Yankee fans had a nice game-long celebration on Sunday, June 14, 2009, when the Bombers recorded an unexpectedly easy 15-0 rout of Johan Santana and the Mets in the Bronx to take the first half of crosstown interleague two games to one (it would grow to five to one in weeks). Although he didn’t need to be, A.J. Burnett was superb, Derek Jeter had three hits, two rbi’s and two runs scored, and Johnny Damon and Robbie Cano drove in three runs apiece. And for a boost, Francisco Cervelli had three hits, an rbi and two runs scored as well.
Gerrit Cole outdueled former Yank Corey Kluber for a 2-0 victory over visiting Tampa on June 14, 2022. Isiah Kine-Filefa supplied much of the offense, with two hits, including a fourth-inning rbi single, in a frame marred by two Rays errors resulting in both runs.
Domingo German was the beneficiary of a four-run Yankee fifth inning in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Nationals on June 14, 2018, a frame that started with an Aaron Hicks home run, and was crowned by a three-run jolt from young Gleyber Torres.
The Yanks sent Texas righty Alexi Ogando to the showers in the second inning of a 12-4 win in Yankee Stadium on June 14, 2011, with six hits and six runs. Curtis Granderson led the offense with four rbi’s on two hits, one of them a homer, CC Sabathia benefited from all the “O,” and Brett Gardner stole his 100th major league base.
The Paul Blair who played for the Yanks in the 70s was a superb defensive center fielder, but he had already lost much of his offensive power following an ugly beanball incident by the time the Yanks acquired him. But when the Yanks were down 9-8 to the Seattle Mariners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on June 14, 1978, Blair hit a three-run walk off. Sparky Lyle got the win, and John Montague the loss in the Yankee 11-9 victory.
On that same day, the Yanks shipped disappointing reliever Rawly Eastwick to Philly for outfielder Jay Johnstone.
It was perhaps Ramiro Mendoza‘s finest regular-season day in the Bronx when he was pressed into service starting the second inning of a June 14, 2000 Boston battle in New York. Roger Clemens had to bail from a duel with Pedro Martinez once he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, as he tweaked a groin in the process. Martinez walked Jorge Posada to force across Chuck Knoblauch in the bottom of the first and Mendoza held the Sox at bay until Nomar Garciaparra tied it with a homer in the seventh. Jason Grimsley came on and got the win once Tino Martinez homered off Tim Wakefield with two down in the eighth. Mariano Rivera saved the 2-1 win.
The splendid Mike Mussina was the principal Yankee “culprit” when the Pirates were “welcomed” back into Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the first time since they won the 1960 Series with a 9-0 drubbing on June 14, 2005. The stingy Moose went the distance, allowing just one double, four singles, and a walk. Veteran outfielder Matt Lawton found himself on the Pittsburgh bench after being nailed at the plate for the last out of the seventh. With his team down 7-0, he was retired by a Bernie Williams to Robinson Cano to Jorge Posada relay.
With the Yanks off well that 2005 day, bench player Andy Phillips wasn’t used, but he was available because he was recalled when veteran infielder Rey Sanchez went on the Disabled List with bulging cervical discs. Sanchez would not play again that year.
During the magical 1998 season, the Yanks tied the major league record for most consecutive non-losing series at 24 when they beat the Indians 4-2 on June 14. David Cone struck out 12. With Luis Sojo subbing for Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius batted second and scored twice, and Tino Martinez drove in three. It was an ugly, wet afternoon in the Bronx where the fans who attended would once again receive a free ticket to a future game for their perseverance.
Chili Davis knocked in four with a dinger and a single and Hideki Irabu held heavy-hitting Texas to two runs on five hits through seven, as he whipped the Rangers 8-2 on June 14, 1999. Juan Gonzalez homered for the Rangers’ runs.
Led by four rbi’s each from Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams, the Yanks jumped to an 8-0 lead over Masato Yoshii and the Montreal Expos after two innings of an interleague contest in the Bronx on June 14, 2001. Randy Keisler tired in the seventh and the Expos closed it to the 9-6 final score. I was thrilled that my new “Bernie Blast-Off!!!” cheer seemed to precipitate a two-run Williams double in the first.
Al Kaline drilled three hits in each game, and Charlie Maxwell hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning of the opener as the Tigers swept the Yanks, 3-2 and 8-2, on June 14, 1959. Maxwell had now hit eight of his 14 taters on Sundays. Frank Lary and Paul Foytack were the winning pitchers.
