9/20 in Yankee History
The red-letter days -
1961: The Yankees’ 154th game of 1961 (including a tie) is Roger Maris’ last chance to beat the Babe‚ according to Commissioner Ford
Frick’s statement that‚ for the record to be broken‚ Maris must do it in the same number of games as Ruth. Maris’ 59th HR of the year‚ off Milt Pappas, is short of the record but helps New York beat Baltimore 4-2‚ as the Bombers clinch their 26th AL pennant. In 1998‚ Pappas will state that he told Maris the night before that‚ if the game’s outcome was not on the line‚ he would throw him nothing but fastballs.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B09200BAL1961.htm
1923: The Yanks (’23 team photo below) clinch their 3rd straight pennant‚ beating St. Louis 4-3 to open up an 18-game lead. Their final margin will be 16. Sad Sam Jones goes the distance for the win.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1923/B09200NYA1923.htm
On other 20ths of September…
2006: The Yankees back into the AL East title, losing to the Blue Jays 3-2 but still clinching the division pennant as the Red Sox lose to the Twins. Sean Henn takes the loss for the Bombers.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2006/B09200TOR2006.htm
1998:Cal Ripken, Jr. takes himself out of the starting lineup and does not play in the Baltimore Orioles’ loss to the Yankees, ending his consecutive games played streak at 2,632. After nearly 16 years, Ripken says he decided the time was right to end the streak, which began on May 30, 1982.
www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09200BAL1998.htm
1980: A plaque commemorating Thurman Munson is dedicated in Monument park at the Stadium.
1978: The Yanks split a pair with Toronto‚ with Ron Guidry losing his third and final game of the year. Louisiana Lightning is knocked out in the 2nd inning, as the Jays roll 8-1. The nitecap will be a closer affair, with Goose Gossage getting the win in relief, 4-3. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are clobbered by the Tigers 12-2. leaving the Yanks in front by 2 games with 10 to go.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1978/B09201TOR1978.htm
1974: The Yankees move into a tie with Baltimore in the AL East with a sweep of the Indians. The Yanks take the opener 5-4 when Bobby Murcer’s third hit, a triple‚ scores the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. Gaylord Perry takes his 20th loss. Larry Gura (5-0) wins the nitecap‚ 3-0‚ scattering 6 hits.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1974/B09201NYA1974.htm
1968: Mickey Mantle hits his last career homer, no. 536, off Boston’s Jim Lonborg. The Red Sox ace tosses his third complete game of the year to beat the Yankees‚ 4-3. Carl Yastrzemski has three hits‚ including a homer‚ to raise his average to a Major League leading
.306.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1968/B09200NYA1968.htm
1963: In the opener of a doubleheader in the Bronx, the Yankees edge the Athletics‚ 5-4 in 13 innings. Rookie second baseman Pedro
Gonzalez helps the win by pulling the hidden ball trick in the 11th frame and tagging out A’s out fielder Ken Harrelson‚ who had advanced to second after a single and a sac bunt. Gonzalez will play only 7 games in the field this year before being traded to the Indians. The A’s gain a split by winning the nitecap 4-3.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1963/B09201NYA1963.htm
1958: Orioles pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm‚ in a rare start (he is 0-6 this year when starting)‚ pitches a 1-0 no-hitter‚ the first in O’s history‚ against Don Larsen of the Yankees‚ fanning 8. Larsen allows one hit through 6 innings. The Orioles acquired Wilhelm in August for the $20‚000 waiver price. The win‚ Wilhelm’s first ML complete game‚ and his only this year for the O’s‚ improves his record to 3-10. The winning margin is Gus Triandos’ 30th HR‚ off reliever Bobby Shantz.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1958/B09200BAL1958.htm
1957: The Yankees top the Red Sox 7-4 despite a 9th-inning pinch homer by Ted Williams off Bob Grim In his most recent at bat‚ on the 17th, Williams hit an 8th inning solo shot on the both times standing in for Murray Wall.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1957/B09200NYA1957.htm
1955: Phil Rizzuto returns to action and bats 9th behind Don Larsen in game one as the Yankees sweep a pair from the Senators‚ 6-3 and 9-7. The Bombers now lead the Indians by 2 1/2 games with 5 to play.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1955/B09201WS11955.htm
1949: The Yankees edge the White Sox‚ 3-1‚ with Joe Page (below) preserving the win for Allie Reynolds (17-5).
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1949/B09200NYA1949.htm
1937: Lefty Gomez pitches his second successive shutout‚ beating Detroit‚ 5-0‚ for his 20th win. Lou Gehrig’s 2-run single and Joe DiMaggio’s 2-run homer‚ his 44th‚ are the big blows.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1937/B09200NYA1937.htm
Off the field, ’60s Yankee outfielder Tom Tresh is born.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/treshto01.shtml
1931: The Yankees run their win streak to 10 in a row‚ beating the Indians 7-1 and 10-4 (the second game is called after 7 innings because of darkness). Lou Gehrig hits his 45th homer in game 1 and drives in 4 runs for the afternoon to break his old RBI mark of 175‚ set in 1927. By the season’s end he will have a total of 184. Babe Ruth also drives home 4 runs and hits his 44th four-bagger in
game 2.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1931/B09201NYA1931.htm
1929: Miller Huggins goes into hospital with a high fever and Yankee pitching coach Artie Fletcher takes over as interim manager.
1928: The White Sox score a 4-3 victory over the Yankees, whose lead over the A’s is back down to 1 game. Waite Hoyt surrenders the winning run in the bottom of the 12th.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1928/B09200CHA1928.htm
1920: Carl Mays stops the Yanks 4 game loss streak with a 4-3 win over the Browns. Babe Ruth tallies the winning run in the 11th inning for New York‚ giving the Babe an AL-record 148 runs scored. Ty Cobb had 147 in 1911. Ruth doubles off Carl Weilman in the 11th after striking out twice on slow curves.
bennybengoughsmitt
