the Reds. After the 1971 baseball season, Jay retired as an active player. Overall, Jay appeared in 27 MLB games in 3 seasons (1963-1964,1970), while hitting just .163. In 1972, he managed a team in the Twins organization. Then he left pro baseball for 10 years to help raise a family. During the 1980’s, Jay was a Manager for the Phillies, Reds, Pirates and Mariners organizations. In 1987, he was an MLB Batting Coach for the Yankees for Manager Lou Piniella. During the 1991-1992 NL seasons, Jay was MLB Hitting Coach for the Expos. Later, he would work for the Braves organization. From 1996-2001, he had been a Manager for various teams in the Independent Leagues.
2013- The Yankees lose a big piece of their projected starting line-up when CF Curtis Granderson suffers a broken forearm after being struck by a pitch by Toronto's Starter J.A. Happ in the 1st inning of a Grapefruit League game in Tampa, FL. The Yankees most prolific HR hitter over the past 2 seasons is expected to be out for 10 weeks.
February 25th
1908- Former Yankees Minor League P Al Hollingsworth was born. (1908-1996)
On July 13,1939, P Al Hollingsworth was traded by the Phillies to the Yankees for Reserve INF Roy Hughes. The Yankees would assign him to the AA Newark Bears (IL), where he would post a 1-2 recorded with a 6.88 ERA in 8 games. On August 12,1939, Al was purchased by the Dodgers from the Yankees. He would post a 70-104 record with a 3.99 ERA and 15 saves in 315 MLB games. Later, he would become a Minor league Manager for the Cardinals and Indians organizations.
1915- Former Yankees Reserve OF Cyril “Roy” Weatherly (1943-1945) was born. (1915-1991)
On December 17,1942, Roy was traded by the Indians along with Reserve INF Oscar Grimes to the Yankees for OF Roy Cullenbine and AL All-Star Catcher Buddy Rosar. In 1943, Weatherly will hit .263 with 7 HRs and 28 RBIs in 77 games for the Yankees. Overall, as a Yankees player, Roy had hit .266 with 7 HRs and 66 RBIs in 79 games as a Reserve Outfielder for the Wartime Yankees. In the 1943 World Series against the Cardinals, he had appeared in 1 game for the Yankees with no hits. He would miss the 1944-1945 MLB seasons due to WW II service. On June 20,1946, Roy was purchased by the Braves from the Yankees.
1929- Former Yankees Minor League P and MLB Baseball Executive Sid Thrift was born. (1929-2006)
Syd Thrift was a former Pitcher in the Yankees Minor League system, as he signed as MLB Amateur Free Agent in 1949. He went 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA for the LaGrange Troupers. He had hit .306 with 4 HRs and 27 RBIs. He had no decisions in 1950 for the Amsterdam Rugmakers (CAML). In 1953, Thrift had no decisions for the West Palm Beach Indians; he was 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA with the Leesburg Lakers, while hitting .231 as their most-used 1B (65 games there). After finishing as an active player, he was involved in Scouting, later he went into Baseball Management working for the Pirates, A’s, Cubs and the Royals organizations. Later, he would become the General Manager for the 1986-1988 Pirates and the 2000-2002 Orioles.
1940- Former Yankees 1B/3B/OF Danny Cater (1970-1971) was born.
As a Yankees player, Danny Carter would hit .301 and .276, after coming from Oakland in the Al Downing trade. On December 5,1969, the Yankees had traded veteran P Al Downing and Reserve Catcher Frank Fernandez to the A’s for 1B/3B Danny Cater and INF Ozzie Chavarria. Cater was expected to play 1B for the Yankees, since they had traded away their regular 1B Joe Pepitone to the Astros on December 4,1969. Overall, Danny would appear in 276 games for the team, while hitting .290 with 19 HRs and 126 RBIs. In March of 1972, he was traded to the Red Sox for Reliever Sparky Lyle. Red Sox were planning on using Cater as their 1972 starting 1B, since they had recently traded their 1971 starting 1B George Scott to the Brewers. He had always hit well in Fenway Park. Danny had originally come up to MLB with the 1964 Phillies. In 1975, he would finish his MLB playing career with the Cardinals.
