The big bat behind the Yanks’ 9-3 win over Anaheim in Yankee Stadium on August 10, 2011, belonged to Curtis Granderson, who went yard for three runs in the first, and added a singleton shot and a walk later. Robinson Cano may have been denied a cycle by a fine Mark Trumbo play at first, because the Yankee second sacker had a double, triple, and homer in his other three at bats. Before the game, the release of a children’s album, “Believe,” organized and recorded by Nick Swisher, was announced on the scoreboard. Ex-Yank Bernie Williams and SF Giant Barry Zito played guitar on the record.
Texas broke up a scoreless duel with two fourth-inning home runs for three runs against Masahiro Tanaka on August 10, 2018, beginning a 12-7 thrashing in the Bronx.
The Jacoby Ellsbury two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth singleton home run was the only loud hit in the Yanks’ 4-1 loss to the Indians on August 10, 2014, but the Indians used a single twice, a sac fly, and a bases-loaded walk to score their tallies in separate innings. The Ellsbury blast did save the Yanks from the indignity of suffering back-to-back shutouts in their home park, however.
The Scoreboard proudly pointed out that Phil Hughes was the only pitcher to have tossed a complete game vs. the Tigers thus far in the 2013 season when the Yankees hosted Detroit on August 10, but Phil was not in for a repeat performance. An Austin Jackson triple and Miguel Cabrera home run in the first and second, respectively, got the visitors started, and Hughes left one down into the fifth behind 4-0 after a Torii Hunter homer. A second Hunter homer would follow later in the 9-3 Tigers win. Some went home happy, however, as the the Yanks allowed kids to run the bases after the game.
The Yanks celebrated Billy Martin Day, and retired his No. 1, on August 10, 1986. In the game that followed the Royals had their way with the Yanks, with Scott Bankhead getting the 13-3 win over Dennis Rasmussen.
Ron Guidry outdueled Vida Blue and the A’s 6-3 on August 10, 1977. Reggie Jackson was installed in the cleanup position, and Graig Nettles hit his 26th homer.
The White Sox completed their three-game sweep in dramatic fashion on August 10, 2005, as Chicago cashed in its second straight 2-1 decision on Scott Podsednik‘s one-out suicide bunt that scored Juan Uribe off Mariano Rivera in the top of the ninth. Aaron Small went seven and Freddy Garcia eight tied 1-1. And Robbie Cano‘s two-out, ninth-inning drive to the center field wall just fell short as Dustin Hermanson earned the save.
The Yankees were unable to continue their winning ways on Monday, August 10, 2009, in Yankee Stadium following a four-game sweep of Boston, as Toronto outscored them 5-4. All nine runs came against Mark Rzepczynski of Toronto and New York’s Sergio Mitre in five frames but, despite the overwhelming feeling that the Yanks could do anything in the new digs, they were unable to plate another run against the Toronto pen over the last four innings. Derek Jeter homered and had three hits, Robbie Cano and Jerry Hairston went yard as well, but Aaron Hill and Lyle Overbay taters and a Joe Inglett rbi triple carried the day.
It was hard to believe on August 10, 1995, that the struggling Yanks would make the playoffs after a bad day in the Bronx. They were swept in two by the Indians, 10-9 and 5-2. Although it was frustrating that they squandered the seven rbi’s and three homers they received from catcher Mike Stanley in the first game, the most disturbing thing revealed was that John Wetteland couldn’t silence the Indians’ bats with his hard fastball. This problem resurfaced in the Yankees’ Wild Card Series loss to the Mariners in five games later that year.
Speaking of ominous signs of a club destined not to play in the postseason, the Yankees optioned righthander Ian Kennedy to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on August 10, 2008, recalling southpaw reliever Billy Traber from AAA to take his place on the roster. Kennedy had typically survived just two innings and surrendered five runs in a 10-5 loss to Anaheim two days before.
When Albert Belle drove in his 100th run of the 1998 season in a 5-3 White Sox victory over Oakland on August 10 of that year, he joined Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth as the only players to record at least 30 homers with 100 rbi’s in seven straight seasons.
Although he won plenty of games in his big-league career on his guile and talent alone, Minnesota’s Jim Kaat was more than happy to accept the Yankees’ largesse on August 10, 1965, when the Twins plated six unearned runs to defeat the Yanks 7-3.
