June 30, 2011 was a great day three ways in Yankee Stadium, to start with a Thursday day game under gorgeous weather. Next, Yankee ace CC Sabathia reached a new career high in strike outs with 13 in a 5-0 shutout over the visiting Brewers. Francisco Cervelli drove in two with three singles and Robinson Cano had a first-inning two-rbi double, but Mark Teixeira had the most memorable hit, the 300th home run of his career in the home third inning.

Following an hour rain delay the Yanks took another game with late offense, though it wasn’t a come-from-behind win, in the new Stadium on June 30, 2009. Consecutive no-out eighth-inning hits by Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, and Derek Jeter scored three runs, and the Bombers beat Seattle 8-5. Alex Rodriguez contributed a two-run homer to the win, and Mariano Rivera got the save.

You have to wonder how big a part the dominance “King” Felix Hernandez displayed against the Yankees in 2010 had to do with his eventual Cy Young Award. On June 30 of that year, Hernandez blanked the Yankees 7-0 in the Bronx on just two hits, both doubles, and pounded 11 strike outs. Milton Bradley‘s second-inning homer was all the King would need, and Russell Branyan kicked in a two-run bomb in the seventh.

Is there a more exciting baseball play than an inside-the-park home run? Mickey Mantle chipped in with one, Roger Maris drove in three runs, and Whitey Ford soared to 14-2 on the season as the Yanks beat the Senators 5-1 on June 30, 1961.

A year earlier, the Yanks beat the KC A’s 10-5 on June 30, 1960, behind five homers, one each by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Tony Kubek, and two from Moose Skowron.

The Yanks used three lefties to the Braves’ one on June 30, 1997, and the home team won 1-0 when Bobby Cox brought righthander Mike Bielecki in for the top of the 10th. Tom Glavine held the Yanks scoreless through nine despite allowing eight safeties and four walks, while Andy Pettitte (five innings), Kenny Rogers (four), and Mike Stanton (one) blanked the Braves on five hits through 10. It took the Yanks four singles (Chad Curtis, Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, and Luis Sojo) in succession to close it out in the bottom of the 10th because Andruw Jones threw Curtis out trying for third on Girardi’s bingle.

The Yankees purchased the contract of outfielder Brett Gardner from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 30, 2008, and started him in center field against Scott Feldman and the Texas Rangers. Mike Mussina was brilliant, but less so than the Texas rookie righthander, who held the Yanks to four hits and one run (an Alex Rodriguez home run) through six. Moose gave up five safeties and two runs and the Yanks fell 2-1. The team optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Gardner, and designated catcher Chris Stewart for assignment as well. One-time star third baseman Graig Nettles had decreased the games-remaining counter in Yankee Stadium from 42 to 41 the day before, and on this day, one-time Pinstriped hurler and broadcaster Jim Kaat moved it down to 40, marking that there was now less than half a season left to be played in the grand old ballpark.

It is the second time in a matter of days that we feature a Yankee loss at the hands of a Tony Clark three-run home run, this one for the Tigers on June 30, 1999. Brian Moehler was leading Andy Pettitte and the bumbling Yanks 4-2 in a sloppy game when Clark extended the lead to five runs with his blast to dead center in the seventh in an eventual 8-2 Bengals win.

With Willie McCovey just having homered twice in the same inning three days before, Cliff Johnson repeated the feat in the eighth inning of an 11-5 Yankee demolishing of the Blue Jays on June 30, 1977. Cliff hit three in succession on the day, and the Yanks moved within half a game of first-place Boston.

The first of two June 30, 2009 pindtriped transactions would have a significant impact on the season, as the Pirates traded rightfielder Eric Hinske to the Yankees. The Yanks also signed draft pick outfielder Judsan Golson as well.

In yet another Battle of New York on June 30, 2006, The Yanks beat old friend Orlando “el duque” Hernandez and the Mets 2-0. Due to injury, Mike Mussina just went four witth the win going to Ron Villone, and Jason Giambi homered.

The Yankees sent Ken Griffey, Sr. to the Braves on June 30, 1986, for outfielder Claudell Washington and infielder Paul Zuvella.

