This Week in Yankees History March 12th- March 18th Part One
March 12th
1903- The New York team’s home field is an all-wood park at 168th Street and Broadway. The location prompted Manhattan’s highest spots, giving birth of the team’s nicknamed of the “Highlanders,” with their new ball park being called “Hilltop Park.” The team will play there from 1903 to 1912, before moving to the Polo Grounds, when the teams lease on the land had expired and wasn’t renewed by the land owners. The land lot in 1928 will become the site of new Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. A plaque is place where Homeplate once was to remember, the former ballpark.
1937- Former Yankees 1B/OF Ray “Buddy” Barker (1965-1967) was born. (1937-2018)
On May 10,1965, 1B/OF Ray “Buddy” Barker was traded by the Indians to the Yankees for Reserve INF Pedro Gonzalez. For the 1965-1967 Yankees, Buddy will hit .222 with 10 HRs and 44 RBIs in 176 games. On July 4,1967, Buddy was traded by the Yankees along with Players to be Named Later and Cash to the Orioles for former veteran AL All-Star Starter Steve Barber. On December 15,1967, the Yankees will send 2 Minor League Players: INF Chester Trail and Daniel Bailey to the Orioles to complete the trade. Buddy never appears at the MLB level with the 1967 Orioles, he was sent to their AAA team, the Rochester Red Wings (IL).
1939- Former Yankees DH/OF Johnny Callison (1972-1973) was born. (1939-2006)
The Yankees had acquired veteran NL All-Star OF Johnny Callison from the Cubs for Cash. He will hit .258 in 72 games in 1972. In 1973, he hit only .176 in 45 games before being released by the team. In 1964, Johnny had hit the game hitting HR at the 1964 MLB All-Star game played at Shea Stadium for the NL squad. He was a member of the 1964 Phillies. Johnny had come up to the MLB with the 1958 White Sox. In his MLB playing career, Johnny had played in 1,866 games, while hitting .264 with 226 HRs, 926 runs scored, 840 RBIs, 1,757 hits, 351 doubles, 89 triples and 74 stolen bases.
1943- Former Yankees DH/OF Jim “Toy Canon” Wynn (1977) was born. (1943-2020)
In the winter of 1976, the Yankees had purchased veteran NL Slugger Jim Canon from the Braves for $100,000 Cash. Jim Wynn would hit .143 with 1 HR and 3 RBIs in 30 games for the 1977 Yankees, before being released by the team. In his 1stgame with the Yankees, he hit the game winning HR. He would finish the 1977 AL season as a DH with the Brewers.
1954- Former Yankees MLB Pitching Coach (2011-2019) and Former MLB Manager (1998-2001) Larry Rothschild was born.
Larry Rothschild had pitched in the Minor Leagues for 11 seasons. He had made 7 MLB appearances with 1981 and 1982 Tigers. All of his MLB pitching appearances occurred during September MLB Roster call-ups. In 1981, 4 of the 5 games that he appeared in were against the Indians. After his active pitching career ended, he was a Roving Pitching Instructor for the 1986-1989 Reds before becoming the Reds MLB Bullpen Coach for the 1990-1991 NL seasons. Then he was MLB Pitching Coach for another 2 seasons (1992-1993). After spending the 1994 season as a Minor League roving pitching instructor for theBraves organization. Larry was back in the MLB, as a Pitching Coach for the 1995-1997 Marlins. In 1988, he became the 1st manager of the new AL expansion team: Tampa Bay Devil Rays; he remained with the club until 2001. In 2002, he became theCubs MLB Pitching Coach and stayed there through the 2010 NL season. In 2011, Larry Rothschild took over as the MLB Pitching Coach for the Yankees. After the2019 AL season had ended, the Yankees would let Rothschild go. He was later signed by the Padres to be their 2020 MLB Pitching Coach. During the 2021 NL season, the Padres would fire Larry as their MLB Pitching Coach.
1955- Former Yankees OF Ruppert Jones (1981) was born.
On November 1,1979, OF Ruppert Jones was traded by the Mariners along with P Jim Lewis to the Yankees for 2 Pitchers:&nbs**** Anderson, Jim Beattie, MLB OF Juan Beniquez and Reserve Catcher Jerry Narron. With the Yankees, Ruppert would appear in 83 games, while hitting .223 with 9 HRs and 42 RBIs. On March 31,1981, Ruppert was traded by the Yankeesalong with OF Joe Lefebvre, Pitchers Tim Lollar and Chris Welsh to the Padres for OF Jerry Mumphrey and P John Pacella.
1957- Former Yankees Minor League Coach (2014) and MLB Manager Mike Quade was born.
Mike Quade was drafted in the 22nd round of 1979 MLB Amateur Player Draft by the Pirates. He had played 5 seasons of Minor League baseball, finishing with 269 walks against only 241 strikeouts. After playing under long-time Minor League Manager Johnny Lipon at Salem (CAL) in 1980, Quade returned at age 25 and 26 for additional Carolina League seasons as a Player/Coach under Johnny Lipon at Alexandria in 1982 and 1983, in order to continue his managerial apprenticeship. In addition to managing for 1 season in the Minor Leagues, Quade was a Coach for the 1987 Jacksonville Expos and the 1988 West Palm Beach Expos in the Montreal Minor League system. He was the MLB 1B Coach for 2000-2002 Oakland A's. He would join the Cubs MLB Coaching staff for a short part of 2006 NL season as the team's interim 3B Coach (temporarily taking the place of Chris Speier). Beginning in 2007, he became the club's MLB 3B Coach on a full-time basis. The Cubs' Manager, Lou Piniella, had announced that he would retire after the 2010 NL season. However, after taking a leave of absence to be with his ailing mother in August, he had decided to retire earlier, leaving the team in the hands of Quade for the remainder of the 2010 NL season. The Cubs played very well under Quade, posting a 24-13 record, giving him a shot at the full-time managerial job in 2011. He was preferred to Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, among others. Quade was let go as Manager of the Cubs, after a poor 2011 NL season that saw the team finish 20 games below .500. The Cubs brought in a new front office management team of President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer, who chose to bring in their own Manager instead of keeping the incumbent Quade at the helm. In 2014, Mike was a Roving Outfield/Base-running Coordinator for the Yankees organization. In 2015, he would return to managing with the), the Twins' top farm team, the AAA Rochester Red Wings (IL),
1962- Former Yankees OF/DH Darryl Strawberry (1995-1999) was born.
Former NL All-Star OF Darryl Strawberry would hit .255 with 41 HRs and 114 RBIs in 231 games for the 1995-1999 Yankees as DH and Reserve Outfielder. In June of 1995, he had been signed by the Yankees as an MLB Free Agent. Darryl had been released by the Giants in February of 1995. His best Yankees season was in 1998, when he had played in 101 games, while hitting .247 with 24 HRs and 57 RBIs. He had played in 2 World Series with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998. Strawberry had injury problems as well as a plethora of personal difficulties, including cancer, drugs, legal problems and marital issues during his MLB playing career.
