May 2010
5/11 in Yankee History
2000: The Devil Rays defeat the Yankees‚ 1-0‚ behind the pitching of Steve Trachsel‚ who hurls the first 7 innings. Trachsel‚ who defeated the Red Sox 1-0 in his last start‚ becomes the 1st AL pitcher in 24 years to win back-to-back 1-0 games. (Editor’s note: If Trachsel’s name rings a bell with trivia fans, it’s because he gave up Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run to break Roger Maris’ record in 1998).
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2000/B05110NYA2000.htm
1990: Citing a no-trade clause in his contract‚ Dave Winfield refuses to report to the Angels after being traded for Mike Witt. Winfield will eventually accept the trade on May 16th‚ ending his often stormy relationship with George Steinbrenner.
1966: The Yankees purchase shortsatop Dick Schofield from the Giants: they’ll trade him to the Dodgers on September 10 for pitcher Thad Tillotson.
1965: Mel Stottlemyre stops the Red Sox 5-3 at Fenway‚ and Mickey Mantle reaches base 4 times‚ once on his 6th homer of the year.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1965/B05110BOS1965.htm
1963: The Yankees trounce the Orioles‚ 13-1‚ beating Milt Pappas. Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris each homer‚ the first time this year they’ve done it together.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1963/B05110BAL1963.htm
1950: Airplane travel is still a baseball rarity‚ but a railroad strike forces the Yankees and four other clubs – the Red Sox‚ Dodgers‚ Giants‚ and Reds – to fly to play their next scheduled games. The Senators‚ with short hops in the prospect‚ will take the bus.
1946: The Yankees end a 15-game Red Sox winning streak‚ as Ernie ‘Tiny’ Bonham beats Tex Hughson and Boo Ferriss 2-0 before 52‚011 at the Stadium. Tommy Henrich hits a homer and accounts for both runs. The Red Sox are 21-4‚ 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yanks. The 15-game streak is still a Red Sox record.
‘Tiny’ Bonham
1940: The Red Sox top the Yankees 9-8 with 2 runs in the bottom of the 11th after New York had taken the lead on Tommy Henrich’s second HR of the game. Joe McCarthy benches Frankie Crosetti‚ hitting .150‚ but New York (6-8) still lose their 8th in a row at home to drop into last place. Meanwhile‚ Boston takes their 6th straight. With Crosetti’s benching‚ he ends his consecutive games played at 420‚ the longest current streak in the majors.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1940/B05110NYA1940.htm
1939: The Yankees set down the Browns‚ 10-8‚ jumping on rookie Ewald Pyle for three hits before he exits. Pyle is subbing for Bobo Newsom‚ out with a skinned finger. Russ ‘the Fresno Flinger’ Van Atta‚ follows‚ and the Yanks score nine runs in four innings to put the game out of reach. Bill Dickey has three hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Lou Gehrig does not play‚ but takes infield practice and warms up Monte Pearson using a righty glove. New York now lead by 1 1/2 games.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B05110SLA1939.htm
1937: Tommy Henrich makes his Major League debut. The future mainstay of the Yankee outfield goes 1 for 4, but White Sox pitcher Monte Stratton scatters 7 hits in subduing the Yankees 7-2. Henrich‚ recently signed‚ was called up to take the place of Jake Powell‚ out with appendicitis.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1937/B05110CHA1937.htm
1927: In St. Louis‚ Babe Ruth belts his second homer in 2 days and his eighth of the year‚ off Ernie Nevers‚ as the Yanks win 4-2. The shot passes to the left of the center field flagpole in Sportsman’s Park‚ the longest ball to date ever hit there. Not sparing the purple prose, Martin Haley in the St. Louis Post Dispatch writes: ‘Homeric Herman careened the animated leather for a sky-scraping bulls-eye into the distant center-field bleachers‚ the ball clattering up the icy seats at the point where the left-center and dead-center field sections conjoin.’
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1927/B05110SLA1927.htm
1919: In the first legal Sunday game in New York for the Yankees‚ and after a 12 inning duel between Washington’s Walter Johnson and New York spitballer Jack Quinn‚ neither team score. The Big Train allows a single in the first and then retires the next 28 batters before giving up a walk in the 10th. In a misinterpretation of the new rules‚ the game is called at 6 p.m. by New York owner Jacob Ruppert.
1904: In the opener of a 4-game series with the visiting Cleveland Blues‚ the New York Highlanders prevail‚ 4-2‚ on a 2-run homer by Kid Elberfeld and a pair of run-scoring singles by Deacon McGuire. The New Yorkers will take 3 of the 4 games to move into a tie for second place.
D.McGuire
5/10 in Yankee History
The red-letter day –
1936: Joe DiMaggio makes his Yankee Stadium debut.