Three no-hitters occurred on June 30, the first being the third of Cy Young‘s career, as he no-hit the Yanks, 8-0, in 1908. Cleveland Indian Bob Lemon notched one in 1948 in a 2-0 shutout of the Tigers. And Sandy Koufax pulled the feat off in a 5-0 blanking of the Mets in 1962.

Yesterday we reported two moves to retool the 2005 team on June 29 of that year. One day later, the adjustments continued as the Bombers designated righty reliever Paul Quantrill and lefty bullpenner Mike Stanton for assignment. To fill the spots, they recalled Bubba Crosby and purchased the contract of southpaw Wayne Franklin from AAA Columbus.

The Yanks fell to the Brewers 5-4 on June 30, 1975, as Bobby Darwin‘s home run in the bottom of the ninth highlighted the come-from-behind, two-run Milwaukee rally. Bill Travers got the win.

Second baseman “Camera Eye” (he walked a lot) Max Bishop and third sacker Sammy Hale, numbers one and two in the order, drew eight of the nine walks the Yankee mound crew issued in the second of two between the Yanks and the A’s on June 30, 1924. This enabled Philly to win the nightcap 10-3 in Shibe Park after having succumbed in the first game, 10-4.

Rube Waddell relieved Eddie Plank in the ninth inning of a 7-4 A’s win over the Highlanders on June 30, 1905.

When both Joe DiMaggio and Dom DiMaggio homered in the Red Sox’s 10-2 victory over the Yanks in the second of two on this day in 1950, it was the first time in 15 years that brothers had homered in the same major league game. Fear not; the Yanks took the first game, 9-6.

The Yanks swept a double dip from the Red Sox on this day in 1928 by scores of 11-4 and 7-6. In so doing they enlarged their lead over the second-place A’s to 11.5 games.

6/30/12
New York Yankees optioned RHP Adam Warren to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.
New York Yankees recalled D.J. Mitchell from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Reconfiguring their righthanded pitching depth in the minors, the Yanks designated Buddy Carlyle for assignment, assigned newly signed Logan Kensing to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and signed free agent Joaquin Hinojosa, all on June 30, 2011.

Willie McCovey got his 500th home run on June 30, 1978. And on the same day in 1995, switch hitter Eddie Murray stroked his 3,000th hit in a 4-1 Cleveland victory over Minnesota.

Two Yankee historic events from June 30, 1954: Pitcher Tom Morgan hit three guys with pitches in one inning in a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox, and Bobby Brown played his last game before retiring to become a doctor.

The Yankees won their fifth in a row while sending the Red Sox to their 12th consecutive loss in a 13-6 win at Yankee Stadium on June 30, 1927.

Former Yankees infielder d’Angelo Jimenez, traded to San Diego in 2001 for ineffective righty reliever Jay Witasik, provided four outs of effective relief pitching in the Padres’ 11-1 loss to Kansas City on June 30, 2002.

Three Lou Gehrig triples in a June 30, 1934, game with the Senators went for naught as the Iron Horse was denied a record due to the 4.5-inning rainout.

We’ll start a group of June 30 highlights featuring former or future Yankee players with recent Pinstriped bullpenner Ron Villone, who combined with Scott Williamson to toss a one-hitter in a 2-0 Cincinnati win over Arizona on this day in 1999. Further qualifying this highlight for a Yankee history column is that one-time Yank Tony Womack stroked that lone hit, and that 2005-2006 Bombers starter Randy Johnson took the loss, despite the 17 strike outs he recorded while losing.

On that same 1999 day, one-time Yankee nonroster Spring Training invitee and southpaw reliever Damaso Marte, who would subsequently be acquired from Pittsburgh in 2008, made his major-league debut in Seattle’s 14-5 loss to the A’s. Marte’s first big league pitch was smacked for a home run by John Jaha.

Next in the future/post Yankee highlight list is Mike Mussina‘s 8-1 win for the O’s over the Phillies on June 30, 1997. It was Moose’s 100th career win.

Former Yankee first baseman Joe Pepitone ended his brief retirement and went 1-for-4 in a 4-3 Cubs win over the Pirates on June 30, 1972.

