This Week in Yankees History March 5th-March 11th Part One
March 5th
1891- Former Yankees Catcher Walter “Walt” Alexander (1915-1917) was born. (1891-1978)
On July 30,1915, Catcher Walt Alexander was purchased by the Yankees from the St. Louis Browns. Alexander would hit .221 with 1 HR and 12 RBIs in 81 games for the Yankees. From 1922 to 1929, Walt was a Manager in the Texas Minor Leagues.
1903- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher and Minor League Manager (1948-1949) Martin “Chick” Autry (1924) was born. (1903-1951)
Reserve Catcher Martin Autry had appeared in only 2 games for the 1924 Yankees with no hits. He would spend the 1925 season in the Minor Leagues. Later, he would play for the 1926-1928 Indians and the 1929-1930 White Sox. Later, he was a Minor League Manager for the Pirates organization. He was a Yankees Minor League Manager with the 1948-1949 Class AA Beaumont Exporters (TXL).
1912- Former Yankees MLB Coach and Minor League Manager Jimmy “Gee Gee” Gleeson (1964) was born. (1912-1996)
Former MLB player with the Indians, Cubs and Reds, Jimmy Gleeson was a Manager in the Yankee Minor League system in the 1950-1960’s. He had managed the 1951 Muskegon Reds (CL)),1952,1961-1962 Binghamton Triplets (EL),1959 Kearney Yankees (NSL) and the 1960 Amarillo Gold Sox (TXL). He was a member of the 1938 Newark Bears (IL), the Yankees top AA team. In 1957, he was an MLB Coach for the Kansas City A’s. In 1964, he was an MLB Coach for Yankees Manager Yogi Berra.
1919- Former Yankees 3B/OF Don Savage (1944-1945) was born. (1919-1961)
Don Savage came out of Rutgers Univ. and the Minor Leagues to play 3B for the 1944-1945 Yankees. Although he is listed as being at Rutgers in 1938-1943, he was also in the Yankees Minor League system during those years (except for the 1942 season). In 1943, Don was playing with the AA Newark Bears (IL), before he came to the Yankees and went back to in 1946. In 1944, he had appeared in 60 games at 3B for the Yankees, while Oscar Grimes was in 97 games at 3rd. The following season, Grimes appeared much more often at 3B and Savage less often at the position. In 1945, Don Savage was in 14 games at 3B and with 2 games in the outfield, but he had 34 total appearances, so he presumably did a lot of pinch-hitting for the team. Overall, Don had hit .256 in 105 games for the 1944-1945 Yankees. He was out organized baseball for 2 years. In 1949, he had played for St. Jean Braves, an Independent Minor League team in Canada. In 1956-1957, Don Savage was the Head Baseball Coach at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY.
1921- Former Yankees Reserve OF Elmer Valo (1960) was born. (1921-1998)
Veteran OF Elmer Valo was signed by the Yankees as MLB Free Agent in December of 1959. He had hit .292 in 24 games for the 1959 Indians. He had a .284 MLB BA in 18 seasons. Valo had played for Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics for 15 AL seasons. Elmer would only appear in just 8 games with the 1960 Yankees with no BA, before being released on May 18,1960. He would be picked-up by the Senators. In 1961, he would retire as an MLB active player after finishing the season with the Phillies. He will spend 2 seasons with the Indians as an MLB Coach. Then Elmer would become a long-time MLB Scout for the Phillies (1969-1982).
1922- Yankees Slugger Babe Ruth becomes the highest paid player in MLB history, when he signs a 3-year player contract that will pay him over $50,000 per season. In 1921, Babe Ruth had led the AL with 59 HRs and 171 RBIs, while hitting .378 in 152 games. The next-highest-paid Yankees player on the Yankees MLB Roster is veteran 3B Frank “Home Run” Baker at $16,000.
1950- Former Yankees Pitcher Doug Bird (1980-1981) was born.
On April 29,1980, Pitcher Doug Bird was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. He would post an 8-1 record with a 2.68 ERA and 1 save in 39 games. On June 12,1981, Doug was traded by the Yankees along with a Player to be Named Later and $400,000 Cash to the Cubs for veteran Starter Rick Reuschel. On August 5,1981, the Yankees would send P Mike Griffin to the Cubs to complete the trade.
1973- Yankees Pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson make a stunning public declaration. The 2 Yankees left-handers have announced that they have traded wives, children and the family dogs. Their announcement sends shock waves through-out the MLB world. Both players will be traded away by the team by the next season. Both Peterson (1974) and Kekich (1973) both will be traded to the Indians.
1975- The Yankees had released Reserve INF Fernando Gonzalez to the Poza Rica Petroleros team in the Mexican League. He had appeared in 51 games for the 1974 Yankees, while hitting just .215. He will return to the MLB in 1975 with the Pirates. Leaving the MLB again, he will play in the Mexican League from 1981-1984. He would return to the Yankees organization in 1984, playing for their AA team, the Nashville Sounds (SL). He had appeared in 29 games for the team, while hitting .257 with 3 HRs and 30 RBIs.
1995- Former Yankees Reserve INF Roy Hughes (1939) passed away. (1911-1995)
On June 13,1939, veteran MLB INF Roy Hughes was traded by the St. Louis Browns along with Cash to the Yankees for OF Joe Gallagher. Roy never appears with the Yankees in an MLB game. He was sent to AA Newark Bears (IL), appearing in 28 games, while hitting .374. On July 13,1939, Roy Hughes was traded by the Yankees to the Phillies for Minor League P Al Hollingsworth.
2001- Former Yankees Minor INF Leo Thomas passed away. (1923-2001).
On June 15, 1950, INF Leo Thomas was traded by the St. Louis Browns along with 2 Pitchers: Tom Ferrick and Joe Ostrowskito the Yankees for OF Jim Delsing, Pitchers Don Johnson and Duane Pillette, INF George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss and $50,000 Cash. Leo doesn’t appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. He was sent down to the Yankees AAA club, the Kansas City Blues (AA), where he hit .250 with No HRs and 19 RBIs in 36 games. On July 22,1950, he was purchased by AAA Portland Beavers (PCL) from the Yankees.
2003- The Yankees had signed P Ramon Ramirez as an MLB Free Agent. Ramon never would pitch for the Yankees at the MLB level. On July 28, 2005, he was traded by the Yankees along with Minor League Player Eduardo Sierra to the Rockies for MLB P Shawn Chacon.
March 6th
1919- The Yankees would sell veteran P Ray Keating (1912-1916,1918) to the Braves for Cash. Ray had a Yankees pitching career record of 24-40 with a 3.36 ERA in 108 games. In 1919, he would post a 7-11 record with 2.89 ERA in 22 games for the Braves in his last season pitching in the MLB. His final MLB Pitching career record was a 31-51 mark with a 3.29 ERA in 130 games. He would continue to pitch in the high-level Minor Leagues until 1934, retiring at the age of 40.
