August 17 in Yankee History
One was a tie, but the bigger head-to-head battle between players on the Yankees and the Tigers in a Stadium contest on August 17, 2010 went the Yankees’ way, as CC Sabathia struck out nine and allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings, outdistancing Justin Verlander, who allowed three runs on five hits and five walks over five frames in the 6-2 Yankee win. In the other battle involving players traded for one another, Austin Jackson homered to lead off the game, but Curtis Granderson went yard in the home second inning. Brett Gardner stood out with two hits, two runs scored and a sacrifice bunt.
The three first-inning runs KC jumped Mike Mussina for in Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2008, were quickly forgotten as Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady first-inning home runs and a second-inning grand slam by Jason Giambi led the Bomers in a 15-6 rout. Giambi scored his 500th run as a Yankee in this game, Derek Jeter went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, and comic actors and father and son Jerry and Ben Stiller moved the games-counter indicating games left in the old Stadium down from 17 to 16 in the fifth inning, one day after Darryl Strawberry had carried out that honor.
Andy Pettitte was masterful in a 6-1 Yankee win over the Tigers in the Stadium on August 17, 2007. Mike Mussina was having the worst struggles of his career and had surrendered a Carlos Guillen grand slam in an 8-5 loss the day before, but Andy’s five-hitter righted the Yankee ship and they won the next three to prevail in yet another four-game series. Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez third-inning rbi’s gave the Yanks the lead and Jason Giambi homered twice.
The Yankee highlight was on the offense in 2002 on August 17 as Alfonso Soriano became the first ever second baseman to join the 30/30 club when he blasted his 30th home run in an 8-3 win over Seattle. And in his first at bat of the day, Bernie Williams came within one of the major league record when he stroked a single for his 11th consecutive hit. He would not reach safely his next time up.
On the day after his death, Babe Ruth was just one of several sluggers who were tied for the AL record (at the time) for having hit four grand slams in a season. Tommy Henrich would tie The Babe, Lou Gehrig, and Rudy York, with Al Rosen and Ray Boone soon to follow, in that mark in an 8-1 Bob Porterfield win over the Senators on August 17, 1948.
Some justification was given for the conversion of Yankee Johnny Lindell from pitcher to outfielder in 1943 when Lindell lined four straight doubles in a 10-3 victory over Cleveland at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 1944.
Despite a win on August 17, 1997, the Yankees had to be concerned about consecutive years on the Disabled List for David Cone, who developed a case of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, and had to leave after one inning of an 8-0 win over the Rangers. Cone would miss a month of the season and win just twelve games, although his strikeout total (222 in just 195 innings) was his highest in six years. Tim Raines had three hits, Paul O’Neill homered, and Ramiro Mendoza went six innings for the win over Bobby Witt, as the game that day continued.
Besting the record of former Yankee shortstop Everett Scott, Lou Gehrig played in his 1,308th consecutive game on August 17, 1933. The Browns squeaked by the Yankees 7-6 in 10 innings.
And on August 17, 1943, Nick Etten of the Yanks singled twice in a 4-2 win over the White Sox, breaking a streak of 17 games during which he did not get a one-base hit. In those games he had gone hitless six times, and homered and/or doubled in the other 11.
Derek Jeter homered on the first Paul Abbott pitch of the game as the Yanks beat the Mariners 4-0 behind Mike Mussina in Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2001. In a short pregame ceremony, Joe Torre presented Jeff Nelson, now wearing a Seattle uni, with his 2000 World Series ring. Shane Spencer and Alfonso Soriano went yard for the other three Yankee tallies, and a questionable call by Tim Timmons down the left field line appeared to deny Clay Bellinger one as well, ruling his shot was just a double.
Kansas City’s Jose Rosado and Orlando “el duque” Hernandez threw blanks at their respective opposing teams through six innings in an August 17, 1999 contest in Yankee Stadium. But in a rare start at first base, Jim Leyritz tripled to lead off the home seventh, starting a four-run rally in a 5-2 Yankee win.