1971- Former Yankees OF/DH Raul Mondesi (2002-2003) was born.
On July 1, 2002, veteran OF Raul Mondesi was traded by the Blue Jays to the Yankees for Minor League Pitcher Scott Wiggins. Raul hit .250 with 27 HRs and 92 RBIs in 169 games for the team. On July 29, 2003, he was traded by the Yankees along with Cash to the Diamondbacks for OF David Dellucci, P Bret Prinz and Minor League C/1B/OF Jon Mark Prowl.
1971- Former Yankees Minor League P Greg Hansell was born.
On March 24, 2003, P Greg Hansell was signed as an MLB Free Agent by the Yankees. He will spend the 2003 baseball season with their AAA team, the Columbus Clippers (IL). On October 15, 2003, the Yankees will grant him MLB Free Agency.
1973- Former Yankees Minor League P David Lee was born.
On January 3, 2001, P David Lee was traded by the Rockies to the Yankees for Minor League INF Seth Taylor and MLB Reliever Jay Tessmer. He never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. On March 24, 2001, David was traded by theYankees to the Padres for Minor League P Carlos Almanzar, who would go 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 games for the Yankees, before being granted MLB Free Agency.
1974- Former Yankees Pitcher Craig Dingman (2000) was born.
On June 3,1993, Pitcher Craig Dingman was selected by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 1993 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He would appear in 10 games with no record for the 2000 Yankees. On March 30, 2001, Craig was traded by the Yankees to the Rockies for a Player to be Named Later. The Rockies would send P Jorge De Paula on April 20, 2001 to the Bronx to complete the trade. On June 6, 2002, Craig was sent to the Yankees by the Reds, as part of a conditional deal. He does not appear with the 2002 Yankees at the MLB level; he becomes an MLB Free Agent.
1974- Former Yankees Reserve INF Felix Escalona (2004-2005) was born.
Felix Escalona had appeared in 15 games as a Reserve INF for the Yankees, while hitting just .182. He would spend most of his playing time in the Yankees organization, with the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL). Later, he would play in the Independent CANAM League. In 2009, he appeared in the Italy Pro Baseball league with the De Angelis Godo team.
1978- Former Yankees Reserve OF Gene Moore (1942) passed away. (1909-1978)
On February 5,1942, the Braves would send veteran MLB OF Gene Moore to the Yankees. The Braves had sent 1B Buddy Hassett along with a Player to be Named Later to the Yankees for Minor League Star OF Tommy Holmes. It was expected that Moore would play for one of the Yankees AA teams, the Newark Bears (IL) or the Kansas City Blues (AA) for the 1942 baseball season. Instead on February 24,1942, the 10-MLB season veteran OF Gene Moore was sold by the Yankees to the AA Montreal Royals (IL), who were the Dodgers, top AA club. The Dodgers would sell Moore to the Senators on August 31,1942. Gene would finish his MLB playing career playing for 1944-1945 St. Louis Browns. He would appear in the 1944 World Series with the Browns. He finishes his 14-season MLB career with a .270 BA along with 58 HRs and 436 RBIs, while playing in 1,042 games.
1993- Former Yankees Pitcher Jacob Lindgren (2015) was born.
Jacob Lindgren was the 55th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Amateur Player Draft selected by the Yankees in the 2nd round out of Mississippi St. Univ. He had earlier been drafted when he graduated from High School by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2011 Draft, but he chose to attend college instead. In 2014, he would sign for a bonus of $1.1 million. Lindgren made a quick rise through the pro ranks. He played for 4 teams in 2014, starting with the GCL Yankees 1 and ending up with the AA Trenton Thunder (EL), while also touching base with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs (SAL) and the Tampa Yankees (FSL). Used strictly as a Reliever, he pitched 19 times in all, with a 2-1 record with a 2.19 ERA and 1 save. In 24 2/3 innings, he struck out 48 batters and walked 13 hitters. Those abundant Ks earned him the nickname "The Strikeout Factory". In 2015, after attending spring training camp with the Yankees, he started the season with the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders(IL), where he made 15 appearances, going 1-1 with a 1.53 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 22 innings before getting the call to the Bronx. He was the 3rd player from the 2014 Draft to make it to the MLB, following Brandon Finnegan and Carlos Rodon, who had both been 1st-rounders. The Yankees were in the middle of their worst losing streak in 20 years - 10 losses in 11 games - when Lindgren got the call to New Yankee Stadium in May of 2015. It was his 1st time in New York, NY and the team had forgotten to give him instructions on how to reach the clubhouse, so he was left to knock on a closed door before a security camera spotted him and a guard established his identity and eventually let him in. He made his MLB Pitching debut on May 25th in relaxed circumstances, as the Yankees had a 14-1 lead over the Royals when he came in in relief of Starter Nathan Eovaldi in the top of the 8th. He pitched a couple of scoreless innings, walking a pair of batters but he not giving up a hit, while striking out 3 batters, to finish the win. For the 2015 AL season, Jacob had appeared in 7 games for the team finishing with a 0-0 record with a 5.14 ERA. In 2016, he went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 6 games with Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL). Lindgren has been designated for the 60-day DL as he had Tommy John surgery last August and he missed the entire 2017 AL campaign. The Yankees would release him in December of 2016, he was signed by the Braves. Jacob has not pitch professionally since the 2016 MLB season.
March 13th
1886- Future Yankees INF and Hall of Fame 3B Frank “Home Run” Baker (1916-1919,1921-1922) was born. (1886-1963)
An excellent 3B and left-handed hitter, Frank Baker will guide the Philadelphia A’s to 3 World Series Championships. He was nicknamed "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series, in which he hit a go-ahead HR off of Giants Starter Rube Marquard in Game 2. Then he would hit a 9th-inning game-tying HR off of Giants Starter Christy Mathewson in Game 3. Baker will lead the AL in HRs for 4 consecutive seasons, twice he led the AL in RBI’s. Frank Baker would hit .363 in 6 World Series with the A’s and the Yankees. On February 15,1916, Baker was purchased by the Yankees from the Philadelphia A’s, after a player salary dispute with A’s Team Owner/Manager Connie Mack in 1915, in which he sat out the season. The Yankees would pay $37,500 Cash to Connie Mack for the 30-year-old A’s Slugger. Baker would play 3B for the Yankees from 1916-1919 and 1921-1922. After his wife Ottalee had passed away in 1920, he took the season off to take care of his 2 children. In 1921, Baker would return to play in the Bronx. Overall, as a Yankees player, Baker would hit .288 with 48 HRs and 379 RBIs in 676 games. Overall, in 13 MLB seasons, Baker would hit .307 with 96 HRs and 991 RBIs, while playing in 1,575 games. Frank “Home Run” Baker will earn Hall of Fame honors in 1955.