1965- Former Yankees Catcher Wally Schang (1921-1925) passed away. (1889-1965)
On December 15,1920, Catcher Wally Schang was traded by the Red Sox along with Pitchers Harry Harper, Waite Hoyt and INF Mike McNally to the for 2B Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel, P Hank Thormahlen and OF Sammy Vick. Wally Schang would hit .297 with 16 HRs and 209 RBIs in 529 games in 5 seasons with the Yankees, before being traded to the St. Louis Browns for P George Mogridge on February 6,1926. He would hit .330 for the 1926 St. Louis Browns. Wally would be the starting catcher for the Browns for the next 4 seasons. His trade was considered to be a rare mistake by Yankees GM Edward Barrow. The Yankees would not have a regular starting catcher until the arrival of Rookie Bill Dickey in 1928. Wally would continue to play in the MLB until 1931. He had originally come up to the MLB with the 1912 A’s, then he was traded to the Red Sox, before joining the Yankees in 1921. Then he would play for the Browns and finishing up his active playing career with the 1931 Tigers. Wally had played in 5 World Series: 1913-1914 A’s, 1918 Red Sox and the 1921-1923 Yankees. For the Bronx Bombers, he would appear in 13 Series games, while hitting .271 with No HRs and 1 RBI. He would also continue to play in the Minors as a Player-Manager for many years after his active MLB playing career had ended. From 1936 to 1938, Schang was a Indians MLB Coach. He would manage in the Minor leagues during the 1930’s-1940’s with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Phillies and the Yankees organizations. In 1942, he had managed the Yankees farm club, the Augusta Tigers (SAL).
1965- Former Yankees INF and MLB Manager Jimmy Austin (1909-1910) passed away. (1879-1965)
On September 1,1908, INF Jimmy Austin was selected by the Yankees from Omaha (WL) in the 1908 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. He had appeared in 269 games for the 1909-1911 Yankees, as the team’s 3B, while hitting only .224 with 3 HRs and 75 RBIs. On February 11,1911, Jimmy was traded by the Yankees along with INF/OF Frank LaPorte to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hartzell and Cash. Austin would play for the Browns until 1929, retiring as an active player at the age of 45. Also, he would manage the team in 1913,1918 and 1923. Later, Jimmy was an MLB Coach for the 1933-1935,1937 and the 1939-1940 White Sox .
1977- Former Yankees Reserve OF (2000, 2010) and Former MLB Hitting Coach Marcus Thames (2018-2021) was born.
In the 30th round of the 1996 MLB Amateur Player Draft the Yankees had selected OF Marcus Thames. He would appear in 13 games with the 2000 Yankees, while hitting .231. Marcus broke into the MLB by hitting a HR for the Yankees off of Diamondbacks Starter Randy Johnson. On June 6, 2003, he was traded to the Rangers for veteran OF/DH Ruben Rivera. In June of 2008, Marcus Thames was playing for the Tigers, he had 8 HRs in a span of 8 hits. From 2006-2009, he had played for the Tigers. In 2010, Marcus hit .288 with 12 HRs and 33 RBIs for the Yankees as a DH/Reserve Outfielder. In the winter of 2010, Marcus became an MLB Free agent. In January of 2011, he signed a 1-year deal with the Dodgers for the 2011 NL season. During the 2011 NL season, the Dodgers would release Marcus. He rejoined the Yankees organization, finishing the season with AAA Scranton (IL). He was a Coach for the 2013 Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL). In 2014, he moved up to the Class AA Trenton Thunder (EL) and then he continued to move up in 2015 to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL), before re-joining the club as a MLB Co-Hitting Coach for the 2016 AL season. In 2018, he was named the team’s MLB Hitting Coach. In November of 2021, Marcus was fired by the Yankees along with his Assistant Hitting Coach. He would be picked up by the Marlins for their 2022 MLB Coaching Staff.
1985- Former Yankees, A’s, Braves and the Cardinals OF Enos “Country” Slaughter (1954-1955,1956-1959) and NL Shortstop John “Arky” Vaughan are elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Enos Slaughter, known for his hustling style of play with the Cardinals and later with the Yankees, he had gained fame for his celebrated "Mad Dash" home during the 1946 World Series against the Red Sox. With the Yankees, Enos Slaughter had played in 350 games, while hitting .285, while hitting 6 HRs with 198 RBIs. He had appeared in 5 World Series with the 2-Cardinals and 3-Yankees. As a Yankees player, Slaughter would hit .285 in 3 World Series overall with an .291 BA in 5 World Series. Arky Vaughan had batted .318 over a 14-year MLB playing career in the NL with the Pirates and the Dodgers.
1986- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher Francisco Cervelli (2008-2014) was born.
Catcher Francisco Cervelli was seriously injured in a collision at home plate during a 2008 spring training game against the Rays. He was a top Yankees prospect at that point, after hitting .279 with an OBP 100 points higher for the Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL) in 2007. However, the injury shortened his 2008 season to 27 games for 3 different Yankee Minor League teams.
Still, he showed that he remained on track for the MLB during his time with the AA Trenton Thunder (EL), where he put up a line of .315 in 21 games. That earned him a late-season call-up to the Bronx in September. He went 0 for 5 in 3 games in his cup of coffee in Yankee pinstripes.
The team called him up early in the 2009 season, when regular MLB Catchers Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were sidelined in turn by injuries. He would appear in 42 games for the Yankees, while hitting .298 with 1 HR with 11 RBI’s. He had played in the 2009 AL playoffs for 1 game, but he did not play in the 2009 World Series against the Phillies. In 2010, Cervelli took over from Molina as Posada's main back-up. With Posada catching fewer games because of his age, he got a chance to play often. He batted very well albeit with little power - in the early going, although his average fell back to his career norms as the season advanced. However, he showed good defense and an excellent ability to handle pitchers, giving Manager Joe Girardi the chance to rest Posada more often and play him as the DH, after veteran DH/1B Nick Johnsonwas lost for the season because of a serious wrist injury. In 2011, with Posada moving to become the full-time DH, he was in competition for the starting catching job with veteran MLB Catcher Russell Martin in the MLB Spring Training Camp, but Martin won out and Cervelli would play the season as a back-up. In 2012, he fell down one more step, losing the back-up job to veteran Catcher Chris Stewart. He playing most of the season with AAA Scranton (IL), getting into only 3 contests at the MLB level. In 2013, however, Martin would leave the Yankees, as an MLB Free Agent, the team did not attempt to sign a veteran starter to take his place, relying on Cervelli and Stewart instead. In the early going, Cervelli got most of the playing time, but it came crashing down on April 26th, when Blue Jays batter Rajai Davis hit a foul tip that went straight on his right hand, breaking a bone and putting him on the DL for an extended period. He was hitting .269 with 3 HRs at the time. While on the DL, Cervelli had accepted a 50-game suspension resulting from MLB's investigation of the Biogenesis Laboratories on August 5th. As a result of his earlier head injury, Cervelli wears an oversized batting helmet designed to afford him more protection and reduce the risk of a future head concussions. During the winter of 2014, the Yankees would trade him to the Pirates for Reliever Justin Wilson. Cervelli’s final Yankee player career totals was a .278 BA with 10 HRs and 92 RBIs in 250 games. After the 2020 MLB season had ended, Cervelli announced his player retirement from the MLB. In the Fall of 2021, he would join the Pirates MLB Coaching Staff as an MLB Hitting Coach.
