This Week in Yankees History February 26^th-March 4th Part One

February 26th

1896- Former Yankees Pitcher Harry “Rip” Collins (1920-1921) was born. (1896-1968)

On August 20,1919, P Harry “Rip” Collins was purchased by the Yankees from Dallas (TXL). “Rip” Collins would post a 25-13 record with a 4.16 ERA and 1 save in 17 games for the Yankees before being traded to Red Sox. He had appeared in 1 game in relief for the team in the 1921 World Series against the Giants. On December 20,1921, Harry was traded by the Yankees along with Shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh, Pitchers Jack Quinn and Bill Piercy along with $100,000 Cash to the Red Sox for 2 Pitchers: “Bullet Joe” Bush, Sad Sam Jones and Shortstop Everett “Deacon” Scott. Also, Rip would pitch for the Tigers and the Browns, before retiring from the MLB in 1931.

1933- Former Yankees Reserve 1B/OF/C Johnny “Super Sub” Blanchard (1955,1959-1965) was born. (1933-2009)

Johnny Blanchard was a 3-Sport All-City whiz at Central HS in Minneapolis, MN; he not only attracted the attention of MLB Scouts as a 3B, but also the NBA Minneapolis Lakers, who made him a pro basketball player contract offer. On July 3, 1951, Blanchard was signed by Yankees MLB Scout Joe McDermott for $20,000 as an Outfielder. While playing in the Yankees Minor League system, he made the transition from OF to a Catcher. "I had to work my fanny off," said Blanchard. "I was not talented like Yogi or Elston. I think I got all the mileage I could out of my ability." Blanchard had served in the military during the Korean Conflict in 1953-1954. When he was released from active duty, Johnny was back in the Yankees 1955 MLB Spring Training Camp. After leading the Eastern League with 34 HRs in 1955, while playing for the Class A Binghamton Triplets, he would received a late season call-up to the Bronx. In 1957-1958, he would play for the AAA Denver Bears (AA) under Manager Ralph Houk. In the 1958 Yankees Spring Training Camp,  Johnny was named the 1958 James P. Dawson Award winner as the best Yankee rookie player in the camp, despite winning that award, he would return to the AAA Bears (AA). In 1959, he would return for good, he would stay in the Bronx, until he was sent to the A’s in May of 1965. In 1959, Yankees MLB Coach Ralph Houk had pushed for Johnny be given a chance to catch for the team with Manager Casey Stengel. Yogi Berra was going to play LF, while Elston Howard would become the starting catcher. Blanchard would be reserve catcher, play 1B and the OF The lefty-swinging Yankee loved hitting in Fenway Park, of his 1st 6 hits at Fenway Park, 5 were HRs. On July 21,1961, the Yankees trailed the Red Sox 9-8 going into the top of the 9^th inning when Blanchard, pinch-hitting for 3B Clete Boyer, hit a Grand Slam HR off Boston veteran P Mike Fornieles giving the Bombers a 12-9 victory. The following day, the Yankees were again down 9-8, when Blanchard, pinch-hitting again for Boyer, hit a HR off of veteran Gene Conley to tie the score as the Yankees went on to win the game. A couple of days later against the White Sox, he homered in consecutive at-bats against veteran hurler Ray Herbert. His 4 HRs on 4 straight at-bats tied an MLB record. Blanchard hit 4 Pinch-Hit HRs during the regular 1961 AL season, only Yankee Sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris had more HRs per at bat. He continued his clutch hitting in the 1961 World Series against the Reds with a 2-run Pinch-Hit HR in game #3; another 2-run HR shot in the 5th and final game of the 1961 World Series, a game that he started. As a result, Blanchard is arguably one of the best-known 3rd-string Catchers in MLB history. Overall, he had appeared with the Yankees in the Fall Classic for 5 consecutive seasons from 1960-1964, he had hit .345, slugged at .690% with 2 HRs. Following the 1965 annual Mayor’s Trophy Exhibition game against the Mets that was played on May 3, 1965, he was called into Manager Johnny Keane's office; Blanchard was given the news he had been traded to the A’s. John was traded by the Yankees along with P Rolland Sheldon to Kansas City for Catcher Doc Edwards.  The Yankees had just lost starting Catcher Elston Howard to surgery on his right elbow. GM Houk had grown hard of waiting to for Blanchard to start hitting, he was hitting only .147  with 1 HR and 3 RBIs  in 12 games at the time of his trade. Johnny took the trade news very hard. He cried uncontrollably in the Yankees Clubhouse. His long-time Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle sat down next to Blanchard and attempted to cheer him up. "Don't take it so hard, John. Just think, in Kansas City you're going to get a chance to play." "Hell, I can't play Mick, that’s why I'm crying." After appearing in 52 games with the A's, he was purchased by the Braves. He would play the last 10 games of his MLB playing career with the Braves at the end of the 1965 NL season. In 1968, he tried to make a comeback with the Braves in MLB Spring Training camp, but he didn’t make the team and retired from the game. Overall, as an MLB player, he would hit .239 with 67 HRs and 200 RBIs. Johnny Blanchard's heavy drinking made it difficult to cope with the real world after his MLB baseball playing career was over. Aware that he had a problem, Johnny checked himself into the Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis for 34 days for Alcohol treatment. He was then dry for over 25 years. On March 25, 2009, Johnny Blanchard had passed away from a fatal heart attack.

1935- The Yankees had released longtime Slugger OF/P Babe Ruth (1920-1934), freeing him to sign a $20,000 MLB player contract with the Boston Braves, also gives him a share of the team's profits. In 1934, Babe Ruth had endured one of his worst seasons with the Yankees-at least by his lofty standards-with a .288 BA, while hitting only 22 HRs and 84 RBIs. This coming 1935 NL season, he will play just only 28 games for the Braves before announcing his MLB player retirement on June 2nd at the age of 40. Ruth will hit the final 3 HRs of his Major League playing career on May 25th against the Pirates, giving him a MLB HR career total of 714. His last HR will clear the RF Grandstand at Forbes Field and will travel an estimated 600 feet.

1941- Former Yankees Minor League 1B George Kopacz was born.

On February 28,1973, 1B George Kopacz was traded by the Pirates to the Yankees for Minor League 1B Tony Solaita. The long-time Minor League player never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. He will spend the 1973 season playing with the AAA Syracuse Chiefs (IL), hitting .238 with 7 HRs with 57 RBIs in 132 games. After the 1973 IL season had ended, he would retire from baseball.

 1968- Former Yankees Reserve 1B J. T. Snow (1992) was born.

The Yankees in the 5th round of the 1989 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected 1B J. T. Snow. He would appear in only 7 games for the 1992 Yankees, batting just .143. He had won 1992 International League MVP Award, while playing for the AAA Columbus Clippers. He refused the Yankees front office request to learn how to play the Outfield, since AL All-Star Don Mattingly was already at 1B. This rejection by Snow to switch positions, resulted in him being put into a player trade package to the Angels for MLB Starter Jim Abbott.

