The visiting Rays led 4-0 in the sixth inning of an August 17, 2022, battle in the Bronx, but the Yanks tied it in regulation. It looked for naught when Tampa plated three in the 10th, but Josh Donaldson‘s game-winning grand slam in the bottom half came with no outs, 8-7 Yankees.
Although Luke Voit‘s Yankee career may be known more for his having won the home run crown in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he had a pretty good day in the Bronx in a doubleheader sweep of Boston on August 17, 2021. Luke had a two-run single and scored after being hit by a pitch in the 5-3 win in the first game, then joined Giancarlo Stanton in homering in the 2-0 victory in the nightcap. Both games were played in seven innings by league rule that year.
The most significant event of the 6-3 Yankee win over visiting Boston on August 17, 2020, was that it marked that season’s debut of lefthanded closer Aroldis Chapman, who was recalled from the 10-day injured list, out due to a Covid protocol, that day. Riding a three-run second, largely thanks to a Luke Voit home run, the Yanks were able to absorb the ninth inning tally the Red Sox pushed across on a Jonathan Araúz two-base hit.
Continuing offensive pressure is the trait that carried the Yankees to a 6-5 win over the visiting Indians on August 17, 2019, as they scored in every frame from the second through the sixth innings, plating all six of their runs over that span. Offensive honors go to DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres, as each stroked two hits and drove in two runs. James Paxton went five for the win.
On August 17, 2022, the Yankees placed righthander Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list retroactive to August 14, with a left lower back spasm. The team also optioned third baseman Miguel Andujar and outfielder Tim Locastro to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. The Yankees also activated shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera and recalled him from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Finally, the club recalled center fielder Estevan Florial and righty Ron Marinaccio from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yanks created roster space for Aroldis Chapman on August 17, 2020, by designating righthander David Hale for assignment. The team also signed free agent shortstop Jordy Mercer to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. that day.
Yankee players achieved some nice career numbers in a 10-inning, 8-7 home win over Minnesota on August 17, 2015, but it was a very costly victory. Young Brian Mitchell and Caleb Cotham gave up five runs into the fourth, but Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran homers helped tie it at 7-7 through six. Brett Gardner scored his 500th career run after walking in the second, and an intentional free pass to Beltran in the 10th was the 1,000th walk of his career. This followed back-to-back doubles by Greg Bird and McCann that produced the winning score. Heady stuff for Bird, who would play well down the stretch, but he was only in this game because Mark Teixeira was hurt by a foul ball off his shin while batting in the sixth. It took weeks to ascertain that the shin bone was broken, and that Tex’s superb comeback season had come to a close.
The Yankees survived Lance Lynn‘s shaky first inning in the Stadium on August 17, 2018, as the visiting Blue Jays put together three walks, three singles, and a fielder’s choice to plate four. But Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar rbi’s got the comeback started, and Neil Walker homered for three in the fourth. The Yankees came away with a 7-5 win in this one, shortened to seven innings due to rain.
Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro, and Chase Headley homers were not enough to offset the visiting Blue Jays, who rallied on back-to-back rbi doubles by Ezequiel Carrera and Darwin Barney in the second, and a Melvin Upton three-run jack in the fifth, on August 17, 2016. CC Sabathia went six innings and took the 7-4 loss.
The Yankees used five singleton home runs, from four different players, to beat the Red Sox 6-4 in Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2012. Though rocked by a Dustin Pedroia three-run homer in the third, Phil Hughes went seven innings for the win, on the strength of drives from Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin, and Derek Jeter — this the 250th of his career — and two from Nick Swisher.
One was a tie, but the bigger head-to-head battle between players on the Yankees and the Tigers in a Stadium contest on August 17, 2010 went the Yankees’ way, as CC Sabathia struck out nine and allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings, outdistancing Justin Verlander, who allowed three runs on five hits and five walks over five frames in the 6-2 Yankee win. In the other battle involving players traded for one another, Austin Jackson homered to lead off the game, but Curtis Granderson went yard in the home second inning. Brett Gardner stood out with two hits, two runs scored and a sacrifice bunt.
The three first-inning runs KC jumped Mike Mussina for in Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2008, were quickly forgotten as Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady first-inning home runs and a second-inning grand slam by Jason Giambi led the Bombers in a 15-6 rout. Giambi scored his 500th run as a Yankee in this game, Derek Jeter went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, and comic actors and father and son Jerry and Ben Stiller moved the games-counter indicating games left in the old Stadium down from 17 to 16 in the fifth inning, one day after Darryl Strawberry had carried out that honor.