1990- Former Yankees and Indians Hall Of Fame INF Joe Sewell (1931-1933) passed away. (1898-1990)
Infielder Joe Sewell spent most of his 14-season MLB playing career with the Indians. He finished out his MLB playing career with the 1931-1933 Yankees. In September of 1920, the Indians bought his Minor League player contract from New Orleans (SA). In 1921, he became the Tribe’s regular 2B, the Indians had lost regular 2B Roy Chapman from a beaning death in 1920 from a pitch thrown by Bronx veteran P Carl Mays, which resulted in his death. After the 1930 AL season had ended, the Tribe would release Joe, then the Yankees would sign him as an MLB Free Agent In 1931, as the Yankees regular 3B, he would hit .300 with 6 HRS and 64 RBIs in 130 games. With the 1932 Yankees, Joe would hit .272 with 11 HRs and 68 RBIs in 125 games. His last Yankee season was in 1933, Sewell had hit .273 with 2 HRs and 54 RBIs in 135 games. Overall, as a Yankees player, Joe had hit .282 with 19 HRs and 186 RBIs in 390 games. Joe would appear in 2 World Series as a player; with the 1920 Indians and the 1932 Yankees; while hitting .237 with No HRs and 3 RBIs in 11 games. His lifetime MLB BA mark was .312 with 49 HRs and 1,054 RBIs in 1,903 games. He was the toughest player to fan in MLB history, only 114 times in his 14-year MLB playing career. In 1977, Joe Sewell was elected to the Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
1994- Former Yankees Minor League P Domingo Acevedo was born.
Domingo Acevedo was signed by the Yankees in 2013. In 2018, he had pitched for the short-season Class A Staten Island Yankees (NYPL) and the AA Trenton Yankees (EL). He would post a 3-3 record with a 2.92 ERA in 14 games for the AA Trenton Thunder. On July 21st, he was called up to the MLB for the 1st time. It was only for a day and he was there strictly as insurance if the Yankees had needed a long reliever, but it was a 1st taste of the MLB atmosphere for him. It turned out that his services weren't required in the game, so he was sent back down at the end of the day. In the Fall of 2020, he became a Minor League Free Agent. For the 2021 AL season, he was with the Oakland A’s. On July 31, 2021, the A’s had Designated him For Assignment.
2005- Suzyn Waldman becomes the 1st woman to be a full-time color commentator in MLB history, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM 880, the radio flagship of the New York Yankees. The former Radio-Talk host on WFAN, the 1st all-sports radio station in US, was also the 1st female to broadcast on a nationally baseball telecast as well as the 1st to provide local TV (Yankees) MLB play-by-play.
2010- Former Yankees Pitcher Jim Roland (1972) passed away. (1942-2010)
On April 28,1972, P Jim Roland was purchased by the Yankees from the A’s. He had appeared in 16 games for the 1972 Yankees, while posting a 0-1 record with a 5.04 ERA. On August 30,1972, Jim was traded by the Yankees to the Rangers for veteran Reliever Casey Cox. Jim had pitched in the MLB for 12 seasons, including 6 seasons with the Twins, the team that he had originally signed with. He would finish his MLB Pitching career with a 19-17 record with a 3.22 ERA and 9 saves in 216 games.
2013- The seemingly cursed Yankees get more bad news when they learn that AL All-Star 1B Mark Teixeira 's wrist injury is more serious than thought and that he will be out until mid-May of 2013; with no obvious back-up plan in place. At least, Shortstop Derek Jeter and Closer Mariano Rivera seem to be doing well in their bid to come back from 2012 season-ending injuries, but the Yankees Spring Training Complex in Tampa, Fla. is starting to look like a MASH Unit with GM Brian Cashmanaddressing reporters on crutches resulting from a charity sky-diving accident with the US Army Golden Knights.
March 7th
1908- Former Yankees Minor League 1B Harry Davis was born. (1908-1997)
On December 4,1937, 1B Harry Davis was traded by the St. Louis Browns to the Yankees for P Vito Tamulis. Harry would never appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. He had played in the MLB for the Tigers and the Browns before joining the Yankees organization. In 1938, the Yankees would send him to their AA team, the Kansas City Blues (AA), where he would hit .299. For the 1939 baseball season, Harry would join the St. Louis Cardinals organization. After retiring as an active player, Harry became a Minor League Manager (1940-1945) for several MLB teams before retiring.
1914- Former Yankees Reserve OF Joseph “Muscles” Gallagher (1939) was born. (1914-1998)
Reserve OF Joe Gallagher would appear in 14 games for the 1939 Yankees, while hitting .244 before being traded on June 13,1939 by the team to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hughes and Cash. Prior to making his MLB player debut with the 1939 Yankees, he was a star with their AA club, the Kansas City Blues in 1938, hitting .343 with 24 HRs, both his hitting stats led the team. On April 9,1947, Gallagher was hired as Head Baseball Coach at Stephen F. Austin State College in Nacogdoches, Tx. Also, Gallagher was the Head Baseball Coach at Rice Univ. in 1962. In 1998, Joe died at age of 83 after a long illness.
1930- Former Yankees Minor League P Tom Acker was born. (1930-2021)
In 1948, P Tom Acker had been signed as MLB Amateur Free Agent by the Giants organization. He eventually came up to the MLB, pitching for the 1956-1959 Reds. Acker had appeared in 153 games for the team, while posting a 19-13 record with a 4.12 ERA in 380 innings. During the winter of 1959, Tom was traded by the Reds to the Athletics for Catcher Frank House. He didn’t pitch for the 1960 A’s. Instead, Tom Acker would spend his last season in pro baseball with the 1960 Richmond Virginians (IL), who were the Yankees AAA team. He would appear in 15 games for Richmond, closing out his pro pitching career in the Minor Leagues with a 0-2 won-loss record with a 5.06 ERA.
1954- Former Yankees Reliever Mike Armstrong (1983-1986) was born.