1971- Former Yankees Reserve OF Matt Luke (1996) was born.

The Yankees in the 8th round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected OF Matt Luke. He would appear in only 1 game with the 1996 Yankees with no at bats before being picked up on waivers by the Dodgers in 1997.

1977- Former Yankees Pitcher Josh Towers (2009) was born.

Josh Towers was picked up the Yankees during the 2009 AL season. He had spent most of the 2009 baseball season playing for AAA Scranton (IL). He would appear in 2 games for the 2009 Yankees with no record along with a 3.38 ERA. After the 2009 World Series had ended, Towers elected to become an MLB Free Agent rather than accept an outright assignment to AAA Scranton (IL). Later, he would become a Minor League Coach for the 2013 Mets. 

1985- Former Yankees Pitcher George Uhle (1933-1934) passed away. (1898-1985)

On July 24,1933, veteran hurler George Uhle was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Yankees. He had previously pitched for the 1933 Giants. He will post an 8-5 record with a 6.17 ERA in 22 games for the 1933-1934 Yankees. On June 1,1934, George was released by the Yankees. Overall, George had pitched in the MLB from 1919-1936, while posting a 200-166 record with a 3.99 ERA and 27 saves in 513 games. He pitched for the Indians (twice), Tigers, Giants and finishing up his MLB Pitching career with the Yankees.

1988- Former Yankees INF/OF Dustin Ackley (2015-2016) was born.

In 2015, Dustin Ackley was hitting only .215 with 6 HRs and 19 RBIs, when he was traded by Mariners to the Yankees in return for 2 Minor League Players: P José Ramírez and OF Ramón Flores. After a trip to the DL, Ackley would play in 23 games with the Yankees, while hitting .288 with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs. In 2016, he was injured again, only appearing in 28 games for the team. He was only hitting .148 with 0 HRs and 4 RBIs. On November 18, 2016, the Yankees would grant Dustin MLB Free Agency. On February 4, 2017, he was signed an MLB Free Agent by the Angels. 

1991- Bill Veeck, the colorful MLB Owner of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox (twice) and Yankees great 2B Tony Lazzeri are elected to the Baseball’s Hall Of Fame by the Veterans Committee. The AL All-Star 2B Tony Lazzeri played for the Yankees from 1926-1937, finishing with a lifetime BA of .293 with 169 HRs and 1,154 RBIs in 1,659 games.

 1991- Former Yankees Minor League Manager Jimmy Zinn passed away. (1895-1991)

Jimmy Zinn had pitched in pro baseball from 1915 to 1939. He would collect 295 Minor League wins along with a 3.52 ERA in 4,394 innings.  Also, he had batted .301 in 2,482 at bats. Zinn had managed the 1937-1938 El Paso Texans in the Yankees Minor League system. Later, he would manage for the Tigers, Braves and Senators Minor League organizations. In July, 1952, Jimmy Zinn was the 1st player named to the Kansas City Blues' Hall of Fame.

February 27th

1896- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher (1931) and MLB Coach (1932) Ralph “Cy” Perkins was born. (1896-1963)

On December 10,1930, veteran MLB Catcher Cy Perkins was purchased by the Yankees from the Philadelphia A’s. Perkins had played for the Athletics for 15 MLB seasons (1915-1930). He had batted .255 with No HRs and 7 RBIs in 16 games for the 1931 Yankees. He would finish his 17 MLB season playing career with a .259 BA with 30 HRs and 409 RBIs in 1,171 games. Cy had played in 2 World Series with the A’s without making an appearance. In 1932, Cy would become a Yankees MLB Coach on the World Championship team. Then he would move to the Tigers organization to become an MLB Coach, briefly the  1937 Tigers Interim Manager for 17 games. Later, he would become a Minor League Manager. Then Cy Perkins would become a long-time MLB Coach for the Phillies before retiring from baseball.

1907-The Yankees had acquired Catcher Branch Rickey from the St. Louis Browns in exchange for INF Joe Yeager. Rickey was recovering from a shoulder injury that hampered his throwing arm. Yeager had been the 1905 Yankees regular 3B, in 1906, he had hit .301 in 57 games as a Reserve INF. Rickey will appear in 52 games for the Yankees, while hitting just .182. After the 1907 AL season, the Yankees will send him back to the Browns. As noted by Baseball Writer Lyle Spatz, Branch Rickey will not play on Sundays because of his Mormon religious principles, while new Browns Catcher Fritz Buelow will. Branch Rickey will go on to have a more successful MLB career as an MLB Baseball Executive than as an MLB player. He was the man responsible for creating MLB Farm System concept with the St. Louis Cardinals. Then he broke the MLB Player Color Barrier with the player signing of Jackie Robinson with the 1947 Dodgers. Also, during his long baseball executive career, Branch will work in the front offices of the Pirates and the Mets organizations. He will be elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame as a Baseball Executive in 1967.

1912- The New York Yankees announced that they would begin to wear pinstriped uniforms for the 1912 AL season. In 1908, the Philadelphia Phillies had come up with an idea for a new style of uniform - white flannels with thin vertical stripes -, an innovation that predates the famed New York Yankees pinstripes by 4 years.

1935- Former Yankees Slugger Babe Ruth signs a $20,000 MLB player contract with the Boston Braves. Ruth's new player contract with the Braves also gives him a share of the team's profits. Ruth was released by the Yankees only 1 day earlier. Babe Ruth will serve with the Braves as a Player, Coach and Team Vice-President. In 1935, he will play just only 28 games for the Braves, before announcing his retirement on June 2nd at the age of 40. Ruth will hit the final 3 HRs of his MLB playing career on May 25,1935 against the Pirates at Forbes Field, giving him a final MLB HR career total of 714. His last HR will clear the RF Grandstand at Forbes Field and will travel an estimated 600 feet.

1947- Former Yankees Pitcher Ensign Cottrell (1915) passed away. (1888-1947)

On April 7,1915, P Ensign Cottrell was purchased by the Yankees from the Braves. He had made brief MLB appearances with the 1911 Pirates, 1912 Cubs, 1913 A’s and the 1914 Braves. Cottrell had spent most of the 1914 season pitching for the AA Baltimore Orioles (IL). He did not appear in a game for the Braves in the 1914 World Series. He would appear in 7 games for the 1915 Yankees, while posting a 0-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. It would be his last active MLB season.