1922- Former Yankees Reserve OF Cliff Mapes (1948-1951) was born. (1922-1996)
On November 1, 1946, OF Cliff Mapes was drafted by the Yankees from the Indians organization in the 1946 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. Cliff would spend the 1947 season with the AA Kansas City Blues (AA). The 1947 baseball season was his best career season in the Minor Leagues. Cliff would hammer out 167 hits, 107 runs, 27 doubles,11 triples, while hitting 21 HRs with 117 RBIs along with a .308 BA in 155 games. He would lead the American Association in RBI’s that season with 117. In 1948, he had won an MLB job with the Yankees in their MLB Spring Training Camp. During that 1948 season, Mapes had 11 doubles and only 9 singles, making him 1 of only 11 MLB players to ever have more doubles than singles (in 90 or more plate appearances). On July 5,1950, in a sloppy game that featured 18 walks; Mapes drove in 5 runs with a HR and single to pace the Yankees to a 12–8 win over the Philadelphia A’s. Mapes had walked twice in the 3rd inning to tie an MLB record. He was also involved in a collision with at 2B with A’s infielder Eddie Joost in the 7th inning; in which Joost tore ligaments in his left knee. On August 11,1950, Mapes had replaced Joe DiMaggio in CF, who was benched for the 1st time in his Yankees Playing career. Cliff would meet the challenge of replacing the “Yankee Clipper” by hitting a 7th-inning HR to give the Yankees a 7–6 win over the A's. In 1950, Cliff had his best season in the MLB; he had 88 hits, 60 runs, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 12 HRs with 61 RBIs and 1 stolen base for a batting line of .247 in 108 games. In the 1949 and 1950 World Series, he had 1 hit (but one that mattered), 3 runs, 1 double and 2 RBIs, while batting .071 in 5 games. He was the last active Yankees player to wear Babe Ruth’s No. 3 Uniform before it was retired by the team in 1948. Also, he had worn Yankees Uniform No. 7 during the 1951 AL season, the number that Rookie OF Mickey Mantle would get after returning from AAA Kansas City Blues (AA). Mantle had started out his 1951 MLB Rookie season by wearing Uniform No. 6. On July 31,1951, Cliff was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for 2 Pitchers: Bob Hogue and Lou Slater, 3B Kermit Wahl and Shortstop Tom Upton. Cliff would hit .274 in 56 games for the 1951 Browns. In 1952, he would finish his MLB playing career with the Tigers. Overall, he had played in 459 MLB games, while hitting .242 with 38 HRs and 172 RBIs.
1937- AL All-Star 1B Lou Gehrig signs with the Yankees for $38,000 with a $750 signing bonus. In 1936, Lou had hit .354 with 49 HRs and 152 RBIs in 155 games for the Yankees. Gehrig will play his 1st spring training game on March 20th, collecting 2 runs batted in as the Yankees beat the Boston Bees (aka the Braves) by the score of 5-3.
1959- Former Yankees Reserve INF Luis Aguayo (1988) was born.
On July 15,1988, veteran MLB INF Luis Aguayo was traded by the Phillies to the Yankees for Minor League P Amalio Carreno. He had played for the Phillies for 9 seasons as a Reserve Infielder. He will appear in 50 games for the 1988 Yankees, while hitting .250 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs. At the end of the 1988 AL season, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. Luis will sign with the Indians for 1989 AL season. Amalio Carreno had been signed by the Yankees in 1984. He never appeared with the team at the MLB level. He had reached AAA with the Columbus Clippers (IL) briefly in 1988. The Phillies would assign him to their AA cub the Reading Phillies (EL). He will appear in 3 games with no record with the 1991 Phillies.
1963- Former Yankees INF Mariano Duncan (1996-1997) was born.
On December 11,1995, the Yankees had signed veteran INF Mariano Duncan as an MLB Free Agent. In 1996, he would hit .340 with 8 HRs and 56 RBIs in 109 games. He will hit .313 in the 1996 ALDS, but he went just 1-for-19 in the World Series, as the Yankees defeated the Braves in 6 games. In 1997,Mariano had appeared in 50 games hitting .244 with 1 HR and 13 RBIs before being traded by the Yankees on July 29,1997 to the Blue Jays for Minor League OF Angel Ramirez. Overall, as a Yankees Player, Mario had appeared in 159 games for the team, while hitting .311 with 9 HRs and 69 RBIs.
1991- Former Yankees Pitcher Manny Banuelos (2022) was born.
In 2008, Manny Banuelos was originally signed by the Yankees. He would debut with them the same year, by going 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA for the Class A GCL Yankees. After a strong start with the 2009 Class A Charleston Riverdogs (SAL), the Mexican lefty was chosen for the 2009 MLB Futures Game. In 2011, Banuelos would attend the Yankees MLB Spring Training camp for the 1st time, He impressed the team with his poise and polish after pitching a perfect inning against the Tigers and 2 more scoreless frames against the Red Sox in his 1st taste of Grapefruit League action. In 2011, he would win the James P. Dawson Award for being the best Yankee Rookie in their 2011 MLB Spring Training Camp. However, his pro career would then hit a snag, as he made only 7 starts for the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (IL) in 2011; posting a 2-2 record along with a 4.19 ERA. Then in 2012, he was limited to 6 starts for the AAA team. Then he would miss the entire 2013 season. In 2014, Manny had to re-establish himself from scratch. He began that season with the Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL), making 5 starts, but pitching only 12 1/3 innings, then he was moved up to the AA Trenton Thunder (EL). In 17 games, including 16 starts, he was kept on a short leash, pitching only 49 innings, but he began to show results with only 40 hits allowed and 44 strikeouts.
He was then back at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to end the 2014 season, making another 4 starts and while pitching 15 innings. Altogether, he was 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 76 2/3 innings of work in 26 games of which 25 were starts. Having now shown that he was back healthy, the Yankees would trade him to the Braves on January 1,2015; in return for 2 Relievers with MLB experience: David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve. With the 2015 Braves, he would make 6 starts in 7 games; while posting a 1-4 record with a 5.13 ERA. On August 14, 2016, he was released by the Braves. On August 18, 2016, the Angels would sign Manny as an MLB Free Agent. In the winter of 2017, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the Angels. He would be signed by the Dodgers. On November 1, 2018, Manny was traded by the Dodgers to the White Sox for Minor League INF Justin Yurchak. With the 2019 White Sox, he had posted a 3-4 record with a 6.93 ERA in 16 games; they would grant Manny MLB Free Agency. In 2020, he was picked-up by the Mariners; he did not pitch for the team that season. He has a 4-8 MLB pitching record with a 6.31 ERA in 23 MLB games. On January 14, 2022, he was signed to a Minor League deal by the Yankees with an invitation to their 2022 MLB Spring Training Camp. The team would assign him to AAA Scranton. He would appear with the 2022 Yankees, pitching in 4 games in relief with no decisions, while posting a 2.16 ERA and 1 save. On July 3, 2022, the Yankees would trade him to the Pirates for Cash Considerations. With the Bucs, he would be working of out of their 2022 MLB bullpen.