The much-heralded rookie also hits his first ML home run‚ off the A’s George Turbeville. Lou Gehrig has 4
hits and two RBIs to pace the Yanks to a 7-2 win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1936/B05100NYA1936.htm
On other 10ths of May…
1996: David Cone undergoes surgery to remove an aneurysm in his pitching arm.
1991: Junko Aoyama, international woman of mystery, fervent Yankee fan and all-around good egg, is born. Happy birthday, Junko!
1965: At Fenway‚ the 9th place Yankees lose again‚ 3-2‚ when Carl Yastrzemski outhits a hobbling Mickey Mantle. Yaz collects a pair of homers and a sacrifice fly‚ while the Mick is 3-for-4 with a homer. After Mantle doubles with two outs in the 9th‚ starter Jim Lonborg is lifted and Dick Radatz gets the final out. It is Lonborg’s first major league win. Before the game the Yankees trade infielder Pedro Gonzalez to Cleveland in exchange for first baseman Ray Barker. Barker will help fill in for the injured Roger Maris.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1965/B05100BOS1965.htm
1959: The Yanks sweep two from the Senators at the Stadium‚ winning 6-3 and 3-2 in 10 innings. Mickey Mantle’s homer in the 3rd inning of the opener starts the Yanks scoring as they beat Chuck Stobbs. Mantle singles and scores the winning run in the 10th of the nitecap. Yogi Berra has a HR in the nitecap and sets a new ML record for consecutive errorless games by a catcher with 148.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B05101NYA1959.htm
1953: Vic Raschi makes his 1st relief appearance in 2 years‚ limiting the Red Sox to 3 hits in 4 innings‚ as the Yankees win‚ 7-4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident‚ which will keep him out of action for 3 weeks‚ when Jimmy Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody’s argument with umpire Jim Duffy. Del Wilber of the Sox hits his 2nd consecutive pinch homer in the 8th; his first came on May 6th.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B05100BOS1953.htm
1952: Hank Bauer goes 5-for-6 in an 18-3 Yankee romp over Boston. The Bombers score 11 runs in the 7th inning. The BoSox come away with a record-tying 10 assists in the 5th inning as they rack up 18 for the game. The 10 in one inning was last done on August 17, 1921 by the New York Giants.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1952/B05100NYA1952.htm
1946: Before a Friday Ladies’ Day crowd at Yankee Stadium of 64‚183‚ the first-place Red Sox take their 15th straight game‚ a 5-4 win over the Yankees. Earl Johnson gets the win with 4 innings of scoreless relief. A Joe DiMaggio grand slam accounts for all the Bombers’ scoring.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B05100NYA1946.htm
1937: Monte Pearson pitches a one hitter in stopping the White Sox at Comiskey‚ 6-0. Joe DiMaggio hits his first 2 homers of the year and George Selkirk his 5th for the Yankees. Chicago’s only hit is a one-out first inning single by Larry Rosenthal‚ who was erased on a DP.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1937/B05100CHA1937.htm
1934: Lou Gehrig hits 2 home runs (one a grand slam) and a pair of doubles‚ tying a record with four extra base hits‚ and drives in 7 runs. The performance by the Iron Horse is all the more remarkable given that he’s suffering from a bad cold, and has to leave the game after 5 innings. The New Yorkers thrash the White Sox 13-3. During the game, Yankee outfielder Ben Chapman shouts racial slurs at a Jewish fan. In 1947 he will lead the dugout bigots in protest of Jackie Robinson.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1934/B05100NYA1934.htm
1926: At the Stadium‚ Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth hit back-to-back homers off Tiger starter Sam Gibson‚ and the Yankees outscore the visitors 13-9. Herb Pennock is the winner.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1926/B05100NYA1926.htm
1913: The Yankees commit a club record 8 errors‚ but still end up beating the Tigers 10-9 in 10 innings. Yankee shortstop Claud Derrick commits three of the miscues. He will field just .872 for the year. In a deal that might be related to Derrick’s poor performance, the Yankees deal for sure-gloved SS Roger Peckinpaugh ten days later.
1868: Ed Barrow is born
After leading the Red Sox to World Series wins in 1915 and 1918 as manager (where he was also credited with the momentous decision to make Babe Ruth an everyday position player), Barrow moved to New York, and served as General Manager of the Yankees from 1921 to 1944, during which the team emerged as the powerhouse of Major League Baseball. Barrow was active in establishing one of the strongest farm systems in baseball during this period.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 21, 1953 by the Committee on Baseball Veterans. He died
later that year in Port Chester, NY at age 85. Ed Barrow is interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York.
On April 15, 1954, the Yankees dedicated a plaque to Barrow, which first hung on the center field wall at Yankee Stadium, near the flagpole and the monuments to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, and later in the Stadium’s Monument Park. The plaque called him ‘Moulder of a tradition of victory.’