The offensive star of the Yankee doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia A’s on August 10, 1935, was George Selkirk. George’s eight rbi’s were one short of Jimmie Foxx‘s AL record, and he homered twice and singled in the 18-7 and 7-2 Yankee wins.
With Ty Cobb stealing third base twice and second and home once apiece, the Tigers tightened the pennant race with a 13-7 win over Boston on August 10, 1924, as the defending three-time AL Champion Yankees were losing to Cleveland 7-1. But when it was all over, Washington would swoop in and go to the Series that year, beating the Giants in seven games.
After pitching 30 successive complete games, the Yanks’ Jack Chesbro was knocked out by the White Sox in a 5-1 loss to Chicago on August 10, 1904.
On August 10, 1934, an aging Babe Ruth announced that this would be his final year as a player. He would seek a managerial job and perhaps appear as a pinch-hitter. His prediction was inaccurate, but not by much.
The Yanks lost to the Twins 3-2 on Old Timers Day in 1968, despite two homers from Mickey Mantle.
On August 10, 2023, the Yankees optioned lefthander Nick Ramirez to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Also, the Chicago White Sox claimed righty Deivi García off waivers from the Yankees.
On August 10, 2021, the Yankees sent left fielder Clint Frazier on a rehab assignment to the Tampa Tarpons, and sent left fielder Trey Amburgey on a rehab assignment to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
On August 10, 2019, the Yankees activated catcher Gary Sanchez from the 10-day injured list; and recalled lefthander Stephen Tarpley from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Room was created on the roster when the team optioned catcher Kyle Higashioka to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; and placed righthander Jonathan Holder on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 7, with a right shoulder inflammation.
On August 10, 2017, the Yankees placed outfielder Clint Frazier on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to August 9, with a left oblique strain. The club then activated center fielder Aaron Hicks from the 10-day disabled list.
On August 10, 2016, the Yankees activated righthander Blake Parker; optioned righty Luis Severino to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; and sent righthander Bryan Mitchell on a rehab assignment to the Tampa Yankees.
On August 10, 2012, the Yankees signed two free agent pitchers, lefty Rich Mascheri and righthander Zach Woods.
Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew became the 10th player to reach 500 (and then 501) home runs when he homered twice in a 4-3 loss to Mike Cuellar and the Orioles on August 10, 1971.
When Steve McCatty lost a 14-inning game to Seattle 2-1 on August 10, 1980, he became the fourth A’s starter to go that incredible (at least by modern standards) distance that season. With Matt Keough, Mike Norris, and Rick Langford toeing the mound in earlier long ballgames, Billy Martin would be much criticized for burning out his young starters that season.
Boston Braves hurler Red Barrett threw only 58 pitches and shut out the Reds 2-0 on August 10, 1944. It stands as the major-league record for fewest pitches thrown in a nine-inning game, and the one hour, 15 minutes the game took to play is the shortest night game ever.
In the first of three additional August 10 highlights featuring future or former Yankee players, Washington’s Bob Porterfield had his second one-hitter of the season in a 2-0 win over the Red Sox on this day in 1953. Also on August 10, this time in 1987, future Yankee slugger Jack Clark set an NL record by walking in the 16th consecutive game in a 6-0 Cards win over the Pirates. And an ex-Yank had a bad day at the expense of a future Yank in an 18-3 Royals win over the Angels on August 10, 1996. Johnny Damon‘s grand slam and seven rbi’s contributed to Jim Abbott‘s 11th straight loss.
Following the frustrating eighties and the Championship won by the crosstown Mets in 1986, being a Yankee fan in the City involved watching the Mets’ fortunes as well, at least until the Bombers returned to the postseason in 1995. The Mets had another bad day on August 10, 1993, as righthander Bret Saberhagen was forced to admit that he had sprayed three reporters with bleach. A donation to the Eye Research Foundation saved him from any further punishment.
Players Who Have Died This Day
No Yankee players had died on August 10 until southpaw Bob Wiesler, who was a switch hitter, expired in 2014. Bob posted a 7-6 mark with no saves debuting in New York in 1951, ’54 and ’55 (26 games, 15 of them starts), then pitched for the Nationals from 1956 through 1958, with an overall 7-19 record.
