10/17 in Yankee History

2000: The Yankees defeat the Mariners‚ 9-7‚ to win the ALCS and their 37th AL pennant. David Justice’s 3-run HR in the 7th inning gives the Bombers lead they never relinquishes. Justice win the ALCS MVP award. Seattle catcher Dan Wilson’s single breaks his 0-for-42 hitless streak‚ the longest ever in post season history.

1978: The Yanks win their 4th straight game, 7-2, to clinch their 2nd consecutive World Series over the Dodgers. Brian Doyle and Series MVP Bucky Dent have 3 hits apiece as the Bronx Bombers raise their 22nd WS championship flag.

On other 17ths of October…

2009: In game 2 of the ALCS, Yankee fans get to see both sides of the mercurial A.J. Burnett at the Stadium, as he blanks the
Angels on one hit through four innings, only to allow two runs in the
fifth on two hits, a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a wild pitch to tie the game.. A.J. recovers to retire the next four before the game goes to
the bullpens. Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera hold it steady through the 10th, but Alfredo Aceves surrenders a run following a leadoff walk in the 11th. Alex Rodriguez promptly ties it again, with a home run on an 0-2 pitch from closer Brian Fuentes. Anaheim threaten against David Robertson the next two frames, but fail to break through. Jerry Hairston, Jr., pinch hitting for Freddy Guzman, who had run for Hideki Matsui in the 9th, leads off the bottom of the 13th with a single, Brett Gardner sacrifices him to second, and following an intentional walk, Hairston scored on a throwing error by Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis. The 4-3  win puts the Yankees up 2 games to 0 .

2004: The Red Sox stay alive in the ALCS with a 6-4‚ 12 inning win over
the Yankees at Fenway. David Ortiz’s 2-run walkoff homer wins it in the
12th after the Sox tied the score off Mariano Rivera in the 9th. Ortiz
drives home 4 runs for Boston‚ while A-Rod homers for New York.

2001: The Yankees take the first game of the ALCS with a 4-2 win over
the Mariners. Andy Pettitte gets the victory while Paul O’Neill hits a
2-run HR for NY.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2001/B10170SEA2001.htm

1999: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox 9-2 to take a 3-games-to-1 lead in
the ALCS. Andy Pettitte gets the victory for NY‚ with home run support
from Darryl Strawberry and Ricky Ledee.

1998: The Yankees explode for 7 runs in the last half of the 7th inning
to blow away the Padres 9-6 in the World Series opener. Chuck Knoblauch
hits a 3-run homer in the inning‚ then Tino Martinez follows with a
grand slam. David Wells. 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B10170NYA1998.htm

1976: On a cold Sunday night‚ the Reds reach Catfish Hunter for 3 runs‚ but the Yankees battle back to tie it up. With 2 outs in the 9th inning‚ Yankee shortstop Fred Stanley throws Ken Griffey’s easy grounder into the dugout. A walk and a Tony Perez single follow and the Yanks lose game 2 of the WS 4-3. Yankee pinch hitter Jim Mason hits a 7th inning homer off Pat Zachry. It will be Mason’s only career Series at bat‚ and his remains a singular accomplishment. 

1964: A World Series loss is enough reason for the Yankees to fire manager Yogi Berra (99-63). Johnny Keane (93-69) stuns a St. Louis press conference  by resigning as manager of the Cardinals.

1929: The Yankees sign former pitcher Bob Shawkey (below) as manager‚ replacing the recently deceased Miller Huggins. Pitching coach Art Fowler had been helming the team on an interim basis. 

1908: Red Rolfe, the only long-term starting third baseman in Yankee history to date to spend his entire career with the club, is born. Rolfe man ned the hot corner during the Yanks’ run of four straight WS championships from 1936 to 1939.