On August 17, 1957, Richie Ashburn of the Phillies hit spectator Alice Roth with two batted foul balls during an at bat in a 3-1 win over the Giants. Roth was being removed on a stretcher after the initial shot broke her nose when she was hit yet again.
Brian Roberts’s leadoff home run off Jaret Wright was quickly equalled when Johnny Damon did the same against Rodrigo Lopez in the bottom half, but it was all Birds after that. Back-to-back three-run uprisings in the visiting third and fourth were crowned by a Nick Markakis bomb, and Fernando Tatis ended the scoring with a three-run fifth-inning blast off Octavio Dotel in a 12-2 Baltimore win on August 17, 2006.
The Yanks assigned right-hander Daniel Burawa to the Staten Island Yankees, and third baseman Rob Segedin to the GCL Yankees on August 17, 2010, the same day the club signed shortstop Angelo Gumbs. He would be assigned to the GCL Yanks two days later.
On August 17, 2003, the Yanks bit the bullet and released infielder Todd Zeile, and recalled pitcher Jorge DePaula from Columbus of the International League (AAA). Unexpectedly, DePaula would come up with a great start in the coming days.
On the same day I list long-time Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson as a Yankee on the occasion of his birthday, on August 17, 1979, New York also signed first baseman George Scott, who had been released by the K.C. Royals. Scott, whom the Red Sox had let go earlier that season as well after years in Boston, would hit one home run with six rbi’s in 16 games in the Bronx.
It was a much more significant improvement for the club when the Yankees purchased pitcher Lefty Gomez on this day in 1929. Lefty would go 189-101 for the Pinstripers.
Yankee lefty Bob Kuzava spaced out the 11 hits he surrendered to the Athletics on August 17, 1953, as he tossed a 9-0, complete-game shutout.
Ray Chapman, the only player to die directly as the result of game action in a major league ballgame, passed away on August 17, 1920. He was struck in the temple the day before by a rising fastball from Yankee hurler Carl Mays.
When Orioles reliever Dick Hall threw a perfect inning on this day in 1963, it marked 28 consecutive batters that he had retired.
The Yanks made two minor moves on August 17, 2002, optioning righthander Mike Thurman to AAA Columbus and replacing him on the 25-man roster with infielder Alex Arias.
We have a healthy list of August 17 items featuring one-time Yankee players. Yankee World Series hero from 2000 Jose Vizcaino blasted a leadoff home run among his five hits in a 6-1 Houston victory over Cincinnati on this day in 2002. On that same day, Alex Rodriguez hit three home runs in a 9-5 Texas win over Toronto, making him the sixth player all-time to amass five straight 40-tater seasons.
Moving along in the same vein, one-time Yankee hurler Don Gullett allowed the 660th and last home run of the great career of Willie Mays in a 2-1 Reds win on August 17, 1973. And Reggie Jackson smacked his first big-league homer off California’s Jim Weaver on this day in 1967, and added his 522nd dinger on August 17, 1985, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the all-time list.
Kevin Gross of the Dodgers threw a 2-0 no-hitter in defeating the Giants on August 17, 1992. And Boston lefty Jesse Tannehill threw a 6-0 no-no at the White Sox on the same day way back in 1904. Tannehill had posted a 15-15 mark for the Highlanders the year before, his only one in New York.
Players Who Have Died This Day
Lefty-hitting, righty-throwing hurler Ray Caldwell (1967), a stalwart on Highlanders/Yankees pitching staffs from 1910-1918 at the beginning of his career, is one of three Yankee players to have died on August 17. He won 95, lost 99, and saved five games in New York, numbers that grew to 133-120-9 after stops in Boston and Cleveland the next four years. Outfielder Sammy Vick (1986) debuted with the 1917-1920 Yankees, with two homers and 41 rbi’s. A 1921 stint with the Red Sox added nine rbi’s. Finally, catcher Paddy O’Connor (1950) neither homered nor drove in any runs in a one-game, career-ending stop with the 1918 Yankees. Playing from 1908-1910 with the Pirates, 1914 with the Cardinals, and 1915 with the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League, he reached no fences, but drove in 21 runs.
