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.

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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. 

The red-letter day:

1939: Lou Gehrig plays the last of his 2,130 consecutive games. The Iron Horse goes hitless in four at-bats against the Senators’ Joe Krakauskas, and is now hitting just .143 on the year. Gehrig will make the trip to Detroit with the team, however. Krakauskas gets the win in the 3-2 Washington victory.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B04300NYA1939.htm

1903: The new American League franchise in New York, the Highlanders, plays its first home game. Hilltop Park opens with an estimated crowd of 16‚000 watching the hosts beat Washington 6-2. Jack Chesbro‚ who lost to the Nats on Opening Day‚ is today’s winner.

The 1903 New York Highlanders

On other 30ths of April…

2003: The Yankees defeat the visiting Mariners‚ 8-5‚ behind Raul Mondesi’s grand slam. Mariano Rivera‚ after a month of injury rehab‚ makes his first appearance of the year‚ giving up a run in the 9th.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2003/B04300NYA2003.htm

1999: The Royals defeat the Yankees 13-6‚ as 2‚500 KC fans protest the wide disparity in baseball payrolls by turning their backs during Yankee at bats‚ and walking out en masse after the 5th inning.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B04300KCA1999.htm

1997: The Yankees get a lead off homer from Tim Raines and 9 strike outs from David Wells  to beat the Mariners‚ 3-2. Joe Torre wins his 1‚000th game while Dennis Martinez takes the loss‚ dropping his record against the Yanks to 2-18. Jay Buhner homers for the M’s in the 9th against Mariano Rivera. Tino Martinez hits his 9th HR in the 8th inning‚ upping his ML-record RBI total to 34 for the month. Martinez will have 40 RBIs in his first 30 games‚ the first player to do so since Roy Campanella in 1953; Campy had 44.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1997/B04300NYA1997.htm

1996: In the longest 9-inning game in MLB history to date – 4 hours and 21 minutes – the Yankees outslug the Orioles‚ 13-10 to disappoint 43‚117 at Camden Yards. The host O’s score 9 runs off starter Andy Pettitte and take a 9-4 lead in the 2nd. New York ties it at 9-9 in the 5th‚ then wins it in the 7th on Tino Martinez’s 3-run shot. Jim Leyritz and Paul O’Neill also homer for New York. The previous record for longest game was 4:18‚ set in a 1962 Dodgers-Giants game.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B04300BAL1996.htm

1988: Dave Winfield drives in his 28th and 29th runs of the season in New York’s 15-3 rout of Texas‚ tying the ML record for RBI in April. Don Mattingly scores 5 runs for New York.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1988/B04300NYA1988.htm

1973: The Yankees have the day off… along with the rest of the Major Leagues. With the exception of the All-Star break and labour disputes, this will be the last time that there is an entirely idle day on the MLB schedule until June 29‚ 1998.

1967: In a doubleheader at the Stadium‚ Mickey Mantle breaks a 1-1 tie in the 10th with a three-run homer off California reliever Minnie Rojas to give New York a 4-1 win. California take the 2nd game 4-2 despite a Mantle pinch double in the 9th inning. His hit gives him 2‚215‚ one more than Joe DiMaggio.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1967/B04302NYA1967.htm

1958: The Yankees go down to their first defeat at home‚ losing to Detroit and Frank Lary‚ 10-1. The Motor City men wallop Whitey Ford for 7 runs in as many innings.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1958/B04300NYA1958.htm

1953: At Chicago‚ the Yankees beat the White Sox‚ 6-1‚ as Mickey Mantle takes Gene Bearden deep. . The ball might not have cleared the fence except for a fan’s interference, and Chi-town skipper Paul Richards protestations about it earn him a shower. Bill Renna adds his first ML homer‚ a triple‚ and single to back Whitey Ford.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B04300CHA1953.htm