5/09 in Yankee History
The red-letter day –
1930: In a game between the Yankees and the Tigers at the Stadium, the outfielders of both teams make a total of only 2 putouts for an AL
record that has never been equalled. The NL record for outfield idleness is one
chance (Pittsburgh versus Brooklyn‚ August 26‚ 1910). Detroit’s George Uhle strikes out 8 in winning‚ 5-4‚ and dropping the Yanks to 7th
place. Henry Johnson (7 innings) and George Pipgras are the New York hurlers.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1930/B05090NYA1930.htm
On other 9ths of May…
1999: The Yankees defeat the Mariners 6-1. Reliever Mike Stanton makes his 1st
major league start for New York, ending his major league record streak of 552
consecutive relief appearances prior to his first start. The previous record of
443 was set by Gary Lavelle of the Giants.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B05090NYA1999.htm
1989: The Yankees beat the Rangers 5-3 at the Stadium, with Jesse Barfield contributing a 2-run homer. For the first time since April 10th‚ no Major League games are shutouts‚ ending a
streak of 29 consecutive days with at least one whitewashing.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1989/B05090NYA1989.htm
1981: For the second night in a row, Yankee pitching surrenders a walkoff homer to Seattle’s Tom Paciorek. The second shot is a 3-run dinger off Ron Davis giving the Mariners
a 6-5 win over the visiting Bombers.
The previous night‚ Paciorek led off the 9th with a homer off Rudy May to give
Seattle a 3-2 win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1981/B05090SEA1981.htm
1966: At Minneapolis‚ the 6-20 Yankees edge the Twins‚ 3-2. Roger Maris‚ Mickey Mantle and Joe Pepitone‚ with the
game-winner in the 9th inning‚ hit homers for New York.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B05090MIN1966.htm
1964: At Cleveland, Pedro Ramos gives up 4 home runs to New York – Tony Kubek‚ Mickey Mantle‚ Joe Pepitone‚ and Hector Lopez -as the Yanks win 6-2.
1958: After six straight home rainouts‚ the Yanks play their first home night
game of the year‚ against Washington. Mickey Mantle breaks a 2-2 tie in the 3rd
with an inside-the-park solo homer off Pedro Ramos. New York roll to a 9-5 win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1958/B05090NYA1958.htm
1953: At Fenway, the first place Yanks beat the Red Sox 6-4. Mickey Mantle hits one homer off Bill Werle and is robbed of
another when Jimmy Piersall makes a sensational catch at the Sox bullpen in
right-center field.
1949: Vic Raschi tosses a 5-hitter at Detroit, but the Tigers still set back the first-place Yankees 4-1‚ as Bengal hurler Ted Gray matches the performance of his opposite number. Dick Wakefield’s solo homer off Raschi completes the scoring by the home side.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1949/B05090DET1949.htm
1944: Joe McCarthy returns to the Yankee dugout after missing much of spring training and the early season due
to illness.
1943: The Yankees take the opening game of a doubleheader with the A’s with a 13-1 mashing behind Spud
Chandler (3-0). Chandler contributes a three-run inside-the-park homer
in the first inning. Roy Weatherly is 5-for-5 with a triple and homer.
His homer is followed by another from Charlie Keller. The A’s rebound to
win game 2, 4-3, holding Weatherly hitless.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1943/B05091NYA1943.htm
1940: The New York press reports the impending sale of the Yankees by the Ruppert estate to political bigwigs Jim Farley and Jesse Jones.
The Sporting News declares the sale will be for $4 million. The imminent
sale will resurface on the front pages several times during the next
year‚ but it never happens.
1903: The Boston Americans top the visiting Highlanders 12-5‚ with a little
help from umpire Bob Caruthers‚ who tosses out New York pitcher Jesse Tannehill
and second baseman Jimmy Williams for arguing balls and strikes.
5/08 in Yankee History
2009: In his first game of the season after missing six weeks because of hip surgery, Alex Rodriguez hits the first pitch he sees from Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie for a three-run home run in a 4-0 Yankees win that ends a five-game losing streak. CC Sabathia pitches a four-hit shutout in his best performance since signing a free agent contract over the winter.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2009/B05080BAL2009.htm
2003: The Yankees jump on the Mariners for 10 runs in the 3rd inning, Alfonso Soriano topping off a barrage of singles with a two-run homer, on their way to a 16-5 victory. David Wells now goes to 5-0.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2003/B05080SEA2003.htm
1994: Jose Tartabull‚ Mike Stanley‚ and Gerald Williams go deep back-to-back-to-back for the Yankees in the 6th inning of NY’s 8-4 win over Boston.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1994/B05080NYA1994.htm
1991: Howard Spira is found guilty of trying to extort money from George Steinbrenner. Spira had already received $40‚000 from the Yankee owner.