Third baseman and manager Chuck Dressen (1966) is one of four noteworthy nonYankees who have passed this day. Before managing, Dressen hit 11 home runs with 221 rbi’s with the 1925-1933 Giants. Shortstop Lou Boudreau (2001) not only played and managed, he did it at the same time. Lou cleared 68 fences good for 789 rbi’s mostly for Cleveland from 1938-1952. Third baseman/second baseman Cookie Lavagetto (1990) hit 40 long balls and drove in 486 runs from 1934-1947 for the Pirates and the Dodgers. Lefthander Don Gross (2017) split his six big league seasons from 1955 to 1960 evenly between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, with a career mark of 20-22, with 10 saves.
Players Born This Day
The first two Yankee August 10 birthdays I list are guys who played elsewhere too, but are most remembered as Yanks: Gerald “Ice” Williams (1966), who stroked 18 homers and 85 rbi’s during two stints in the Bronx; and Andy Stankiewicz (1964), who had two homers and 25 rbi’s in the Bronx in 1992 and 1993, and who also once managed the Staten Island Yankees. Williams was a 14th-round selection of the Yankees in the 1987 amateur draft. He was traded with reliever Bob Wickman to the Milwaukee Brewers for Pat Listach and Graeme Lloyd in August 1996. When Listach did not recover from an undisclosed broken foot, the Brewers sent righty Ricky Bones along for compensation. Gerald has appeared with several clubs of late, including most recently playing with the 2005 Mets.
“Stanky the Yankee” was a Yankee amateur selection one year before Williams; Stankiewicz was moved by the Yankees with righty Domingo Jean to the Houston Astros for Xavier Hernandez in June 1986.
Tom Brookens (1953), a third baseman who played mostly with the Tigers, had four homers with 14 rbi’s for the 1989 Yanks. The Yanks got Brookens from Detroit in a March 1989 trade for Charles Hudson. Brookens’s overall numbers included 71 dingers with 431 rbi’s.
Rocky Colavito (1933), a slugger for years with Cleveland and Detroit, ended his career with the 1968 Yanks, with five homers, 39 rbi’s and one big victory pitching in relief. The Yanks signed Rocky as a free agent in July 1968, and released him that October. Colavito blasted 374 homers in his career, for 1,159 rbi’s.
Righty Bob Porterfield (1923) posted an 8-9 record with one save with the 1948-1951 Yanks before moving on to pitch another eight years in the bigs. The Yanks sent him with Tom Ferrick and Fred Sanford to the Washington Senators for Bob Kuzava in June 1951.
Catcher Sal Fasano (1971) did much of his big-league work behind the plate with the K.C. Royals from 1996-2002 with 30 dingers and 95 rbi’s, but he was with the Yankees in Tampa for Spring Training in 2004, before signing on with the Orioles in 2005. Sal replaced Kelly Stinnett as Jorge Posada‘s backup catcher to close the 2006 season. He hit a home run with five rbi’s in 28 games.
Righthander Chance Adams (1994) both showed promise and disappointment in alternate outings in his 16 games (one start) with the Yanks in 2018 and 2019. A fifth-round draftee by the club in 2015, Chance won one, lost two, and saved one; and was sent to Kansas City in December 2019, with whom he pitched to no record and a high era in six games.
A new addition to the Yankee birthday list happened once righthander Jeff Marquez (1984) made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2010. A 2004 first-round pick of the Yankees, Marquez was packaged with Wilson Betemit and Jhonny Nunez to Chicago for Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira before the 2009 season. Jeff was retaken from Chicago off waivers in June 2011, and appeared in three games to no record with the parent club before being sent to the minors.
Others: Hall of Famer from the Negro Leagues Willie Wells (1908); second and third sacker with the Indians from 1931-1941 Odell Hale (1908); Washington and White Sox outfielder from 1938-1949 Taffy Wright (1911); Chuck Carr (1967), who won the first-ever Florida Marlins centerfield job over one-time Yankee backup Scott Pose; Jorge Campillo (1978); Dan Johnson (1979); Brandon Lyon (1979); Josh Anderson (1982); Wilson Ramos (1987); Matt den Dekker (1987); Sammy Solis (1988); Anthony Gose (1990); Archie Bradley (1992); Anthony Banda (1993); Monte Harrison (1995); Allan Winans (1995); and Peyton Battenfield (1997).
