5/05 in Yankee History

1994: Yankee prospect Edwin Salcedo, playing for the Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League, hits an apparent 430-foot HR in a game against the Brevard County Manatees‚ but does not even receive credit for a single. Salcedo misses first base while rounding the bases‚ and is called out on appeal. The Manatees win the game 5-3.

1991: Kevin Maas homers in the top of the 16th to give New York a 4-3 lead over the Mariners. Greg Briley answers with a 2-run game walkoff HR to give the home side a 5-4 win.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1991/B05050SEA1991.htm

1982: The Yankees and Toronto swap first baseman‚ with New York getting John Mayberry (who once bedevilled the Bombers in the playoffs in his days with the Kansas City Roayls) and the Jays taking Dave Revering. Toronto also receive 2 minor league prospects. 

1969:  Babe Ruth  and 36 other players ‘lose’ home runs because of a ruling reversal by the Baseball Records Committee, who decide to stay with the pre-1920 rules on sudden death home runs. This rule stated that a team batting last in the 9th or in extra innings could not win by more than one run. Before 1920 if a player hit an outside-the-park home run with a runner(s) on base‚ he was not credited with a homer. The Babe loses credit for a blow that he struck to win a game with the White Sox on July 8, 1918.

In Hyogo, Japan, future Yankee pitcher Hideki ‘Fat ***** Toad’ Irabu is born. Happy 41st, Hideki!

1965: Elston Howard undergoes elbow surgery. The Yankees catcher will be out until June 4th.

1956: The Yankees clout four homers – Yogi Berra’s‚ Hank Bauer’s inside-the-parker‚ and two
moonshots by Mickey Mantle – to top the visiting A’s‚ 5-2. Mantle’s second blast 
hits the right field facade just inside the foul pole‚ and almost clears the
roof.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B05050NYA1956.htm

1953: In Cleveland‚ the Yanks send 13 batters to the plate in the 4th and score 8 to roll to an 11-1 win over Bob Lemon. Winner Whitey Ford scores two runs and is lifted in the 8th after Wally Westlake spoils his shutout with a homer. The loss drops the Indians a half game behind the leading Yanks.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B05050CLE1953.htm

1952: Mickey Mantle’s father dies of Hodgkin’s Disease and Mantle will miss six games
attending the funeral and seeing to family matters in Oklahoma.
Mickey’s grandfather died eight years earlier of the same disease.

1949: Before the start of a series with the Yanks‚ the White Sox abandon their trick left field  fence. The 5-foot chicken wire fence‚ erected to cut the distance by 20 feet‚ resulted in 11 HRs in 8 games‚ but opponents hit 7 of them. The AL will subsequently rule that fences cannot be moved more than once a season. The Yanks still win today‚ 7-5‚ to go 13-3. Tommy Henrich has the only homer‚ while Johnny Lindell‚ Yankee left fielder‚ twice makes catches of drives that would have been out of the park with the shorter fence.

Allie Reynolds‚ with help from Joe Page‚ is the winner.

1930: Making his first Yankee start‚ Lefty Gomez (1-1) goes all the way to beat the White Sox‚ 4-1‚ on a 5-hitter. Red Faber  takes the loss for Chicago. Lefty’s one other appearance‚ in relief‚ resulted in a loss on April 29th.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1930/B05050NYA1930.htm

1926: Bob Cerv, member of 9 Yankee pennant winners and 6 World Championship teams in the ’50s and early ’60s, is born. Happy 84th, Bob!

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cervbo01.shtm
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1925: Everett Scott is benched by New York manager Miller Huggins‚ ending his record 1‚307-game playing streak. Pee Wee Wanninger replaces him at shortstop in the 6-2 loss to the A’s. Scott will soon go to Washington on waivers. The Yanks send lefty hurler Ray Francis to the Red Sox for outfielder Bobby Veach and pitcher Alex Ferguson. The two will be waived together in August.

 
                             The 1925 Yankees 

1922: Following an announcement by the Giants that they will be evicting their AL tenants from the Polo Grounds as of the end of the year‚ the Yankees sign a contract to build their own $750‚000 stadium on a site they have held an option on since 1920.

1920: The Yankees beat Walter Johnson and the Senators‚ 7-1‚ racking up 11 hits. Only one of the runs off Johnson is earned as Carl Mays is the easy winner.

Babe Ruth is 2-for-2‚ both doubles‚ draws two walks‚ and drives home two.

1909: Highlanders pitcher Lew Brockett records 9 assists in his 2-0 win over the Boston Americans.

1904: At Hilltop Park, the Washington Nationals notch their first win of the year in
beating the Highlanders 9-4. They snap their 13-game losing streak, which is an AL record to start the season.