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…

2007: The Yankees get their first glimpse this year of The Remarkable Wang and his Amazing Non-sinking Sinker, as C.M.allows 11 hits and 7 runs through the 7th inning. Southpaw reliever Sean Henn suffers through an equally forgettable seven-run 8th in the 14-2 Texas drubbing, topped off by former Met Victor Diaz’s grand slam.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2007/B05100NYA2007.htm

1996: David Cone undergoes surgery to remove an aneurysm in his pitching arm.

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…

2008: Don’t say we didn’t warn you… The Yankees recall kei Igawa from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 9, optioning righty reliever Chris Britton to AAA to make room for the embattled Japanese southpaw. Igawa takes the mound against  the Tigers in Comerica Park and allows 6 runs on 11 hits in 3 innings. A spirited Yankee rally in the 9th falls short in the 6-5 loss.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2008/B05090DET2008.htm

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.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B05090CLE1964.htm

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.

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

1996: Recent Yankee acquisition Dwight Gooden wins his first American League game, pitching his new club to a 10-3 victory over the Tigers at home in the Bronx.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B05080NYA1996.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 and Steinbrenner 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

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http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B05080NYA1956.htm

1953: After 13 straight losses to the Yankees‚ the Red Sox win an 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 (below) homers in the 7th‚ while Lou Gehrig adds a pair of triples.

1926: The Yankees score 7 in the 2nd but lose to Detroit 14-10‚ knocking themselves out of the lead; Washington move into first.

The 1926 Yankees

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1926/B05080NYA1926.htm

1915: The procession of Yankees to the plate in the 4th inning of a 10-3 romp over the Red Sox at the Polo Grounds reaches 16 batters as the homesiders plate all their runs in that frame.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1915/B05070NYA1915.htm

Meanwhile, the 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 Yankeeshit 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.”

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 is on hand for the action in Washington.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1921/B05070WS11921.htm

On other 7ths of May…

2009: At the Stadium, Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria hit back-to-back homers off Mariano Rivera in a 9th inning that began with the teams tied 6-6. The Yanks were behind early, but came back to level the match on Johnny Damon’s two-run double and two-run home run, A rare Mariano meltdown makes it all for naught, though.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2009/B05070NYA2009.htm

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 (below) smacks two homers and Red Rolfe one to pace the Yankees to a 15-4 hosing of the White Sox.

Red Ruffing once again finds himself sitting on a cushion – in his last start,  the Yanks scored 22 against Detroit.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B05070CHA1939.htm

1929: Yankee southpaw (and birthday boy) 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.

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‚ home plate umpire Tim Hurst punches New York manager Clark Griffith in the mouth after Griffith accidentally 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 (below) 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.

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.

On other 6ths of May…

2005: After a tautly played nine innings against the A’s at the Stadium, the wheels fall off the Bomber bus in the 10th. Mariano Rivera loads the bases on a walk, hit by pitch, and single. He gets the grounder he wants to normally sure-handed Tino Martinez, but the first baseman boots the grounder and then throws it away for a double error. Then after nailing a runner at the plate for the first out, Alex Rodriguez makes an error as well, and the A’s walked off with a 6-3 win. The Yanks fail to post any runs in the bottom half of the inning, and the visitors walk off with a 6-3 win.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2005/B05060NYA2005.htm

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. 

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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 fall victim to the same ruse, and he joins Orlando Cepeda as the only 2 players known to have pulled off the HBT, and to have it 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 record of 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.

2009: Jorge Posada is placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Jose Molina moves into the starting catcher slot, and Francisco Cervelli is recalled from the AA Trenton Thunder as his backup.

2001: Andy Pettitte beats the Orioles 5-2 by holding them to two hits and no earned runs over seven. Derek Jeter becomes the first Yankee to execute a straight steal of home in eight years when he accomplishes the feat in the 3rd inning.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2001/B05050BAL2001.htm

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 Royals) 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 P**** Toad’ Irabu is born. Happy 43rd, 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 Mutt 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.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1949/B05050CHA1949.htm

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 86th, 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
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.

2006: Jim Delsing, the last player to wear no. 7 for the Yankees before Mickey Mantle, dies at the age of 80.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/delsiji01.shtml

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

1

963: 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.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1950/B05040NYA1950.htm

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.

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€š as New York rout 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,€š the Yankees waive outfielder Dixie Walker,€š who is hitting .350,€š to the White Sox.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1936/B05030NYA1936.htm

On other 3rds of May…

2005: Robinson Cano makes his Major League debut. The rookie’s first appearance is a somewhat downbeat affair, though, as he goes hitless in  three trips to the plate. Meanwhile, Kevin Brown has one of his most inglorious days as a Yankee, surrendering hits to 8 of the first 9 Rays batters he faces at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay will jump out to a 6-0 lead, and then coast to an 11-4 win.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2005/B05030TBA2005.htm

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 45,€š308 at the Stadium,€š 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€š along with outfielder Archie Wilson, pitcher Spec Shea,š 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,€š while Jensen,€š the former heir to DiMaggio’s spot,š 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,€š Gil McDougald hits a grand slam and a triple in the 9th€š as the Yanks score 11 runs in the inning to rout St. Louis€š 17-3. McDougald,€š destined to be Rookie of the Year,€š racks up 6 RBIs in the frame. Jackie Jensen follows McDougald’s triple with one of his own,€š then homers after Gil’s GS. Allie Reynolds is the winner

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1951/B05030SLA1951.htm

1950: Yankee hurler Vic Raschi,€š troubled by the new rule that requires a one-second stop before delivery with men on base,€š balks 4 times in one game, a club record and 2 fewer than the single-season record. Nevertheless,€š he wins 4-3€š over the White Sox. He’ll finish the season with 6 balks to tie the since-topped AL mark.