1946: The Yankees are no-hit for the first time in their history. Dispelling the rumors that he had lost his fastball after nearly 4 years in the Navy‚ Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians hurls his second career no-no, winning the game 1-0 on Frankie Hayes’ home run in the 9th inning. Ironically, Bill Bevens, who will come within one out of pitching the first post-season no-hitter in history in the following year’s World Series, takes the loss for the Yanks.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B04300NYA1946.htm

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1938/B04300WS11938.htm

1934: Red Ruffing hits a homer in the 9th off Jack Russell to defeat Washington 7-4 and put the Yankees in first place.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1934/B04300WS11934.htm

1918: Despite the failure of the NY State Legislature to approve Sunday baseball‚ it is announced that there will be Major League action on Sunday at the former Federal League Park in Harrison‚ New Jersey. All three New York teams – the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees – will participate. This arrangement would have been in effect last Sunday but the
Senators‚ scheduled to meet the Yanks‚ had already scheduled an exhibition game. The Sunday games in Harrison will necessitate the rescheduling of some minor league games from there. The agreement‚ in which the two leagues will pay $10‚000 a year in rent for the park comes about because of the settlement with the Federal League.

The red-letter day -

1901: In its pre-Gotham incarnation as the Baltimore Orioles, the franchise that will become the Yankees (after moving to New York in 1903 and adopting the name of the Highlanders) plays the first game in its history, as the visitors in the Washington Nationals’ home opener. Admiral George Dewey, the hero of the Battle of Manila Bay in the recently ended Spanish-American War, is on hand to watch the home side triumph, 5-2. Bill Carrick gets the win for Washington, with Joe ‘Iron Man’ McGinnity taking the loss for the O’s.

On other 29ths of April…

2006:
In a 17-6 win over Toronto, the Yankees became the 15th team to score in every inning in which they batted (excluding rain shortened games). It was the second time in team history (1939) the Bombers scored in every frame, matching the Cleveland Spiders as the only team to score a run in every inning of a full-length game twice in franchise history; the Spiders accomplished the feat in 1889 and 1894. Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi has a homer and 4 RBI and reaches base 4 times, while Johnny Damon scores 5 runs. Reed Johnson gets hit by pitches three times for the Jays. He joins Damion Easley as the only players since 1957 to be hit by a pitch three times in a game twice in their careers.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2006/B04290NYA2006.htm

2002: Darryl Strawberry is sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation six times.

1985:
In Billy Martin’s first game in his latest stint as Yankee manager‚ Larry Parrish belts 3 home runs to power the Rangers to a 7-5 win over the Yankees. It is Parrish’s 4th career 3-HR game but his first in the AL‚ making him only the 5th player to accomplish the feat in each league. The Yanks lose a homer in the 4th when‚ with two men on‚ Bobby Meacham hits a Frank Tanana ball that just reaches the stands. Running hard‚ Meacham collides with teammate Willie Randolph who was returning to first to tag up. Meacham is given a two-run single.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1985/B04290TEX1985.htm 

1977:
Ron Guidry, making his first start of the year, blanks the Mariners 3-0‚ with relief help from Sparky Lyle. Thurman Munson belts a 3 run
homer for New York‚ who move into second  place.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1977/B04290NYA1977.htm

1967: Yankee pitcher Fred Talbot allows two Angel hits in topping California 5-2 at the Stadium. Mickey Mantle‚ playing first base‚ hits a 2-run homer and drives in 3 runs for New York.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1967/B04290NYA1967.htm

1959: At Comiskey Park‚ the Yanks get homers from Mickey Mantle‚ Hank Bauer and Moose Skowron to beat the Sox‚ 5-2.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B04290CHA1959.htm 

1945: The Yankees split a pair with the Senators‚ losing the nitecap‚ 2-1 after winning the lidlifter‚ 13-4. Russ Derry hits a pair of homers – including his second grand slam of the season – in the opener‚ and has Joe McCarthy wondering if he has another Babe Ruth.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1945/B04291NYA1945.htm