After the 1983 AL season ended, the Royals had traded Reliever Mike Armstrong and Duane Dewey to the Yankees for 1B Steve Balboni and P Roger Erickson. The Yankees, who were anticipating losing Rich Gossage to MLB Free Agency, were desperate to shore up their bullpen, when they made the trade. However, the deal soon turned into a PR nightmare for the team. Balboni, a heavily-hyped prospect, who had been unable to succeed in limited trials in the Bronx, settled in as Royals starting 1B, Steve would hit 117 HRs for the next 4 seasons. Armstrong, on the other hand, showed up at 1984 Yankees MLB Spring Training Camp with a sore pitching arm. It turned out Armstrong's bum elbow was one of the worst-kept secrets in baseball, but the Yankees hadn't gotten the memo. Yankees Team Owner George Steinbrenner, convinced that he had been peddled "damaged goods," asked MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to intervene and amend the deal with the Royals; but no resolution was ever reached. Armstrong did not make his 1984 MLB Pitching debut with the Yankees until June 16th. Prior to 1985 MLB season, the Tigers reportedly offered aging Slugger Darrell Evans to the Yankees for Armstrong. The Yankees declined the trade, Evans went on to lead the AL with 40 HRs. Meanwhile, things didn't get any better for Armstrong, as he had a poor spring training camp. At the beginning of the season, he was sent down to the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). He was recalled on June 4th, but Yankees Manager Billy Martin had no use for the finesse-tossing Armstrong. He buried him in the back of the Bronx bullpen. On June 20th, Yankees Closer Dave Righetti blew a 3-run lead in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Tigers, then he put runners on the corners with 2 outs in the 10th. Armstrong was summoned from the bullpen, even though he hadn't pitched since June 9th. On his 2nd pitch, Mike threw a walk-off wild pitch. That effectively ended any possibility of Armstrong having a meaningful pitching career with the Yankees. He was soon sent back down to AAA Columbus (IL). However, the Yankees recalled him immediately before the brief MLB players' strike later that season, so they could avoid having to pay his salary during the work stoppage. The Yankees kept shuttling Armstrong between Bronx and AAA Columbus and late in the season, the Players' Association filed a grievance on his behalf, claiming the Yankees had sent Armstrong down improperly. He apparently ended up dropping the grievance to avoid having his guaranteed MLB player contract being terminated. Armstrong would spend most of 1986 season at AAA Columbus, along with a handful of appearances with the Yankees. He had signed a Minor League contract with the Yankees in 1987, but he was released in April, after refusing to accept a demotion to Double A. Mike had a 3-3 record with 1 save in 42 games with the Yankees before finishing up his MLB pitching career with the 1987 Indians. After his release from the Yankees, Mike was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Tribe. Mike would make 14 appearances for the team during that season.
1962- Former Yankees Minor Leaguer P Jose Cano was born.
Jose Cano is the Father of former Yankees 2B Robinson Cano. Jose had appeared in the MLB with 1989 Astros, going 1-1 in 6 games. He originally signed as an MLB Amateur Free Agent by the Yankees in 1980. The Yankees would release Jose. In 1981, the Braves would sign Jose as an MLB Free Agent. Twice the Braves had released him. Then, Jose Cano was signed by the Astros organization. Also, he pitched for years in Mexican Leagues as well as in Taiwan, before retiring as an active player. He was Robbie Cano’s pitcher for the MLB All-Star HR Derby Contest.
1981- Former Yankees Shortstop Paul “Pee Wee” Wanninger (1925) passed away. (1902-1981)
“Pee-Wee” Wanninger was the regular Shortstop for the 1925 Yankees. Paul hit .236 with 1 HR and 23 RBIs in 117 games for the Yankees. He had replaced veteran starter Everett “Deacon” Scott at Shortstop in May of 1925 to end his then-record MLB Consecutive Games streak at 1,307 games. Less than a month later, on June 1st, he would make way for another record-long consecutive games played streak to start, when a Yankee Rookie 1B named Lou Gehrig pinch-hit for him in a game. After the 1925 AL season had ended, the Yankees would trade Wanninger to AA St. Paul Saints (AA) to complete the earlier trade made for Catcher Pat Collins. He went on to play many seasons for the AA St. Paul Saints (1926-1932) and other teams, through the 1940 season. Also, he was a Manager for 4 seasons in the Minor Leagues.
1998- The Yankees had signed former Cuban Baseball Star hurler Orlando Hernandez, brother of the 1997 World Serieshero Livan Hernandez to a 4-year, $6.6 million contract. “El Duque” would go on to post a 61-40 record for the 1998-2004 Yankees. He was 2-0 in World Series play and 7-2 in AL Post-season games for the Yankees.
2006- World Baseball Classic: Pool C Game: Yankees AL All-Star CF Bernie Williams drove in a 6th-inning run to hand Puerto Rico, a 2-1 victory over Panama.
2006- Former Yankees Reserve Catcher, now with the Red Sox, John “Flash” Flaherty announces his MLB player retirement, ending his 14-year MLB playing career with the team that he started out with. After playing 3 seasons with the Yankees, he was signed in December of 2005 as an MLB Free Agent, as a Reserve Catcher to Jorge Posada. Also, John had played for the Tigers and the Padres. He was one of the original members of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. John had posted a lifetime .252 BA with 80 HRs and 395 RBIs in 1,047 MLB games played. He will go to work as a Sports Announcer for the Yes Network.
2016- Former Yankees Pitcher Steve Kraly passed away. (1929-2016)
In 1949, the Yankees had signed P Steve Kraly, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. In 1953, Steve had posted a 0-2 record with a 3.24 ERA in 5 games with the Yankees. Also, he would pitch in the Yankees farm system from 1949-1960. He posted a 18-6 record for the 1950 Class C Joplin (WL). While playing at Joplin, he was Mickey Mantle’s roommate. Steve would continue pitching in the Yankees Minor League organization until 1958, then he would pitch in the Tigers, Reds and the Phillies organizations before retiring with an 89-65 record in 324 games. He said that Former Yankee Manager Casey Stenge lhad picked up his player contract for the original 1962 Mets in the fall of 1961, but that Steve’s would wife prevailed on him to retire from pro baseball. Steve would work for the IBM Corp. for 30 years. For many seasons, Steve was the Game Official Scorer for the Birmingham Minor League Baseball team.
2022- The Yankees make several roster moves today, they pick up Veteran Marwin Gonzalez Minor League Contract signing him to an MLB deal and adding him to their 40-Man MLB roster: to make room for him; they will DFA OF Jeisson Rosairo. On March 10th, he will clear waivers and be outrighted by the team to AA Somerset. Marwin will appear in 85 games for the 2022, hitting only .185 with 6 HRs and 18 RBIs. On November 6, 2022, the Yankees will grant him MLB Free Agency.
March 8th
1893- Former Yankees Pitcher Ray Francis (1925) was born. (1893-1934)
Ray Francis went 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA in 4 games for the 1925 Yankees. On August 14,1924, he had been purchased by the Yankees along with OF Ben Paschal from the AA Atlanta Crackers (SA). He had previously pitched in the AL with the Senators and Tigers. He was sent to Minor Leagues by the Yankees, while Paschal stayed in the Bronx. On May 5,1925, Ray was traded by the Yankees along with $9,000 Cash to the Red Sox for OF Bobby Veach and P Alex Ferguson. He would go 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 6 games with Boston, before being sent down to the AA Minneapolis Millers (AA). He would pitch in the Minor Leagues from 1925-1932 before retiring from baseball. His final MLB Pitching record was a 12-28 mark with a 4.65 ERA and 3 saves in 82 games.