1948- Newly elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame are former MLB Stars; Yankees Starter Herb Pennock and Pirates 3B Pie Traynor. Needing 91 votes for selection, Herb Pennock, who had died, just month before, gets 94 votes, while Pie Traynor gets 93 votes. Just missing in the Hall Of Fame voting are former A’s Slugger Al Simmons, Tigers 2B Charlie Gehringer and Giants Player/Manager Bill Terry. Herb Pennock was the General Manager for the Phillies at the time of his death, a position that he had held since 1944.  He was helping the new Phillies Team ownership rebuilt the team and their farm system. He had suffered a fatal heart attack. As an MLB Pitcher, Herb had posted a 241-162 record with a 3.60 ERA with 37 saves in 617 games (1912-1934). Herb had pitched for the A’s, Red Sox (twice) and the Yankees. Pie Traynor had played 3B for the Pirates for 17 seasons (1920-1937), while hitting .329 with 58 HRs and 1,73 RBIs in 1,941 games.

1953- Former Yankees C/DH/1B Ron Hassey (1985-1986) was born.

On December 4,1984, C/DH/1B Ron Hassey was traded by the Cubs along with Pitchers Porfi Altamirano, Rich Bordi and OF Henry Cotto to the Yankees for INF/OF Brian Dayett and P Ray Fontenot. In 1985, he hit .296 with 13 HRs and 42 RBIs for the Yankees, while playing in 92 games. On December 12,1985, Ron was traded by the Yankees along with P Joe Cowley to the White Sox for Minor League Players: Glen Braxton, Mike Soper and MLB Starter Britt Burns. On February 13,1986, Ron was traded by the White Sox along with Minor League Players: Chris Alvarez, Eric Schmidt and Matt Winters back to the Yankees for Glen Braxton (Minors), P Neil Allen, C Scott Bradley and Cash. On July 30,1986, Ron was traded by the Yankees along with a Player to be Named Later and INF/OF Carlos Martinez  back to the White Sox for OF/1B/DH Ron Kittle, C Joel Skinner and INF Wayne Tolleson. The Yankees would later  send Minor League C Bill Lindsey on December 24,1986 to Chicago to complete the trade. Ron had hit .298 with 6 HRs and 29 RBIs in 64 games for the 1986 Yankees. After his playing career ended, Hassey would spend a year as a Yankees MLB Scout before joining the expansion Rockies as a MLB Coach for their 1st 3 NL seasons (1993-1995). After spending a season as a Cardinals MLB Coach in 1996, he would work in the Diamondbacks front office for 7 seasons. He had managed the 2004 Class A Carolina Mudcats (SAL) for the Marlins. In 2005 and 2006, Hassey was a Mariners MLB Coach. From 2010-2013, he was a Minor League Manager in the Marlins organization.

1953- Former Yankees Pitcher Barney Wolfe (1903-1904) passed away. (1876-1953)

Barney Wolfe had appeared in 27 games with the 1903-1904 Yankees, while posting a 6-12 record with a 3.02 ERA in 27 games. On July 20,1904, Barney was traded by the Yankees along with Starter Tom Hughes to the Senators for veteran Starter Al Orth. He would post a 15-27 record with a 2.93 ERA in 49 games for the 1904-1906 Nats.

1956- The Class B Piedmont League disbands after 37 years of operation. The Yankees had a farm club in the league, the Norfolk Tars from 1935-1955. The Tars had been League Champions from 1951-1954. The Norfolk Tars had won 7 Piedmont League Championships with 2 Tars teams finishing as runner-up to the League championship team.

1962- Former Yankees Pitcher Greg Cadaret (1989-1992) was born.

Greg Cadaret came to the Yankees from Oakland in the Rickey Henderson trade. He had posted a 22-23 record with a 4.12 ERA and 7 saves in 188 games as a Yankees Pitcher before being sold to the Reds on November 6,1992.

1969- Former Yankees Pitcher Willie Banks (1997-1998) was born.

On January 3,1997, the Yankees had signed former MLB P Willie Banks as an MLB Free Agent. Willie didn’t pitch in organized baseball in 1996. He was a former New Jersey All-State HS Pitching star (St. Anthony’s HS in Jersey City), who had been originally been signed by the Twins. He was assigned to AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). He would post a 14-5 record with a 4.27 ERA in 33 games for the Clippers. The Yankees would call him up to the Bronx, where he posted 3-0 record with a 1.93 ERA in 5 games. In 1998, he was 1-1 in 9 games with a very high 10.05 ERA. On June 4, 1998, he was traded to the Diamondbacks for P Scott Brow and Class A Minor League P Joe Lisio. Brow was assigned to AAA Columbus Clippers, while Lisio was sent to Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL). Neither Pitcher appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. In 2003, Willie Banks was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees, but he didn’t appear with the team at the MLB level; he was later released by the team. He had been with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL) posting a 2-3 record with a 3.89 ERA in 31 games. He would later pitch in the Independent Leagues with the Newark Bears (ATL) for several seasons, before retiring as an active player at the age of 41.

1985- Veteran INF Toby Harrah, an original Texas Rangers member is traded by the Yankees back to the Rangers for veteran OF/DH Billy Sample and a Player to be Named Later. Harrah was a major disappointment with the bat for the Yankees, after coming to the team in a trade with the Indians in 1984. He had appeared in 88 games for the team, while hitting just .217 with only 1 HR and just 26 RBIs. Veteran OF Billy Sample had hit .270 in 675 games for the Rangers. He will hit .288 with 1 HR and 15 RBIs for the Yankees. The Player to be Named Later was Rangers Class A Minor League P Eric Dersin, who the Yankees would assign to their Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees team (FSL)

1988- Former Yankees MLB Coach (1984-1985) and Minor League Manager Doug Homquist passed away. (1941-1988)

Doug Holmquist had managed for the Yankees in their Minor League system from 1978 to 1983. As the Yankees awarded World Series rings to their Minor League Managers as well, they gave Doug Holmquist one. While managing in the Minors, he had worked with future MLB players such as OF Willie McGee, INF Pat Tabler and 1B Steve Balboni.

February 28^th

1947- Former Yankees Reserve INF Marty Perez (1977) was born. 

On March 14,1977, MLB Veteran INF Marty Perez was traded by the Giants to the Yankees for Reserve OF Terry Whitfield, who was out of Minor League options. Perez had played for the Angels, Braves and the Giants having a .249 MLB BA in 930 games. As a Reserve INF, he appeared in only 1 game with the team, going 2 for 4 before being traded on April 27,1977 by the Yankees along with veteran Starter Dock Ellis and Reserve OF Larry Murray to Oakland for veteran Starter Mike Torrez.

1958- Former Yankees MLB Scout Dave Pano was born.

Dave Pano had played HS baseball against future Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi. After playing on the Eckerd College baseball team, Dave would spend time as a MLB Scout for the Yankees and the Pirates. Pano was the Head Coach at St. Petersburg College from 1998 to 2010. In 2002-2004, he was a coach for the Auburn Doubledays. He had managed of the 2005-2006 Pulaski Blue Jays (APPYL). Then he would manage the 2008 GCL Blue Jays and then he was would coach for the team in 2009-2010. Then he moved to the AAA Vancouver Canadians (PCL) in 2011-2017 as their Hitting Coach and the 2018-2019 Lansing Lugnuts as Position Coach.