1939: In the 7th game of the season‚ Joe DiMaggio makes a sharp turn while fielding a liner against the Senators‚ and tears muscles in his right foot. The Yankees lose the game 3-1‚ and DiMaggio will miss the next 35 games.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B04290NYA1939.htm

1938: To the delight of the first Ladies Day crowd ever at the Stadium (according to reports, 4903 women attended) the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-4. Bill Dickey drives in three runs and Lou Gehrig Lou Gehrig, with two singles, enjoys his first two-hit game of the season. He consecutive-game streak reaches 19.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1938/B04290NYA1938.htm

1933: With no outs in the 9th, Washington catcher Luke Sewell makes a double play, tagging out first Lou Gehrig‚ who held up at second to see if a Tony Lazzeri fly ball would be caught‚ and then Dixie Walker attempting to score from first. Lazzeri’s hit is a double but  Joe Cronin’s relay from Goose Goslin allows Sewell to tag the two in succession. The Senators beat the Yankees‚ 6-3.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1933/B04290NYA1933.htm 

1911: In the Highlanders 10-6 loss to the A’s‚ New York pitchers Hippo Vaughn and Jack Quinn throw just 7 pitches to the A’s Stuffy McGinnis (below)‚ who collects five singles. Stuffy hits a first pitch 3 times and the second pitch twice.

1906: The New York ban on Sunday baseball is temporarily lifted and the Highlanders and Philadelphia A’s play a benefit game for the victims of the San Francisco earthquake‚ raising $5‚600. The 2 teams also work out a deal: the Highlanders get speedster Danny Hoffman (below) in exchange for the rights to OF Dave Fultz‚ who did not play last year. The 31-year-old Fultz quit to practice law and will stay quit.

2007: With one more Yankee starter felled one batter into the game (Jeff Karstens has a fibula fractured by a line drive back into the box off the bat of Julio Lugo), Joe Torre goes to the bullpen for a long shot. Kei Igawa suprises everyone, turning in his finest performance to date. Igawa stills the Sox on two hits over six innings, and the Yanks win 3-1, Jorge Posada’s two-run homer providing the margin of victory.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2007/B04280NYA2007.htm

1996: The Yankees top the Twins‚ 6-3‚ as Mariano Rivera pitches the last 3 innings for the win. Rivera has now thrown 9 hitless innings over his last three outings. Paul O’Neill‚ leading the A.L. in hitting‚ robs Paul Molitor of a homer in the 7th and then clouts one of his own. The Yankees pull ahead of Baltimore in the A.L. East.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B04280NYA1996.htm

1985: After the Yankees lose to the White Sox 4-3 on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 9th‚ manager Yogi Berra is replaced by Billy Martin‚ who begins his 4th term in the job. The bad news is delivered to Yogi by pitching coach Clyde King‚ and a furious Berra vows to never set foot in Yankee Stadium as long as George Steinbrenner is the owner.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1985/B04280CHA1985.htm

1969: Fritz Peterson shuts out the Red Sox‚ 1-0‚ stopping Boston’s team homer streak at 11 games and a record 27 blasts.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1969/B04280NYA1969.htm

1953: A wild brawl occurs after the Browns’ Clint ‘Scrap Iron’ Courtney lines a ball off the right field wall and comes into to second spikes high on Phil Rizzuto in the 10th inning at St. Louis.