As reported by Dick Heller in the New York Times:
‘Though the George Steinbrenner-Howard Spira association has been
overshadowed in public memory by Pete Rose’s ongoing ban for gambling,
it remains one of the less savory episodes in recent sports history. 
Dave Winfield (above, left) and Steinbrenner (right) became mortal enemies after the Yankees signed him to a 10-year, $15 million contract as a free agent in 1981. When Winfield failed to spark the Yankees to pennants, as Reggie Jackson had as the legendary “Mr. October” in the late 1970s, Steinbrenner derisively tagged him “Mr. May.”
That didn’t bother Winfield as much as Steinbrenner’s refusal to honor a contractual agreement to pay $300,000 to Winfield’s charitable foundation. This set off a series of lawsuits between owner and player, but Steinbrenner clearly overstepped his bounds when he hired Spira to do his dirty work.
As a 21-year-old go-fer for Winfield, Spira once had unlimited access to the slugger. But after Winfield refused to loan Spira $15,000 to pay off sizable gambling debts, his former aide approached Steinbrenner.
The Yankees’ owner, meanwhile, had tried various tactics to discredit Winfield, a quiet man who was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2001 after a superb 22-year career. Once he forced an audit that purportedly showed the foundation spent $6 for every $1 it gave away. The two men continued to haggle in court and the media. Steinbrenner apparently figured Spira would give him more ammunition.
Steinbrenner later claimed in a Playboy magazine interview that he paid Spira $40,000 because “he was harassing my family; my daughters were scared; he was harassing people who were close to me.”
The interviewer asked Steinbrenner whether he had been afraid.
“You’re [darn] right I was! And after that, there was a death threat at my hotel. … Now, everybody says, ‘Yeah, but look at Howard Spira. He’s a little guy.’ But Sirhan Sirhan was a little guy. Lee Harvey Oswald was a little guy…I was scared stiff… I told him to take the $40,000 [and go away].”
1964: In Cleveland‚ there are tornado warnings‚ but New York supply all the damage when Mickey Mantle connects for a 3-run homer off Tommy John in the 4th inning to lead New York to a 10-3 win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B05080CLE1964.htm
1956: Mickey Mantle clouts an Early Wynn pitch in the 6th to tie the Indians at 2-2‚ and New York edge the Tribe 4-3 
.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B05080NYA1956.htm
1953: After 13 straight losses to the Yankees‚ the Red Sox win a dramatic 11-inning 2-1 thriller at Fenway. Billy Goodman’s homer off starter Johnny Sain gives starter Hal Brown the win. Dick Gernert’s 2nd inning HR is the other Boston score. In Boston’s last win over New York‚ August 9‚ 1952‚ all the scores came on solo homers.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B05080BOS1953.htm
1949: Behind the 2-hit pitching of Tommy Byrne‚ the Yanks roll over Detroit 12-0. Gene Woodling scores 5 runs
.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1949/B05080DET1949.htm
1927: A game with the Yankees draws a record 52‚000 to Comiskey Park but Waite Hoyt spoils the party by winning one of his league-leading 22 games‚ 9-0‚ the 2nd straight shutout of the Sox. Batterymate Pat Collins homers in the 7th‚ while Lou Gehrig adds a pair of triples.
Pat Collins
1926: The Yankees score 7 in the 2nd but lose to Detroit 14-10‚ knocking themselves out of the lead; Washington move into first.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1926/B05080NYA1926.htm
1915: The NY Times headlines: “BALL GRABBERS, READ THIS. Guy Clarke Fined $3 for Taking Ball Hit Into Polo Grounds Bleachers. “It isn’t safe to try to get away with a ball when a home run is hit into the bleachers at the Polo Grounds. Yesterday in the ninth inning Peckinpaugh of the Yankees hit a home run into the left field bleachers and the ball was grabbed by Guy Clarke, a chauffeur, of 68 West Ninety-eighth Street, who tried to get away with the prize. Tom Kelly, one of the park policemen, tried to persuade Clarke to give it up but he refused, so he was arrested by a policeman who was summoned from outside of the park.” “In the Night Court, Magistrate Sims told Clark that he had no more right to take a baseball at the Polo Grounds than he had to take his (the magistrate’s) watch. James McIlravy of the park police stated to the court that between twenty-five and thirty balls were lost at the grounds each week.” “Clark was fined $3.”