1959- After 1 day, Yankees All-Star CF Mickey Mantle ends his 1959 MLB player contract holdout with the team. Mantle agrees to an MLB player salary of $72,000 with a bonus of $2,000. He had been asking the Yankees front office for $85,000, after hitting .304 with 42 HRs and 97 RBIs, and making the AL All- Star team, while playing in 150 games in 1958. In the 1958 World Series against the Braves, Mickey had hit .250 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs.

1970- On February 28,1970, the Yankees had acquired veteran INF Ron Hansen from the White Sox. Ron was at the end of his MLB playing career battling with back problems and being reduced to being a Reserve INF player. In 1969, Ron had hit .259 with 2 HRs in 85 games for the White Sox. He will hit .297 with 4 HRs and 14 RBIs in 59 games for the 1970 Yankees, before fading in 1971 to a .207 BA with No HRs and 20 RBIs in 61 games. The Yankees would release him during their 1972 MLB Spring Training Camp. He would play briefly with 1972 Royals before retiring from the MLB. Ron Hansen had originally come up to the MLB with the 1960 Orioles as a Shortstop. He had played in 17 games in 1958-1959 AL seasons as a September roster call-up. He was named 1960 AL Rookie of the Year, while hitting .255 with 22 HRs and 86 RBIs playing in 153 games. While playing for the Orioles, Ron would appear on 2 AL All-Star teams (1960 and 1961) as a Shortstop.

1982- Former Yankees Pitcher Roy Sherid (1929-1931) passed away. (1907-1982)

Roy Sherid made a lot of pitching appearances during his 3 seasons with the Yankees. He had pitched in a total of 87 games (44 as a Starter) along with 6 saves in relief, while logging in 413 innings of work. His Yankees final pitching career record was a 23-24 mark with a 4.17 ERA on Bronx teams that were well over .500 (although none of the 3 won an AL pennant). OnSeptember 12,1931, the Yankees would send 2 Pitchers: Lou McEvoy and Roy Sherid to the AA St. Paul Saints (AA) to complete an earlier deal that was made on June 27,1931. On that date, the Yankees would send Players to be Named Later and Cash to the AA Saints for P Johnny Murphy and INF Jack Saltzgaver.

1983- The Yankees had signed MLB Free Agent OF Rowland Office. He will appear in 2 games for the 1983 Yankees with 2 at bats and no hits. He had spent majority of the 1983 baseball season playing with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). On November 9,1983, Rowland was released by the Yankees.

1983- On February 24,1983, the Yankees had signed veteran MLB Free Agent INF Bert Campaneris, who had played for the Angels. Bert will appear in 60 games as a Yankee Reserve INF, while hitting .322 with No HRs and 11 RBIs in his final MLB player season. He had played in the MLB for 19 seasons starting with the Kansas City/Oakland A’s, then he moved to the Texas Rangers as an MLB Free Agent in 1976. Then he was traded by the Rangers to the Angels in 1979 and finishing his MLB playing career with the 1983 Yankees. On November 7,1983, Bert was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. Bert had retired from the MLB. In the Fall of 1976, Bert had become an MLB Free Agent leaving the A’s. Yankees Manager Billy Martin had asked the Yankees Front Office to sign him, to fix the team’s starting Shortstop problems; instead, they went out and signed the following players: P Don Gullet, OF Reggie Jackson and OF Jim Wynn. In the winter of 1976, Bert would be signed by the Rangers. The Yankees went into their 1977 MLB Spring Training Camp without a solid starting MLB Shortstop.

1988- Former Yankees Closer Aroldis Chapman (2016-2022) was born.

In Cuba, Aroldis Chapman would debuted with Holguín in the 2005-2006 Serie Nacional, by going 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA. He would continue to pitch in Cuba from 2007-2009. Just before the 2009 World Port Tournament had started Chapman would defect from Cuba. Then he would establish legal residency in the small European principality of Andorra, making him a Free Agent eligible to be signed by any MLB team. On January 11, 2010, after auditioning for several MLB teams, he would sign a MLB player contract with the Reds on worth $30.25 million over 6 years. The Reds would assign him to the AAA Louisville Bats. In his Organized Baseball debut, he hit 101 mph 3 times on the radar gun as he fanned 9 batters in 4 2/3 IP versus the Toledo Mud Hens,  while allowing only 1 run. He gave up 5 singles and 1 walk, but Toledo Manager Larry Parrish  said "Today, he walked only 1. In the big leagues, he would've walked 8." He had  a 9-6 record with a 3.57 ERA and 8 saves for the Bats. On August 31, 2010, Chapman would join the Reds, the last day on which he could be eligible for 2010 MLB Postseason play. In his MLB Pitching debut, he would pitch 1 perfect inning in relief against the Brewers, while hitting 102 mph on the radar gun. The next day, he got his 1^st MLB win with another perfect inning of relief; the Reds then scored 6 runs in the bottom of the frame to beat the Brewers 6-1; while topping out his fastball at 104 mph. On September 24th, he became the 1st hurler timed at 105 mph during an MLB game. He would end the 2010 NL season by posting a 2-2 record with a 2.03 ERA and 19 Ks (against only 9 hits) in 13 1/3 innings. He had pitched twice in the NLDS against the Phillies, giving up 3 unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings, being charged with a loss. Chapman began the 2011 NL season in the Reds' bullpen being the main Set-Up Man for Closer Francisco Cordero. He only gave up 6 hits in his 1st 13 innings over 16 games, but he struggled with his control, walking 20 batters during that span, against 15 strikeouts for a 6.92 ERA. On May 16th, he was placed on the DL with inflammation in his left shoulder. He came back on June 25th, he  pitched better the rest of the way, lowering his ERA all the way down to 3.60 ERA by the time the season had ended. He finished the year with a 4-1 record and 1 save in 54 games, having given up a mere 24 hits in 50 innings, while allowing 41 walks. There was no doubt about his raw stuff though, as he struck out 71 batters, which represents 12.8 strikeouts per 9 innings, the same as in his 1st season. He was still a set-up man for the Reds at the start of the 2012 NL season, in spite of Cordero having left through MLB Free Agency and his apparent replacement Ryan Madison being lost for the season to an pitching arm injury in the Reds MLB spring training camp. It was off-season acquisition Sean Marshall, who was tasked with closing out games. For his part, Aroldis pitched lights out as the season started, keeping a clean sheet over his 1st 17 games, during which he pitched 21 1/3 innings, allowing only 7 hits, while walking as many, while striking out 38 opponents.  He had picked up 3 wins, but had not yet had an opportunity to save a game, when Manager Dusty Baker gave him the ball to record the last 3 outs of a 5-2 win over the Yankees on May 20th for his 1^st MLB save. That just left more questions open over what his most effective role on the Reds should be: Set-up man, Closer, or even a Starter, as he had been in Cuba.  