Andy Pettitte was masterful in a 6-1 Yankee win over the Tigers in the Stadium on August 17, 2007. Mike Mussina was having the worst struggles of his career and had surrendered a Carlos Guillen grand slam in an 8-5 loss the day before, but Andy’s five-hitter righted the Yankee ship and they won the next three to prevail in yet another four-game series. Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez third-inning rbi’s gave the Yanks the lead and Jason Giambi homered twice.
The Yankee highlight was on the offense in 2002 on August 17 as Alfonso Soriano became the first ever second baseman to join the 30/30 club when he blasted his 30th home run in an 8-3 win over Seattle. And in his first at bat of the day, Bernie Williams came within one of the major league record when he stroked a single for his 11th consecutive hit. He would not reach safely his next time up.
On the day after his death, Babe Ruth was just one of several sluggers who were tied for the AL record (at the time) for having hit four grand slams in a season. Tommy Henrich would tie The Babe, Lou Gehrig, and Rudy York, with Al Rosen and Ray Boone soon to follow, in that mark in an 8-1 Bob Porterfield win over the Senators on August 17, 1948.
Some justification was given for the conversion of Yankee Johnny Lindell from pitcher to outfielder in 1943 when Lindell lined four straight doubles in a 10-3 victory over Cleveland at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 1944.
Despite a win on August 17, 1997, the Yankees had to be concerned about consecutive years on the disabled list for David Cone, who developed a case of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, and had to leave after one inning of an 8-0 win over the Rangers. Cone would miss a month of the season and win just twelve games, although his strikeout total (222 in just 195 innings) was his highest in six years. Tim Raines had three hits, Paul O’Neill homered, and Ramiro Mendoza went six innings for the win over Bobby Witt, as the game that day continued.
Besting the record of former Yankee shortstop Everett Scott, Lou Gehrig played in his 1,308th consecutive game on August 17, 1933. The Browns squeaked by the Yankees 7-6 in 10 innings.
And on August 17, 1943, Nick Etten of the Yanks singled twice in a 4-2 win over the White Sox, breaking a streak of 17 games during which he did not get a one-base hit. In those games he had gone hitless six times, and homered and/or doubled in the other 11.
Derek Jeter homered on the first Paul Abbott pitch of the game as the Yanks beat the Mariners 4-0 behind Mike Mussina in Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2001. In a short pregame ceremony, Joe Torre presented Jeff Nelson, now wearing a Seattle uni, with his 2000 World Series ring. Shane Spencer and Alfonso Soriano went yard for the other three Yankee tallies, and a questionable call by Tim Timmons down the left field line appeared to deny Clay Bellinger one as well, ruling his shot was just a double.
Kansas City’s Jose Rosado and Orlando “el duque” Hernandez threw blanks at their respective opposing teams through six innings in an August 17, 1999 contest in Yankee Stadium. But in a rare start at first base, Jim Leyritz tripled to lead off the home seventh, starting a four-run rally in a 5-2 Yankee win.
On August 17, 1957, Richie Ashburn of the Phillies hit spectator Alice Roth with two batted foul balls during an at bat in a 3-1 win over the Giants. Roth was being removed on a stretcher after the initial shot broke her nose when she was hit yet again.
Brian Roberts‘s leadoff home run off Jaret Wright was quickly equaled when Johnny Damon did the same against Rodrigo Lopez in the bottom half, but it was all Birds after that. Back-to-back three-run uprisings in the visiting third and fourth were crowned by a Nick Markakis bomb, and Fernando Tatis ended the scoring with a three-run fifth-inning blast off Octavio Dotel in a 12-2 Baltimore win on August 17, 2006.
On August 17, 2023, the Yankees optioned righthander Randy Vásquez to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
On August 17, 2019, the Yankees sent righthander Ben Heller on a rehab assignment to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; and then optioned righty Ryan Dull to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On August 17, 2018, the Yankees sent righthander George Kontos outright to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
On August 17, 2017, the Yankees placed first baseman Garrett Cooper on the 10-day disabled list, with left hamstring tendinitis. The club then recalled first sacker Tyler Austin from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
On August 17, 2016, the Yankees optioned lefthander Chasen Shreve to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and recalled righthander Kirby Yates from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On August 17, 2015, the Yankees sent lefthander Chris Capuano outright to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
The Yankees and their fans breathed a sigh of relief when the team was able to activate catcher Brian McCann from the 7-day disabled list on August 17, 2014. Catcher Austin Romine was optioned to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Completing a process they began the day before, on August 17, 2013, the Yankees released third baseman Luis Alfonso Cruz. The team also signed free agent outfielder Fernando Diaz to a minor league contract.