5/07 in Yankee History
The red-letter day –
1921: Bob Meusel becomes the first Yankee to hit for the cycle. He connects for a 2-run third inning home run off Walter Johnson, and his triple with 2 on beats the Senators 6-5 in the 9th. Babe Ruth strikes out 3 times against Johnson‚ then poles a homer in the 8th that lands in a tree outside of right field. Former President Woodrow Wilson witnesses the exciting game in Washington.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1921/B05070WS11921.htm
On other 7ths of May…
2006: The Yankees defeat the Rangers, 8-5, to give Joe Torre his 1,000th win as Yankee manager. He is the fourth man in the job to reach the level, joining Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, and Miller Huggins.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2006/B05070TEX2006.htm
1996: The first-place Yankees score 8 runs in the 6th inning to beat the hapless Tigers‚ 12-5. Paul O’Neill goes 2-for-3 to raise his average to .384‚ and Ruben Sierra drives home 4 runs. After the game‚ the Yankee players learn that clubhouse leader David Cone has an aneurysm in the front of his right shoulder that will require surgery on May 10th. Cone has been experiencing numbness in his pitching hand as a result.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B05070NYA1996.htm
1970: Roy White homers from both sides of the plate in a 7-3 Yankee win over Oakland.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1970/B05070OAK1970.htm
1966: With the Yankees off to a 4-16 start, General Manager Ralph Houk fires Johnny Keane and reinstalls himself in the dugout. New York will win 13 of the next 17 under Houk.
1959: The Los Angeles Coliseum is jammed by 93‚103 on “Roy Campanella Night” for an exhibition game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. This is the largest crowd in ML history. The Yanks win 6-2.
1957: As the Yankees take the Indians in Cleveland, Gil McDougald hits a wicked line-drive in the 1st inning that strikes the Tribe’s Herb Score in the right eye. Score‚ with a broken nose and lacerations‚ is carried off the field on a stretcher. Bob Lemon relieves and wins the game‚ 2-1. Score will return the following year, but his mechanics will never be the same.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1957/B05070CLE1957.htm
1955: Powered by Elston Howard’s first Major League homer‚ and Mickey Mantle’s tie breaker to straightaway center in the 8th‚ the visiting Yanks move past the Red Sox 9-6. The Yanks spot Boston a 5-0 lead before roaring back with three in the 9th.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1955/B05070BOS1955.htm
1954: At the Stadium, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra go ‘back to back and belly to belly’ in the 7th to pin a 2-0 loss on the A’s Morrie Martin.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1954/B05070NYA1954.htm
1939: Joe Gordon smacks two homers and Red Rolfe one to pace the Yankees to a 15-4 hosing of the White Sox.
Joe Gordon
Red Ruffing is again an easy winner – in his last outing the Yanks scored 22 against Detroit.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B05070CHA1939.htm
1929: Yankee southpaw Tom Zachary wins a 6-5 game in relief at St. Louis‚ the first of his 12 victories without a loss for the year‚ a ML record. No pitcher will win more games in a season without losing one. His batterymate‚ rookie Bill Dickey‚ helps out with his first major league homer‚ off General Crowder.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1929/B05070SLA1929.htm
1927: At Comiskey Park‚ Lou Gehrig christens the new right field pavilion by parking a 9th inning grand slam there‚ off Ted Lyons. It is the 1st homer in the remodeled park. The Yankees coast to an 8-0 win behind Herb Pennock.
1915: At the Polo Grounds, the Yankees pound the Red Sox‚ 10-3‚ scoring all of their runs in the 4th inning. Sixteen Yanks come to the plate in the frame. Ray Caldwell gets the win for the home side
1913: New York’s Ray Keating tosses a one-hitter against the Tigers‚ allowing just a 2nd inning single to Chas Deal. Ty Cobb strikes out his first two times up‚ then calls it quits for the day. The Yankees win 6-0.
Ray Keating
1906: During the Highlanders’ 7-2 win over visiting Washington‚ umpire Tim Hurst punches New York manager Clark Griffith in the mouth after Griffith accidently steps on his shoe during a 10-minute argument following a close play in the 5th inning. Griffith is tossed today but Hurst will be suspended for 5 days.
Clark Griffith
1903: At the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, the New York and Boston AL franchises play each other for the first time. Lewis ‘Snake’ Wiltse gets the ball for the Highlanders, while Bill Dineen gets the start for the future Red Sox, currently known as the Americans. Boston win 6-2 in 1 hour 38 minutes.
Snake Wiltse
5/06 in Yankee History
The red-letter day –
1911: The Yankees turn their first ever triple play, and top the Red Sox 6-3 in the process. The play happens in the 9th inning with Russ Ford on the mound, when Boston catcher Bill ‘Rough’ Carrigan lines into a game ending triple-killing.