In 2012, Chapman was named to the NL All-Star team for the 1st time, he regained his dominance quickly. On August 12th, he would register his 28th save, having saved all 3 games in a weekend sweep of the Cubs. At that point, he had recorded a save in his last 16 appearances on the mound, breaking the Reds' team record of 15 set by Jeff Shaw in 1997. He had been unscored upon in 22 straight appearances. Not counting interleague games, his ERA was 0.17 (overall, it was 1.26) he had recorded at least 1 strikeout in 52 of 53 outings, and had 106 strikeouts against a mere 25 hits in 57 innings. He was well ahead of the record pace of 15.99 strikeouts per 9 innings set by Carlos Marmol in 2010. He began to show signs of fatigue in early September, with his velocity well down, and the Reds decided to rest him, as they held a sizable lead in the NL Central. He would pitch on September 11th, then he was rested until completing the 6-0 win over the Dodgers that clinched the NLCD title on September 22nd. He would finish the season with 38 saves and a 1.51 ERA, while striking out 122 batters in 71 2/3 innings against only 35 hits with 23 walks. 

However, he was not much of a factor in the 2012 postseason, giving up 1 run over 3 innings without a decision as the Reds were beaten by the Giants in 5 games in the 2012 NLDS. Going into the 2013 NL season, the Reds decided to convert Chapman to a starting role in order to maximize his value. That was how he was used in their MLB Spring Training Camp; however, he came out and said that he would have preferred to remain as a Closer, but that the matter was out of his hands. In the end, the Reds would relented, announcing on March 22nd that Chapman would again be their Closer, that Mike Leakewould take the vacant 5th starter spot. In the 2013 MLB  All-Star Game, Chapman had relieved Jose Fernandez in the top of the 7th with a 2-0 deficit. He walked Nelson Cruz, but he got Slugger Edwin Encarnacion to hit into a double play; then struck out Adam Jones. Kimbrel would relieve him in the 8th. Chapman finished the season with a 4-5 record with a 2.54 ERA and 38 saves, while allowing 37 hits, issuing 29 walks and 112 strikeouts in 63 2/3 IP. 

He earned a 3rd straight NL All-Star berth. On July 11th, he would set a record, when he recorded at least 1 strikeout in his 40th straight relief appearance in striking out the side while picking up his 20th save of the year over the Pirates. He recorded his 100th career save on July 29th in a 3-0 victory over the Diamondbacks and at the same time extended his streak of appearances with at least 1 strikeout to 45; in a typical effort, 15 of his 20 pitches were timed at over 100 mph. The record streak finally ended at 49 games after he failed to strike out anyone while picking up his 26th save against the Rockies on August 15th. He ended up establishing a new record for most K/9 IP for a pitcher with 50 or more innings, with 17.67; he also set marks for most strikeouts per hit allowed (5.05) as he ended up with 106 Ks in 54 innings, while allowing only 21 hits and 24 walks. His record was 0-3, but with an ERA of 2.00 and 36 saves in 38 opportunities. The Reds especially their bullpen, struggled in the 1st half of the 2015 season - but not Aroldis. He would pick up 18 saves, to go along with a 3-3 record and a 1.61 ERA, to be named to the NL All-Star team for the 4th straight year. During the game, he struck out the side in his only inning of work, hitting 100 mph on every one of his pitches. At that point of the season, he had thrown more pitches of 3-digit velocity than all other MLB pitchers combined! On July 19th, he set another record in recording 5 strikeouts over 2 innings in his 1st outing of more than 1 inning of the season, becoming the quickest pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts. Number 500 came in his 292nd inning of work, beating the record of 305 innings set earlier that season by Craig Kimbrel. He finished the year with a 4-4 mark, along with a 1.63 ERA and 33 saves with 116 Ks in 66 1/3 innings. With 1 year remaining on his MLB player contract at the end of the season, the Reds in a rebuilding mode, he became the subject of numerous speculations regarding a possible trade to a contending team. 

On December 7th, a number of sources announced that he had been traded to the Dodgers, but that deal fell through. One of the reasons the trade did not happen is that that same day, media reports emerged that Chapman had been involved in a domestic violence incident on October 30th, in which a number of gun shots had been fired, while no charges had yet been laid, the matter was still being investigated by authorities and could also potentially lead to a suspension by MLB under its recently adopted domestic violence policy. On December 28th, the Reds did find a taker for Chapman, in spite of the pending MLB investigation, as he was traded to the Yankees for 4 Minor Leaguer Players: Infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda, Right-handed Pitchers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis. He was joining a Bronx bullpen that already featured 2 power arms in Closer Andrew Miller and Set-up Man Dellin Betances, leading to speculation that the trio could put up ungodly strikeout numbers together. On January 11, 2016, Manager Joe Girardi made a surprise announcement, telling reporters that Chapman was his 2016 Closer heading into their MLB Spring Training Camp. A week after that, the Broward County, Fla. State Attorney's office issued a statement saying that after completing their investigation, they would not be filing charges against Chapman over the domestic violence incident. Still, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred judged the incident to be sufficiently serious to justify a 1st suspension under MLB's Domestic Violence Policy. His MLB player suspension was announced on March 1st was for 30 games from the start of the 2016 season and was worked out in consultation with the MLB Players Association. For his part, Chapman admitted that his actions had been regrettable; announced that he would not appeal it. In the end, he was given permission to return to the team after 29 games, because 1 of the Yankees' scheduled games had been cancelled. Thus, his return came on the day it had originally been scheduled to take place, May 9th. On July 18th, he had recorded a speed of 105.1 mph on the radar gun, while facing Oriole batter J.J. Hardy, matching his own record for the fastest pitch in MLB history. It was a ball, low and inside, forcing Hardy to bail out, Hardy then flied out. Chapman recorded his 19th save of the season that day. As the end of July 31^st MLB trade deadline approached, rumors of an upcoming trade multiplied, as it was clear that the presence of 3 top-tier relievers on the Yankees was not an optimal use of resources with other areas of the team in need of much improvement. The Cubs were the team most mentioned as a likely destination for Aroldis. 

The rumored deal was completed on July 25th, with the Yankees receiving a nice haul in return:  3 Minor League players: OFs Rashad Crawford and Billy McKinney, INF Gleyber Torres and MLB P Adam Warren. For the 2016 Yankees, Chapman had a 3-0 record along with a 2.01 ERA with 20 saves in 21 opportunities in his 31 games. On July 27^th, he made his 1st appearance for the Cubs, he delivered a perfect 9th inning in front of a pumped-up sellout Wrigley Field crowd, although there was little pressure given the Cubs were leading the crosstown White Sox by the score of 9-1 at the time. It was a typical performance, as he threw 12 pitches of 14 pitches over 100 mph, the other 2 being nasty sliders, and struck out 2 batters; while former Reds’ teammate Todd Frazier could only manage a weak grounder to shortstop. He would pick up his 1st save as a Cub. The next day, when he recorded the last 4 outs of a 3-1 win over the White Sox. He went 1-1 with a 1.01 ERA and 16 saves in 28 outings for the Cubs, giving him a combined mark of 4-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 36 saves for the 2016 MLB season. He had struck out 90 batters in 58 innings.

