3/29 & 3/30 in Yankee History

On the 29th of March down through the decades…

2005: The Yankees send pitcher Bret Prinz to the Angels in exchange for catcher Will Nieves

1997: The Yankees help the Braves open Turner Field in Atlanta with an exhibition game on falling to the hosts 2-0.

1996: The Yanks and Mets play home-and-home exhibitions in New York for their last two preseason games. The Bombers prevail in the opener today at the Stadium, 7-3.

1963: Wilcy Moore, reliever for the Yankee championship clubs of 1927 and ’28, dies at the age of 65. Moore is widely considered to have been the first specialized relief pitcher in MLB history.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/moorewi01.shtml

1959: Johnny Allen, pitcher for the Yankees 1932 championship club, dies at the age of 54.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/allenjo02.shtml

1948: Even in spring training… At St. Petersburg‚ the Yankees and the Red Sox battle for 17 innings before agreeing to a 2-2 tie. This
grapefruit league contest, the longest ever to date, takes 4 hours and 2 minutes.

1942: The Cards beat the Yankees 3-2 to win the championship of St. Petersburg‚ 6 games to 3. The Yanks have been tied but never beaten since 1926‚ when they dropped the local series to the Braves.

..and on the 30th…

2004: The Yankees and Devil Rays open the 2004 regular season in Japan‚ with Tampa Bay pounding out an 8-3 victory behind the pitching of
Victor Zambrano and the hitting of Tino Martinez. Martinez strokes 3 hits‚ including the 300th HR of his career.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B03300TBA2004.htm

2001: Dwight Gooden retires.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/goodedw01.shtml

1999: The Yankees trade pitcher Darren Holmes to the Diamondbacks for pitcher Ben Ford and catcher Izzy Molina.

1996 The Mets come back to take the second of a pair of exhibition games from the Yankees, rolling 8-3 at Shea.

1984: The Yankees trade veteran third baseman and new author Graig Nettles to the Padres for rookie pitcher Dennis Rasmussen and a minor leaguer to be named later. Nettles’ controversial book ‘Balls’‚ in which he blasts George Steinbrenner‚ will be not be officially published until April 30th‚ but the galley proofs available now make his days in pinstripes numbered.

1982: The Yankees trade pitcher Andy McGaffigan and outfielder Ted Wilborn to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Doyle Alexander . Alexander was in a salary dispute with the Giants and had not reported to training camp. It is the pitcher’s second tour of duty with the Yanks; he’ll go 1-7 this year and 0-2 next year before being released on May 16.