8/25 in Yankee History

The red-letter day…

2011: In a rain-delayed afternoon affair, the Yankees become the first team in MLB history to hit 3 grand slams in the same game, in a 22-9 lambasting of the visiting Oakland A’s. The out of towners jumped out to a 7-1 lead before the Bombers’ offense kicked into high gear, with Russell Martin, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson (below) delivering with the bases loaded.

 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxsetc/2011/B08250NYA2011.htm

 

On other 25ths of August…

 

2003: The Yankees claim Reds lefty reliever Felix Heredia off waivers to keep Cincinnati from trading him to an AL East team.

2001: The Yankees defeat the Angels‚ 7-5‚ as Roger Clemens becomes the 1st AL hurler to go 17-1 to begin a season. Paul O’Neill hits his 20th HR of the year‚ making him the oldest player in history – at age 38 – to reach the 20 HR-20 SB mark in a season.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2001/B08250ANA2001.htm

1996: The Yankees dedicate their first new monument in 47 years‚ to Mickey Mantle‚ in Monument Park in center field at the  Stadium. Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig are also honored with monuments‚ while 15 men are honored on plaques.

1984: ’20s Yankee ace Waite Hoyt dies at the age of 84.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hoytwa01.shtml

1978: With 4 amateur umps officiating (ML umpires are staging a one-day walkout in defiance of their union contract – semipro and amateur umps are pressed into service until a restraining order forces the strikers to return), Ron Guidry posts his 18th win‚ beating the A’s 7-1. Reggie Jackson’s home run is good for his 1‚001st career RBI. The win keeps the Yankees 7 1/2 games behind the Red Sox.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1978/B08250NYA1978.htm

1977: The Twins blow a 4-2 lead over the Yankees when Mickey Rivers (below) hits a 2-run single in the 7th inning and Reggie Jackson drives home a run in the next frame.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1977/B08250NYA1977.htm

1976: The Yankees edge the Twins 5-4 in a 19-inning marathon. Grant Jackson becomes the winner over Pete Redfern when Mickey Rivers delivers Oscar Gamble with a walkoff single.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1976/B08250NYA1976.htm

1968: The Tigers‚ ahead 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader in the Bronx‚ fail to score with two on in the 4th inning when the Yanks bring in Rocky Colavito to pitch. The 35-year-old slugger retires Al Kaline and Willie Horton and tosses 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. In Rocky’s only other appearance on the mound‚ in 1958‚ he also faced Kaline – the victory by a position player will be the last this century. Bill Robinson and Bobby Cox crash successive homers to tie the score and‚ after a walk‚ Rocky comes around to score the winning run. In the 8th‚ Yankee reliever Lindy McDaniel ties the AL record for consecutive batters retired by setting down the first Tiger he faces‚ giving him 32 straight batters retired over 4 appearances. New York sweep‚ winning 6-5 and then topping Mickey Lolich in the nitecap‚ 5-4. The four losses in New York leave the Tigers just 5 lengths ahead of the Orioles.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1968/B08251NYA1968.htm

1966: With a record of 2-5, Whitey Ford is finished for the year, as he undergoes surgery for a circulatory problem in his left shoulder.

1964: Whitey Ford  (13-5) wins his first game in 6 weeks. Ford throws 100 pitches in 8 innings and Al Downing strikes out 3 in the 9th as the 3rd-place Yankees beat Washington 4-1.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B08250NYA1964.htm

1957:  A baseball game is played at the Little America research station in Antarctica using equipment donated by the Yankees to the United Nations. A team of Seabees tops a team of civilians‚ 11-6‚ in 2 innings. The temperature at game time is a balmy 40 degrees below zero.

1956: On Old Timer’s Day at the Stadium‚ the Yankees make room for new acquisition Enos Slaughter by giving Phil Rizzuto his unconditional release. The Scooter will be 38 next month‚ though years later he’ll reveal he fudged his birth certificate and was really born in 1917. Through the intervention of Ballantine Beer‚ Rizzuto will get a job in the announcing booth next season‚ replacing Jim Woods. The White Sox top the Yanks‚ 4-2. Mickey Mantle has a homer‚ but his throwing error allows the go-ahead run to score.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B08250NYA1956.htm

1952: In a 1-0 win over the Yankees in at the Stadium‚ Virgil Trucks of the Detroit Tigers pitches his second no-hitter of the season. The no-hitter is in doubt for 3 innings when a play made by shortstop Johnny Pesky in the 3rd inning is under debate. The official scorer‚ John Drebinger‚ records it as an error when Pesky has trouble getting a ball hit by Phil Rizzuto out of his glove. Dan Daniel of the New York World Telegram convinces Drebinger that it cannot be ruled an error because the ball was stuck in the fielder’s glove‚ and Rizzuto is awarded a hit. In the 6th inning‚ with Trucks not having given up another hit‚ Drebinger calls Pesky in the dugout from the press box‚ and the shortstop says that he should be given the error rather than Rizzuto the hit. The call is changed again‚ and Trucks’ achievement – the last time the Yankees will be no-hit in the 20th century – is preserved. Trucks’ record is now 5-15: he will finish the season at 5-19.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1952/B08250NYA1952.htm

1951: Before 66‚110 at Cleveland‚ Mickey Mantle powers an opposite field 2-run homer off Mike Garcia to help the Yankees to a 7-3 win. New York (77-46) move to within a game in back of the Tribe.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1951/B08250CLE1951.htm

1939: At St. Louis‚ the Yankees sweep the Browns‚ 11-0 and 8-2. Red Rolfe scores for the Yankees in both games, giving him 18 straight in which he’s tallied a run. In those 18 games he has scored a total of 30 times. The Browns will end the season with a dismal home record of 18-59 – the .234 winning percentage is the worst home record in the  20th century.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B08252SLA1939.htm

Off the field, Dooley Womack, the Yankee pitcher to date to steal a base (in 1968!) is born. Happy 73rd to one of the most interestingly named of all Yankee players.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/womacdo01.shtml

1935:The Yankees split a doubleheader with the White Sox, falling 6-3 in the opener and then bouncing back to take the nitecap 6-1. During the first game, Earle Combs (below), playing out of position in left field, suffers a serious shoulder injury in a collision with third baseman Red Rolfe. The Combs injury will help to precipitate the future Hall of Famer’s retirement of the season.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1935/B08251CHA1935.htm

1931: At Chicago‚ the Yankees record their first shutout of the season when Herb Pennock blanks the White Sox 6-0. Ben Chapman has a good day with a triple‚ a single‚ 2 runs scored and his 50th and 51st stolen bases of the year. In addition‚ he beats Carl Reynolds of the Pale Hose in a pre-game 100-yard dash.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1931/B08250CHA1931.htm

1921: With the Indians on their way to a 15-1 win over the Yankees‚ New York pitcher Harry Harper, on the mound in the 8th‚ hits three consecutive Cleveland batters, plunking Charlie Jamieson in the ribs‚ Larry Gardner in the arm‚ and Steve O’Neill in the back. O’Neill takes several steps towards the mound and throws the ball back at Harper, precipitating a bench- clearing brawl. Bob Meusel contributes 4 errors in the game. The Tribe take over 1st place from the Yanks.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1921/B08250CLE1921.htm

1906: The Highlanders sweep a doubleheader from Cleveland at Hilltop Park by identical 2-0 scores. ‘Slow Joe’ Doyle (below) gets in the win in the opener in his Major League debut.

1902: AL President Ban Johnson (below) announces the league’s intention to have a New York team in ’03‚ with Clark Griffith as manager. The Baltimore Orioles franchise will be moved.