1930 – Veteran Bronx Bomber Slugger Babe Ruth signs a 2-year MLB player contract for $160,000 with the Yankees. At $80,000 per year, he is the highest paid MLB player of all time as of 1930. In 1929, Babe had hit .345 with 54 HRs and 145 RBIs in 135 games for the Yankees.
1930- Former Yankees Pitcher Bob Grim (1954-1958) was born. (1930-1996).
After spending 2-years active duty in the Army for Korean War service, Bob made the Yankees MLB Pitching staff in the 1954 Bronx MLB Spring Training camp. In 1954, Bob Grim would post a 20-6 record with a 3.26 ERA in 37 games for the Yankees; including 8 wins and 1 save in relief. He was named the 1954 AL Rookie of Year for his 1954 season pitching performance. He would lose 1 game in the 1955 World Series against the Dodgers. He would finish the 1955 AL season with a 7-5 record with a 4.19 ERA and 4 saves in 26 games. After injuring his pitching arm, while working in an off-season job, Bob became a Reliever for the Yankees in 1956, posting 4 saves, while posting a 6-1 record with a 2.77 ERA. He didn’t pitch in the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers. In 1957, he would lead the AL Relievers with 18 saves, while going 12-8 with a 2.63 ERA in 46 games. Bob was named to 1957 AL All-Star team. He had appeared in the 1957 World Series against the Braves in relief and taking the loss in Game #4. On June 15,1958, Bob was traded by the Yankees to the Kansas City A’s along with veteran OF/1B Harry “Suitcase” Simpson for 2 Pitchers: Duke Maas and Virgil Trucks. At the time of the June 15th trade, he was 0-1 with a 5.51 ERA with no saves in 11 games for the Yankees. His Yankee final Pitching record was a 45-21 mark along with a 3.35 ERA and 28 saves in 46 games. He would pitch for the 1958-1959 A’s, 1960 Indians, Reds and the Cardinals. He would spend the 1961 season with the Cardinals AAA team. In 1962, Grim was back in the MLB with the Kansas City for 12 games, while posting a 0-1 record, making his last MLB pitching appearance against his old team, the Yankees. Bob would finish his MLB Pitching career in 1962 with an overall 61-41 record with a 3.61 ERA and 38 saves in 268 games. He had pitched in the MLB for the Yankees, A’s (twice), Indians, Reds and the Cardinals.
1938- The Yankees AL All-Star 1B Lou Gehrig rejects the latest MLB Player contract offer from the Yankees front office to a 1-year deal worth $39,000. Yankees GM Ed Barrow was ready to use 1B Babe Dahlgren, who they had obtained from the Red Sox in February of 1937 as his replacement. Four days later, veteran 1B Lou Gehrig will agree to the same Yankees player contract offer to end his 1938 Yankees Spring Training Camp player contract holdout. Even with his long-time Yankee teammate Babe Ruth gone, the Yankees Front Office continue to low-ball Lou Gehrig on his MLB Player salary, despite his excellent production on the playing field. In 1937, Lou had hit .351 with 37 HRs and 157 RBIs in 157 games
1939- Former Yankees Pitcher (1962-1968) and Sports Author Jim “Bull Dog” Bouton was born. (1939-2019)
In 1958, Jim Bouton had pitched at West Michigan Univ. before signing with the Yankees as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would reach the Bronx in 1962. Bouton was the winning pitcher of the 22-inning game against the Tigers in 1962. He would finish his MLB Rookie season with an 7-7 record with a 3.99 ERA and 2 saves in 36 games. He didn’t appear in the 1962 World Series against the Giants. In 1963, Jim would post a 21–7 record with a 2.53 ERA in 40 games for the Yankees. He was named to the 1962 AL All-Star team to pitching staff. In 1964, he would post an 18-13 record with a 3.02 ERA in 38 games for the Yankees. He had appeared in 2 World Series for the 1963-1964 Yankees, going 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 3 games; winning 2 games against the St. Louis Cardinals (1964); losing a 1-0 shutout, a 4-hitter to the Dodgers Starter Don Drysdale in 1963 World Series. He injured his pitching arm in 1965, he was never effective hurler again for the team. His Yankees Pitching career record was a 55-51 mark with a 3.36 ERA and 4 saves in 197 games. In October of 1968, he was sold by the Yankees to the AAA Seattle Angels (PCL), who would become the new AL Expansion Team, the Seattle Pilots. Also, Jim would pitch for the Astros and Braves in the NL. Jim Bouton would finish MLB Pitching career with a 62-63 record along with a 3.57 ERA and 6 saves in 304 games. After his MLB playing career was over, he wrote his bestselling baseball book, titled “Ball Four.” Also, he worked as a Sportscaster for WABC-TV and WCBS-TV in New York City.
1947- At the new Stadium del Cerro in Havana, Cuba, the Dodgers would beat the Yankees by a score of 1-0.
1961- Former Yankees C/DH/OF Mark Salas (1987) was born.
On June 7,1987, Catcher/DH Mark Salas was traded by the Twins to the Yankees for veteran MLB Starter Joe Niekro. Mark will appear in 50 games for the 1987 Yankees, hitting only .200 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs. On November 12,1987, Mark was traded by the Yankees along with OF/1B Dan Pasqua and P Steve Rosenberg to the White Sox for 2 Pitchers: Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.
1963- Former Yankees Pitcher Terry Mulholland (1994) was born.
On February 9,1994, MLB Starter Terry Mulholland was traded by the Phillies along with a Player to be Named Later to the Yankees for P Bobby Munoz, 2 Minor League players: P Ryan Karp and INF Kevin Jordan. The Phillies would later send P Jeff Patterson on November 8,1994 to the Yankees to complete the trade. Terry would post a 6-7 record with a 6.49 ERA in 24 games with the Yankees before the 1994 MLB Player Strike took place. In the fall of 1994, he would leave the Yankees for MLB Free Agency, signing with the Giants.
1964- Former Yankees Pitcher Lance McCullers (1989-1990) was born.
On October 24,1988, Reliever Lance McCullers was traded by the Padres along with OF Stan Jefferson and P Jimmy Jones to the Yankees for veteran OF/1B Jack Clark and P Pat Clements. For the Yankees, Lance had posted a 5-3 record with a 4.42 ERA and 3 saves in 63 games. On June 4,1990, Lance was traded by the Yankees along with P Clay Parker to the Tigers for C/DH/1B Matt Nokes. He is the father of current MLB Player Lance McCullers Jr, who pitches for the Astros.
