Down just 1-0 to Cleveland through four innings on September 18, 2021, Luis Gil combined with reliever Albert Abreu to allow seven fifth-inning runs in an 11-3 loss. Late home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit allowed the home team to avoid a shutout.
Back a few days from having had a bone broken in his hand, Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with a strike out on September 18, 2018, but Neil Walker delivered the three-run seventh-inning home run in a 3-2 win over visiting Boston on September 18, 2018. Jay Happ went six, but Chad Green pitched the seventh for the win.
On September 18, 2022, the Yankees sent righthander Scott Effross on a rehab assignment to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; sent righty Albert Abreu on a rehab assignment to the Somerset Patriots; and activated first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the 10-day injured list. The team also optioned center fielder Estevan Florial to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and sent righthander Ryan Weber outright to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as well.
In a truly weird set of circumstances, Minnesota came to the Bronx for three on September 18, 2017, four games back of the Yanks in the Wild Card race and faced starter Jaime Garcia, a lefty whom they had traded for in late August, only to turn around and send to the Yankees six days later. And it may have been Garcia’s best outing in pinstripes, although David Robertson would be credited with the 2-1 win once he relieved with two outs in the sixth. Aaron Judge got the Yanks off early with a first-inning home run, and Todd Frazier plated the winner with a sixth-inning sac fly.
With a great view of the field, but virtually no chance of ever getting a foul ball again, I’m relatively happily resigned to my grandstand seats in new Yankee Stadium, but I was pretty happy on September 18, 2014, having won two tickets to the Delta Suite low and behind home plate in a fan cheering contest. And it was a hard night to top, as the soon-to-retire Yankee Captain Derek Jeter‘s last big league home run (and 1,919th career run scored) off R.A. Dickey increased an early Yankee lead over the Jays to 2-0. But after getting two quick outs in the eighth, Shawn Kelley gave up a single and then a Jose Bautista home run. Walkoff win, however, as Chris Young singled in the bottom of the ninth; pinch runner Antoan Richardson stole third after Brett Gardner bunted him to second, with two strikes; and Chase Headley delivered the game winner with a bouncer to first base.
Things might have been different in the Yankee 2007 postseason had their 12-0 win over Baltimore in Yankee Stadium on September 18 been Mike Mussina‘s last regular-season outing, because he was superb, and may have been against Cleveland in the upcoming ALDS. Moose held the Birds to three singles over seven innings after having struggled badly through much of August. Unfortunately, he would struggle in his last game, costing him a start against the Indians in October. Derek Jeter and Robbie Cano had three hits apiece, and Doug Mientkiewicz singled and homered and drove in four.
The September 18, 2012, rainout of a Toronto game in Yankee Stadium while the Orioles were winning elsewhere would put the O’s and the Yanks in a virtual tie, and the Yanks set to play two, a day/night, of course, the following day, vs. the Blue Jays.
The highlights of the Yanks’ home-standing doubleheader sweep of the Orioles, 7-3 and 2-0, on September 18, 1960, were the huge crowd of around 54,000 who witnessed it, and Ralph Terry‘s two-hitter besting Milt Pappas in the nightcap. The Birds came to town tied for first; the four-game sweep that these games concluded plunged them four back.
I actually attended the September 18, 1993, almost loss, then win, against the Red Sox on a bus trip to the Stadium. Umpire Tim Welke called time just before Mike Stanley flied to left with the Yanks trailing 3-1 with two outs in the ninth and one on, because a fan had run on the field. Given a second chance, the Yankee catcher singled on the next pitch, followed by a Wade Boggs safety, a walk to Dion James and a game-winning base hit by Don Mattingly, as the Yanks snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, 4-3.
Part-time players on the Yankees in the new millennium figured in the 9-7, 11-inning loss to the Tigers in Yankee Stadium on September 18, 1997. First baseman Tony Clark, who would get a lot more play than expected as backup for Jason Giambi in Pinstripes in 2004, scored the last of three for Detroit off Joe Borowski in that final frame. And Dan Miceli, who notched one save for the Pinstripers in 2003, got the save for the Tigers.