The Yanks assigned righthander Daniel Burawa to the Staten Island Yankees, and third baseman Rob Segedin to the GCL Yankees on August 17, 2010, the same day the club signed shortstop Angelo Gumbs. He would be assigned to the GCL Yanks two days later.
On August 17, 2003, the Yanks bit the bullet and released infielder Todd Zeile, and recalled pitcher Jorge DePaula from Columbus of the International League (AAA). Unexpectedly, DePaula would come up with a great start in the coming days.
On the same day I list long-time Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson as a Yankee on the occasion of his birthday, on August 17, 1979, New York also signed first baseman George Scott, who had been released by the K.C. Royals. Scott, whom the Red Sox had let go earlier that season as well after years in Boston, would hit one home run with six rbi’s in 16 games in the Bronx.
It was a much more significant improvement for the club when the Yankees purchased pitcher Lefty Gomez on this day in 1929. Lefty would go 189-101 for the Pinstripers.
Yankee lefty Bob Kuzava spaced out the 11 hits he surrendered to the Athletics on August 17, 1953, as he tossed a 9-0, complete-game shutout.
Ray Chapman, the only player to die directly as the result of game action in a major league ballgame, passed away on August 17, 1920. He was struck in the temple the day before by a rising fastball from Yankee hurler Carl Mays.
When Orioles reliever Dick Hall threw a perfect inning on this day in 1963, it marked 28 consecutive batters that he had retired.
The Yanks made two minor moves on August 17, 2002, optioning righthander Mike Thurman to AAA Columbus and replacing him on the 25-man roster with infielder Alex Arias.
We have a healthy list of August 17 items featuring one-time Yankee players. Yankee World Series hero from 2000 Jose Vizcaino blasted a leadoff home run among his five hits in a 6-1 Houston victory over Cincinnati on this day in 2002. On that same day, Alex Rodriguez hit three home runs in a 9-5 Texas win over Toronto, making him the sixth player all-time to amass five straight 40-tater seasons.
Moving along in the same vein, one-time Yankee hurler Don Gullett allowed the 660th and last home run of the great career of Willie Mays in a 2-1 Reds win on August 17, 1973. And Reggie Jackson smacked his first big-league homer off California’s Jim Weaver on this day in 1967, and added his 522nd dinger on August 17, 1985, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the all-time list.
Kevin Gross of the Dodgers threw a 2-0 no-hitter in defeating the Giants on August 17, 1992. And Boston lefty Jesse Tannehill threw a 6-0 no-no at the White Sox on the same day way back in 1904. Tannehill had posted a 15-15 mark for the Highlanders the year before, his only one in New York.
Players Who Have Died This Day
Lefty-hitting, righty-throwing hurler Ray Caldwell (1967), a stalwart on Highlanders/Yankees pitching staffs from 1910-1918 at the beginning of his career, is one of three Yankee players to have died on August 17. He won 95, lost 99, and saved five games in New York, numbers that grew to 133-120-9 after stops in Boston and Cleveland the next four years. Outfielder Sammy Vick (1986) debuted with the 1917-1920 Yankees, with two homers and 41 rbi’s. A 1921 stint with the Red Sox added nine rbi’s. Finally, catcher Paddy O’Connor (1950) neither homered nor drove in any runs in a one-game, career-ending stop with the 1918 Yankees. Playing from 1908-1910 with the Pirates, 1914 with the Cardinals, and 1915 with the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League, he reached no fences, but drove in 21 runs.