1994- Former Yankees Catcher Buddy Rosar (1939-1942) passed away. (1914-1994)
In 1934, the Yankees had signed Catcher Buddy Rosar, as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. In 1938, he had hit .387 with the AA Newark Bears to win the International League Batting Title, despite missing several weeks of play; after being hit on the head by a pitched ball. In 1939, he would reach the MLB with the Yankees. Buddy had hit for the cycle in a July 19,1940 game against the Indians. Rosar was the Reserve Catcher for veteran Catcher Bill Dickey on the Yankees. In 1942, Buddy was selected to the AL All-Star team. During the 1942 AL season in July, Buddy had left the team to take a civil service police exam in Buffalo, NY without the Yankees Manager Joe McCarthy’s permission. His actions forced the Yankees to sign Free Agent veteran MLB Catcher Rollie Hemsley, who had been just released by the Reds. With Bill Dickey on the DL with a shoulder injury, Rosar’s absence left the team with only rookie Catcher Ed Kearse on the 25-Man roster. After hitting just .239 with 2 HRs and 34 RBIs in 69 games, Buddy became expendable. On December 17,1942, he was traded by the Yankees along with OF Roy Cullenbine to the Indians for OF Roy Weatherly and INF Oscar Grimes. As a Yankees player, Buddy had appeared in 252 games, while hitting .273 with 7 HRs and 119 RBIs. He had appeared in the 1941-1942 World Series for the team; playing in 2 games with 1 hit. He would spend 1943-1944 AL seasons with the Tribe, before he was traded to the Philadelphia A’s. Buddy would play for the 1945-1949 A’s and then he was with the 1950-1951 Red Sox during his 13-season MLB playing career. Overall, he had appeared in 988 MLB games, while hitting .261 with 18 HRs and 367 RBIs.
2000- Former Yankees Reserve INF Harry Bright (1963-1964) passed away. (1929-2000)
In 1946, the Yankees had signed INF Harry Bright as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. In 1947, the Yankees in a Minor League transaction sold him to Cubs. He would play for several MLB Organizations before reaching the MLB with the 1958 Pirates. From 1961-1962, Harry would play for the new AL Expansion Team, the Washington Senators. In November of 1962, the Senators would trade him to the Reds. In April of 1963, the Yankees would acquire Harry from the Reds to back up their MLB Infield off the bench. His addition to the Yankees 40-Man MLB Roster cost the Yankees, a young Minor League OF named Curt Belfry, who was playing at Greensboro. The Orioles would immediately claim young Curt Belfry from the Yankees organization. Harry was a good field, no-hit player, who could play a lot of positions, including Catcher. He had hit .236 in 1963, but he missed most of the 1964 AL season due to various injuries. Overall, as Yankees player, Harry would hit .235 with 7 HRs and 23 RBIs in 64 games. On September 11,1964, Harry was released by the Yankees. He would finish his MLB Playing career with the 1965 Cubs. In 1966, he became a Minor League Manager for the Cubs organization.
2008- Longtime New York Yankees fan, Hollywood Actor and Comedian 59-year-old Billy Crystal makes an appearance in an MLB spring training game, playing for the Yankees. He strikes out on a full count from hurler Paul Maholm, after hitting 1 ball just foul.
2015- Former Yankees President/General Manager and AL All-Star MLB Player Al Rosen (1978-1979) passed away. (1924-2015)
Al Rosen was an AL All-Star 3B with the 1947-1956 Indians. He had played in 1,044 MLB games, finishing with a lifetime .285 BA, while hitting 192 HRs and 717 RBIs. He had appeared in 2 World Series with the 1948 and the 1954 Indians. In 1953, he had led the AL in HRs with 43, RBIs with 145, along with a slugging percentage of .613; he would finish 2nd in AL Batting with a .336 mark. He was named the 1953 AL Most Valuable Player. After the 1956 AL season and retiring as an active player, Al would join the Indians front office staff. After Yankees President and GM Gabe Paul left the team in the fall of 1977, Al Rosen took over role of being the Yankees President and General Manager. He would make important team personnel moves such as including bringing in Bob Lemon as Manager to replace the fired Billy Martin during the 1978 AL East race; which allowed the Yankees to catch the Red Sox, who had a 14-game lead over them and to win the 1978 AL pennant. Also, he had made several key personnel moves by bringing in veteran players like Gary Thomasson and Jay Johnstone to help the team, when injuries occurred to the Yankees regular players. Al Rosen would serve as the President of the Yankees from 1978-1979. Then he would leave the Yankees organization in the fall of 1979 to take the position of the General Manager for the Astros, which he would hold from 1980-1985. Then Rosen would leave the Astros organization to take the same position with the 1985-1992 Giants Front Office.
2022- The Yankees announced Sunday that they have signed OF Tim Locastro to a 1-year MLB contract. Locastro, 29, has batted .231 (100-for-432) with 74 Runs, 21 doubles, 3 triples, 5 HRs, 31 RBIs, 31 BB and 31 SB in 209 games over parts of 5 MLB seasons with the Dodgers (2017-2018), Diamondbacks (2019-2021) and the 2021 Yankees. The right-handed hitter has appeared at all 3 outfield positions in his career, playing 65 games in CF, 58 games in LF and 40 games in RF. In 2021, he had batted .180 (25-for-139) with 15 Runs, 4 doubles, 2 HRs , 7 RBIs, 7 BB and 5 SB in 64 combined games between the Diamondbacks and Yankees. Locastro had begun the 2021 season with Arizona before he was acquired by the Yankees in exchange for P Keegan Curtis on July 1, 2021. The Auburn, N.Y., native hit his only HR with the Yankees on July 11, 2021, becoming the 5th New York-born Yankee to homer for the club since 1993, joining Alex Rodriguez (351 HRs from 2004-2013, 2015-2016), Raul Ibañez (19 HRs in 2012), John Flaherty (12 HRs from 2003-2005) and Clay Bellinger (12 HRs from 1999-2001). On July 17, 2021, Locastro would suffer a right ACL injury. He would have surgery on his right knee on July 21, 2021, missing the remainder of the 2021 season. On November 5, 2021, he was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, then he was non-tendered by the team on November 20, 2021. Locastro was originally selected by the Blue Jays in the 13th round of the 2013 1st-Year Player Draft out of Ithaca College (N.Y.). On July 2, 2015, he was acquired by Dodgers along with P Chase De Jong from Toronto in exchange for International Signing Money. On November 21, 2018, Tim was then acquired by the Yankees from Dodgers in exchange for P Drew Finley and cash considerations. On January 14, 2019, he was DFA by the Yankees. On January 16, 2019, he was traded by the Yankees to Arizona in exchange for P Ronald Roman and cash considerations. For the 2022 Yankees, Tim would appear in 38 games, while hitting just .186 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. The Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency. He would sign a Minor League with the Mets for the 2023 season.
