The most recent and biggest baseball-related March 10 news for Yankee fans occurred in 1999, as it was that day it was announced that Joe Torre was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Yanks finished the spring and began the season under interim Manager Don Zimmer, as Joe took care of himself and, thankfully, got well. He returned to the team on May 10, in Boston.
The unexpected power source in the Yankees’ 4-3 win over Detroit in Lakeland, Fla., on March 10, 2023, was second baseman (that day) Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who jacked a two-run shot in the fourth inning. The Tigers would come back to tie, but Anthony Siegler delivered the game winner with an rbi single in the ninth.
Up 5-0 on back-to-back home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres in the home third, the Yanks held on for a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh on March 10, 2021. But the tight finish was mostly attributable to a dreadful sixth inning for free agent veteran lefty signee Justin Wilson, who surrendered all five runs.
The visiting Yankees managed just six hits in a 3-1 loss to the Orioles in Sarasota on March 10, 2015, but the good news was the singleton home run avoiding the shutout in the ninth inning off the bat of young catcher Gary Sanchez.
Outfielders Eriv Wagaman and Jeisson Rosario were added to the Yankees on March 10, 2023.
On March 10, 2019, righthander Braden Bristo was assigned to the Yankees; and the club optioned righty Albert Abreu to the AA Trenton Thunder.
On March 10, 2018, the Yankees optioned righthander Domingo Acevedo to the AA Trenton Thunder.
On March 10, 2016, left fielder Michael O’Neill; center fielder Mark Payton; right fielder Tyler Austin; first baseman Chris Gittens; second baseman Jose Rosario; shortstops Vicente Conde, Cito Culver, and Abiatal Avelino; third basemen Miguel Andujar and Dan Fiorito; righthander Conor Mullee; and lefthander Matt Tracy were assigned to the Yankees.
In March 10 news affecting future or former Yankee personnel, the Pirates sent lefty Neil Heaton to Kansas City for Kirk Gibson in 1992. Heaton would finish his career the next year going 1-0 for the Yankees in 18 appearances. And Dodger GM Larry MacPhail, who would later fill the same role with the Yankees, predicted on March 10, 1941, that in the future all players would wear batting helmets.
Many years ago, Wednesday was “Anything Can Happen” Day on Disney’s original Mickey Mouse Club TV show. Apparently, March 10 is “Anybody Can Coach First Base” Day in Tampa. The Yanks beat the Phillies 5-2 on this day in 2000 with Reggie Jackson manning that coaching box, but fell 2-1 to the Red Sox one year later as Mick “The Quick” Rivers guided the few Yanks to reach first against Tim Wakefield and two relievers.
Speaking of Disney, the Yankees sent a squad to Champion Field at that Orlando entertainment complex to take on the Braves on March 10, 2012, and came away with an 8-3 victory. Michael Pineda got the start, and two rbi’s from Alex Rodriguez and one each from six other players including Mark Teixeira and Melky Mesa carried the day.
In two more losing Spring Training Yankee efforts on March 10, the Bombers lost more than just games. Ex-Yank Scott Kamieniecki gave it one more try in a 4-3 loss to the Phillies on March 10, 2001, with Doug Glanville taking him out for the first two Phillies runs in the sixth. And the abbreviated Bronx stop by first sacker Travis Lee took a big hit as the Yanks fell to the Blue Jays 8-2 on March 10, 2004. Trying to improve his value and flexibility to the team, Lee hurt his arm throwing in from right field in the third inning. It appeared the Yanks did not know Travis had hurt the arm though until he made a throwing error in the ninth after he was moved back to first base. Lee would struggle with the tender shoulder through May. Then he returned to the DL and was eventually released.
On March 10, 2017, righthander Mark Montgomery was assigned to the Yankees.
The Yankees reassigned righthanders Alan Horne and Jeff Marquez and lefty Chase Wright to Minor League camp on March 10, 2008.
On March 10, 2012 the Yankees signed free agent righthanded pitchers David Rodriguez, Juan Jimenez, Hershelon Juliana, Jose Pichardo, Aderlis Reyes, and Raudy Guzman; catchers Alvaro Noriega, Yohanny Castillo, and Ozzie Liranzo; and shortstops Jorge Mateo, Daniel Barrios, Angel Aguilar and Bryan Cuevas.
The 1980s saw three different March 10 Hall of Fame inductions. New York Giants shortstop Travis Jackson and former Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler got the nod in 1982. Jackson hit .291 over 15 seasons, and Chandler played a willing and eager part in Jackie Robinson‘s successful assault on the baseball color barrier.
A year later Dodgers Manager Walter Alston and George Kell were honored, on March 10, 1983. Third baseman Kell fashioned a career batting average over .300 over 15 years with AL teams in Philly, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore. He led the league in hitting once, in hits twice, in doubles twice, and in sacrifices twice. In a 23-year stint managing the Dodgers, Alston copped seven NL pennants and won four World Series.
