It will come as little surprise to any 2024 Yankee fan who broke up a scoreless duel in Yankee Sradium on May 26, 2023, between the Yankees and the Padres. A two-run home run by Juan Soto in the fifth was shortly joined by another blast for two in the sixth by Fernando Tatis, Jr. in the 5-1 final.
Anaheim’s Mike Trout was a one-man wrecking crew in Yankee Stadium on May 26, 2018, although his teammates did well too. Trout went 5-for-5, with a home run and three doubles, drove in four runs; and scored three times in the 11-4 Angels win. Yes, Sonny Gray had the start and the loss, but to be fair, he left down just 5-4 after five innings.
Oakland southpaw Sean Manaea and Masahiro Tanaka hooked up in a beauty in Yankee Stadium on May 26, 2017, with both hurlers allowing just four hits and no runs through seven. The unfortunate Tanaka, however, took the loss when his bullpen failed him after he allowed a single with one down in the eighth, after he had struck out his 13th A’s hitter on the day. Not only did Tyler Clippard fail to pitch well; his error put the lead run into scoring position; and then he walked a .194 hitter with red-hot Jed Lowrie (batting .306), who would single for the lead, on deck. Jonathan Holder would tie an ugly bow on the loss by surrendering a two-run home run to Steven Vogt in the ninth in the 4-1 Oakland win. The Yanks were spared the shutout when Didi Gregorius scored Aaron Hicks with a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth.
Lefties J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia hooked up in a good one on Thursday afternoon, May 26, 2016, in a rare midweek 4 pm start in the Bronx. Unfortunately, the two unearned runs set up by shortstop Didi Gregorius‘s third-inning error made the difference in the 3-1 Blue Jays victory. Starlin Castro‘s first-inning home run was all the offense the home team could muster.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015, featured the Adam and Mark show in Yankee Stadium, as Adam Warren held the Royals to two hits and one run (a Paolo Orlando home run) while pitching into the seventh inning, and Mark Teixeira drove in three in a 5-1 Yankee win. Tex homered batting righty in the first against southpaw Jason Vargas, then blasted an rbi double off the right center field wall batting from the port side in the fifth.
The most memorable thing about the 4-1 Boston win over the Yanks at the Stadium on May 26, 2000, behind Pedro’s brother Ramon Martinez was not the Carl Everett single that plated two off David Cone in the first inning. At 8:10 pm, during a third-inning Wilson Delgado (subbing for Derek Jeter at short) at bat, a Tier Box fan blasted on rum fell onto the screen that stretches above field box fans sitting behind home plate. After a brief stoppage during which it was apparently determined that he was incapacitated but not hurt, play continued for another 10 pitches as Delgado flew out to left, and Paul O’Neill bounced to short. The fan was then removed between innings.
May 26 has featured a plethora of Red Sox/Yankees battles. Orlando “el duque” Hernandez held Boston scoreless for seven innings in an 8-3 Yankee win on this day in 1999. Chuck Knoblauch, Derek Jeter, and Paul O’Neill fifth-inning singles loaded the bases off Mark Portugal with no one out, and a four-pitch walk to Bernie Williams broke the scoreless tie. Tino Martinez then cleared the bases with an upper-deck jack to right on an 0-2 toss, and the rout was on.
Aside from the fact that it was Roger Clemens‘s first attempt to win no. 300 vs. the Sox in the Bronx, the booming Memorial Day storm that soaked the capacity crowd just before game time took precedence on May 26, 2003. Then Boston pelted the Rocket with a bunch of little hits to whip him 8-4. They plated one in the second on a double and two singles, used two singles and two free passes to add two the next frame, tacked on two in the fourth with two one-base hits, a fielder’s choice and a passed ball, and effectively ended Roger’s day on a four-single, three-run sixth.
The year before, Boston hosted the Yanks in Fenway on May 26, 2002 in the ESPN Sunday night game, and Mike Mussina coasted to an 8-5 win over Darren Oliver, Tim Wakefield, and Byung-Hyun Kim, on homers from Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano (2), Jason Giambi, Ron Coomer, and Robin Ventura.