The Yanks treated the visiting Cardinals rudely on June 14, 2003. As a visiting player, old friend Tino Martinez reached Andy Pettitte for a three-run jack in the second, but it hardly mattered. The Bombers were up 10-3 in the third and coasted to the 13-4 win.
The Yankees climbed back into first place on June 14, 1924, on the strength of a 6-2 win over the Tigers.
After having homered twice to win the game he pitched the day before, Babe Ruth hit two more playing outfield in a 9-6 Yankee win over the Tigers on June 14, 1921.
The Bombers shipped Ben Chapman to the Senators for Jake Powell on this day in 1936. And 22 years later, the Yanks traded Sal “The Barber” Maglie to the Cardinals for Joe McClain and cash, on June 14, 1958.
On this day in 1953, 74,708 in Cleveland witnessed the Yankees sweep the Indians by scores of 6-2 and 3-0 to extend their winning streak to 18 games.
On June 14, 1982, Ron Guidry defeated Dennis Eckersley and the Red Sox 5-1, with the Gator extending his record to 8-1.
The double victim was the Chicago White Sox on this day in 1964 as the Yanks prevailed in the last two games of a five-game series, 8-3 and 4-3. The Yanks swept all five games.
It was the end of an era in more ways than one and Yankee fans still had some sad good-byes to say on June 14, 1969, when Tom Tresh was shipped to the Tigers for outfielder Ron Woods.
Roger Maris was the offensive hero as the Yanks won their seventh straight 6-2, with Jim Coates beating the Royals. Roger plated five with a home run, double, and single in the June 14, 1960 tilt.
One year later the Yanks and Royals made a trade, with pitcher Art Ditmar and outfielder Deron Johnson going to KC for pitcher Bud Daley. The Yanks also swapped pitcher Danny McDevitt for the Twins’ infielder Billy Gardner.
June 14, 1987, was a big day for Philly third baseman Mike Schmidt. He hit three homers for the third time in his career in an 11-6 win over the Expos, the second shot was his 2,000th career hit, and the third tied him with Mel Ott on the all-time home run list with 511.
Both Lou Gehrig and Manager Joe McCarthy were ejected in the seventh inning for protesting that Boston player Rick Ferrel ran out of the baseline on this day in 1933, but the Iron Horse’s consecutive-games streak survived, as only McCarthy was suspended for three games. Gehrig went 1-for-3 with a triple in the game, and the Yanks fell to Tommy Bridges, 13-5.
Just two weeks out of Yale University, young Yankee hurler Johnny Broaca gave up only a third-inning single to Sammy West as he one-hit the Browns 7-0 on this day in 1934.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson had his roster status changed by the Yankees on June 24, 2022.
On June 14, 2020, the Yankees signed four free agent righthanded pitchers to minor league contracts: Carson Coleman, Trevor Holloway, Ocean Gabonia, and Jarod Lessar.
On June 14, 2019, briefly raising interest in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball exponentially, the Yankees sent both outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and right fielder Aaron Judge on rehab assignments to that AAA club.
On June 14, 2018, the Yankees signed righthander Nick Ernst.
On June 14, 2017, the Yankees recalled righty Ronald Herrera from the AA Trenton Thunder, and made roster space for him by optioning righthander Ben Heller to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Moves the Yankees made in 2013 to respond to the litany of player injuries continued apace on June 14, as the team transferred infielder Eduardo Nunez from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list, with a sore left ribcage; placed third baseman Kevin Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list, with a lumbar strain; optioned righty Adam Warren to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; and sent southpaw Cesar Cabral outright to the AA Trenton Thunder. Then the Yankees selected the contracts of outfielder Thomas Neal and righthander Chris Bootcheck from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On June 14, 2012, the Yankees activated righty setup man David Robertson from the 15-day disabled list, creating room on the 25-man roster by optioning righthanded swingman David Phelps to the Tampa Yankees. The team also signed righthanded pitchers Derek Varnadore, Stefan Lopez, and Nick Goody; and lefthanded pitcher James Pazos.
The Yankees made it official on June 14, 2011, placing shortstop Derek Jeter on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf; and then recalled Ramiro Pena from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill his roster spot.
On June 14, 2010, the Yanks assigned newly signed draftee Trevor Johnson to the GCL Yankees.