1966- The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee waives one of its election rules and selects former Yankees and Mets Manager Casey Stengel as the newest member of the HOF. Stengel had managed the Mets for most of the 1965 NL season before falling and breaking his hip ending his season. Veteran Mets MLB Coach Wes Westrum, had replaced him as the Mets Manager. His hip injury ended the elderly Stengel's long MLB Managing career. Given his age, the Veterans Committee decides to make him immediately eligible for the Hall of Fame. Casey Stengel had managed the Yankees from 1949-1960, winning 5 straight World Championships from (1949-1953.) He also had won World Championships with the Yankees in 1956 and 1958. Also, Casey had managed in the NL with the Boston Braves (1938-1943) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-1936) without much success. He had been a long-time Minor League Manager with AA teams like the AA Toledo Mud Hens (1926-1931), AA Milwaukee Brewers (1944), AA Kansas City Blues (1945) and the AA Oakland Oaks (1946-1948) before joining the Yankees in 1949, as their new MLB Manager replacing 1948 Manager Bucky Harris, who was let go by Yankees GM George Weiss, who wanted his own man to run the Yankees.
1999- Former Hall Of Fame Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio (1936-1941,1945-1951) dies of a Lung Cancer at age 84. (1914-1999)
On November 21,1934, Joe DiMaggio was traded by AA San Francisco Seals (PCL) to the Yankees for Players to be Named Later and Cash. On December 19,1934, the Yankees would send INF Doc Farrell, P Floyd Newkirk, Minor League Players P Jimmy Densmore and OF Ted Norbert and $5,000 Cash in 1935 to the AA Seals to complete the trade. Reserve INF Doc Farrell refused to report to the AA Seals in 1935, he would briefly play for the 1935 Red Sox. In 1936, Joe DiMaggio would arrive in the Bronx at the age of 21. He would hit .323 with 29 HRs and 125 RBIs in 138 games in his 1stMLB season. He would helped the Yankees win the 1936 World Championship. He was the 1st Rookie to be selected for an MLB All-Star game. His 1936 Rookie season performance served as an indicator of future MLB success, both for him and the Yankees. During his 13-year MLB playing career, Joe DiMaggio had participated in 10 World Series with his team, winning the World Championship 9 times. In 51 World Series games, Joe would hit .271 with 8 HRs and 30 RBIs. He was the AL Batting Leader in 1939 (.381) and 1940 (.352). In 1941, DiMaggio achieved his most famous MLB milestone, when he compiled an MLB record 56-game hitting streak. He was the AL MVP Award winner 3 times in his Yankees playing career (1939,1941 and 1947.) His Yankees lifetime BA was .326 along with 361 HRs and 1,537 RBIs in 1,736 games. In 1949, Joe was the 1st Yankee player to have a $100,000 player contract. He would receive the same amount in 1950. He would miss the 1943-1945 MLB seasons, while serving on active duty with the Army. His older Brother, Vince had played in the NL with the Reds, Braves and the Pirates; while his younger brother Dom would play the outfield for the rival Red Sox in the AL. After retiring as an active player in the Fall of 1951, Joe was a Yankees TV Broadcaster working with Mel Allen. Joe was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. In the 1968-1969, Joe was an MLB Coach for the Oakland A’s.
2012- The Yankees get an injury scare when Reliever David Robertson, sprained his foot falling down some stairs, while moving boxes at home.
March 9th
1875- Former Yankees Pitcher/OF Elmer Bliss (1903-1904) was born. (1875-1962)
For the 1903 Yankees, Elmer Bliss went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 1 game, when you get a chance to pitch in the MLB and go 7 innings without giving up an earned run. That, however, was Elmer's total MLB Pitching career, 1 game for in which he earned the victory. Oddly enough, while that performance did not earn him another chance to pitch, he did come back the next season with the 1904 Yankees for 1 game as an Outfielder. He would play for 11 seasons in the Minor Leagues. He also would manage a couple times in the Minor Leagues, once for the Grand Rapids Wolverines and once for the Wellsville Rainmakers.
1890- Former Yankees Pitcher George “Iron” Davis (1912) was born. (1890-1961)
George Davis had appeared in 10 games for the 1912 Yankees, while posting a 1-4 record with a 6.50 ERA. In April of 1913, P George Davis was purchased by Jersey City Skeeters (IL) from the Yankees. In September of 1913, the Braves would acquire Davis from AA Jersey City (IL). He would pitch for the 1914-1915 Boston Braves, while posting a 6-6 record with a 3.68 ERA in 26 games. During the 1914 NL season, he had pitched a No-Hitter for the Braves. Davis did not appear in the 1914 World Series for the team.
1908- Former Yankees OF Myril Hoag (1931-1938) was born. (1908-1971)
At age 18, Myril Hoag was playing in the Minor Leagues with the AA Sacramento team (PCL). He had spent several years in the Minor Leagues, mostly with AA Sacramento (PCL) before making his MLB Player debut at age 23 with the 1931 Yankees. In 1930, he had hit .337 with 17 HRs for AA Sacramento, but the 1932 Yankees let him have only 29 at-bats in 44 games. The Yankee outfield that year was Babe Ruth, Earle Combs and Ben Chapman, all of whom hit at least .315. Myril played Reserve OF for years with the Yankees (although he spent 1933 in the Minors with the AA Newark Bears (IL). In 1936, he had a serious collision in the outfield with Rookie OF Joe DiMaggio that required Brain Surgery. With the 1937 Yankees, he finally became a regular of sorts, appearing more often in RF than any other player, although his 70 games there barely beat out the 69 games that George Selkirk played at the position, also a young Tommy Henrich played 29 games there. Both Selkirk and Henrich would become regulars in the 1938 Outfield. OF Myril Hoag would play in 471 games for the Yankees, while hitting .284 with 11 HRs and 185 RBIs. He had appeared in 3 World Series with the team (1932,1937-1938) playing in 8 games, while hitting .320. On October 26,1938, Myril was traded by the Yankees along with Reserve Catcher Joe Glenn to the St. Louis Browns for veteran P Oral Hildebrand and OF Buster Mills. In 1939, he was named to the AL All-Star team as a member of the Browns. He would later play for the White Sox and the Indians before retiring in 1945. From 1946-1951, Myril was a Minor League Player-Manager.
1927- Former Yankees OF Jackie Jensen (1950-1952) was born. (1927-1982)
Jackie Jensen was a former All-American College Football player. In the fall of 1949, the Yankees had purchased him and INF Billy Martin from the AA Oakland Oaks (PCL). Jackie had appeared in 108 games with the 1950-1952 Yankees, while hitting .265 with 9 HRs and 32 RBIs. He had appeared in 1 game of the 1950 World Series against the Phillies with no hits; he didn’t appear in any of the games in the 1951 World Series against the Giants. On May 3,1952, Jackie was traded by the Yankees along with OF Archie Wilson, Pitcher Frank “Spec” Shea, 2B Jerry Snyder to the Senators for OF Irv Noren and Shortstop Tom Upton. Yankees Manager Casey Stengel felt that Jackie didn’t hit enough with power for a Yankees Centerfielder. At the time of trade, Jackie was hitting only .105 (2 for 19). He had been benched by Stengel, who used Veteran OF Gene Woodling and Rookie Bob Cerv as Centerfielders. After his trade to the Senators, Casey would move Rookie RF Mickey Mantle to CF, who held the starting Yankees CF position for the next 15 seasons. The Senators would later trade Jackie to the Red Sox in December of 1953. Jensen was named to the AL All-Star team 3 times during his MLB playing career. In 1958, Jensen was named AL Most Valuable Player, hitting .286 with 35 HRs and 122 RBIs in 154 games. It was a questionable AL MVP selection; since his former Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle had out-performed him by hitting .304 along with an AL Leading 42 HRs and 97 RBIs in 150 games. In 1959, he won an AL Golden Glove for the Outfield. In 1960, he had stopped playing in the MLB because of his fear of flying. He did return to the Red Sox in 1961 for his final MLB active season. Jackie had played in 1,438 MLB games and finished his MLB playing career with a lifetime .279 BA; while hitting 199 HRs and 929 RBIs. In 1982, Jackie had died from a heart attack at the age of 55. He remains the only athlete to play in the Rose Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, the MLB’s World Series (1950) and the MLB All-Star game. Former Yankees GM George Weiss (1948-1960) named OF Jackie Jensen and P Lew Burdette as 2 young Yankees players that he should have kept on the team, instead of trading them away during the 1950’s.