The aforementioned Ray Chapman (1920) is perhaps the most noteworthy of eight nonYankee players to have died this day. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 364 from 1912-1920. Third baseman Harry Steinfeldt (1914) cleared 27 fences good for 762 rbi’s with the Reds and the Cubs from 1888-1910; righty Doc Crandall (1951) posted most of his 100 wins with 62 losses and 24 saves from 1908-1918 with the Giants; outfielder Happy Felsch (1964) homered 38 times and drove in 446 runs from 1915-1920 only with the White Sox; and lefthanded outfielder Johnny Barrett (1974) played only with the Pirates from 1942-1946, for whom he hit 23 homers and knocked in 220 runs. Righty Fred Frankhouse (1989) won 106, lost 97, and saved 12 games with the Cardinals, the Braves, and the Dodgers from 1927-1939; shortstop Johnny Lipon (1998) hit most of his 10 roundtrippers with 266 rbi’s from 1942-1954 with Detroit; and second baseman Jimmy Bloodworth (2002) cleared 62 fences and knocked in 451 runs playing most of his games from 1937-1951 with the Senators, the Tigers, the Reds, and the Phillies.
Players Born This Day
The one of five Yankee birthdays on August 17 most worthy of note is the one still playing, catcher Jorge Posada (1971), who passed the 250 home run and 1,000 rbi marks in 2010. Jorge was drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 amateur draft, and he was seriously mentioned in the 2003 MVP voting. Having one of his best years in 2007, Jorge signed a four-year extension, but he was lost for the 2008 season due to shoulder surgery. Back in the fold since 2009, he continues as a solid member of the Yankee offense.
Utility man Jeff Moronko (1954) played seven games for the 1987 Yanks with one hit in 11 at bats after playing four games for the ‘84 Indians. The Yanks signed Moronko as a free agent in November 1986.
Long-time Boston third baseman Butch Hobson (1951) played 30 games for the 1982 Yanks with three rbi’s and no home runs. The Yanks got Butch from the California Angels for Bill Castro in March 1982. And Ernie Nevel (1918) was 0-1 with one save in four games for the 1950-1951 Yanks. Then in August 1952 New York traded him with Jim Greengrass, Bob Marquis, Johnny Schmitz, and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Ewell Blackwell.
Infielder Bill Keister (1874) had two homers and 93 rbi’s for the 1901 Baltimore Orioles franchise that would be relocating to New York as the Highlanders in two years. Keister jumped to Baltimore from the St. Louis Cardinals club before that season. Jim Converse (1971), who went 2-11 with Seattle and Kansas City from 1993-1997, signed as a Yankee free agent in June 1997, only to be released that October.
Righthander Skip Lockwood (1946), who won 57, lost 97, and saved 68, mostly with the Mets and the Brewers from 1969-1980, was briefly a Yankee once he was traded by the California Angels to New York for Bill Sudakis in December 1974. Once the Yanks released him in April 1975, he signed with Oakland seven days later.
Other birthdays: Tigers first baseman Rudy York (1913), with 277 homers and 1,152 career rbi’s; third baseman Jim Davenport (1933), who notched 456 rbi’s while playing for the Giants only; Diego Segui (1937); 1970 AL MVP Boog Powell (1941); Alex Cole (1965); Jeff Abbott (1972); Jeff Liefer (1974); Matt Anderson (1976); Mike Maroth (1977); Chad Qualls (1978); Brett Myers (1980); Mike O’Connor (1980); Travis Metcalf (1982); Dustin Pedroia (1983); and Tyler Greene (1983).
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