March 6 in Yankee History

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  • When Babe Ruth signed a three-year deal on March 6, 1922, he more than tripled the yearly salary of teammate Frank “Home Run” Baker, the second-highest on the team. But it was only fair. He had outhomered him in 1921 by better than 7-to-1; The Babe hit 59 to Baker’s eight. Continue reading →

    • When 8 > 3 + 5

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    Northport, Fla., May 5, 2023; Yankees 10, Atlanta 6 — Early, it looked to be a tough day for the Yankees in their game visiting the Braves at CoolToday Park Sunday afternoon, as the superb trio at the top of the home team’s lineup pounded new Yankee starter Carlos Rodon for five quick runs. Down 1-0 to an Oswaldo Cabrera home run to right in the top of the first, table setter Ronald Acuna Jr. started the first and third innings with well-struck shots, for an infield single, then a double, both down the third baseline. First baseman Greg Olson drove him in both times with a home run and hard single, and third sacker Austin Riley followed the latter with a two-run home run to left. Continue reading →

    March 5 in Yankee History

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  • In an underattended 2021 Spring Training game in Tampa on March 5, the Yanks almost beat visiting Detroit on Gleyber Torres‘s fourth-inning home run, but the Tigers tied in the eighth, a frame in which righty Addison Russ walked four guys and delivered a wild pitch as well, for a 1-1 final. Continue reading →

    • March 4 in Yankee History

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  • The Yankees bunched four singles into a three-run first inning that was barely enough to hold off the visiting Phillies 3-2 on March 4, 2020. A guy in Yankee camp in 2021, veteran outfielder Jay Bruce, plated both Philly runs with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth. Ex-Yankee infielder Ronald Torreyes stroked two of the five hits the Phillies scratched that evening. Continue reading →

    • March 3 in Yankee History

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  • Although an error at shortstop by young CJ Chatham set up Boston lefty Martin Perez for disaster, it was two singles by DJ LeMahieu that both started the six-run first-inning rally and drove in the final run in 9-1 Yankee win in Tampa on March 3, 2020. Three strong innings from Masahiro Tanaka at the start, and two dominant frames by Jonathan Loiasiga at the end, held the visiting Red Sox largely at bay, and Gio Urshela kicked in a home run as well. Continue reading →

    • Not a Forfeit …

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    Bradenton, Fla., March 2, 2023; Yankees 9, Pittsburgh 1 — Yankee fans visiting Lecom Park, formerly McKechnie Field, for a 1 pm Yankees/Pirates game Thursday afternoon didn’t have to wait long to get into the spirit of things, as uber shortstop prospect Matthew Volpe, leading off and playing second this day, homered deep to left on a 2-2 pitch. Yankee offense would come early and late, but attention must be paid to the pitching too, as it was exceptional. Continue reading →

    March 2 in Yankee History

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  • A second straight ninth-inning comeback fell just short when the visiting Yankees fell 8-7 to the Pirates on March 2, 2019. Righthander Danny Farquhar had been a feel-good story when the Yankees signed him as a free agent in January 2019 after he had suffered a stroke with the White Sox, but he would not pitch well, and would be released that June. In this game, the five spot Farquhar surrendered to Pittsburgh in the fourth took a 3-1 Yankee lead and turned it into a 6-3 deficit. A three-run rally in the ninth left the Yanks one run short. Continue reading →

    • March 1 in Yankee History

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  • A string of victories for the Yankees in 2020 Spring Training, including split-squad wins in both Fort Myers and Tampa against the Red Sox and Tigers the day before, came to a halt on March 1, as the team was crushed 10-4 visiting Detroit in Lakekand, Fla., but it didn’t need to be that bad. Two fifth-inning rbi’s from red-hot Rosell Herrera, and one each by Brett Gardner and Luke Voit, gave them a 4-2 lead. But two bad plays in the bottom of the seventh (right fielder Isaiah Gilliam let a bloop fall in in front of him; second baseman Hoy Yun Park called off the first baseman on a foul pop, but let it fall untouched) led to a grand slam home run that turned the game in a six-run frame. Continue reading →

    • February 28 in Yankee History

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  • Springs year ago, much of the Yankee controversy spun around the late George Steinbrenner and his criticism of Derek Jeter regarding his level of intensity and commitment to his game. It seemed a tempest in a teapot when they did a series of Visa commercials together lampooning the alleged late-night partying, and then suddenly, Jeter was named team captain. Although I’m sure no one knew that Alex Rodriguez would be joining him on the left side of the Yankee infield soon, the timing of Derek’s receipt of this honor before that trade was fortuitous. These musings flow from the fact that it was February 28 in 1991 that Don Mattingly became the 10th Yankee captain. Donnie, who served in that capacity through 1995, his last year in Pinstripes, arrived on the scene as hitting coach the same year Jeter began his first full season holding that title. Donnie served as Joe Torre‘s bench coach for the Dodgers in 2007-2009, then took over as manager, and joined the Marlins in that capacity in 2016. Continue reading →

    • February 27 in Yankee History

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  • Back-to-back first-inning home runs by Tyler Wade and Clint Frazier, a two-run shot by Mike Ford in the eighth, and Zack Granite‘s rbi double accounted for all the runs in the Yankees’ home 7-1 victory over Tampa on February 27, 2020. J.A. Happ held the Rays to one run over the first three frames, but the most impressive pitching came late from Clarke Schmidt (three strike outs in the sixth and seventh) and Jonathan Loaisiga (four K’s in the eight and ninth). Continue reading →