On November 11, 2015, the Yankees traded utility player Jose Pirela to the San Diego Padres for righthander Ronald Herrera. Herrera pitched 24 games (all starts) in the upcoming season for AA Trenton and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (just one game) to a 10-8 record. He appeared in two games for the Yankees in 2017, both in relief, taking one loss. In 14 minor league games, all starts, he went 0-1 with the Gulf Coast Yankees, 8-0 in Trenton, and posted no record in Scranton/Wilkes Barre in two games. Herrera was traded in November 2017 to the Ranngers for minor leaguer Reiver Sanmartin.
Third baseman Charley Hayes‘s second tour of duty with the Yankees came to a close on November 11, 1997. They shipped him to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Chris Singleton and pitcher Alberto Castillo. Castillo didn’t pan out, and was last seen pitching for the independent Altantic League Newark Bears. Singleton was traded a year later to the White Sox for a player to be named later, who became Rich Pratt. Mr. Pratt’s stay in the Yankee camp was short too, however.
It was almost this day (two days earlier, actually) in 2003 that Yankee first base coach Lee Mazzilli was hired away to manage the Orioles. On November 11, 1982, Yankee coach Joe Altobelli was hired away to…manage the Orioles. Third base coach Mike Ferraro had been hired to manage the Cleveland Indians just a week or so earlier. Altobelli immediately led Baltimore to a world title, but Mazzilli did not do nearly as well. His Orioles did give the AL East a scare in early 2005, however. Maz returned to serve next to Joe Torre on the Yankee bench in 2006, but lost that job to Don Mattingly for 2007. Lee did some broadcasting for the Mets in 2008.
Very few Giants ballplayers were happy with the experience of playing in Pac Bell Stadium’s predecessor, Candlestick Park (and you can count late, beloved Yankee veteran Bobby Murcer among them). But it was better than Seals Stadium where the Giants played their first two seasons in the Bay area. With Candlestick ready, Seals Stadium was demolished on November 11, 1959. The light stanchions and some seating were moved to a minor league park in Washington state though, where they’re still in use today.
On November 11, 2013, the Yankees signed free agent righthander Jim Miller to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
The American League MVP Award for 1943 was won by Yankee righthander Spud Chandler over Luke Appling of the White Sox in a fairly close vote. Chandler, whose 20-4 record led the Yanks to that year’s Championship, was one of four Yankees receiving enough votes to finish in the Top 10, and Charley “King Kong” Keller came in 13th. To this day, Spud is the only Yankee pitcher to cop an MVP Award.
Barry Bonds won his fifth NL MVP on November 11, 2002, and did it unanimously. Boog Powell won the 1970 AL prize over Tony Oliva on November 11 as well.
Minnesota’s Marty Cordova is the only November 11 Rookie of the Year Award winner. He achieved the honor when he edged out Garret Anderson of the Angels in 1995.
Tim Lincecum won the 2008 National League Cy Young Award on November 11. Roger Clemens of the Red Sox became the first pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards since Jim Palmer had done it in 1975-1976 when The Rocket took the 1987 AL Award on November 11, 1987. He would later win back-to-back yet again with the Blue Jays.
Fernando Valenzuela became the first rookie to win a Cy Young Award when he squeaked by Tom Seaver for the NL prize on November 11, 1981. Five years later, Houston’s Mike Scott edged the burly Dodger from Mexico with the killer screwball for the 1986 NL Cy Young on the 11th of November as well. Pedro Martinez of the Expos won the NL Cy Young on November 11, 1997, exactly one year after John Smoltz had won it as an Atlanta Brave.
Once you’ve listened to the since departed-in-disgrace renowned tenor Ronan Tynan‘s rendition of God Bless America at the seventh-inning stretch, the version recorded by the late Kate Smith pales in comparison. It was on November 11, 1939, that Ms. Smith first sang the Irving Berlin tune, and it became her signature song.