In the MLB postseason, he played a key role in the Cubs clinching their 1st World Series title in over a century as he recorded 3 saves in 4 appearances against the Giants in the NLDS, won a game against the Dodgers in the NLCS, recorded another win and save in the Fall Classic, while facing the Indians. He was used for much longer stretches than he was accustomed during the postseason; he was clearly showing signs of fatigue by the time Game 7 of the World Series rolled around. In that game on November 2nd, he came out with 2 outs in the 8th, a runner on base and the Cubs leading 6-3, but he gave up a double to Brandon Guyer and a HR to Rajai Davis to tie the score. Still, he returned to pitch a perfect bottom of the 9^th inning, setting the table for the Cubs' winning rally in the top of the 10^th; he was credited with the historic series-clinching 8-7 win.After the 2016 MLB Postseason had ended, Chapman became an MLB Free Agent. On December 8, 2016, he cashed in on the high demand for proven MLB Closers, returning to the Yankees on a 5-year deal worth $86 million. After his July 25th departure, Dellin Betances had had some struggles as the team's new Closer, prompting the Yankees to splurge. After the signing was complete, Chapman told the media: "Personally, I don’t agree with the way he [Joe Maddon] used me [in the postseason]." He was referring in particular to what he felt was an unneeded outing when the Cubs had a huge lead in the final innings of Game 6, resulting in his coming in tired in a crucial situation in Game 7. 

Now back with the Yankees, he was named to the 2018-2019 AL All-Star teams. On May 14, 2017, Chapman went on the DL with inflammation in his left shoulder. He was 1-0 with a  3.55 ERA  with 7 saves in 14 games at the time, but he had given up 4 runs in his final 2 outings before going on the DL after only giving up 1 run in his 1st 12 appearances. He missed over a month of action, returning on June 18th, but was not his usual dominant self. This was apparent in a crucial series against theRed Sox in early August, when he gave up 3 walks and a run before saving a game on August 11th. Then, he blew a save 3 days later when he gave a game-tying HR to rookie Rafael Devers in the 9th, and the winning run in the 10th, at a point when the Yankees could have closed in within 2 1/2 games of 1st place. 

After a couple of other difficult outings, on August 19th, Girardi relented and stated that he was going to go with a Closer by committee. That only lasted so long, Chapman would finish the season with a record of 4-3 along with a 3.22 ERA and 22 saves in 52 outings. He was solid in the postseason, pitching a scoreless inning to close the Yankees' win over the Twins in the ALWCG and contributing 2 saves with a 0.00 ERA in their upset win over the Indians in the ALDS. In the ALCS against theAstros, he was charged with the loss in Game 2 on October 14th, when he replaced David Robertson in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied at 1, after striking out Josh Reddick, allowed a singled to Jose Altuve and a double to Carlos Correa that ended the game. He did save a 6-4 win in Game 4 in his only other outing, his usage being limited by the fact that this was the only late-inning lead to be saved for the Yankees in the entire series. In 2020 short season, he would post a 1-1 record with a 3.09 ERA and 3 saves in 13 games. In 2021, he had a 6-4 record with a 3.36 ERA and 30 saves in 61 games. In 2022, Chapman would post a 4-4 record with a 4.46 ERA and 9 saves in 43 games. He had lost his Closer’s role with the team. In the 2022 Post Season, he didn’t take part in a scheduled practice at Yankee Stadium, so he was left off the Yankees post season team roster. Overall, as a Yankees Closer,  Aroldis Chapman had posted a 24-14 record along with 2.94 ERA and 153 saves. On November 6, 2022, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. On January 27, 2023, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent for a 1-year deal by the Royals

2003- Former Yankees Minor League OF Jim Fridley passed away. (1924-2003)

On December 1,1954, OF Jim Fridley was sent by the Orioles to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on November 17,1954. The Orioles had sent Players to be Named Later, INF Billy Hunter, Pitchers Don Larsen and Bob Turley to the Yankees for Players to be Named Later, Pitchers Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, INF Willy Miranda, Catchers Hal Smith and Gus Triandos and MLB OF Gene Woodling. Jim never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. He would be sent by the team to their AAA team, the Denver Bears (AA). On May 30,1957, Jim was purchased by the Dodgers from the Yankees organization.

2009- Former Yankees Pitcher Tom “Snake” Sturdivant (1955-1959) passed away. (1930-2009)

After attending Capitol Hill HS in Oklahoma City, Tom Sturdivant was signed by the Yankees in 1948, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He began his pro baseball career that summer. Originally an Infielder, he hit in the .240-.250 range through 1950 Minor League season. Tom missed the 1951 baseball season due to military service. He returned to baseball in 1952. On advice of Yankees veteran Starter Allie Reynolds, he was converted to a Pitcher in the Texas League. 

Tom would reach the MLB with the 1955 Yankees, appearing in 2 World Series games that year, as Yankees lost to the Dodgers. In 1956, he would post a 16-8 record with a 3.30 ERA in 32 games for the Yankees. He would pitch a complete game in Game 4 of the World Series against the Dodgers. In 1957, he posted a 16-6 record with a 2.54 ERA for the Yankees in 28 games. Tom led the AL Pitchers with a .727 winning percentage. Then Sturdivant developed a sore arm during the 1958 AL season, losing his effectiveness of his sinkerball pitch, posting only a 3-6 record with a 4.20 ERA in 15 games. On May 26,1959, Tom was traded by the Yankees along with P Johnny Kucks and Reserve INF Jerry Lumpe to Kansas City for INF Hector Lopez and P Ralph Terry. At the time of his trade to the A’s, Tom had appeared in only 7 games with the 1959 Yankees, while posting a 0-2 record with a 4.97 ERA. His final Yankees pitching career totals was a 36-25 record with a 3.19 ERA with 13 complete games, 4 shutouts and 5 saves in 115 games. Tom had appeared in 3 World Series (1955-1957) for the Yankees, while posting a 1-0 record with a 4.34 ERA in 6 games. He never again won 10 games in an MLB season. Later, he would pitch for the A’s, Red Sox, 1961 Expansion Senators, Pirates, Tigers and finishing up his MLB Pitching career with Casey Stengel’s 1964 Mets, appearing in 16 games with no record with 1 save. Following his MLB playing career, Tom Sturdivant was a Business Executive for a trucking company in Oklahoma.