2022- The Yankees have announced that they have acquired INF Josh Donaldson, INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Twins in exchange for veteran Catcher Gary Sánchez and INF Gio Urshela. Veteran INF Josh Donaldson will become the new Yankees starting 3B, while INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa will become the new Yankees starting shortstop. Catcher Ben Rortvedt will share catching duties with current Reserve Catcher Kyle Higashioka.
2022- The Yankees have signed Ronald Guzman to a Minor League deal. Guzman will be invited to the Yankees’ MLB spring camp. A notable prospect during his time in the Rangers farm system, Guzman couldn’t translate the hitting prowess he displayed in the Minors over to his 826 PA in the MLB, as he batted only .227 and struck out 238 times. After 3 seasons of failing to truly break through as a regular in the Texas lineup, Guzman’s 2021 season was cut short after only 7 games, as he suffered a torn meniscus while playing LF and had to undergo season-ending surgery. Ironically, Guzman’s greatest day as a big leaguer took place in Yankee Stadium, when he hit 3 HRs to lead the Rangers to a 12-7 victory over the Bronx Bombers on August 10, 2018. Perhaps Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a memory of that game in mind, when signing Guzman, or maybe the club is simply taking a flier of a Minor League deal to see if Guzman can unlock his potential in a new playing environment. Should he perform well in MLB Spring Training Camp; Guzman’s left-handed bat could earn him some playing time on a Yankee roster that is deep in right-handed hitters. He would appear for the 2022 Yankees in 3 games with no hits, spending most of the season with AAA Scranton, hitting .255 with 16 HRs and 53 RBIs. On October 24, 2022, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency. On January 16, 2023, he was signed as an MLB Free Agent with the Giants.
March 14th
1894- Former Yankees Reserve OF Gene Layden (1915) was born. (1894-1984)
On July 20,1915, OF Gene Layden was purchased by the Yankees from Columbia (SAL). He appeared in only 3 games for the 1915 Yankees, while hitting .286. He would play in the Minor Leagues until 1928.
1922- Former Yankees OF Danny Hoffman (1906-1907) passed away. (1880-1922)
On April 29,1906, OF Danny Hoffman was traded by the Athletics to the Yankees for the MLB player rights of veteran Outfield Dave Fultz, who had retired. Hoffman would hit .254 with 5 HRs and 69 RBIs in 236 games for the Yankees. On November 5,1907, he was traded by the Yankees along with 2B Hobe Ferris and INF Jimmy Williams to the St. Louis Browns for P Fred Glade, OF Charlie Hemphill and INF Harry Niles.
1944- Former Yankees Reserve OF /1B John Miller (1966) was born.
In 1962, the Yankees had signed OF/1B John Miller as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He would appear in only 6 games for the 1966 Yankees, while hitting just .087. He hit a HR at his 1st MLB at bat with the Yankees. John would be traded to the Dodgers, where he hit a HR in his last MLB at bat. Overall, he had appeared in only 32 MLB games, while hitting .164 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. John would go on to play pro baseball in Japan with the 1970-1972 Chunichi Dragons (JPCL). He had appeared in 382 games for the team, while hitting .245 with 79 HRs with 222 RBIs.
1956- Former Yankees C/DH/1B Player and Minor League Coach Butch Wynegar (1982-1986) was born.
On May 12,1982, Catcher Butch Wynegar was traded by the Twins along with P Roger Erickson to the Yankees for 2 Pitchers: John Pacella, Pete Filson, Reserve INF Larry Milbourne and Cash. His best Yankee player season was in 1983, when he hit .296 with 6 HRs and 42 RBIs in 94 games. Overall, Butch would hit .259 with 27 HRs and 168 RBIs in 449 games for the 1982-1986 Yankees. On December 19,1986, he was traded by the Yankees to the Angels for a Player to be Named Later and P Ron Romanick. The Angels would send P Alan Mills on June 22,1987 to the Yankees to complete the trade. After his active MLB playing career ended, Wynegar became a Minor League Manager. He was the Rangers Roving Minor League Batting Instructor from 1998 to 2002. Then in 2003, Butch would join the Brewers MLB Coaching as their MLB Batting Coach. After the 2006 AL season, Wynegar would move on to the Yankees Minor League organization. He was Hitting Coach of the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (IL) from 2007 to 2011, the 2012 AAA Empire State Yankees and the 2013-2014 AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (IL). Next, Wynegar would move to the Pirates organization, joining the AAA Indianapolis Indians as their Hitting Coach in 2015-2017; then he would go to the Class A Bradenton Marauders (FSL) for the 2018 season.
1965- Former Yankees Starter Kevin Brown (2004-2005) was born.
On December 13, 2003, veteran MLB Starter Kevin Brown was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees for Starter Jeff Weaver, Minor League Players: Pitchers Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden and Cash. For the 2004-2005 Yankees, he had posted a 14-13 record with a 4.95 ERA in 35 games. After the 2005 AL season had ended, he was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. He would finish his MLB Pitching career with a 211-144 record with 3.28 ERA in 486 games.
1966- Former Yankees OF Lee Magee (1916-1917) passed away. (1899-1966)
On January 14, 1916, OF Lee Magee was purchased by the Yankees from the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (Federal League) for $22,500 Cash. He played for the team in 1916 and 1917. He would hit .257 for the Yankees. On June 28, 1916, Magee collected a record-tying 4 assists in the Outfield. The next day, he was caught stealing 3 times by the A’s; not until&nbs****ey Henderson in 1982 would another AL runner be cut down 3 times in a game. On July 15,1917, he was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for OF Armando Marsans, he would finish the 1917 AL season with the Browns. In 1920, Lee Magee was banned from organized baseball by MLB Commissioner Judge Landis, after being involved in gambling charges over betting on games with former Reds teammate 1B Hal Chase, while they were both playing for the 1918 Reds.
1969- Former Yankees Minor League OF Jalal Leach was born.
On June 4,1990, OF Jalal Leach was selected by the Yankees in the 7th round of the 1990 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. On December 4, 1995, he was drafted by the Expos from the Yankees organization in the 1995 Minor League Player Draft. In 2002, he returned to the Yankees organization as Minor League Free Agent, playing for the AAA Columbus Clippers (IL); while appearing in 92 games; hitting .251 with 7 HRs and 28 RBIs. In the Fall of 2002, Leach was granted MLB Free Agency by the team. He would later play in the Independent Leagues and finishing his active playing career in Mexican Leagues. His MLB playing career consisted of just 8 games with the 2001 Giants, while hitting just .100 with No HRs and 1 RBI.