.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1950/B05030NYA1950.htm

1922: New York mayor John F. Hylan orders extensive street closures in the south Bronx as construction of the future Yankee Stadium begins.

1915: Yankee pitcher Ray Fisher steals home in the 4th inning as New York double up the A’s  8-4.

1912: Trailing the A’s 18-5 going into the 9th at Shibe Park, the last place Highlanders come to life, unleashing a 10-run barrage against Philadelphia pitching. Future Hall of Famer Eddie Plank comes out off the bench to preserve the 18-15 win for the homesiders.

1907: In the ‘How times have changed…’ department: The dilatory tactics of the Highlanders’ Judd Doyle,€š whose well-earned
nickname is “Slow Joe€š”. lengthen a 10-inning game with the Athletics into the first modern major league game running over 3 hours (3 hours€š 7 minutes to be precise) New York win 4-3.

1904: Red Ruffing is born.

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Red_Ruffing_1904 

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…

2010: Curtis Granderson is placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain. To take Grandy’s spot, Mark Melancon is recalled from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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 are hosted for the first time by the freshly transplanted Washington Senators in their new incarnation 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‚ and 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  

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1920/B05010NYA1920.htm 

2004: The Yankees rout the Royals 12-4‚ as Ruben Sierra hits 2 homers and drives in 7 runs. 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B05010NYA2004.htm 

The O’s and Yankees strand 15 runners in extra innings‚ as both teams squander scoring opportunities‚ and New York survive 4 errors by two second basemen. Jim Mecir strikes out Brady Anderson with the bases loaded in the 10th after going to a 3-0 count. Cal Ripken is lifted for a pinch runner in the 8th – who is promptly picked off – and sits for the last 7 innings‚ the longest stretch he has rested in 2‚180 games. 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B05010BAL1996.htm

1992: Early ’70s Yankee utility infielder Celerino Sanchez dies in Mexico City at the age of 48 from a ruptured aneurysm.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sanchce01.shtml

1991: In a game against the Yankees, Oakland’s Rickey Henderson garners his 939th career stolen base in the 4th inning of a game against the Yankees to break Lou Brock’s all-time mark. With Brock standing next to him‚ Henderson modestly proclaims‚ “Lou Brock was certainly a great base stealer‚ but today I’m the greatest of all time.” In another curious tie-in with Nolan Ryan Henderson had been the victim of Ryan’s 5‚000th career strikeout.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1991/B05010OAK1991.htm

1960: The Yankees use three pitchers – Bill Stafford‚ Roland Sheldon and Marshall Bridges – to beat the White Sox 6-1 on a combined two hitter. Chicago’s first hit doesn’t come until the 9th inning when Nellie Fox lines a lead  off base hit. 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1962/B05010CHA1962.htm

1956: Mickey Mantle takes Steve Gromek deep in the first inning at the Stadium‚ and New York roll to a 9-2 win over Detroit. Hank Bauer also homers as Whitey Ford hurls his third complete game win of the campaign. 

1951: At Comiskey Park, the Yankees’ new phenom Mickey Mantle connects for his first Major League home run, off Randy Gumpert. Minnie Minoso  becomes the first black to wear the White Sox uniform. He plays third base, and‚ facing Vic Raschi in his first MLB at bat‚ slams a homer to straightaway center. The Yanks win 8-3‚ with Mantle collecting 3 RBIs.

1937: Joe DiMaggio make
s his return as a starter after missing six games‚ and strokes three hits against Rube Walberg. New York tip the Red Sox 3-2.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1937/B05010NYA1937.htm

1934: At Washington‚ the Yankees give Danny MacFayden a 3-run lead in the first‚ but he can’t hold it and he leaves in the 7th with the score tied at 3 apiece. New York score 5 runs in the 9th to win it for George Uhle‚ 10-5. MacFayden was making his first start against Washington since June 2‚ 1932‚ when he lost his ML record tying 14th straight game to the Nats. 

        Danny MacFayden 

1932: The Yankees reacquire relief ace Wilcy Moore from the Red Sox. 

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Wilcy_Moore_1897

1927: The Yankees ride the Ruth-Gehrig tandem to a 7-3 win over the Athletics. Ruth bangs out a first inning homer off Jack Quinn, and Gehrig hits one off him in the 6th. The Babe comes back in the 8th with another roundtripper‚ this one off Rube Walberg as New York take over undisputed possession of first place.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1927/B05010NYA1927.htm 

1919: In Boston’s home opener‚ the Yankees defeat Carl Mays to win‚ 7-3. The Yanks score 4 in the 9th on 2 hits‚ 3 errors‚ a wild pitch‚ and 2 walks. George Mogridge (below) gets the win for New York.

1908: In New York’s 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals‚ Kid Elberfeld is severely spiked in the foot by Bob Ganley, essentially ending the season of the Highlander shortstop. He’ll go to bat just 56 times this year.