1942- Former Yankees Reserve INF Bert Campaneris (1983) was born.
On February 24,1983, former AL All-Star INF Burt Campaneris was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Yankees. Bert had previously played for the Kansas City and Oakland A’s, then as an MLB Free Agent, he would play for the Rangers and the Angels (1964-1981). In 1977, Yankees Manager Billy Martin wanted to sign Bert as MLB Free Agent to become the Yankees 1977 starting Shortstop, but Yankees Team Owner George Steinbrenner wanted Slugger Reggie Jackson instead. After finishing his contract with the Angels in 1981. He would sit out the 1982 MLB season. He had appeared in 60 games with the 1983 Yankees as a Reserve INF, while hitting .322. On November 7,1983, Bert was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees. Bert had retired from MLB.
1958- Former Yankees Minor League Player, Coach and Manager Brian Butterfield was born.
The son of late Yankees Executive Jack Butterfield, Brian Butterfield played at 3 schools during his College Baseball career. A 2B, he signed with the Yankees organization in 1979. Originally a right-handed hitter only, he made himself into a switch-hitter. He would hit .218 for the Class A Oneonta Yankees (NYPL) in his 1st pro season. In 1980, Brian went 2 for 16 with 4 walks for the Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees (GCL) and .227 with the Class A Greensboro Hornets (SAL). He returned to Class A Fort Lauderdale in 1981, hitting .286 for the season; then he hit .259 for them in 1982 and .133 in a brief appearance with the AA Nashville Sounds (SAL). He also briefly reached the AAA level in 1982, hitting .417 in 13 games with the Columbus Clippers (IL). The following year, his final season as a player, he would play in the Padres farm system. He was used by the 1983 Marlins as a utility INF, hitting just .238. In 1984, Butterfield would begin his Minor League Coaching career as a Roving Infield Instructor for the Yankees. Then he would coach for various clubs in the Yankees organization over the next 3 seasons. He would manage in the Yankees chain from 1988 to 1990 and then again in 1992, winning a GCL championship with the 1988 Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees. In 1991, he was Infield Instructor again. After a stint as a Coach with the Class A Albany-Colonie Yankees (NYPL) in 1993, Butterfield was a member of the 1994-1995 YankeesMLB Coaching staff. In 1996, Butterfield moved to the new NL expansion team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was their Minor League Infield Instructor for 2 seasons, before serving as the MLB 3B Coach for the MLB team; when it began to play in the NL from 1998 to 2000. In 2001, he would rejoin the Yankees organization as a Minor League Manager, leading the Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL) to a FSL Co-Championship. He began the 2002 season as Skipper of the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL) before being dismissed in May. Less than a month later, he would join the Blue Jays as a MLB 3B Coach, replacing Carlos Tosca, who was named the team’s new MLB Manager. Tosca and Butterfield had previously worked together with the Diamondbacks organization. Butterfield would continue on as the Blue Jays 3B Coach through Tosca's and John Gibbons' MLB Coaching staffs through the 2007 AL season. In 2008, he was promoted to MLB Bench Coach and served there under both Gibbons and Cito Gaston though the 2010 AL season. When John Farrell was named team Manager in 2011, Butterfield would returned to his previous post of 3B Coach. In 2013, he would followed Farrell to the Red Sox. He stayed as long as Farrell was the Manager, until the end of the 2017 AL season; then he moved to the Cubs in 2018, also served as their MLB 3B Coach under new Cubs Manager Joe Maddon. When Maddon moved over to the Angels in 2020,Butterfield followed him as the team's MLB 3B Coach. After the 2021 AL season had ended, Jack was released as an MLB Coach by the Angels.
1966- Former Yankees 3B (2003) and Current Yankees Manager Aaron “Home Run” Boone (2018-2022) was born.
Aaron Boone was the Grandson of former MLB Player Ray Boone and the son of former MLB Catcher/Manager Bob Boone. His Brother was MLB All-Star 2B Bret Boone. He had started the 2003 MLB season with the Reds, making the NL All-Star team despite mediocre numbers, and was traded to the Yankees for P Brandon Claussen at the MLB July 31st Trading Deadline. He would hit .254 with 6 HRs and 31 RBIs in 54 games for the team. In 2003, Aaron hit one of the most famous Yankee Playoff HRs in MLB history to beat the Red Sox. When he violated terms of his contract during the offseason by getting injured while playing basketball, the Yankees would release him. The leg injury prompted the Yankees to make a trade with the Rangers for Alex Rodriguez to take over his spot at 3rd base. While as a member of the Astros, he would spend the 2009 MLB season on the DL dealing with heart problems. In February of 2010, Aaron Boone would announce his player retirement from MLB. He was working for ESPN covering the MLB before he was named to replace Joe Girardi as the Yankees 2018 Manager. He had a very good 1st season in 2018, as the Yankees improved upon their breakthrough 2017. He was particularly good at juggling his lineup because of numerous injuries and integrating youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres into everyday roles. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were having a historically good season at the same time, and began to pull away for the division lead beginning in July, meaning that as well as the Yankees had played, they were likely headed into a winner-take-all WCG at the end of the season. While generally keeping things calm in the media cauldron that is New York, he did have 1 epic tirade on August 31st, when he hotly disputed a strike 3 call, complete with crouching behind the plate and mimicking the gestures of a catcher framing the pitch. He was of course ejected, plus a 1-game suspension was added as it was determined that he had bumped Umpire Nic Lentz during the argument. The Yankees won WCG at home against the Athletics, but they were defeated by the Red Sox in 4 games in the ALDS.