1977- The Yankees had traded Reserve OF Terry Whitfield to the Giants for veteran MLB INF Marty Perez. Terry Whitfield was out of Minor League options, the team had to traded him or lose him. He had appeared in just 31 games with the 1974-1976 Yankees, hitting .267 with No HRs and 7 RBIs. While playing in the Yankees Minor League system, Terry had won 2 Minor League Player of the Year Awards. In 1971, he won the Appalachian League Award, while playing for the Johnston City Yankees. In 1973, he was named winner of the Carolina League Award, while playing for the Kingston Eagles. Terry will play in the MLB for 10 seasons. Also, he played in Japan (1981-1983) as well. He would finish with an MLB .281 BA with 33 HRs and 179 RBIs in 730 games with the Yankees, Giants and the Dodgers. Reserve INF Marty Perez only appeared in 1 game for the 1977 Yankees, going 2 for 4 before he was traded by the team. On April 27,1977, he was traded by the Yankees along with veteran MLB Starter Dock Ellis and Reserve OF Larry Murray to the Oakland A’s for veteran MLB Starter Mike Torrez.
1977- Former Yankees Minor League OF Darren Blakely was born.
Before the start of the 2001 AL season, OF Darren Blakely was shipped to the Yankees by the Angels for veteran OF/DH Glenallen Hill. Blakely would hit .256 in 86 games for the Class A Tampa Yankees (FSL), then he went 6 for 20 for the AA Norwich Navigators (EL). On the July 31st MLB Trading Deadline, the Yankees would trade him along with P Brett Jodie to thePadres for veteran MLB P Sterling Hitchcock. He was assigned to the Mobile BayBears, he fell to .217 BA in 28 games. Overall, he had 18 HRs, 7 triples, 31 steals in 48 tries and 139 strikeouts for the well-traveled season.
1980-Former Yankees Reserve OF Al Wickland (1919) passed away. (1888-1980)
On June 10,1919, OF Al Wickland was traded by the AA St. Paul Saints (AA) to the Yankees for Players to be Named Later. Al had come up to the MLB with the 1913 Reds. In 1914, he had jumped from the NL to the Federal League, playing for the 1914 Chicago Chi-Fields, then in 1915, with the Chicago Whales and the Pittsburgh Rebels. He would spend the 1916-1917 seasons playing in the Minor leagues. In 1917, he would return to the MLB with the Braves. Al would play in 26 games as a Reserve Outfielder for the 1919 Yankees, while hitting .152 with No HRs and 1 RBI. He would spend the 1920-1922 baseball seasons playing for the AA Toledo Mud Hens (AA) before retiring as an active player.
1989- Former Yankees Reserve INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez (2022) was born.
On March 21, 2022, MLB veteran INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez was signed as a Minor League Free Agent by the Yankees. He would receive an invitation to their 2022 MLB Spring Training Camp. He had played in 11 MLB seasons with the 2012-2018 Astros, 2019-2020 Twins and split the 2021 season between the Red Sox and Astros. Marwin has played in 1,065 MLB games, while hitting .255 with 101 HRs and 397 RBIs. On April 7, 2022, the Yankees had purchased his Minor League player contract and added him to their 40-man MLB roster. He would appear in 85 games for the Yankees, hitting just .188 with 6 HRs and 18 RBIs. On November 6, 2022, the Yankees would grant him MLB Free Agency.
1997- Current Yankees Minor League OF Brandon Lockridge was born.
Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was drafted by the Yankees in the 5th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Player Draft from Troy Univ. (Troy, AL). In 2018, he had played for the Class A Staten Island Yankees (NYPL) and the Yankees West in the Gulf Coast Rookie League. In 2019, he would play in his 1st full pro baseball season with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs (SAL), playing in 121 games, while hitting .251 with 12 HRs and 56 HRs. He was invited to the Yankees 2020 MLB Spring Training camp. He did not play in 2020 due to COVIDS-19 outbreak, which canceled the Minor League season. In 2021, he had a good season at AA Somerset, but he was not added to the Yankees 40-man roster this past winter, subjecting him to the Rule 5 Player Draft, which has not been held yet due to the MLB lockout. If the Rule 5 Player Draft isn’t held this year, he would stay in the Yankees organization. Currently, he is spring training camp with the other Yankee Minor Leaguer players, who are not on the MLB 40-man roster. The Rule 5 Player Draft wasn’t held, so he is still with the Yankees. In 2022, Brandon had played with AA Somerset.
2003- Able to maintain the organization's "long standing philosophy", which lets Cablevision customers choose whether or not to receive paid programming, the cable giant agrees 1-year interim deal to offer YES Network to New York Yankees fans for a fee ending a bitter and costly year-long feud. The arrangement makes YES Network a premium channel instead of basic cable channel, which the new network had previously mandated and would have made every subscriber pay for the channel regardless of the viewer's choice.
March 15th
1889- Former Yankees INF/OF Charley Mullen (1914-1916) was born. (1889-1963)
On June 25,1914, INF/OF Charley Mullen was traded by Lincoln Tigers (WL) to the Yankees for a Player to be Named Later and Cash. He had been a Player/Manager with the 1913-1914 Lincoln teams. On July 1,1914, the Yankees would send 1B Harry Williams to Lincoln Tigers to complete the trade. Charley Mullen would hit .264 with No HRs and 69 RBIs in 192 games for the 1914-1916 Yankees. After leaving the Yankees, he became a Minor League Manager in the Pacific Coast League, managing the 1919 Seattle Rainers and the 1921 Tacoma Tigers.
1898- Former Yankees Pitcher Wilfred “Rosy” Ryan (1928) was born. (1898-1980)
Veteran NL Starter Rosy Ryan will appear in only 3 games for the 1928 Yankees with no record. He had previously pitched for the 1919-1924 Giants, then for the 1925-1926 Braves. From 1941 to 1965, he was a long-time Minor League Manager in the Giants organization.
1904- Former Yankees MLB Scout Henry Dotterer was born. (1904-1990)
Father of Dutch Dotterer, MLB Catcher (1957-1961) and Tom Dotterer, Minor Leaguer (1954-1963). Grandfather of Mike Dotterer drafted by the Yankees in 1979, 1983 and the A’s in 1982. Dotterer was a Minor League Player from 1929 to 1933. Henry became an MLB Scout after an injury during spring training camp in 1933. He would work for the 1947 AAA Syracuse Chiefs (IL), 1949-1961 Reds,1962-1974 Indians and the 1977-1985 Yankees organizations.
1915- Former Yankees Minor League INF Don Lang was born. (1915-2010)
On December 30,1940, INF Don Lang was traded by the Reds along with $20,000 Cash to Yankees for veteran Starter Monte Pearson. Don did not appear with the Yankees at the MLB level. In 1941, he will play for the Yankees AA Newark Bears (IL). In 1942, Don moved over to their AA club, the Kansas City Blues (AA.) On November 2,1942, Lang was drafted by the Red Sox from the Yankees organization in the 1942 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. In 1946, the Red Sox will trade Don to the Cardinals. In 1948, he will to return to the MLB with the Cardinals appearing in 117 games as a 3B, while hitting .269 in his final MLB playing season.
