With the birthday of the Warrior Paul O’Neill just yesterday and Don Mattingly having become Joe Torre‘s bench coach after several seasons as the Yankees batting coach during this time in 2007, and his replacement as manager with LA in 2011, it would be easy to wax nostalgic about the day some of our favorite players wore the Pinstripes for the last time. The fact that Donnie was wearing Dodger Blue with Torre in 2008 and 2009, and continued to until recently, and was with Miami when he won Manager of the Year, adds to the reverie. But perhaps no day in Yankee history is as fraught with that form of bittersweet musing than February 26, 1935. That is the day the Yankees released the Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth, so he could sign on with the Boston Braves of the National League. Of his 714 career homers and 2,213 rbi’s, the Bambino collected six and 12, respectively with the 1935 Braves.
The Juan Soto love fest carried into his second game when the right fielder chipped in with two, two-run doubles in the Yankees’ 9-2 victory over visiting Minnesota on February 26, 2024. Up 4-2, the Bombers put this one away with a five-run seventh, highlighted by Jorbit Vivas‘s three-run tater.
With Tino Martinez throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and Carlos Rodon and Aaron Judge wearing high sox with their pinstriped unis, the Yankees vanquished the visiting Blue Jays 12-6 in their Spring home opener on February 25, 2024. Surprisingly, Rodon pitched into the third inning, netting five punch outs before surrendering a home run to Alejandro Kirk, and Juan Soto drew early raves with a three-run bomb in the fourth. The home team scored in five frames, while Toronto did most of its damage with a five-run seventh. Continue reading →
You hear it every year, why even look at stats and game results from Spring Training; I’m here to argue, because it’s just too much fun not to. Starting the 2024 campaign on the road in Lakeland to play the Tigers, Luis Gil got off to a decent start, striking out three in two frames, but Andy Ibanez reached him for a two run bomb. But the Bombers took over with three-run second and third innings, the first featuring a home run for new Yankee outfielder Trent Grisham. As is often the case, the game got uglier late, as the visiting Bombers tacked on four in the eighth and eight more in the ninth. more than making up for the four spot Detroit added in the bottom of the ninth of a 22-10 Yankee victory. Continue reading →
On February 23, 1954, the Yanks sold righty Vic Raschi to the Cards. Vic’s career winning percentage of .667 rises over .700 if his eight years in Pinstripes are isolated, and he played on six Yankee World Series teams, all winners, with four over the Dodgers, one the Giants, and the other the Phillies. Continue reading →
Opening their Spring Training season at George M. Steinbrenner Field a surprising one day earlier than they had in 2018, the Yankees hosted the Blue Jays on February 22, 2020. Their pitching was good, starting with six up, six down by J.A. Happ, but the bats showed up barely, and late. Rosell Herrera‘s third-inning single stood by itself until a two-out double in the seventh, and first baseman Chris Gittens‘s lead off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Toronto, who strangely brought almost their entire Opening Day lineup on the road for this first exhibition, plated the winning run in a 2-1 victory on a double steal in a four-steal seventh inning against southpaw Luis Avilan. It was just 55 degrees in Tampa; feel sorry for me? Continue reading →
Much is made of the Yankees’ current penchant for trading younger prospects for older players, particularly in light of the way they appear to be turning those tables of late. But you can find examples of the Yankees acquiring senior players throughout their history. On February 21, 1904, the Highlanders (as they were called at the time) purchased 40-year-old catcher Deacon McGuire from the Detroit Tigers. McGuire would drive in 67 runs and steal eight bases in New York over the next four years. Continue reading →
Once the Yanks beat the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series after having returned to the Classic the year before vs. Cincinnati following a 15-year absence, Billy Martin was almost as untouchable as Joe Torre proved to be in 2000. But the Bombers slipped to fourth place in 1978, and rallied to win that Series under Bob Lemon after Billy was replaced. Martin returned in 1979 but a fourth-place finish doomed him, and Billy was fired again. On February 20, 1980, Billy was signed to manage his hometown Oakland A’s. Under Martin, they finished second in 1980, then first and second in the two halves of the split 1981 strike-interrupted season. But the Yankees would crush them in the first round of that season’s playoffs. Continue reading →
The Yankees paused to reload on February 19, 1957, shipping former Boston lefty can’t-miss prospect Mickey McDermott (he missed), along with hurlers Tom Morgan, Gary Coleman, and Jack Urban, outfielder Irv Noren, and infielders Billy Hunter and Milt Graff to the Kansas City Athletics for a package of players of their own. K.C. had a major-league team (now in Oakland) that at the time the Bombers mined regularly for young talent. The returning supporting cast was pitcher Jack McMahan and infielders Curt Roberts and Wayne Belardi, but the marquee names were righthander Art Ditmar, third sacker Clete Boyer, and lefty Bobby Shantz, who (here’s a twist) batted righty. Between them, Ditmar and Shantz gave the Yankees a four-year total of 77 wins with 50 losses, and 30 big saves. And Boyer contributed 95 homers, 397 rbi’s, and 27 stolen bases along with eight years of solid defense at the hot corner. Continue reading →
On February 18, 1998, the Yanks avoided arbitration with Bernie Williams by signing him to an $8.5 million contract, his last one-year deal. Ten months later they would barely avoid losing him to the Red Sox with an $87.5 million, seven-year deal. The one news item yet to occur in Bernie’s playing career was the day he would make his de facto retirement official. Continue reading →
Righthander Jack Morris had just won a record arbitration amount four days earlier, but it was eclipsed when Yankee first sacker Don Mattingly was awarded $1,975,000 to play the 1987 season with the Yankees on February 17 of that year. With 30 homers, 115 rbi’s, and a .327 batting average, he would prove more than worth the expense. Continue reading →