Boone's 2nd season at the helm of the Yankees in 2019 was even more impressive. He had to juggle a lineup and pitching rotation beset from injuries starting in spring training, yet the team never skipped a beat, quickly building a sizable lead over the Red Sox and also distancing the resilient Rays by the All-Star break. On September 19th, the Yankees clinched a division title, their 1st since 2012 with their 100th win of the year. Boone also became the 1st ever manager to win 100 or more games in his 1st 2 seasons. He would guide the Yankees to the ALCS, where they fell to the Astros. The challenges were different in 2020 as he had to contend with the Coronavirus pandemic, which upended spring training and cut off two-thirds of the season, but he managed to get the Yankees into the postseason again, where they once again fell at the ends of the eventual AL pennant winner, this time the Rays. The loss came in a hotly-disputed Division Series that went to the limit. In 2021, just as spring training was getting underway, he had to take an unplanned leave of absence to undergo emergency surgery to have a heart pacemaker inserted at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, FL. It was not his 1st time under the knife for a heart problem, as when he was still a player in March 2009, he had undergone open-heart surgery to replace his bicuspid aortic valve. The 2nd procedure was a more routine one, and he was expected to resume his duties rapidly, with MLB Bench Coach Carlos Mendoza stepping in in the interim. He led the Yankees to the postseason for the 4th straight year that season, as the 2nd WC team in the AL, after a streaky season that saw them look awful at times, and like world beaters at others.
However, they would lose the WCG to the Red Sox as there was speculation that he would pay the price for failing to bring the Bronx Bombers to the World Series once again. However, on October 18th, he was offered a 2-year contract extension by the Yankees Front Office. The 2022 season started great for the Yankees, as they were on a historic winning pace for the 1st 2 months, but things stalled with a very poor month of August and their play in September was only mediocre, leading to a 99-win season. They won their Eastern Division title easily, thanks to their great start, but there was some criticism of how, apart from a historic 62-HR season by Aaron Judge, the rest of the team was underperforming. They then almost were eliminated by the Guardians in the ALDS, which went to the limit, and their shortcomings were made apparent when they were swept by the Astros in the ALCS. There was a lot of grumbling from the fan base about Boone's leadership starting in August, to the point that Owner Hal Steinbrenner had to make a public statement 2 days after the team's elimination to state that Boone still was his man and that "I believe he is a very good manager. I don’t see a change there."
1966- Former Yankees AL All-Star Catcher Aaron Robinson (1946-1947) passed away. (1915-1966).
Called up from the 1943 AA Newark Bears (IL), Catcher Aaron Robinson appeared in 1 game for the 1943 Yankees. He was 28-years old. In 1943, Aaron would join the Coast Guard, serving on active duty until July of 1945. Robinson would appear in 50 games for the 1945 Yankees, while hitting .281. In 1946, he had appeared in 100 games for the Yankees, while hitting .297 with 19 HRs and 64 RBIs. In 1947, he made the AL All-Star team, while hitting .270 for the Yankees. He would play in 3 games of the 1947 World Series against the Dodgers. With the arrival of a 22-year-old Yogi Berra as a Catcher in 1947, Aaron became expendable. On February 24,1948, Aaron Robinson was traded by the Yankees to the White Sox for veteran Starter Eddie Lopat. He would spend only 1 season playing with the White Sox, before being traded to the Tigers for Rookie Pitcher Billy Pierce. In 1951, he would finish out his MLB Playing career, with the Red Sox.
1973- Former Yankees Pitcher C. J. Nitkowski (2004) was born.
C.J. Nitkowski was a graduate of St. Johns’ Univ., who was drafted as an MLB Amateur Player in 1994 by the Reds. On July 19, 2004, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. He would appear in 19 games for the 2004 Yankees, while posting a 1-1 record with a 7.62 ERA. On October 29, 2004, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency. After leaving the MLB in 2005, he would continue to pitch in Japan and Korea pro baseball leagues, before retiring from the game. In 2017, he would become a television analyst for the Rangers on the Fox Sports Southwest Cable Network. Later, he would work with the Yankees broadcasting team as a substitute announcer.
1974- Former Yankees Reliever Wayne Franklin (2005) was born.
After appearing in 8 games with the 2005 Giants in their MLB Spring Training Camp, Reliever Wayne Franklin would sign a Minor League player contract with the Yankees on April 4th. Franklin would post a 2-3 record with a 3.61 ERA and 1 save in 46 games with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). He had appeared in 13 games with the 2005 Yankees, posting a 0-1 record with a 6.39 ERA. At the end of 2005 AL season, Wayne was granted MLB Free Agency by the Yankees.
1981- Former Yankees Reliever Clay Rapada (2012) was born.
On February 18, 2012, Reliever Clay Rapada was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. He had appeared in 70 games for the 2012 Yankees, while posting a 3-0 record with a 2.82 ERA. On April 5, 2013, Clay was released by the team. On April 9, 2013, he was resigned as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. On June 4, 2013, he was released by the team. Clay would be picked up by the Indians for the rest of 2013 AL season.
1996- Former Yankees Pitcher Jim Hardin (1971) passed away from injuries suffered in an aircraft crash. (1943-1996)
Veteran AL Starter Jim Hardin was recovering from pitching arm injuries, when he joined the Yankees on May 28, 1971. The Yankees had sent former #1 MLB Amateur Player Draft Pick P Bill Burbach to the Orioles in the trade. He never was an effective pitcher for the Yankees, like he was with the Orioles during the late-1960’s. Jim would finish his MLB Pitching career with the 1972 Braves. He ended his MLB pitching career with a record of 43-32 with a 3.19 ERA in 168 games. Hardin, a pilot, died on March 9,1991, when his Beech 35-C33A crashed in Key West, Fla. Shortly after taking off from Key West Int’l Airport, the propeller of his aircraft failed from fatigue. The aircraft had stalled and crashed, while Hardin attempted to return to the airport to make an emergency landing. It was widely reported that, during the plane's descent, Hardin steered the plane away from a baseball field filled with young children. The plane came to rest in a parking lot of the TGI Fridays Restaurant, which was under construction at the time. Jim Hardin is 1 of 3 Yankees players to lose their lives in aviation accidents; the other 2 Yankee players were Catcher Thurman Munson (1979) and Pitcher Cory Lidle (2006). His Wife and 3 children survived him.
1998- The Yankees had traded Reserve INF Andy Fox to the Diamondbacks for 2 Pitchers: Marty Jansen and Todd Erdos. INF Andy Fox was blocked at 2B by the presence of new recently acquired AL All-Star 2B Chuck Knoblauch. He was out of Minor League player options, so the Yankees had to either trade him or released him. The Yankees would find takers in the Diamondbacks, who would give him a chance for more playing time. Overall, as a Yankees player, Andy Fox had appeared in 135 games, while hitting .200 with 3 HRs and 14 RBIs. He had appeared in 4 games of the 1996 World Series against the Braves with no hits. Marty Janzen was originally signed by the Yankees, but he traded as one of the 3 Yankee AAA Minor League Pitchers to the Blue Jays in the July of 1995 for veteran MLB Starter David Cone. Erdos had been signed by the Padres, appeared with them at the MLB level in 1997, while posting 2-0 record in 11 games. Both Pitchers had been selected by the Diamondbacks in the 1997 MLB Expansion Team’s Player Draft. Both pitchers were assigned by the Yankees to AAA Columbus Clippers (IL) for the 1998 season.