The aforementioned Ray Chapman (1920) is perhaps the most noteworthy of 10 nonYankee players to have died this day. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 364 from 1912-1920. Third baseman Harry Steinfeldt (1914) cleared 27 fences good for 762 rbi’s with the Reds and the Cubs from 1888-1910; righty Doc Crandall (1951) posted most of his 100 wins with 62 losses and 24 saves from 1908-1918 with the Giants; outfielder Happy Felsch (1964) homered 38 times and drove in 446 runs from 1915-1920 only with the White Sox; and lefthanded outfielder Johnny Barrett (1974) played only with the Pirates from 1942-1946, for whom he hit 23 homers and knocked in 220 runs. Righty Fred Frankhouse (1989) won 106, lost 97, and saved 12 games with the Cardinals, the Braves, and the Dodgers from 1927-1939; shortstop Johnny Lipon (1998) hit most of his 10 roundtrippers with 266 rbi’s from 1942-1954 with Detroit; and second baseman Jimmy Bloodworth (2002) cleared 62 fences and knocked in 451 runs playing most of his games from 1937-1951 with the Senators, the Tigers, the Reds, and the Phillies. Righthander Jack Harshman (2013), toeing the mound most often for the White Sox, the Orioles, and the Indians from 1952 through 1960, won 69, lost 65, and saved seven games. And most recently, righthander Steve Arlin (2016) toiled in San Diego from 1969 to 1974, and finished up in Cleveland that final year. He won 34, lost 67, and saved one; Steve started 123 of 141 games.
Players Born This Day
The one of eight Yankee birthdays on August 17 most worthy of note is the one who recently retired, catcher Jorge Posada (1971), who passed the 250 home run and 1,000 rbi marks in 2010. Jorge was drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 amateur draft, and he was seriously mentioned in the 2003 MVP voting. Having one of his best years in 2007, Jorge signed a four-year extension, but he was lost for the 2008 season due to shoulder surgery. Back in the fold since 2009, he continued as a solid member of the Yankee offense as a DH in 2011, and rather than sign on with another club, he resigned afterward, much to the relief of all Yankee fans.
Utility man Jeff Moronko (1954) played seven games for the 1987 Yanks with one hit in 11 at bats after playing four games for the ’84 Indians. The Yanks signed Moronko as a free agent in November 1986.
Long-time Boston third baseman Butch Hobson (1951) played 30 games for the 1982 Yanks with three rbi’s and no home runs. The Yanks got Butch from the California Angels for Bill Castro in March 1982. And Ernie Nevel (1918) was 0-1 with one save in four games for the 1950-1951 Yanks. Then in August 1952 New York traded him with Jim Greengrass, Bob Marquis, Johnny Schmitz, and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Ewell Blackwell.
Infielder Bill Keister (1874) had two homers and 93 rbi’s for the 1901 Baltimore Orioles franchise that would be relocating to New York as the Highlanders in two years. Keister jumped to Baltimore from the St. Louis Cardinals club before that season. Jim Converse (1971), who went 2-11 with Seattle and Kansas City from 1993-1997, signed as a Yankee free agent in June 1997, only to be released that October.
Righthander Skip Lockwood (1946), who won 57, lost 97, and saved 68, mostly with the Mets and the Brewers from 1969-1980, was briefly a Yankee once he was traded by the California Angels to New York for Bill Sudakis in December 1974. Once the Yanks released him in April 1975, he signed with Oakland seven days later.
New to the Yankee fold through a very brief 2012 visit is righty reliever Chad Qualls (1978), who was picked up from the reconfiguring Phillies once Yankee righthander Cory Wade struggled and pitched himself off the team. Although he earned a win in eight appearances, Qualls pitched to a 6.00-plus era and was released to make room for the reinstated from injury Joba Chamberlain.
It’s not surprising that in a year where the Yankees made multiple additions from AAA and AA due to multiple visits to the disabled list that they would have a new birthdayer in 2013. Outfielder/DH Thomas Neal was signed as a free agent with the Indians, for whom he drove in two runs in nine games in 2012. Cleveland then released him, and Neal had two hits and scored a run in four games for the 2013 Yanks. The Cubs picked him up subsequently, and he failed to get a hit in two games on the north side of Chicago in the latter part of the 2013 season.
Other birthdays: Tigers first baseman Rudy York (1913), with 277 homers and 1,152 career rbi’s; third baseman Jim Davenport (1933), who notched 456 rbi’s while playing for the Giants only; Diego Segui (1937); 1970 AL MVP Boog Powell (1941); Alex Cole (1965); Jeff Abbott (1972); Jeff Liefer (1974); Matt Anderson (1976); Mike Maroth (1977); Brett Myers (1980); Mike O’Connor (1980); Travis Metcalf (1982); Dustin Pedroia (1983); Tuffy Gosewisch (1983); Tyler Greene (1983); Kyle Farmer (1990); Dillon Overton (1991); Jesse Winker (1993); Victor Caratini (1993); Blake Taylor (1995); Drey Jameson (1997); River Ryan (1998); Elehuris Montero (1998); Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1998).