1919- The Yankees would sell veteran P Ray Fisher to the Reds for undisclosed amount of cash. Before the start of the 1910 AL season, Ray Fisher was purchased by the Yankees from Hartford (CTL). Ray would post a 76-78 record with a 2.91 ERA in 214 games along with 5 saves for the Yankees. His best Yankees season was in 1915, when he posted an 18-11 mark. He would battle tuberculosis for the next 2 years. Ray would miss the Yankees 1918 season due to military service for WWI at the age of 31. On March 15,1919, Ray was selected off waivers by the Reds from the Yankees. Fisher would post a 24-16 record with a 2.47 ERA and 2 saves in 59 games for the 1919-1920 Reds. He had appeared in 1919 World Series with the Reds, losing 1 game to the White Sox. In an MLB Player contract dispute with Reds front office, Ray left the team to become a longtime College Baseball Coach. MLB Commissioner MLB Judge Landis unfairly banish Ray from organized baseball for his actions. In the 1980’s, Ray would later be reinstated by MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Ray’s final MLB Pitching career record was a 100-94 mark with a 2.82 ERA and 7 saves in 278 games.
1944- Former Yankees Reliever Wayne Granger (1973) was born.
On August 9,1973, Veteran MLB Reliever Wayne Granger was obtained from the Cardinals for 2 Minor League Players to be Named Later. On September 12,1993, the Yankees would send AAA P Ken Crosby to Cardinals. The 2nd player was never sent to St. Louis, as the 2 teams had settled on a cash agreement instead. Granger went 0-1 with 1.76 ERA in 7 games for the 1973 Yankees, before being released during the club during their 1974 MLB Spring Training Camp. The White Sox would pick him up for the 1974 AL season.
1945- With World War II travel restrictions still in effect, the Dodgers open their MLB spring training camp at Bear Mountain, NY with 15 players in camp. Seven teams - the Browns, Tigers, Reds, Indians, Cubs, Pirates and the White Sox – are holding their MLB spring training camps in Indiana, the most of any US state. The Yankees would move their MLB spring training camp south from Asbury Park, NJ (Monmouth County) to Atlantic City, NJ, (Atlantic County). They would be using Bader Field to play their MLB spring training games. The Giants are still holding their MLB spring training camp in Lakewood, NJ (Ocean County). The Red Sox are located at Tufts College in Boston, while the Braves are prepping for the coming 1945 NL season at the Choate School located in Wallingford, CT.
1946- Former Yankees All Star OF Bobby Bonds (1975) was born. (1946-2003)
On October 22, 1974, the Giants had traded NL All-Star OF Bobby Bonds to Yankees for AL All-Star OF Bobby Murcer. Both MLB All-Star players were only 28 years-old. This trade was very unpopular with both team’s fans. Bobby Bonds will hit .270, while slugging 32 HRS with 85 RBIs along with 30 stolen bases in 145 games for the 1975 Yankees. On December 11,1975, he was traded by the team to the Angels for OF Mickey Rivers and Pitcher Ed Figueroa.
1960- Former Yankees 3B Mike Pagliarulo (1984-1989) was born.
In 1981, the Yankees in the 6th round of the MLB Amateur Player Draft had selected 3B Mike Pagliarulo. He was the Yankees regular 3B from 1985-1989, while hitting .229 with 95 HRs and 337 RBIs in 703 games. He had dropped off in his BA and HR Production, during the last 2 seasons with the team. On July 22,1989, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Don Schulze to the Padres for P Walt Terrell and a Player to be Named Later, which would be former Yankees Pitching Prospect Freddie Toliver. Mike is currently a baseball sports writer
1976- Former Yankees 3B/1B Kevin Youkilis (2013) was born.
On December 11, 2012, AL All-Star 3B Kevin Youkilis signed a 1-year contract with the Yankees for $12 million, where he was expected to fill in for the injured AL All-Star 3B Alex Rodriguez, who is recovering from off-season hip surgery. Youkilis had played for the Red Sox, until he was traded to the White Sox during the 2012 AL season. Kevin had suffered back injuries which limited his 2013 Yankee season to just 28 games, where he had hit just .219 with 2 HRs and 28 RBIs. In October of 2013, the Yankees granted him MLB Free Agency. He would sign a player contract to play in Japan for the 2014 baseball season, Kevin retired from pro baseball because of injuries, returning back to the US from Japan.
1982- Former Yankees Minor League INF/DH Jorge Vazquez was born.
In 2009, INF/DH Jorge Vazquez was player from the Mexican League, who was signed by the Yankees. He had played for the 2009 AA Trenton Thunder (EL) while appearing in 57 games, hitting .329 with 13 HRs and 56 RBIs. In 2010, he would play for AAA Scranton team (IL), while appearing in 118 games, hitting .262 with 32 HRs and 93 RBIs. He never appeared with the Yankees at MLB level. In 2011, he would return to Mexico Leagues to continuing his pro baseball career there.
1982- Former Yankees Minor League P Steve Jackson was born.
Steve Jackson was traded by the Diamondbacks along with INF Alberto Gonzalez, Pitchers Ross Ohlendorf and Luis Vizcaino to the Yankees for MLB All-Star Starter Randy Johnson. In 2007, Steven had struggled with the AAA Scranton Yankees posting a 4-8 record with a 5.87 ERA and the AA Trenton Thunder with a 0-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1 save. For the Peoria Javelinas (AFL) that fall, he had a 0-1 record with a 5.63 ERA, but he fanned 19 batters in 16 innings. Steven would split 2008 baseball season between AA Trenton posting a 1-3 record, with a 5.74 ERA in 15 Games) and AAA Scranton (3-0, 4 Saves, 3.17 ERA in 34 Games, 54 K in 48 1/3 IP). He had started 2009 season with AAA Scranton; where he allowed 3 runs in 14 1/3 IP and saved 1 game. He was called up to the Yankees, but he did not pitch in a game for them. Then they would place him on waivers, the Pirates would claim him.
1990- Former Yankees Minor League Catcher (1940) and long-time MLB Scout Ed Dunn passed away. (1919-1990)
Ed Dunn was 7 for 31 as a Catcher for the 1940 Amsterdam Rugmakers (CAML) in the Yankees Minor League system. He never appears with the Yankees at the MLB level. Later, He would be a MLB Scout for the Senators/Twins organization from 1959 to 1990, signing such future MLB Players as Dave Boswell, Randy Bush, Lenny Webster and Willie Banks among others.
1993- Former Yankees OF Greg Allen (2021) was born.