The Yanks clinched AL pennant no. 22 on September 18, 1956 when Mickey Mantle hit his 50th home run, a walk-off against Billy Pierce of the White Sox, in the 11th inning to win the game, 3-2.
Manny Ramirez singled in Kenny Lofton in the first inning with the only run the Indians would need in a 2-0 squeaker in Yankee Stadium on September 18, 2000. But the star of the game was Bartolo Colon, who allowed just a David Justice walk in the seventh and a Luis Polonia single in the eighth while facing 29 Yankee batters. Colon struck out 13, including all three Bombers he faced in both the sixth and ninth innings.
In the brand-new D.C. Stadium (not yet renamed RFK Stadium) on September 18, 1962, Mickey Mantle hit the first-ever homer and later added another, both off Tom Cheney, and the Yanks won, 7-1. Mick had five rbi’s, and Ralph Terry won his 22nd game.
Speaking of Terry’s 22nd victory, this was a day where many starters achieved impressive one-season win numbers. Winning their 20th games on September 18 were Cub Rick Reuschel in 1977, fellow Cubbie Ferguson Jenkins in 1970, and Pittsburgh’s Vern Law in 1960. Lefty Grove notched his 30th for the Philly A’s in 1931 (the last AL 30-win season until Denny McLain‘s 31 victories in 1968), and Christy Mathewson of the Giants earned his 33rd in 1908. Finally, two hurlers achieved (or surpassed) that win total on the same day in 1903. Bill Dineen won his 20th over Cleveland 7-6, while Christy Mathewson’s 7-5 win got him no. 29, this one in relief.
The mentions of Denny McLain and “relief” dovetail with the fact that when he posted a 4-3 Detroit win when the Bombers held Mickey Mantle Day in the Bronx on September 18, 1965, he did it coming out of the pen. Joe DiMaggio and Bobby Kennedy (RFK) were among those on hand to honor The Mick, but the Yankees fell nonetheless.
Exactly one year later the Yanks were beaten in 10 by the Twins on Bob Allison‘s three-run homer. Mickey Mantle made his last at bat of that season unfortunately a memorable one when he struck out for the 1,500th time in his career, a new all-time major league baseball high in that dubious achievement.
Sixteen hours after the no-hitter Gaylord Perry tossed in 1968 that we reported on yesterday, St. Louis’s Ray Washburn threw one against the Giants in the same park, 2-0. Buck Newsom of the Browns lost both his no-hitter and the game in the 10th inning, 1-0, vs. the Red Sox on the same day in 1934; Cleveland’s Bob Rhoads threw a no-no against Boston, 2-1, on the 18th in 1908; and the Phillies’ Chick Fraser shut out the Cubs and held them hitless, 10-0, on September 18, 1903.
On September 18, 2019, the Yankees placed righthander Dellin Betances on the 60-day injured list, with a partial tear of the left Achilles tendon. Then the team activated left fielder Giancarlo Stanton from the 60-day injured list.
Reinforcing the pitching staff, the Yankees recalled righthander Domingo German from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on September 18, 2018, then selected the contract of lefthander Justus Sheffield from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. New York also transferred outfielder Clint Frazier from the seven-day disabled list to the 60-day list, with a concussion.
The Yankees recalled first baseman Juan Miranda from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre on September 18, 2009.
When the Yanks beat the Browns 7-6 on September 18, 1930, pitcher Red Ruffing was the hitting star, with two taters.
The Tigers clinched the 1984 AL pennant by beating the Brewers 3-0 on September 18, thereby becoming the fourth team in the century to be in first place “from wire to wire.” They matched the 1923 Giants, the 1927 Yankees, and the 1955 Dodgers in that achievement, one which the Cinncy Reds would also garner six years later.