Russ Ford
On other 6ths of May…
2001: At Camden Yards‚ the Yankees continue to beat up on the Orioles‚ winning 2-1‚ behind Mike Mussina. Scott Brosius hits a solo HR in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie. The Yanks tie an MLB record by starting the season 13-0 against below .500 teams‚ matching a mark set by the 1902 Pirates and the 1966 Indians.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2001/B05060BAL2001.htm
2000: The Yanks defeat the Orioles 3-1‚ as Roger Clemens records
his 250th career victory. He is the 39th pitcher to reach the mark
.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2000/B05060NYA2000.htm
1998: In a wild game‚ the Yankees (22-6) beat the Rangers‚ 15-13‚ after jumping out to a 9-0 lead with 2 in the 1st and 7 in the 2nd. But the Rangers came back with 7 in the 3rd. After the Yankees score 4 in the top of the 4th‚ the Rangers score 3 to cut the lead to 13-10‚ then tie it with 3 in the 6th. Jorge Posada’s RBI single gives the Yankees the lead in the 8th. Derek Jeter has 4 hits‚ including a triple and homer‚ and 5 RBI‚ while Paul O’Neill contributes 3 hits‚ 2 runs‚ 2 RBI‚ a double and a HR. Juan Gonzalez has 3 hits‚ 5 RBI‚ 3 runs and a HR for the Rangers. The game is a turning point for David Wells. After Wells allows 7 runs on 7 hits in 2 2/3 innings‚ he receives a tongue lashing from Joe Torre which proves therapeutic.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B05060TEX1998.htm
1978: In a 9-5 loss to Texas‚ Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph pulls the hidden ball trick on the Rangers’ Bump Wills in the first inning. In 1980‚ Randolph will have it pulled on him, and he joins orlando Cepeda as the only 2 players known to have pulled off the HBT, and to have pulled on them.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1978/B05060NYA1978.htm
1964: The Yanks hit four home runs – two by Hector Lopez and one apiece by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris – to back Jim Bouton’s 9-2 win in the opener of a doubleheader with the Senators. Washington come back from a 4-0 deficit to win the nitecap‚ 5-4‚ despite a 3 -run Mantle homer off starter Claude Osteen.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B05061WS21964.htm
1962: Mickey Mantle hits HRs right- and lefthanded for the 9th time‚ in the 2nd game of a doubleheader‚ as the Yankees win 8-0 over the Senators at the Stadium. His first homer follows a Roger Maris round-tripper. The shutout is Jim Bouton’s first win the majors. In the opener‚ a 4-2 Nats win‚ Mantle accounts for both Yankee runs with a lefthanded blast.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1962/B05061NYA1962.htm
1955: At Fenway‚ Mickey Mantle lines a first inning solo shot into the Yankee bullpen‚ and Bob Turley shuts out Boston the rest of the way for a 6-0 New York win. Frank Sullivan is the losing pitcher.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1955/B05060BOS1955.htm
1930: The Yankees get Red Ruffing‚ loser of 47 games in the past 2 years and with a lifetime 39-96‚ from the Red Sox for $50‚000 and Cedric Durst.
1922: Carl Mays allows 2 hits-both to Bing Miller-and faces just 29 batters as the Yankees beat the A’s‚ 2-0. It is the submariner’s 19th straight win over Philadelphia and his 2nd in 2 weeks.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1922/B05060PHA1922.htm
1914: Babe Ruth hits his first Major League home run, off the Yankees’ Jack Warhop in the
3rd inning at the Polo Grounds. Ruth has two other hits but loses the
game in the 13th‚ 4-3‚ as the Red Sox make 4 errors behind him. Cy Pieh is the winner.
5/05 in Yankee History
1999: The Yankees defeat the Twins 5-3 at the Stadium, with Andy Pettitte getting his first win of the campaign. For the first time since 1958, there are no games in either league scheduled west of Kansas City; all
games are in the Eastern or Central time zone. All the West Coast teams
are on the road.
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!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/i/irabuhi01.shtml
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.shtml
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.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1920/B05050WS11920.htm
1916: Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays relieves Bath Ruth with the score 4-2 in the 9th against the Yankees. New York tie the game on a 2-out error by third baseman Larry Gardner‚ and win 8-4 in 13 innings. Mays makes his first appearance of the year following a tonsil operation in the spring.
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.
5/04 in Yankee History
1981: Yankee reliever Ron Davis strikes out the last 8 batters of the game in a 4-2 win over the Angels‚ tying Nolan Ryan’s AL record (done twice) for consecutive strikeouts and setting a new record for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1981/B05040CAL1981.htm
1963: The Yankees edge the Twins‚ 3-2‚ beating Jim Kaat on 3 solo homers. Elston Howard hits a pair‚ and Mickey Mantle adds one.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1963/B05040MIN1963.htm
1961: Mickey Mantle homers and extends his hitting streak to 16 games‚ as the Yankees top the Twins‚ 5-2. New York sweep all 3 games in Minnesota.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B05040MIN1961.htm
1951: In St. Louis‚ the Yanks pummel the Browns 8-1 behind Eddie Lopat. Mickey Mantle‚ again batting leadoff and playing in right field‚ connects for his 2nd homer‚ off Duane Pillette‚ a 450 ft. shot in the 6th inning.