1941- The Yankees had sold 1B Ellsworth “Babe” Dahlgren (1937-1940) to the Braves for undisclosed amount of Cash. On February 17,1937, 1B Babe Dahlgren was purchased by the Yankees from the Red Sox. With Boston, Babe was blocked at 1B by future HOF Slugger and 1B Jimmy Foxx. The Yankees need a possible replacement if their regular AL All-Star 1B Lou Gehrig held out over his 1937 MLB player contract. Babe would replace the ailing Lou Gehrig at 1B when his famous MLB Consecutive Games played streak ended during the 1939 AL season in Detroit. He would appear in 4 games of the 1939 World Series for the Yankees, while hitting .214 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs. Overall, Babe Dahlgren had appeared in 327 games for the Yankees, while hitting .248 with 27 HRs and 163 RBIs. Yankees Manager Joe McCarthy felt that he needed a more powerful bat at 1B, he planned to use veteran 2B Joe “Flash” Gordon at 1B, while bringing up 2 Yankees Rookies: Shortstop Phil Rizzuto and Jerry Priddy at 2B to start in the 1941 Yankees infield.
1942- After his player release by the Tigers, the Yankees would sign MLB Free Agent OF George “Tuck” Stainback. In August of 1942, he would be called up from the AA Newark Bears (IL), when the Yankees had lost OF Tommy Henrich to the Coast Guard. He would last 4 seasons as a Reserve Outfielder for the Yankees. George would appear in 211 games for the Bombers, while hitting .243 with 5 HRs and 47 RBIs. On April 26,1946, George was released by the Yankees, who now had their regular players return from wartime service. On May 1,1946, “Tuck” would be picked up by the Philadelphia A’s for the 1946 AL season. After retiring as an active player in December of 1946, Tuck would later become an MLB Coach.
1944- Former Yankees Minor League and MLB Manager (1990-1991) and MLB Coach (1985) Stump Merrill was born.
In 1964, Stump Merrill was the Catcher on the Univ. of Maine team that won 3 games in the College World Series. He was selected by the Twins in the 23rd round of the 1965 MLB Amateur Player Draft by the Orioles in the 2nd Round (26th overall) of the January 1966 MLB Amateur Player Draft and finally the Phillies in the 2nd round in June,1966 Draft. He was an Assistant Coach for the Univ. of Maine during the 1976 baseball season and the school's trip to the College World Series. In 1985, he was the MLB 1B Coach for the Yankees, when Yogi Berra was manager at the start of the AL season, but he was replaced when Billy Martin took over the team from Berra. From 1978-1990, Merrill was a successful Yankees Minor League Manager, while winning 5 league titles, finishing with the best record in the league his 1st 5 seasons and 6 of his 1st 7 (with a 2nd place finish, the other year). In 1990, he would replace Bucky Dent as Yankees Manager. He would post a 49-74 record. In 1991, he would record a 71-91 mark. In 1992, Yankees MLB Coach Buck Showalter would replace him as the Yankees Manager. He would spend the 1992 season as a roving Minor League Instructor for the Yankees organization. During the 1993-1994 seasons, Merrill once again managed the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL) before spending 1995 as a Special Assignment Scout. In 1996, Merrill had guided the AAA Clippers for a 3rd time, winning the International League title; the Governor's Cup. Along the way, Merrill won his 1,000th game as a Manager on August 2,1996. He would remained with the Clippers for the 1997 and 1998 IL seasons before returning to New York. In 1999 and 2000, Merrill had a 2-year stint as Special Assistant to the GM Brian Cashman. He would returned to the dugout in 2001 to manage the Yankees' AA farm club, the Norwich Navigators (EL). When the Yankees changed team affiliations after the 2002 season, Merrill moved with the team once more, managing the AA Trenton Thunder (EL) for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In 2005, Stump would return to New York, where he was once again named Special Assistant to the GM Brian Cashman. In 2009, he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame, for his work as a Manager. He continues to work with the Yankees front office, he appears with the team at their MLB Spring Training camp every year.