2015- Former Yankees OF/DH Alex “The Bull” Johnson (1974-1975) passed away. (1942-2015)
On September 10,1974, the Yankees had purchased veteran OF/DH Alex “The Bull” Johnson from the Rangers for Cash. Alex was the former 1970 Co-AL Batting Champion, who had hit .329 with the Angels. Outside of hitting a game winning Grand Slam HR at his 1st Yankee at bat in September of 1974, Alex’s hitting performance with the team was a major disappointment, hitting only .216 in 10 games in September of 1974. In 1975, he did hit .261, but with only 1 HR and 15 RBIs. On September 4,1975, Alex was released by the team. He would finish his MLB playing career with the 1976 Tigers. Overall, he had hit .288 with 78 HRs and 525 RBIs in 1,322 games. The Phillies originally signed him as an MLB Amateur Free Agent in 1962. He had played in the MLB with the Phillies, Cardinals, Reds, Angels, Indians, Rangers, Yankees and the Tigers.

2022- The Yankees announce the hiring of former player and long-time MLB Coach Hensley Meulens has their new 3^rd MLB Hitting Coach for the 2022 AL season. The former Yankees player had been a long-time MLB Coach for the Giants. He had been interviewed for the Manager position for the Yankees, before the Front Office had chosen current Manager Aaron Boone. At the end of the 2022 MLB season, he would leave the Yankees MLB Coaching Staff to become the new MLB Hitting Coach for the 2023 Rockies.

February 29^th It only happens every 4 years

1920- Former Yankees INF/OF Ernie Courtney (1903) passed away. (1875-1920)

In 1902, INF/OF Ernie Courtney had been signed as an MLB Free Agent by the AL Baltimore Orioles. He had appeared in 25 games for the 1903 Yankees, while hitting .266 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs. On June 10,1903, the Yankees had traded veteran MLB Shortstop Herman Long and INF Ernie Courtney to the Tigers for Shortstop Norman “Kid” Elberfeld in the Yankees 1^stMLB trade. 

1924- Former Yankees President/General Manager, MLB Baseball Executive and AL All-Star Player Al Rosen (1978-1979) was born. (1924-2015) 

Al Rosen was an AL All-Star 3B with the 1947-1956 Indians. He had played in 1,044 AL games with a lifetime .285 BA, while hitting 192 HRs and 717 RBIs. He appeared in 2 World Series with the 1948 and the 1954 Indians. In 1953, he led the AL in HRs with 43, also in RBIs with 145, a slugging percentage of .613; he finished 2^nd in AL Batting Title with a .336 mark. He was named the 1953 AL Most Valuable Player. After the 1956 AL season had ended and retiring as an active player, Al joined the Indians Front Office staff. In 1978,  Al Rosen took over as the Yankees President and General Manager duties after GM Gabe Paul had left the team after 1977 World Series had ended. During the 1978 AL Eastern Division race ,Rosen was making key personnel moves including bringing in Bob Lemon as Manager to replace the fired Manager Billy Martin, which allowed the Yankees to catch the Red Sox and win the AL Pennant. He would make several key player personnel moves bringing in players like MLB veterans Gary Thomasson and Jay Johnstone to help the team, when injuries occurred to the Yankees regular players. From 1978-1979, Al Rosen would serve as President of the Yankees. At the end of the 1979 MLB season, he  would leave the Yankees organization to take the position of the GM for the Astros; which he held from 1980-1985. Then Rosen would leave the Astros organization to take the same position with the 1985-1992 Giants Front Office. 

1976- Former Yankees Reserve OF Terrance Long (2006) was born.

Terrance Long was a former No. 1 1994 MLB Amateur Player Draft pick of the Mets. On May 18, 2006, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Yankees. He would appear in only 12 games for the Yankees, while hitting just .167. On October 31, 2006, Terrance was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. 

1992- The Yankees had traded P Alan Mills to the Orioles for Players to be Named Later. Mills had posted a 1-5 record with a 4.10 ERA in 36 games for the 1990 Yankees. In 1991, he went 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA in 6 games for the team; while spending most of the 1991 season with AAA Columbus Clippers (IL) as a Starter/Reliever, while posting a 7-5 record.  Overall, as a Yankee Pitcher, Mills had a 2-6 record with a 4.19 ERA and no saves in 42 games. The Yankees had acquired him on June 22,1987, when the Angels sent P Alan Mills to the Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on December 19,1986. On December 19,1986, The Angels sent a Player to be Named Later and P Ron Romanick to the Yankees for MLB Catcher Butch Wynegar. The Orioles would send 2 Minor League hurlers: Francisco de la Rosa and Mark Carper to the Yankees to complete the trade; both were assigned to the Yankees Minor League system. Neither player would ever appear with the Yankees at the MLB level.

2000- After being suspended yesterday by MLB for 1 year for testing positive for the use Cocaine, Yankees OF/DH Darryl Strawberry is invited to join the Newark Bears during his MLB player suspension. The New Jersey baseball franchise, which is a member of the Atlantic League, which is independent from organized baseball, that is located near Strawberry's Fort Lee, N.J. home.

March 1st

1944- Former Yankees Reliever Ron Klimkowski (1969-1970,1972) was born. (1944-2009)

Reliever Ron Klimkowski came to the Yankees during the 1967 AL season in the Elston Howard trade with the Red Sox.  At the time of the trade, Ron had pitching at AA Pittsfield (EL), while posting a 7-4 record. The Yankees would assign him to their AAA club, the Syracuse Chiefs (IL). He had appeared in 48 games for the 1969-1970 Yankees, while posting a 6-8 record with 1 save before being traded to Oakland for veteran OF/DH Felipe Alou. After being released by Oakland in 1972, he would return to the Yankees. Ron went 0-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 1 save in 16 games in his final active MLB season. He would spend the 1973 season pitching in the Yankees Minor League system before retiring as an active player.

1947- The Yankees had purchased veteran INF Johnny Lucadello from the St. Louis Browns. He had missed the 1942-1946 MLB seasons because of military service with the Navy. Johnny would only appear in 12 games for the 1947 Yankees, he would spend most of the 1947 baseball season with the Yankees AA team, the Kansas City Blues (AA) playing in 34 games, while hitting just .170 with No HRs and 11 RBIs. For the 1948 season, he would play for the AA Newark Bears (IL) playing in 140 games, while hitting .275 with 12 HRs and 56 RBIs. The 1949 season saw him playing for the AA Blues again, while playing in 111 games, hitting .286 with 2 HRs and 24 RBIs. He left the Yankees organization in 1950, signing with the White Sox organization. He would never return to play in the MLB again, he continued playing Minor League baseball until his player retirement in 1955.

1947- New MLB Managers in 1947 MLB Spring Training Camps are Billy Herman with the Pirates, Muddy Ruel with the St. Louis Browns, Bucky Harris with the Yankees and Johnny Neun with the Reds. Johnny Neun had ended the 1946 AL season as Manager of the Yankees, after previous Managers Joe McCarthy and Bill Dickey had quit during the 1946 AL season. The Yankees front office brought in veteran Manager Bucky Harris to manage their 1947 club.

