6/28 in Yankee History

The red-letter day –

1949: After missing the first 69 games of the season because of an ailing heel‚ Joe DiMaggio awakes in the morning to find that the pain has disappeared. He returns to the Yankee lineup with a single and a home run that help the Bombers beat the Red Sox 6-4 in a night game at Fenway before 36‚228‚ the largest night crowd in Fenway history. Hank Bauer’s 3-run homer in the 2nd inning off young lefty Maurice McDermott jump starts the Yanks‚ who now lead the race by 4 1/2 games.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1949/B06280BOS1949.htm

On other 28ths of June…

2003: Led by Hideki Matsui, the Yankees sweep a day-night doubleheader from the crosstown Mets‚ winning the 1st by a score of 7-1 at the Stadium and the nightcap 9-8 at Shea. It is the 3rd time in history that two teams play two games at two different parks in the same day. Matsui has a grand slam in game 1 as Roger Clemens shuts down the Mets. Matsui has 4 hits in game 2 and is on base in 9 out of 10 plate appearances over both contests. For the second time this season‚ Alfonso Soriano leads off with a homer and a teammate follows with another. This time it is Derek Jeter who goes back-to-back.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2003/B06280NYA2003.htm

1998: The Yankees suffer a down-to-the-wire loss at Shea. Joe Torre remarkably allows Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez to throw 143 tosses over eight innings, and he leaves a 1-1 tie as his mound opponent Masato Yoshii is throwing perhaps his finest game as a Met. Both starters allow only two hits, with a 10/4 walk/strike out ratio for Yoshii, and 9/5 for Hernandez,. Carlos Baerga leads off the bottom of the ninth with a double off Ramiro Mendoz, and scores the winner on a Luis Lopez sac fly. The final is 2-1 Mets.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B06280NYN1998.htm

1997: David Wells starts the game against Cleveland wearing Babe Ruth’s autographed cap from the 1934 season. Manager Joe Torre makes him take it off after the 1st inning since it doesn’t conform to the team’s current uniform. Without the cap‚ Wells blows a 3-0 lead as the Indians go on to a 12-8 victory. The Indians mount a 19-hit attack‚ as center fielder Marquis Grissom accounts for 5 of the hits‚ while third baseman Matt Williams gets 4 hits‚ including a pair of homers‚ and drives home 6 runs.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1997/B06280NYA1997.htm

1987: Don Baylor moves ahead of Ron Hunt on the all-time hit-by-pitch list when the Yankees’ Rick Rhoden plunks him during a 6-2 loss to the Red Sox. It is the 244th time that Baylor has been hit by the pitch. He’ll end with 267‚ putting him 3rd on the list behind turn-of-the-century star Hughie Jennings.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1987/B06280NYA1987.htm

1969: At Cleveland, Yankee shortstop Gene Michael pulls the hidden ball trick on Zoilo Versalles, but the home side still prevail 7-3.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1969/B06280CLE1969.htm

1966: At Fenway‚ the last place Red Sox cash in on 5 Yankee errors to top the visitors 5-3. All of New York’s scoring comes from Mickey Mantle‚ who blasts a 2-run homer in the 1st and an opposite field homer onto the left field screen in the 8th.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B06280BOS1966.htm

1963: Frank ‘Home Run’ Baker, who spent the last 6 seasons of his Hall of Fame career as the Yankees’ starting third baseman, dies at the age of 77.

Baker%20Frank%20Plaque%2011_NBL_0.jpg

http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1742&pid=506

1962: Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle break a scoreless tie in the 4th with back-to-back home runs to lead the Yanks to a 4-2 win over the Twins.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1962/B06280NYA1962.htm

1961: Ryne Duren comes back to haunt his ex-teammates as he strikes out 12 over eight frames to give the Angels a 5-3 win. Mickey Mantle drove in all three New York tallies, two of them on a home run.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B06280LAA1961.htm

1949: Don Baylor, Yankee DH from 1983 to 1986, is born. Happy 61st to Mr. HBP!