Even before “the Bambino” arrived in New York, the Yanks had some good days against Boston, as on May 26, 1916, with a doubleheader sweep by 2-1 and 6-5 scores, although it took 10 innings to close out the latter.
The second straight great year for Chien-Ming Wang in the Bronx hit a bump in the road when the Angels reached him for three first-inning runs in a 3-1 Yankee loss on May 26, 2007. The Stadium crowd roared when Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera stroked two-out singles in the bottom of the ninth, but Francisco Rodriguez struck out Bobby Abreu, who oddly batted leadoff that day, to end the Yankee uprising and the game.
On this day in 1926, the Yankee record for winning-game streaks, until then at 15, was broken, as they beat the Red Sox, 9-8, to complete a four-game sweep, and capture their 16th contest in a row.
The Yanks suffered a bullpen meltdown from setup man Kyle Farnsworth in a 7-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals on May 26, 2006, as he was reached for a three-run, eighth-inning home run by Angel Berroa in Yankee Stadium. Berroa would play in the Yankee infield in 2009.
Mickey Mantle just missed a grand slam on May 26, 1951, as he settled for a bases-loaded triple (the ball bounced off the rail on the center field wall) off Dick Fowler in an 8-5 victory over the A’s.
Andy Pettitte carried a 6-2 lead into the visiting seventh inning against the Orioles in the Bronx on May 26, 1997, but the first five O’s that frame reached on the young lefty and scored in an eventual 8-6 Baltimore win.
Defying expectations, Kevin Brown pitched well against the Tigers in Yankee Stadium on May 26, 2005, but he was behind 3-2 in the fifth until Alex Rodriguez followed a Hideki Matsui one-out single with a bomb to dead center and a 4-3 Yankee win. A reliever to the Yankees in 2006, Kyle Farnsworth was with Detroit at the time, and he got the last four outs for them.
Five weeks after ulcer surgery, Babe Ruth was finally able to leave his hospital bed on May 26, 1925.
The 5-1 loss to the Padres described at the top of this column was started by Randy Vázquez, whom the Yankees recalled from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on May 26, 2023. The Yankees also released center fielder Aaron Hicks, and optioned lefthander Nick Ramirez to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On a busy May 26, 2022, the Yankees signed free agent third baseman Matt Carpenter;and signed free agent righthander Shane Greene to a minor league contract. They then optioned center fielder Estevan Florial to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; selected the contract of lefthander Manny Banuelos from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; sent catcher Rob Brantly outright to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; and optioned lefthander JP Sears to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On May 26, 2021, the Yankees activated second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the paternity list.
On May 26, 2019, the Yankees optioned righthander Chance Adams to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and placed righty Jake Barrett on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 23, with right elbow inflammation. Then the team recalled righthander Joe Harvey from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On May 26, 2018, the Yankees optioned infielder Ronald Torreyes to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and activated first baseman Greg Bird from the 10-day disabled list. The team also sent righthander Adam Warren on a rehab assignment to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On May 26, 2017, the Yankees sent first baseman Tyler Austin on a rehab assignment to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
In a flurry of moves on May 26, 2016, the Yankees released center fielder Slade Heathcott, changed the roster status of southpaw Chasen Shreve, and optioned utility player Rob Refsnyder to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Then the club selected the contract of lefty Richard Bleier from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and activated DH Alex Rodriguez from the 15-day disabled list.
It was just a question of time before an unperforming player had to go, as the Yankees designated outfielder/DH Ben Francisco for assignment on May 26, 2013.
On May 26, 2012, the Yankees signed two free agent righthanded pitchers, Luis Cedeno and Kelvin Magallanes.
The Yankees placed righthander Brian Bruney on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 20 on May 26, 2009, with right elbow discomfort, and recalled righty David Robertson from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre to fill the roster space.
The Yankees activated infielder Wilson Betemit from the 15-day disabled list on May 26, 2008, optioning infielder Alberto Gonzalez to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to create the roster space.