When Nolan Ryan, pitching for Texas, beat the California Angels 5-1 on June 14, 1989, he had beaten all 26 teams in existence at the time.
Mark McGwire‘s solo home run off Jose Lima on this day in 2001 in a 3-2 Cardinals win over the Dodgers boosted him past Reggie Jackson on the all-time homer list with 563, sixth all-time.
Speaking of June 14 Reggie Jackson highlights, Jackson knocked in 10 runs in a 21-7 Oakland shellacking of Boston on this day in 1969.
One-time Yankee Benny Kauff‘s infield single was the only thing that spared the Giants from being no-hit by Cubs spitballer Jimmy Lavendar in a 4-0 Chicago win on June 14, 1916. One of the most interesting things about Kauff, who only appeared in five games with the Yanks, is that he was a star in the fledgling Federal League that only lasted through the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
Players Who Have Died This Day
No Yankee player has died on June 14.
We’ll mention seven notable nonYankees who passed June 14, including four pitchers, two catchers, and an infielder. Hurlers Mike Sullivan (1906) and Monte Weaver (1994) hit lefthanded, but they pitched righty, in Weaver’s case to a 71-50 record with four saves mostly for the Senators from 1931-1939. Sullivan pitched for Washington too, along with the Giants, the [Cleveland] Naps, the Redlegs, and the Beaneaters from 1889-1899, to a 54-66 mark; he posted four saves too. Souhtpaw Bill Walker (1966) won 97, lost 77, and saved eight with the Giants and the Cardinals from 1927-1936. Lefty-hitting catcher Con Daily (1928) hit but two homers while driving in 262 runs with the Bridegrooms, the Beaneaters, and the Hoosiers from 1884-1896; and backstop Ed FitzGerald (2020), who toiled in Pittsburgh from 1948-1953, and with Washington from 1953 through 1959, hit 19 home runs with 217 rgi’s in 807 games. Second baseman/third baseman Johnny Hodapp (1980) hit most of his 28 home runs good for 429 rbi’s from 1925-1933 with Cleveland. And the most recent of the hurlers to have passed is righthander Ed Roebuck (2018), who spent the bulk of his career from 1955 through 1963 with the Dodgers, both in Brooklyn and LA, though he pitched for Philadelphia and Washington through the 1966 season. Ed posted a career mark of 52-31 with 62 saves.
Players Born This Day
Until 2014, just two June 14 birthdaying ballplayers spent time with the New York Yankees, although just one of them on the field of play. Lefthanded first baseman Fenton Mole (1925) played but 10 games in the big leagues, all of them with the 1949 Yankees. He scratched together two rbi’s in 27 at bats.
Second sacker Herb Plews (1928) was signed by the Yanks, but he was traded with Whitey Herzog (as a player who was named later), Lou Berberet, Dick Tettelbach, and Bob Wiesler to the Senators for Mickey McDermott and Bobby Kline in February 1956. A lefty batter, Plews hit four homers with 82 rbi’s with the Senators and Red Sox over four seasons.
That all changed when swingman Chase Whitley (1990) got the call in 2014. In 28 games, 16 of them starts. in ’14 and ’15, Chase posted a 5-5 mark with no saves, until he injured his arm and had surgery during the latter May. The Yanks drafted the righthander, also born this day, in the 15th round in 2010. Whitley was claimed from the Yankees by the Tampa Rays in November 2015, and he competed well in that role. The Braves claimed Chase off waivers from Tampa in December 2017; he pitched in one game for them, then was granted free agency following the 2018 season.
Other June 14 birthdays: Boston Braves catcher from 1913-1920 Walt Tragesser (1887); Washington second baseman from 1911-1918 Ray Morgan (1889); Brooklyn righty Don Newcombe (1926), 149-90 in the regular season but 0-4 vs. the Yanks in the 1949, 1955, and 1956 World Series; Bill Fahey (1950); Greg Brock (1957); Jerry Spradlin (1967); Peter Munro (1975), the second part of the six-headed pitching group that no-hit the Yankees the other day several years ago; Edgar Gonzalez (1978), who with his brother Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego comprised a fine brother teammates tandem; Michael Hollimon (1982); Jesus Guzman (1984); Hector Neris (1989); R.J. Alaniz (1991); Tom Cosgrove (1996); José Marté (1996); Johel Pozo (1997); and Bobby Witt, Jr. (2000).