Ernie Lombardi, who hit 190 homers and drove in 990 runs with the Giants and the Reds from 1931-1947, and Red Sox second sacker Bobby Doerr were ushered into the Hall by the Veterans’ Committee on this day in 1986. Doerr blasted more than 200 homers over 14 seasons with Boston, led the League in slugging percentage, in triples, and in sacrifices once each.
It’s sad that basketball star Michael Jordan‘s attempt to make a go of playing major league baseball came to an end on March 10, 1995, not because the game star struggled (and he did, impressing with his perseverance in spite of it), but because of the 1994 major league baseball player strike.
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover reported on March 10, 1951 that he had declined baseball’s offer of the job of Baseball Commissioner.
Players Who Have Died This Day
Although portsided first baseman Kent Hadley (2005) played but 55 games with the 1960 Yanks to end his career, he leads the three Yankees who have died on March 10 in team seniority. Hadley hit four Yankee homers with 11 rbi’s in 64 at bats, and increased those numbers to 14 and 50 when the 1958-1959 seasons with the Athletics are added in. It was near the end of utility player Solly Homan‘s (1956) time in the bigs when he managed two rbi’s in six games for the 1916 Yankees. After playing much of his 1903-1916 career with the Cubs, Hofman accumulated 19 long balls good for 495 rbi’s. And the two innings (five hits, five runs) righty Jim Brenneman (1994) pitched over three games with the 1965 Yanks comprised his entire big-league career.
Among noteworthy non-Yankee players to have passed away this day are two righthanders, one outfielder, and a southpaw. Erskine Mayer (1957) went 91-70 with six saves mostly with the Phillies from 1912-1919, which pales, numbers-wise, in comparison, with Jim McCormick (1918), who won 265, lost 214 and saved one from 1878-1887, playing the majority of his games with the Blues. Outfielder Bob Nieman (1985) played parts of two seasons or more with six different teams, but four with Baltimore; he hit 125 long balls with 544 rbi’s from 1951-1962. In addition, righty Bill James (1971) posted his entire 37-21-2 mark between 1913 and 1918 with the Braves. Lefthander Odalis Perez (2021) went 73-82 pitching with the 2002-2006 Dodgers, the 1998-2001 Braves, the 2006-2007 Royals, plus one other stop. He pitched in 252 games, 221 of them starts. Jesus Alou OF 1963-1968 SFG 1969-1973, 1978-1979 HOU 1973-1974 OAK 1975 NYM 1,380 G 32/377.
Players Born This Day
The most famous Yankee born on March 10 is sadly as famous for off-the-field activities as for his pitching exploits. Steve Howe (1958) was the 1980 Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers, and pitched lefty relief for the Yanks from 1991-1996. His 3-0 mark with 15 saves in the strike-shortened 1994 season was his best for the Yanks, but he’ll probably always be best known for his record seven drug-related suspensions from the game. Howe signed three free agent contracts with the Yanks, and his six-year mark of 18-10 with 31 saves in New York was more than respectable. Steve died in a car accident during the 2006 season.
Jim Curry (1893) played second base in four games for the 1911 Yankees, parlaying two hits and a walk into three runs scored on just 11 at bats. Finally, lefty-hitting catcher Bill Heath (1939), whom the Yanks got from the Dodgers in June 1968 and shipped to the Cubs before 1969, never played in Pinstripes. He drove in 13 runs and stole one base in spot duty for the White Sox, the Astros, the Tigers, and the Cubs from 1965-1969.
Infielder Josh VanMeter (1995) joined the Yankee family by virtue of his having been signed as a free agent in January 2024, and so far he has played extensively in Spring Training games, though he’s not expected to make the 2024 major league roster. Drafted by the Padres in the fifth round in 2013, Josh has played 300 games in the bigs with the Reds, the Diamondbacks, and the Pirates since 2019, including three not very good outings pitching for Pittsburgh in 2022.
Also born March 10 was Fred Johnson (1894), who served in the majors in two different seasons, which were 15 years apart. He spent the last two months of the 1922 season with the Giants, and was on the team for its four-game sweep of the Yankees in the World Series, during which he did not play. His pay for being on that World Series winner? “I had a good seat on the bench for the Series.”
Other birthdays: Wayne Twitchell (1948); John Cangelosi (1963); Mike Timlin (1966); Shad Williams (1971); Rob Stanifer (1972); Tike Redman (1977); and Ben Davis (1977), who recently trained and rehabbed in the Yankee minors for two years. Davis has hit 38 home runs with 114 rbi’s in eight big-league seasons, mostly with San Diego. Also, Donnie Murphy (1983); Steven Shell (1983); Charles Leesman (1987); Cedric Hunter (2988); Tyler Holt (1989); Dayan Viciedo (1989); and Luken Baker (1997).