Realizing another misstep in their search for quality left-handed pitching backup, the Yankees released Donovan Osborne on May 26, 2004. They filled the roster spot by claiming infielder Kevin Hooper off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to AAA Columbus.
Hall of Fame White Sox hurler Ed Walsh, who posted a career era of 1.82, threw a rain-shortened, five-inning no-hitter in a 4-1 win over the Highlanders on May 26, 1907. Walsh also passed way on May 26, which you can read about later in this column.
Lefty Gomez short-circuited a Philadelphia A’s winning streak when he pitched the Yankees to a 6-2 decision over them on May 26, 1931.
It was a painful Detroit victory on this day in 1962, as Al Kaline broke his collarbone while making a game-saving diving catch on an Elston Howard drive in a 2-1 Tigers victory in Yankee Stadium.
A Yankee rally from a 6-0 deficit to the Senators on May 26, 1957, was keyed by a Mickey Mantle home run, his second in two days. But the Yanks came up short in a 9-7 Washington win.
Yankee Eddie Lopat‘s three-year spell on the Senators was finally broken when they beat him and the Bombers 2-1 on May 26, 1954.
The Yankees scored one run for each of the seven errors the A’s made in a May 26 game in 1928, and coasted to a 7-4 win.
Senators players Goose Goslin and Joe Judge hit back-to-back jacks twice in a May 26, 1930 slugfest against the Yanks, leading Washington to a 10-7 win.
On May 26, 2010, the Yankees designated righty Shane Lindsay for assignment, and optioned southpaw Boone Logan to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
May 26, a day of good trades, and those not so good. The best: 1959, as the Yanks sent five players to Kansas City for Ralph Terry and Hector Lopez. Terry won 73 more regular season games in the Bronx and went 2-1 in the 1962 World Series win over the Giants. Lopez spent time in the outfield in New York for almost eight years, and was a World Series hero in both 1960 and 1961.
On the other hand, the Yanks bought spitballer Burleigh Grimes from the Pirates this day in 1934, after Pittsburgh had used him in eight of 11 games. The Yankees got what was left, which wasn’t much.
The 1971 swap of Curt Blefary to Oakland for Darrell Osteen and Rob Gardner was more even. Osteen never made the bigs. Blefary gave the A’s five homers and 13 rbi’s; Gardner went 8-5 in 1972 in New York.
It was this day in 1993 that Texas outfielder Jose Canseco‘s misjudgement of Cleveland player Carlos Martinez‘s fly ball resulted in it bouncing off his head and into the stands for a home run.
May 26, 1959, was the day that saw Pirates hurler Harvey Haddix throw a 12-inning perfect game, only to lose it in 13. Milwaukee’s Lew Burdette also went the distance and won on a nine-hitter. Ironically, three years earlier to the day, Johnny Klippstein, Hersh Freeman, and Joe Black of the Redlegs combined to throw no-hit ball for 9.7 innings, and Cincinnati lost that game as well. Black allowed a double in the 10th and two more hits in the 11th as the Braves prevailed, 2-1.
Cincinnati held a “Babe Ruth Day” celebration when hosting Ruth and the Braves on May 26, 1935, and beat the visitors 6-3 behind Syl Johnson.
May 26, 1937, was a good day in New York as Giants and Yankees Managers Bill Terry and Joe McCarthy were named to pilot their respective leagues’ teams in the All Star Game.
A Yankee second baseman/left fielder in 2005, Tony Womack joined new Baltimore Orioles outfielder Sammy Sosa in setting a record as each hit an inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning of a Pirates/Cubs game on May 26, 1997. Tony’s Bucs fell to Sammy’s Cubs, 2-1.
White Sox players Frank Thomas, Harold Baines, and (eventual Yankee) Robin Ventura went back-to-back-to-back in a 12-1 bashing of the Brewers on May 26, 1996. All three had homered the day before.