1956- Former Yankees Minor League P Kevin Hickey was born. (1956-2012)
On August 13,1984, P Kevin Hickey was sent by the White Sox to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on July 18,1984. The White Sox had sent Players to be Named Later to the Yankees for Veteran INF Roy Smalley. Kevin never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. On May 25,1985, he was released by the team.
1963-Former Yankees All-Star OF Paul “The Warrior” O’Neill (1993-2001) was born.
The Reds had signed Paul O’Neill as a 4th round pick in the 1981 MLB Amateur Player Draft. On November 3,1992, Paul O’Neill was traded by the Reds along with Minor League OF Joe DeBerry to the Yankees for All-Star OF Roberto Kelly. He was a member of the AL All-Star team 4 times. During his MLB playing career, Paul hit 20 HRs or more 7 times. He appeared in 4 World Series with the Yankees and 1 with the Reds, hitting .261 with 0 HRs and 7 RBIs in 27 games. In 5 ACLS with the Yankees, Paul hit .292 in 26 games. His best Yankees season was in 1994, when he won the AL Batting Crown with a .359 BA hitting 21 HRs and 83 RBIs in 113 games. Paul’s overall Yankees playing record was .303 BA in 1,254 games with 185 HRs and 858 RBIs. His MLB player career totals were a .288 BA with 281 HRs and 1.269 RBIs in in 2,053 games. After retiring as an MLB active player in winter of 2001, Paul became a Sports Broadcaster with the Yes Network.
1966- Former Yankees Pitcher (1925-1926) and Minor League Manager (1944-1946) Garland Braxton passed away. (1900-1966)
On August 19,1925, Garland Braxton was acquired by the Yankees from Springfield (EL). Braxton had 1st appeared in the MLB with the 1922 Braves. He was made into a Relief Pitcher by Manager Miller Huggins; he had a 1-1 record with a 6.52 ERA in 3 games. In 1926, he would have a 5-1 record with a 2.67 ERA and 2 saves in 37 games for the Yankees. Overall, Garland Braxton would post a 6-2 record with 3.53 ERA and 2 saves in 40 games for the 1925-1926 Yankees. On October 19,1926, the Yankees would send P Garland Braxton and OF Nick Cullop to the Senators to complete an earlier deal made in August of 1926. On August 27, 1926, the Yankees would send Players to be Named Later to the Senators for veteran MLB Starter Dutch Ruether. Braxton had pitched in the MLB from 1921-1933 for the Braves, Yankees, Senators, White Sox before finishing up with the 1933 Browns; while posting a 50-53 mark with a 4.13 ERA and 2 saves in 282 MLB games. Later, he would manage for the Yankees Minor League organization for the 1944-1946 seasons with the Class B Norfolk Tars (PL) and the Binghamton Triplets (EL).
1988- The Yankees had signed veteran MLB OF Jose Cruz as an MLB Free Agent, as a non-roster player with an MLB Spring Training Camp invite. Jose made the team’s MLB 25-man roster. He had played with the 1987 Astros, hitting only .241 with 11 HRs and 38 RBIs in 126 games. The Astros had granted him MLB Free Agency. The 40-year-old NL veteran OF Jose Cruz will appear in only 38 games as a Reserve player for the 1988 Yankees, while hitting only .200 in 80-at bats with 1 HR and 7 RBIs before being released by the team on July 22,1988. He finishes his 19-season MLB playing career with a .284 BA hitting 94 HRs with 165 RBIs in 2,353 games with the Cardinals, Astros and the Yankees.
1988- Former Yankees Pitcher Conor Mullee (2016) was born.