In the fracas‚ umpire John Stevens dislocates his collarbone. Six players are fined for their actions. Courtney was retaliating after being
knocked over in the top of the 10th when Gil McDougald scored the go-ahead run in an eventual 7-6 Yankee win. New York took a 5-0 lead on a 3-run homer by Mantle off Bob Cain in the 3rd‚ a moon shot that cleared the left field wall of the newly renamed Busch Stadium. The Browns tie the game at 6-6 to set the stage for the free-for-all that ends with a shower of bottles from angry fans. Outside the stadium‚ the Yankees need a police escort to board their bus. Courtney will be fined $250 for the fisticuffs‚ with five other players receiving lesser fines. The total of $850 in fines is the most ever for a brawl. 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B04280SLA1953.htm

1950: The Yankees sell outfielder Dick Wakefield to the White Sox for OF John Ostrowski and cash. Wakefield‚ a hot hitter in 1943 who has since lost his sparkle‚ refuses to report unless the Sox restore a $5‚500 salary cut inflicted by the Yankees. Wakefield says the Yankees talked him into signing for $17‚500 with the “guarantee” that he’d earn $5‚000 as a World Series share. New York refuses to return Ostrowski and the Sox refuse Wakefield’s request. Happy Chandler rules in favor of the Sox and Ostrowski and Wakefield return to their teams.

1938: With 2 on and no out in the 9th‚ Yankee backup catcher Joe Glenn becomes the first Major League player in the 20th century to hit into a game-ending triple play, lining out to Jimmie Foxx who then starts the 3-6-3 triple killing. Red Sox pitcher Lefty Grove is the happy beneficiary‚ winning 6-1 over Lefty Gomez.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1938/B04280NYA1938.htm

1935: Pedro Ramos, a late season acquisition in 1964, and a key contributor out of the bullpen to the Yankee pennant drive that year, is born. Happy 77th, P.R.!

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramospe01.shtml

1930: ’50s Yankee pitcher Tom Sturdivant, member of three pennant winners and one championship club, is born.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sturdto01.shtml

1926: The A’s Lefty Grove strikes out 11‚ but loses to Sam Jones and the Yankees‚ 3-0. Grove will win his next four against New York.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1926/B04280NYA1926.htm

1925: Clarence ‘Cuddles’ Marshall, the Yankee starter in the first night game ever played at the Stadium (a 2-1 loss to the Washington Senators on May 28th, 1946) is born.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marshcu01.shtml

1921: Senators steal. Sam Rice, Duffy Lewis and future Yankee skipper Bucky Harris (below) pull off a triple steal in the 1st, but Bomber bats are the difference as the Yanks win‚ 9-5.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1921/B04280NYA1921.htm 

The red-letter day:

1947: Today is Babe Ruth Day at all Major League parks. A crowd of 58,339 at the Stadium honour the ailing slugger. A frail Babe, choking back tears, tells the “kids of America” that “the only real game in the world is baseball. In this game you have to come up from youth. You’ve got to start way down at the bottom if you’re going to be successful like those boys over there.” pointing to the Yankee dugout. “There’s so many lovely things said about me, I’m glad I had the opportunity to thank everybody.” The program was broadcast nationwide and piped into all the ball parks. Ruth receives a bronze plaque with his image on it from the AL: the NL’s gift is a leather book with signatures of all the players in the league. The Yankees lose to Sid Hudson and the Washington Senators 1-0, but move into first place as the White Sox lose two. Hudson scores the only run after singling.

 
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1947/B04270NYA1947.htm

On other 27ths of April…

1996: David Cone misses his first scheduled start in 9 years owing to a numbness in his pitching hand that will eventually turn out to be the result of an aneurysm. Dwight Gooden fills in capably with six innings of 5-hit, 1-run ball, but the bullpen will come up short, surrendering 4 runs in the 9th to the visiting Twins, who win 8-6.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B04270NYA1996.htm 

1993: Jimmy Key holds the Angels to one hit in pitching the Yanks to a 5-0 victory. A 6th inning single by Gary DiSarcina is California’s only safety.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1993/B04270CAL1993.htm

1981: The Cubs trade C Barry Foote to the Yankees for minor leaguer Tom Filer and cash. Foote was 0-for-22 with the Cubs this year.

1977: The Yankees obtain pitcher Mike Torrez from the A’s in exchange for pitcher Dock Ellis, infielder Marty Perez, and outfielder Larry Murray. Torrez will have a fine season in New York before signing with Boston as a free agent.