We’ll include two additional May 26 highlights involving future or former Yankee players. The leadoff home runs, walks, stolen bases, etc., have kept eventual Hall-of-Famer-to-be Rickey Henderson in the headlines for over two decades, but it extends longer than that. Henderson set the minor league stolen base record by swiping seven for the Modesto A’s of the California League way back on this day in 1977. And Ken Brett lost a no-hitter pitching for the Chisox with two outs in the ninth inning when a swinging bunt by California’s Jerry Remy failed to roll foul on May 26, 1976. Brett did get the 1-0, 11-inning win, though.
Players Who Have Died This Day
Both Yankee players who have died on May 26 played first base, both were left-handed. Chicken Hawks (1973) hit two long balls and knocked in 15 runs in starting with 41 games for the 1921 squad, numbers that grew to seven and 60 when his play for the 1925 Phillies is added in. Don Bollweg (1996) cleared six fences good for 24 rbi’s in 70 games for the 1953 Yanks. He played two years with the Cardinals before, and two years with the A’s afterward, and finished up with 11 home runs and 53 rbi’s.
For years, Hall of Famers Ed Walsh (1959) and Al Simmons (1956) led the list of noteworthy nonYankee players to have passed this day, but in 2017 they were joined by yet another honoree. Walsh, who is credited with a five-inning no-hitter against the Highlanders further up in this column, posted most of his 195-126-34 record with the White Sox from 1904-1917; and outfielder Simmons drilled 307 home runs and drove in 1,827 runs for the A’s, the White Sox, and the Senators from 1924-1944. Second baseman Bill Sweeney (1948), who with two righthanders finishes off this list, hit 11 home runs with 389 rbi’s from 1907-1914 with the Doves and the Braves. George Winter (1951) won 83, lost 102, and saved four games mostly with the Boston Americans from 1901-1908; and Doc Ayers (1968) posted his 65-79 record with 15 saves from 1913-1921 with the Senators and the Tigers. Hall of Fame hurler Jim Bunning (2017) pitched to a 224-184-16 mark from 1955-1971, mostly with Detroit and Philly. Jim pitched a Perfect game, and also hit seven home runs, good for 75 rbi’s.
Players Born This Day
Travis Lee (1975) is the most recent Yankee player born on May 26. His 2004 season in Pinstripes was a disaster, as he got hurt trying to play the outfield in Spring Training. He got into seven games, managed two hits and one run in 19 at bats, and managed to make one game-saving catch before losing his year to shoulder surgery. He had hit 115 homers with 488 rbi’s from his start with Arizona in 1998 until the end of the ’06 season.
Because the 1902 Baltimore Orioles franchise would be moved to New York and become the Highlanders/Yankees the following season, we’ll continue the list with righthander Jack Cronin (1874), who won three while losing five for that 1902 team. He played from 1895 through 1904 and posted a career mark of 43-57. The Orioles purchased him from Detroit that June.
Lefty Rob Murphy (1960), who spent most of his 10-year career in Cincinnati et al, threw three games for the 1994 Yankees. The Bombers selected Murphy off waivers from St. Louis in August 1994, and granted him free agency about two months later. Small wonder. He posted no record in the Bronx but sported a hefty 16.2 era.
Switch-hitting utility man Chris Latham (1973) batted 1.000 for the 2003 Yankees. He went 2-for-2 at the plate and scored three runs in limited duty until he was sadly replaced by Charles Gipson.
Other birthdays include ex-Managers Jim Frey (1931) and Joe Altobelli (1932). Joe was a Yankee coach until he left to pilot the Orioles to a World Championship roughly 30 years ago. Also, Chuck Hartenstein (1942); Darrell Evans (1947), who blasted 414 homers with 1,354 rbi’s for the Braves, the Giants, and the Tigers from 1969-1989; Dann Bilardello (1959); Willie Fraser (1964); Ricky Jordan (1965); Jason Bere (1971); Ben Zobrist (1981); Carlos Martinez (1982); Joe Koshansky (1982); Lance Zawadzki (1985); Kevin Mulvey (1985); Alex Dickerson (1990); Paul Sewald (1990); Aaron Blair (1992); Garrett Stubbs (1993); Gabriel Ynoa (1993); Sam Haggerty (1994); Roel Ramirez (1995); Jonathan Ornelas (2000); and Endy Rodriguez (2000).