On June 8,2010, Conor Mullee was selected by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Player Draft. Pitching in the Yankees Minor League system for 5 seasons, he posted a 13-6 record with a 2.00 ERA with 14 saves in 103 games. In 2016, he went 4-0 with a .099 ERA and 6 saves in 25 games for AAA Scranton (IL) before being called up to the Bronx. He would appear in 3 games for the 2016 Yankees with no record along with a 3.00 ERA. On November 3, 2016, the Cubs would claim him from the Yankees on waivers.
1994- The Veterans Committee elects former New York Yankees long-time Shortstop Phil Rizzuto (1941-1942,1946-1956) to Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Phil Rizzuto had won the 1950 AL Most Valuable Player Award and the 1951 Babe Ruth Award. In 1949-1950, he led the AL shortstops in fielding. Phil was named to the AL All-Star team 5 times during his MLB playing career. He was named to The Sporting News All-Star Teams 3 times. Long-time Red Sox rival Hall of Fame OF Ted Williams said that Phil Rizzuto could beat you with his glove or bat. That he was the key to the great Yankees World Championship teams of the 1940-1950’s.
1997- Former Yankees Minor League OF Josh Stowers was born.
Outfielder Josh Stowers was drafted by the Mariners in the 2nd round of the 2018 MLB Amateur Player Draft, out of the Univ. of Louisville. As a Sr., he hit .336 with 14 doubles, 9 HRs, 72 runs scored, 60 RBIs and 36 steals in 62 games. He was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference 1st Team and to the ACC All-Academic team as well. The Chicago, IL native began his pro career that year with the Everett AquaSox (NWL), where he hit .260 with 5 HRs, 32 runs scored and 28 RBIs in 58 games. He was a mid-season All-Star in the NWL. On January 21,2019, he was traded by the Mariners to the Yankees in return for AA Minor League INF Shed Long, who had been obtained by the Yankees from the Reds in the Sonny Gray trade made earlier that same day. In 2019, he would play for the Class A Charleston RiverDogs (SAL), where he hit .273 with 7 HRs and 40 RBIs in 105 games. He did not play in 2020 due to canceling of the Minor League season due to the COVIDS-19 outbreak. For the 2021 Minor League season, Stowers is projected to play for the new Yankees AA club, Hudson Valley. He did not receive an invite from the team for their 2021 MLB Spring Training Camp. During the 2021 AL season, Josh was part of the Yankees prospects package in the Joey Gallo deal with the Rangers.
1998- Former Yankees Reserve OF/PH Joe Gallagher (1939) passed away. (1914-1998)
Reserve OF/PH Joe Gallagher had appeared in 14 games for the 1939 Yankees, while hitting .244 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs. He had been playing the Yankees farm system since 1936. On June 13,1939, Joe was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for Reserve INF Roy Hughes and Cash. Joe had been playing for the Yankees AA club, the Newark Bears (IL). On April 9,1947, Gallagher was hired as Head Baseball Coach at Stephen F. Austin St. College in Texas. Also, Joe was the Baseball Coach of Rice Univ. in 1962. After a long illness in 1998, Joe would pass away at the age of 83.
2004- The Yankees had signed Free Agent P Nerio Rodriguez. He does not appear with the team at the MLB level. On June 15, 2004, he was sent to the Cardinals by the Yankees as part of a Conditional Deal.
2012- Former Yankees Minor League P David Cheadle passed away. (1952-2012) David Cheadle was selected by the Yankees in the 1st Round (12th selection) of the 1970 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He never pitched for the Yankees at MLB level. On August 15,1973, Dave was sent by the Yankees to the Braves to complete an earlier deal made on June 7,1973. The Yankees would send Players to be Named Later, 2 MLB Reserve players: INF/OF Wayne Nordhagen and 1B/OF Frank Tepedino to the Braves for veteran MLB Starter Pat Dobson. He did appear in 2 games for the 1973 Braves, while posting a 0-1 record in his only MLB pitching career appearances. Later, he would pitch in the Pirates Minor League organization before retiring as an active player in 1979.