Greg Allen was a 6th-round draft choice by the Indians in the 2014 MLB Amateur Player Draft, out of San Diego State Univ. On September 1, 2017, He made his MLB player debut with the Tribe with the Indians being in the middle of a record-setting 22-game winning streak. He hit .229 in 25 games the rest of the way. He was on the team's postseason roster, being used twice in the Indians' loss to the Yankees in ALDS, once as a defensive replacement in center field and once as a pinch-runner. On May 27, 2018, he put an end to an epic contest between the Indians and Astros by leading off the bottom of the 14th inning with a walk-off HR off of Reliever Brad Peacock for a 10-9 Tribe win. The Astros had scored 6 times in the 8th and the Indians 5 times in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings, and the 2 teams had traded solo HRs in the 13th before Allen ended the game with his HR shot. He had hit .257 in 91 games with 36 runs scored and 21 steals in 25 attempts as the Indians' most used centerfielder. However, he was relegated to the bench in the postseason, grounding into a double play in his only at-bat against the Astros in the ALDS. In 2019, he would play in another 89 games, but his BA fell to .229 with 4 HRs and 27 RBIs. He was displaced by Rookie Oscar Mercado as the most-used centerfielder, as his lack of offensive production was too much to carry in the starting line-up on a regular basis. Still, his speed and defensive skills meant that he had some value as a back-up. He had started 2020 as an extra outfielder, although he hardly ever came to the plate: just 28 times over his 1st 15 games, during which he hit .160. On August 31st, he was traded to the Padres, heading home in the blockbuster deal in which he accompanied with P Mike Clevinger and a Player to be Named Later in return for 6 players - Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, Austin Hedges, Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller and Joey Cantillo. He would only appear in 1 game for the Padres after the trade, going 0 for 1, but reaching base 3 times with a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch. Allen still made the team's postseason roster and played 1 game of the NLDS against the Dodgers as a defensive substitute in left field. On January 6, 2021, he was traded to the Yankees for Minor League P James Reeves. During 2021 MLB Spring Training camp, the team had placed him on Designated for Assignment. He had cleared waivers returning to team under a Minor League player contract; playing for AAA Scranton (IL). He was up briefly with the 2021 Yankees, appearing in just 15 games, while hitting .270 with No HRs and 2 RBIs before being returned to AAA Scranton; where he would hit .326 with 5 HRs and 28 RBIs in 73 games. On November 11, 2021, Allen was claimed on waivers from the Yankees by the Pirates.
2010- Former Yankees Reliever Ken Holcombe (1945) passed away. (1918-2010)
Before the start of 1941 NL season, the Cardinals had sent P Ken Holcombe to the Yankees in an unknown transaction. Ken had 3 good seasons with the 1942-1944 AA Newark Bears (IL). After winning 17 games for the 1944 AA Bears, he would make it to Yankee Stadium in 1945. He did some effective work out of the 1945 Yankees bullpen, while posting a 3-3 record along with an excellent 1.80 ERA in 23 appearances. In 1946, Holcombe was back in the Minor Leagues, pitching with the AA Newark Bears (IL) and the AA Kansas City Blues (AA), but he did not pitch well. On November 1,1946, he was drafted by thePirates in the 1946 MLB Rule 5 Player Draft. The Pirates did not like what they got, so they sent Ken back to the Yankees during their 1947 MLB Spring Training Camp. On April 15,1947, he was purchased by the AA Sacramento Solons (PCL). Ken would later pitch in the MLB for the Reds, White Sox and the Red Sox before retiring from baseball in 1954.
2011- Former Yankees Pitcher Fred Sanford (1949-1951) passed away (1919-2010).
Before the start of the 1939 AL season, the St. Louis Browns had signed P Fred Sanford as an MLB Amateur Free Agent. He was assigned to the Youngstown Browns (MAL). He promptly went 9-17 with a 5.08 ERA his 1st season. Fred would spend the next 4 years in the Minors with reasonable success posting a 46-44 record along with a 3.37 ERA. A right-hander who was with the Browns for 3 games before spending 2 years in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Fred would shut out theYankees on September 15, 1946 in his 1st MLB start. As part of the 1947 Browns' starting rotation, he would post a 7-16 record. In 1948, he was 12-21 for the Browns, leading the AL in losses. Sanford had handed the Yankees a pair of critical defeats late in the 1948 AL Pennant race. On December 13,1948, Fred was traded by the Browns along with Reserve Catcher Roy Parteeto the Yankees for Reserve Catcher Sherman Lollar, Pitchers Red Embree, Richard Starr and $100,000 Cash. A lot was expected from the Utah native in the Bronx by the NYC sports media. Yankee fans were soon all over him when it was apparent, he wasn't going to succeed. He did record winning records of 7-3 and 5-4 in his 2 full seasons with the Yankees, but he wasn't used in either the 1949 or the 1950 World Series by Yankees Manager Casey Stengel. Overall, Fred went 12-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 66 games with the 1949-1950 Yankees. New York Daily News sports writer Joe Trimble dubbed him the "$100,000 Lemon." Sanford, who called the 2 seasons with the World Champions "the worst 2 years of my life," On June 15,1951, he was traded by the Yankees along with 2 hurlers: Tom Ferrick and Bob Porterfield to the Senators for veteran AL Pitcher Bob “Sarge” Kuzava. The Senators would send him back to the Browns later that season, the last of his 7 MLB seasons, which concluded with a 37-55 MLB record with a 4.45 ERA in 164 games. Jack would pitch 2 more seasons in the Minor Leagues, both with the AAA Portland Beavers (PCL). Fred went 24-20 with a 3.70 ERA. Closing out his 9-season run in pro baseball with a 94-91 Minor League pitching record with a 4.17 ERA in 268 games.
2012- Oft-injured Former Yankees Starter Chien-Ming Wang, slated to be the 2012 Nationals 5th starter, has to leave a Grapefruit League game after landing awkwardly, when he fields a slow grounder off the bat of the Yankees' Russell Martin in the 3rd inning. Wang crumples to the ground after touching 1st base. He has to be assisted to leave the playing field.
2014- The Yankees would visit Panama City in tribute to recently retired Closer Mariano Rivera, who is honored before the game. However, the Marlins steal the show as Starter Brad Hand and 3 Relievers combine on a 5-0 no-hitter.
2022- The Yankees have agreed to a Minor League player deal with INF/OF Phillip Evans. The 29-yearold Evans had a huge shoeing in a tiny sample with the 2020 Pirates, when he batted .359 through 45 plate appearances. He got out to a decent start in his 2nd season with the 2021 Bucs, but he ultimately wound up finishing the year with a .206 batting line in a career-high 247 plate appearances. Overall, Evans is a career .231 hitter in 353 MLB plate appearances between the Mets and Pirates. He has played all 4 corner positions with Pirates this past season, but the majority of Evans’ pro innings have come at shortstop, 3rd base and 2nd base — in that order.
Evans will give the Yankees some versatile depth with a reasonably productive track record in the upper minors to stash away at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. At the AAA level, he’s a career .274 hitter with 42 HRs, 74 doubles and 7 triples in 1,438 plate appearances. For the 2022 AAA Scranton club, he would play in 103 games, while hitting .244 with 9 HRs and RBIs. He never appeared with the 2022 Yankees at the MLB level. In November 2022, the Yankees would grant him Free Agency. He would be signed by the Diamondbacks to a Minor League deal.