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbayld001.htm

1944: At the Stadium‚ the Yankees move into second place‚ beating the Browns 7-2 for their 6th win in 8 games with St. Louis. Bob Muncrief loses‚ snapping his 6-game win streak. George ‘Snuffy’ Stirnweiss hits an inside-the-park home run to straightaway center with a man on in the 4th.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B06280NYA1944.htm

1941: Joe DiMaggio has two hits and a walk off Johnny Babich of the A’s to extend his streak to 40 games‚ second longest in AL history. New York win‚ 7-4‚ as Charlie Keller homers‚ the 23rd game in a row the Yanks have gone deep. The second-place Yankees will win their next 13 games.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1941/B06280PHA1941.htm

Off the field, Al Downing, ’60s Yankees pitcher (though he is best remembered as the man who gave up Hank Aaron’s 715th career homer) is born. Happy 69th, Al!

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/D/Pdowna101.htm

1939: In Philadelphia‚ the Yankees hit 8 home runs – Babe Dahlgren (2)‚ Joe DiMaggio (2)‚ Bill Dickey‚ Joe Gordon‚ Tommy Henrich‚ George Selkirk – in the first game of a doubleheader with the A’s‚ and 5 more in the nightcap. Both are MLB records‚ as are the 87 total bases and 98 at bats in a doubleheader. In the 7th inning‚ the Yanks belt 3 homers with 2 outs tying a ML mark; they are the 3rd major league team to accomplish that feat this month. DiMag, Dahlgren and Joe Gordon each hit 3 round-trippers for the afternoon as the Yankees win the opener 23-2. Monty Pearson wins the laugher. New York then bang out 16 hits takes the nightcap 10-0 behind Lefty Gomez’s 3-hitter. Gomez contributes 2 hits himself. Facing just 5 pitchers in the twin bill‚ the Yankees finish off the A’s in 2 hours‚ 27 minutes in the opener‚ and take 1 hour‚ 40 minutes in the 2nd game. The A’s have no four-baggers on the day.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B06282PHA1939.htm

1928: Babe Ruth slams two homers to lead the Yankees to a 10-4 victory over the Athletics. Ty Cobb appears in his 3‚000th career game.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1928/B06280PHA1928.htm

1927: The Yanks build a 9-0 lead against the A’s‚ and withstand a furious 8-run rally by Connie Mack’s boys in the 9th to win‚ 9-8. New York now lead the AL by 10 games. Lou Gehrig collects his 100th hit of the year‚ belting his 23rd homer with one on. Babe Ruth‚ nursing a sore right knee‚ sits out his 3rd straight game in favour of Ben Paschal.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1927/B06280NYA1927.htm

1922: Some days you just can’t win… Waite Hoyt allows just two hits in 8 innings of work, but Walter Johnson fans 9 and wins a 1-0 battle for his third straight shutout, and the 97th in his career. Earl Smith’s double in the 9th drives home the winner.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1922/B06280WS11922.htm

1916: In a 9-7 New York victory over the A’s in Philadelphia, Yankee outfielder Lee McGee (below) collects four assists.

1915: The Yankees purchase 24-year-old pitcher Bob Shawkey (6-6) from the last-place A’s. Shawkey will pitch 13 seasons or the Yanks‚ reaching the 20-game mark four times.

1907: The last place Washington Nationals steal a record 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey in a 16-5 win over the New York Highlanders. Rickey‚ acquired last February from the Browns‚ is pressed into service despite a bad shoulder because of the injury to starter Red Kleinow. Rickey’s first throw to second base ends up in right field and the subsequent tosses are not much better. He almost nips Jim Delahanty on a steal of third. In his 8 innings‚ relief pitcher Lew Brockett helps Washington with a deliberate windup and by issuing 9 walks and allowing 15 hits. Only pitcher Tom Hughes and second baseman Jack ‘Nig’ Perrine are steal-less‚ while Hal Chase swipes one for New York.