Players Who Have Died This Day

Righthander Joe Lake (1950), who debuted pitching 69 games (56 starts) for the 1908-1909 Highlanders, is one of two Yankee players to have died on June 30. Lake posted 23 wins, 33 losses, and one save in New York, numbers that grew to 62-90-5 after playing with the Browns from 1910-1912 and the Tigers from 1912-1913. Lefty-hitting outfielder Doc Cook (1973) played only with the Yankees from 1913-1916. He went 138-for-1028 at the plate, hit three home runs, and drove in 75 runs.

Of five noteworthy nonYankee players to succumb June 30, there is a pitcher from either side of the plate and three position players. Southpaw Al Milnar (2005) won 57, lost 58, and saved seven games mostly for Cleveland between 1936 and 1946; and Firpo Marberry (1976) went 148-88 with 101 saves from 1923-1936 for the Senators, with short stops with the Tigers and the Giants at the end of his career. Lefty-hitting outfielder Mule Haas (1974) cleared 43 fences good for 496 rbi’s for the A’s and White Sox from 1928-1936; second baseman/first baseman Don Kolloway (1994) hit 29 home runs and drove in 393 runs with the White Sox, the Tigers, and the Giants from 1940-1953; and catcher Jerry May (1996) hit most of his 15 long balls with 130 rbi’s for the Pirates and the A’s from 1964-1973.

Players Born This Day

Of the three Yankees who call June 30 their birthday, the most recent to don the Pinstripes is shortstop Tony Fernandez (1962), the last Yankee to hit for the cycle. His elbow break in 1996 Spring Training opened the position for Derek Jeter. The Yanks signed Fernandez as a free agent in December 1994, and granted him free agency a month after winning the 1996 World Series with Jeter at short. Tony hit five home runs, with 45 rbi’s and six stolen bases for the Yanks in 1995. He is much revered in Toronto, for which he played four different times, compiling many of his 94 home runs, 844 rbi’s and 246 stolen bases.

Jerry Kenney (1945) played third in some bleak days. Although he was signed as an amateur free agent before the 1964 season, most of his play came at the end of the 1960s, until 1972. From the fans’ perspective, Jerry’s best day was November 27, 1972, when he was traded with Johnny Ellis, Charlie Spikes, and Rusty Torres to the Cleveland Indians for Graig Nettles and Jerry Moses. Kenney hit seven homers and had 98 rbi’s for the Yanks. Jerry’s two rbi’s for the Tribe leveled his career number at 100.

Ron Swoboda (1944) was acquired in a June 1971 trade with the Montreal Expos for outfielder Ron Woods. He hit four taters and drove in 34 runs in the Bronx, until he was released in December 1973, ending his big-league career with 73 home runs, 344 rbi’s, and at least one great World Series memory, and a ring. Oh happy player!

Also worthy of mention on the Yankee list is righthander Mike Judd (1975), who posted a 4-3 record from 1997-2001, mostly with the Dodgers, though he pitched in a few games each with the Devil Rays and Rangers too. Mike was a ninth-round draft choice of the Yanks in June 1995, and was swapped for Dodgers lefty Billy Brewer one year later.

Finally, we’ll add Todd Linden (1980) here in 2009 in honor of his having spent Spring Training with the Yankees. Todd, a first-round pick of the San Fran Giants in 2001, has accumulated eight home runs and 36 rbi’s playing major league games in that organization from 2003 through 2007.

Other birthdays: outfielder Davy Jones (1880), who collected nine home runs and drove in 289 from 1901-1915, mostly with Detroit; righty John Miljus (1895), whose 29 wins during seven intermittent seasons between 1915 and 1929, often playing for the Dodgers or the Pirates, were three more than his losses; southpaw Bud Black (1957), owner of a 121-116 major league record from 1981-1995, mostly for the K.C. Royals; Al Newman (1960); Doug Dascenzo (1964); Dan Peltier (1968); Mark Grudzielanek (1970); Garrett Anderson (1972), who has amassed better than 250 homers and 1,300 rbi’s and now plays for Atlanta after a long career in Anaheim; Chan Ho Park (1973); Delwyn Young (1982); Mitch Maier (1982); Drew Sutton (1983); Mike Carp (1986); and Ryan Cook (1987).