1950: The White Sox‚ helped by Bob “Sugar” Cain’s 5-hitter‚ embarrass the Yankees 15-0 at the Stadium.
The score ties the Yanks’ team record‚ set in 1907‚ for the most runs in a shutout loss. One bright spot for the Yankees in the humiliating defeat is Phil Rizzuto’s 3 hits.
1933: Lefty Gomez throws no-hit ball for 8 innings before Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer leads off the 9th with a home run. Gerald Walker follows with a double‚ reaches third when Gomez throws a wild pitch‚ and scores. Gomez then retires the side for a 5-2 Yankee win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1933/B05040DET1933.htm
1929: At Comiskey Park‚ Lou Gehrig wallops three home runs against the Sox in an 11-9 New York shootout. His second round-tripper‚ in the 7th inning‚ is sandwiched between blasts by Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel. With his homer off Red Faber in the 2nd‚ Gehrig joins Ruth as the second slugger to clear the right field stands‚ 75 feet high and 360 feet away from home plate. The Ruthian clout came off Tommy Thomas in 1927. His last homer of the day is served up by Dan Dugan.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1929/B05040CHA1929.htm
1920: Jack Quinn tosses a five-hitter as the Yankees beat Boston’s Waite Hoyt‚ 5-0. 
Umpire Dick Nallin clears the Yankee bench in the 6th inning because of ‘too much conversation.’
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1920/B05040NYA1920.htm
1918: At the Polo Grounds‚ the Yankees set an ML record (since tied) by laying down 8 sacrifices‚ 6 coming on bunts‚ and nudge Boston 5-4. The bunting by New York takes advantage of Boston lefty Babe Ruth‚ who is nursing a hangover. The Babe makes 2 errors and has 9 assists handling 13 fielding chances. Despite contributing his first homer of the year‚ plus a double‚ Ruth loses to Allan Russell. Boston’s first baseman Dick Hoblitzell injures his finger‚ and in the next game Ruth will make his first career start as a position player.
5/03 in Yankee History
The red-letter day:
1936: Playing in left field, Joe DiMaggio makes his regular-season debut with the Yankees and has 3 hits‚ one a triple‚ as New York routs St. Louis 14-5 at the Stadium. Joe scores 3 runs and knocks in one. Lou Gehrig and Ben Chapman collect 4 hits each and Gehrig scores 5 runs. New York will win 5 of their next 6 games with DiMag in the lineup. To make room‚ the Yankees waive outfielder Dixie Walker‚ who is hitting .350‚ to the White Sox.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1936/B05030NYA1936.htm
On other 3rds of May…
2000: The Major League Baseball Players Association again denies several
major-leaguers, including Shane Spencer of the Yankees, admission to the union. The players crossed picket lines
during the 1994-95 strike becoming replacement players. These players
don’t pay union dues‚ receive full pension benefits‚ and can to use the
Association’s grievance procedure. However‚ they do not receive a share
of royalties from the sale of baseball merchandise.
1990: Yankee rookie Mike Blowers, handed the starting job at third base, ties an AL record by committing 4 errors at the hot corner in the struggling Bombers’ 10-5 loss to the Indians.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1990/B05030NYA1990.htm
1986: Don Mattingly ties the ML record with 3 sacrifice flies in the Yankees’ 9-4 win over the Rangers.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B05030NYA1986.htm
1965: The Yankees trade John Blanchard (.147) and pitcher Roland Sheldon to Kansas City for C John Edwards. Edwards will replace the injured Elston Howard.
1956: Before 4‚308 at the Stadium‚ Mickey Mantle homers for the third day in a row‚
but Kansas City hold on to win‚ 8-7. The Mick’s homer in the 5th is
followed by blasts from Hank Bauer and Yogi Berra.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B05030NYA1956.htm
1952: The Yankees send promising reserve outfielder Jackie Jensen‚ along with outfielder Archie Wilson‚ pitcher Spec Shea‚ and shortstop Jerry Snyder to the Senators for slick-fielding outfielder Irv Noren and infielder Tommie Upton. Shea will have two fine seasons on the hill before going over it‚ while Jensen‚ the former heir to DiMaggio’s spot‚ will eventually emerge as a star with the Red Sox. Noren will have his best year in 1954‚ when the left fielder will be an all-star.
1951: In St. Louis‚ Gil McDougald hits a grand slam and a triple in the 9th‚ as the Yanks score 11 runs in the inning to rout St. Louis‚ 17-3. McDougald‚ destined to be Rookie of the Year‚ racks up 6 RBIs in the frame. Jackie Jensen follows McDougald’s triple with one of his own‚ then homers after Gil’s GS. Allie Reynolds is the winner
1950: Yankee hurler Vic Raschi‚
troubled by the new rule that requires a one-second stop before
delivery with men on base‚ balks 4 times in one game‚ a club record and
2 fewer than the single-season record. Nevertheless‚ he wins‚ 4-3‚ over
the White Sox. He’ll finish the season with 6 balks to tie the
since-topped AL mark.
