8/07 in Yankee History

2007: Joba Chamberlain is called up from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

2002: In an historic move (and one that will have considerable repercussions in the Yankee universe)‚ Major League baseball players end their long-held opposition
to mandatory drug testing by agreeing to be tested for illegal steroids
beginning in 2003.

2000: The Yankees obtain Jose Canseco on waivers from the Devil Rays. The move‚ which mystifies even manager Joe Torre,is presumably designed to keep the high priced slugger away
from AL East rivals.

1998: Making his MLB debut, Shane Spencer collects 5 hits‚ including 2 doubles and 2 home runs‚ while driving home 3
runs and scoring 4 in New York’s 14-2 pasting of Kansas City in the second
game of a doubleheader. The Yankees also took the first contest by a score
of 8-2. 

1984: The White Sox and Yankees split a double header, with Chicago’s 6-3
triumph in game 1 stopping New York’s 8-game win streak. LaMarr Hoyt is the winner. Ron Guidry strikes out 13 to win the nitecap‚ 7-0. He finishes with a
flourish‚ striking out the side on 9 pitches in the 9th.

1977: Mike Torrez snaps a 3-game Yankee losing streak with his third straight
victory. The New Yorkers will take 20 of their next 23 games against  Western Division opponents.

1964: Steve Barber beats the Yankees 2-0 with relief assistance from Harvey Haddix to boost the Orioles back into first place by a game.

1962: In his first at bat after returning from military service‚ Tony Kubek  homers in a
14-1 Yankee win over the Twins.

1957: Hank Bauer hits his second consecutive lead-off homer‚ against Washington‚ as the
first-place Yankees lose 3-2. The Bombers’ other score is Mickey Mantle’s 3rd
inning homer to right off starter Tex Clevenger.

1956: The Red Sox fine Ted Williams $5‚000 for spitting at Boston fans‚ as the Red Sox edge
the Yanks‚ 2-1‚ in 11 innings on the Splendid Splinter’s bases-loaded walk. It is
Williams’ third expectoration incident in 3 weeks. The spitting started after
the crowd of 36‚350‚ a record for night games at Fenway Park and the
biggest turnout since WWII‚ started booing the Splinter for
muffing Mickey Mantle’s windblown pop fly in the 11th. Before the game‚ right fielder Jackie Jensen had to be restrained by teammates from going into the stands
after a heckler. Last September‚ Jensen had challenged a fan to come
out of the stands.

1955: After a 12-17 record in July‚ the Yankees are in a four-team race. The
second division Tigers beat New York 4-2 in game one‚ and New York then
earn a critical 3-2 10th-inning win on a Mickey Mantle 2-out homer off Babe Birrer. It is the Mick’s second homer of the game‚ having connected
off starter Frank Lary.  The Yanks finish the day in a virtual tie with Chicago‚ a 1/2
game ahead of Cleveland‚ and 11/2 games ahead of Boston.

1953: The Yankees turn back the second place White Sox with a 6-1 win at the
Stadium. Mickey Mantle’s line drive in the 3rd goes for a 3-run inside-the-park
homer‚ and Yogi Berra follows with one in the seats. 

1949: Casey Stenegl’s penchant for lineup juggling comes to the fore as his Yankees suffer injury after injury as the St. Louis and New York pitchers throw at each other. Against the Browns, 13 different Yankees score a run‚ tying a record‚ in the first game of a doubleheader‚ as
the Yanks roll to a 20-2 win. Yogi Berra hits a three-run homer but on his
next time at bat he fractures his thumb when he is hit by a fastball. He
will be out until September. Joe DiMaggio hits a three-run round tripper as
well. The second game ends in a 2-2 tie.

1948: Before 66‚000 fans at Cleveland Stadium, Vic Raschi  (14-4) allows 4 singles in stopping the Indians‚ 5-0. Joe DiMaggio has a pair of doubles‚ drives in 3 runs‚ and swipes home on the
front end of a double steal.

1938: Red Ruffing  loses his no hitter when Cleveland”s Roy Weatherly doubles in the 9th with one out. The Yankees and Ruffing
win easily‚ 7-0.

1929: For the second game in a row‚ Babe Ruth hits a grand slam as the Yanks roll to a 13-1 win
over the A’s in the lidlifter of a doubleheader. Mickey Cochrane homers in his one at bat for the
A’s only run as the Yankees score 10 runs in the first 2 innings. George Pipgras is the winner. The A’s take the nitecap‚ 4-2‚ as George Earnshaw goes 8 innings for the win.

1919: Before the start of the New York-St. Louis doubleheader at the Polo
Grounds‚ the Yankees present the umpires with a temporary court
injunction restraining Ban Johnson’s order preventing Carl Mays from pitching‚ further eroding Johnson’s authority and
standing. Mays then pitches a 6-hitter in the nitecap‚ beating the
Browns 8-2. Mays’ 9-3 record will be key to the Yankees’ 3rd place
finish.

1918: The Yankees make it 7 straight losses‚ as the White Sox drop them twice in Chicago‚ 8-4 and 4-0. New York make 24 hits
in the two games‚ but Ed Cicotte is tough in the pinch to win the
opener for the Sox. Slim Love (below) takes the loss. In the nitecap‚ Roy Sanders‚ making his first
start for New York‚ gives up no hits in the first 3 innings‚ but records
no outs in the 4th as the Sox rack him for 4 straight doubles. Frank Shellenback goes all the way for the Sox win. Chicago now take
over 4th place from the Yankees.

1915: In action against the Yankees, future Hall of Famer George Sisler makes the only mound appearance of his career. In the 6th inning of the game at the Polo Grounds, he pitches to two batters, hitting one and walking the other. The Browns-Yankees match is called at the end of 10 innings because of darkness with the score tied 4-4.