Yet another American team experienced trouble winning games touring Japan after the World Series in 1990. Their win in the last game of the eight-contest tour still left them short at 3-4 with one tie. But the most memorable thing about that finale on November 11 was that the Americans threw a no-hitter. It was a two-man accomplishment, started by California’s Chuck Finley, and finished by Mariner (and eventual Yankee) Randy Johnson.
Players Who Have Died This Day
No players who played with the Yankees have died on November 11.
The list of noteworthy nonYankee players who have died on November 11 includes two righthanded pitchers, a catcher, and a third baseman. Catcher Oscar Stanage (1964) hit most of his eight home runs with 321 rbi’s from 1906-1925 with Detroit; third sacker Fred Hartman (1938) played more often than not with the Giants from 1894-1902, with 10 homers and 332 runs driven in; and outfielder Oyster Burns (1928) cleared 65 fences and knocked in 832 runs playing mostly with the Bridegrooms (seven years) and the Orioles (four years) from 1884-1895. Red Causey (1960) won 39 games, lost 35, and saved six for the Giants, the Phillies, and the Braves from 1918-1922; and Lum Harris (1996) posted a 35-63-3 mark with the A’s and the Senators from 1941-1947. Harris also managed the Orioles (two years), the Astros (two years), and the Braves (five years) between 1961 and 1972, peaking with a first-place finish in Atlanta in 1969, with a team beaten by the Miracle Mets in the NLCS.
Players Born This Day
Only three November 11 birthdaying ballplayers have played for the Yankees, and they are all righthanded pitchers. Also none of the three played many games for the New Yorkers. In fact, Ownie Carroll (1902) is the seniority leader, and he appeared in only 10 games for the 1930 club, for whom he posted an 0-1 mark. A college sensation for Holy Cross where he notched a 50-2 record over three seasons, Ownie played mostly for noncontenders. He managed his career high of 16 wins with Detroit in 1928; he played for the Tigers five-plus years. The 19 losses he accumulated with the 1932 Reds didn’t discourage Brooklyn from signing and pitching him in 1933 and 1934. The Yanks got Carroll along with Harry Rice and Yats Wuestling from the Tigers in May 1930 in a trade for Waite Hoyt and Mark Koenig. New York then sold Carroll’s contract to Cincinnati that September.
Perhaps the most memorable thing about Harry Billiard (1883), aside from his decisionless six games pitching for the 1908 Highlanders, is the two Federal League clubs where he spent the rest of his big-league time. They were named the Indiana Hoosiers (his 1914 club) and the Newark (NJ) Pepper (1915).
And young Danny Rios (1972) had no record (and a 19.29 era) in two games for the 1997 Bombers before finishing up with five appearances for the 1998 Kansas City Royals. The Yanks signed Rios as an amateur free agent in June 1993, and lost him to K.C. on waivers in March 1998.
And finally, the major league career of third baseman Jimmy Mathison (1878) consisted of 29 games for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles. That team was actually the precursor to today’s Yankees, as they would be moved to New York as the Highlanders in 1903. Mathison hit no home runs that season, but he did knock in seven runs.
Two Hall of Famers lead the list of other players born November 11: third baseman Pie Traynor (1899), who played from 1920 through 1937 in Pittsburgh; and shortstop Rabbit Maranville (1891), who played four of his 23 seasons (1912-1935) in Pittsburgh after the 15 he spent with the Boston Braves. Others: Lefty-hitting Cleveland Indian first baseman Hal Trosky (1912); Cory Snyder (1962); Rey Quinones (1963); Roberto Hernandez (1964); Dave Telgheder (1966); Damion Easley (1969); Rey Ordonez (1971); Jason Grilli (1976); Mike Bacsik (1977); J.R. House (1979); Kyle McPherson (1987); Vinny Nittoli (1990), signed as a free agent by five different teams, among them the Yankees (from December 2021 through July of 2022); P.J. Conlon (1993); Nick Fortes (1996); Carson Spiers (1997); and Kyren Paris (2001).