.
1915: Yankee pitcher Ray Fisher steals home in the 4th inning as New York double up the A’s 8-4.
Ray Fisher
1907: In the ‘How times have changed…’ department: The dilatory tactics of the Highlanders’ Judd Doyle‚ whose well-earned
nickname is “Slow Joe‚” lengthens a 10-inning game with the Athletics
into the first modern major league game running over 3 hours (3 hours‚ 7 minutes to be precise) New York win‚ 4-3.
Slow Joe Doyle
5/02 in Yankee History
The red-letter day:
1939: The end of an era – after carrying out the scorecard to the umpires‚ Lou Gehrig voluntarily benches himself ‘for the good of the team.’ He is batting .143 with one RBI. His consecutive-game streak stops at 2‚130. Doctors will later diagnose Gehrig with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - he will never play again.
Babe Dahlgren‚ his replacement‚ has a homer and double‚ as the Yankees rout Detroit 22-2.
New York bat around in three innings to make it easy for Red Ruffing. Ballyhooed Tiger teenager Fred Hutchinson makes his major league debut and the Yankees light him up for eight runs in 2/3 of an inning. Hutch gives up 4 hits and walks five.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B05020DET1939.htm
On other 2nds of May…
2005: The Yankees shrug off the record-tying 5 strikeouts of first baseman Andy Phillips and beat Tampa Bay at the Trop‚ 6-2.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2005/B05020TBA2005.htm
1995: The Red Sox defeat the Yankees‚ 8-0. Boston score their runs on grand slams in back-to-back innings by former college teammates John Valentin and Mo Vaughn. According to SABR statisticians, it is the first time in Major League history that two grand slams account for all the runs scored in a game. Sterling Hitchcock, who gives up the first of the salamis, takes the loss for New York.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1995/B05020NYA1995.htm
1992: Yankee hurler Scott Sanderson becomes the 12th pitcher in MLB history to surrender 4 homers in a single inning. In a game with Minnesota, he is rocked in the 5th by Shane Mack‚ Kirby Puckett‚ Kent Hrbek‚ and Randy Bush. The Twins will need all the dingers, as they win 7-6.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1992/B05020NYA1992.htm
1984: Don Mattingly collects the only safety for his team as Chicago’s LaMarr Hoyt faces 27 Yankee batters in a 3-0 win. Mattingly’s opposite-field blooper in the 7th inning is followed by a double play.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1984/B05020CHA1984.htm
1961: The Yankees play the freshly transplanted Washington Senators In their first appearance as the Minnesota Twins‚and top the new arrivals 6-4. Mickey Mantle’s grand slam in the 10th inning off Camilo Pascual is the big blow. Luis Arroyo picks up the save after the Twins score 2. The Mick’s extra inning salami is the 6th by a Yankee‚ abd he joins Wally Pipp (1923)‚ Babe Ruth (1925)‚ Bob Meusel (1929), and Joe DiMaggio and Tommy Henrich (1948).
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B05020MIN1961.htm
1957: In what nearly turns into a TV war‚ the Yankees threaten to broadcast their games nationwide if the National League go ahead with their plans to allow other broadcasts‚ especially those of the Dodgers and Giants‚ into New York territory. The question will become moot at the end of the season when both Senior Circuit clubs announce that they are moving to the west coast.
1954: In the second game of a doubleheader at the Stadium‚ Detroit’s Bill Hoeft pitches a 5-inning one-hitter to win 4-0. A 5th inning double by Andy Carey is the only safety for the Yanks as rain shortens to contest. The hosts took the opener‚ 12-4‚ scoring six runs in the 3rd inning. Allie Reynolds was the winner with six innings of relief.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1954/B05022NYA1954.htm
1946: At the Stadium‚ the Yanks do all their scoring in the 4th to beat Cleveland 8-2. Nick Etten parks a grand slam and then ends the frame by coming up with the bases loaded again and lining into a DP. Spud Chandler wins his 4th straight 
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B05020NYA1946.htm
1938: For the second game in a row, Joe McCarthy bats Lou Gehrig in the 6th hole and puts Joe DiMaggio in the cleanup spot. The Yankees edge the host Senators‚ 3-2 – DiMag homers while Gehrig has a single.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1938/B05020WS11938.htm
1923: Before a game with the Senators at Griffith Stadium, Yankees shortstop Everett Scott receives a medal from the American League for playing in his 1,000th consecutive game.
Host starter Walter Johnson will spoil the party, however, by recording his first shutout of the season, 3-0. The whitewash is also the 100th of his Major League record 113.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1923/B05020WS11923.htm
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