1953- Former Yankees Reserve OF Larry Murray (1974-1976) was born.

In the 5th round of the 1971 MLB Amateur Player Draft, the Yankees had selected OF Larry Murray. He would appear in 20 games for the 1974-1976 Yankees as a Reserve OF, going 2 for 12 before being traded to Oakland on April 27,1977 as part of player package in the Mike Torrez trade. At the time of his trade, Murray was hitting .310 for the Yankees AAA club, the Syracuse Chiefs (IL). His path to the Yankees was blocked with too many veteran outfielders on the MLB team roster.

1969- New York Yankees long time AL All-Star OF/1B Mickey Mantle announces his retirement as an MLB player (1951-1968) at the opening of the Yankees 1969 MLB Spring Training Camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is the last active player of the Yankee stars from the dynasty teams of 1949-1964 to retire from MLB. Mantle, who had slumped to a .237 BA with 18 HRs and 106 RBIs in 144 games in 1968, finishes his 18-season MLB playing career with 536 HRs and a .298 career BA, numbers that would have certainly been higher if not for persistent leg and knee injuries. The Yankees will offer Mantle an MLB Coaching position on Manager Ralph Houk’s 1969 MLB Coaching staff, but Mantle declines the offer and goes home. 

1980- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Art Jorgens (1929-1930) passed away (1905-1980)

On August 24,1928, Catcher Art Jorgens was purchased by the Yankees from Oklahoma City (WL). Art holds the all-time record for World Series games in which he was on the team’s roster without ever appearing in a game. He was on the MLB post-season roster for the Yankees in 1932 and from 1936-1939 (23 games total), but he never appeared in a post-season game for them. He played his entire playing career of 11 MLB seasons with the Yankees. He had appeared in 307 games for the team, finishing with a .238 BA with 4 HRs and 89 RBIs. He was one of few players, who were born in Norway to play in the MLB.

1991- Former Yankees Pitcher Joe Mantiply (2019) was born.

The Yankees had acquired P Joe Mantiply from the Reds for Cash Considerations. He was not on the Yankees 40-man MLB Roster. He was assigned to AAA Scranton (IL). Joe was a the 27th round pick in the 2013 MLB Amateur Player Draft by the Tigers. He will appear in 1 game with the 2019 Yankees, while posting a 1-0 record with 9.00 ERA in 1 game. On November 4, 2019, the Yankees will grant him MLB Free Agency. On January 3, 2020, he will be signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Diamondbacks.

1993- Yankees Team Owner George Steinbrenner is reinstated as General Partner of the team. MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent had banned Steinbrenner from day-to-day activities with the Yankees because of his relationship with convicted Gambler Howard Spira.

1996- The Yankees christen Legends Field at their new $30 million 31-acre complex in Tampa, Fla. The playing field has the exact dimensions of Yankee Stadium. On hand to see Phil Rizzuto toss out the 1st ball are former Yankees Stars Whitey Ford, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry and Chris Chambliss, who then watch the Yankees beat the 1997 AL Champions Cleveland Indians by the score of 5-2.

1999- Current Yankees INF Oswaldo Cabrera (2022) was born.

On July 2, 2015, Oswaldo Cabrera was signed as a Free Agent by the Yankees. Oswaldo has played on the Venezuelan National team before making his MLB player debut. In 2016, Cabrera made his pro debut playing for the DSL Yankees 2, while hitting .441 with 15 runs in 19 games and earning a quick promotion to the GCL Yankees East. In 7 games there, he would hit .455 with 9 runs and 6 doubles, then he would move up to the Class A Pulaski Yankees (APL), where he finally faced a challenge, producing at a .240 clip in 26 games; he had a .919 OPS for the year. In 2017, he was the youngest player to make an Opening Day roster in the South Atlantic League. Oswaldo would hit .242 for the Class A Charleston RiverDogs and spent part of the year with the short season Class A Staten Island Yankees (NYPL), while  hitting .289 in 23 games.

In 2018, his batting line for Class A Charleston was .229, while he split 2B and Shortstop playing time with Wilkerman Garcia. In 2019, he would improve his hitting to .260 mark with 29 doubles for the Class A Tampa Tarpons (FSL), bouncing around the infield other than 1B. He would tie Ryan McBroom for 5th in the Yankees chain in doubles and was 7th in hits. In the FSL, he had tied Carlos Cortes for 7th in hits, tied Blake Tiberi for 3rd in doubles and was 7th with 171 total bases. Cabrera would miss the 2020 season, when the minor league season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to play in 2021, he would hit .256 with 29 doubles, 24 HRs, 20 steals in 25 tries and 78 RBIs for the AA Somerset Patriots and briefly made it to AAA level with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (15 for 30, 2 2B, 3B, 5 HRs, 11 R, 11 RBIs, 5 BB for a .717 OPS). In the AA Northeast, he had tied Adley Rutschman for 10th in runs, led in hits, had tied David Villar and Mason Martin for 4th in doubles, was 2nd in HRs, led in RBIs, he led in total bases (215) and tied for 3rd in steals. That was despite missing part of the year playing for Venezuela in the Americas Olympic Qualifier. He only got into 1 game for Venezuela, pinch-hitting for Diego Rincones in the 9th against the Dominican Republic's Jairo Asencio and flying out. Venezuela did not make the Olympics. That year, he was among the Yankee chain leaders in runs (tied Michael Beltre and Elijah Dunham for 4th), hits (2nd, 11 behind Oswald Peraza), doubles (2nd, 4 behind Anthony Volpe), HRs (2nd, 2 behind Dermis Garcia), RBIs and total bases (249, tied Volpe for 1st).

2003- The Yankees had signed Catcher Francisco Cervelli as an MLB Amateur Free Agent.

2004- The Yankees had released veteran MLB 3B Aaron Boone. He had injured his leg during the off-season, while playing basketball, violating his MLB player contract. The Yankees had obtained AL All-Star Shortstop Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers in a trade, so Aaron Boone became expendable.  A-Rod would become the Yankees new starting 3B for the 2004 AL season. Also, the Yankees would also release 3B Minor League Prospect Drew Henson from his MLB Player contract, he would go on to playing pro football with the NFL. Also, the Yankees will trade away veteran 3B Mike Lamb in a few days, who had been signed by the team as well from their MLB Roster.

2016- MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred sends a strong message on the issue of Domestic Violence as he issues a 30-game suspension to Yankees Closer Aroldis Chapman in response to an incident on October 30th. The suspension comes even though Police declined to file charges in the case because of inconsistent evidence, however MLB goes ahead based on the severity of the allegations. Chapman announces that he will not appeal his 30-game suspension.