The bandaged Whitey Witt extracted delicious revenge when he drove in two Yankees in the eighth inning of a 3-2 Bombers victory in St. Louis on September 18, 1922. Witt was recovering from having been struck by a bottle in the ninth inning of a Yankee victory over the Browns the day before.
Former Yankee power hitter Gary Sheffield was a Marlin when he stroked hits his first three times up in a 13-10 loss to Philadelphia on September 18, 1995, giving him eight straight safeties coming off the DL with his 5-for-5 the day before.
It was the second time in his career that Roger Clemens struck out 20 when he shut out the Tigers, 4-0, allowing only four hits, on September 18, 1996.
Lou Gehrig slugged two homers on September 18, 1933, but the Yanks had to settle for a split with the White Sox. Johnny Allen threw a two-hitter, 6-1, for the Yankee first-game win, while Les Tietje won his major league debut for Chicago in the nightcap, 4-3.
Despite a 9-4 loss to Detroit, Highlander Cozy Dolan had his best offensive day of 1911 on September 18. He singled with the bases loaded with the club attempting a triple steal, resulting in three rbi’s, half his season’s total.
Reggie Jackson made his name in baseball lore with his three home runs in a World Series clincher for the Yankees. When he turned the trick again and contributed three bombs to an 18-3 Angels laugher over Kansas City on September 18, 1986, he joined Stan Musial and Babe Ruth as the only over-40 player to garner that achievement.
On September 18, 2016. the Yankees selected the contract of third baseman Donovan Solano from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders; activated righthander Anthony Swarzak from the 15-day disabled list; and transferred righty Chad Green from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list, with a right forearm tendon injury.
In a weird story, it is alleged that Yankee Manager Billy Martin paid rookie Bob Kammeyer $100 to hit former Yank Cliff Johnson with a pitch in Cleveland’s 16-3 drubbing of the Yanks on September 18, 1979. Johnson and (not yet a Yank) Toby Harrah each homered twice, and Paul Mirabella took the loss, but Kammeyer surrendered eight Indians’ tallies in the fourth while failing to record an out.
The Yankees must have felt bulletproof on September 18, 1938 when, despite the loss of two to St. Louis (4-3, 8-7), they clinched their 10th American League pennant.
The additional September 18 highlight featuring a future or former Yankee player for another team brings up a name not often included in this history. Gary Ward had a decent 1987 season in the Bronx and hit 20 home runs with about 100 rbi’s in two years here. He was playing for the Twins on this day in 1980 when Minnesota fell 9-8 to Milwaukee despite his having hit for the cycle. Gary is father to outfielder Daryle Ward, who was playing with the Cubs recently.
Played by Dennis Quaid in the movie “The Rookie,” Tampa Bay pitcher Jim Morris made his major-league debut at the age of 36 by striking out Royce Clayton on September 18, 1999.
Players Who Have Died This Day
Catcher Jake Stahl (1922), who caught in 75 games for the 1908 Highlanders, is the only Yankee player to have died on September 18. Jake used his 70 hits in 274 at bats to stroke two home runs and drive in 42 runs. In a career that spanned 1903-1913, largely spent with the Senators and the Red Sox, he reached 31 fences and knocked in 437 runs.
Four noteworthy nonYankee players to have died this day were position players, and finally one a lefthander. Start off with second baseman/shortstop/utility player General Stafford (1923), who hit most of his 21 long balls with 290 rbi’s between 1890 and 1899 with the Giants. Third baseman Art Devlin (1948) also played with the Giants, and with the Braves, and he hit 10 homers and drove in 505 from 1904-1913; outfielder Dave Harris (1973) cleared 32 fences and drove in 247 runs from 1925-1934 largely with the Braves, the White Sox, and the Senators; and catcher Clyde McCullough (1982) hit most of his 52 home runs with 339 rbi’s from 1940-1956 with the Cubs. Joining the group most recently is southpaw Jack Kralick (2012), who fashioned most of his 67-65 record with one save from 1959-1967 mostly with the Indians, the Twins, and the Nationals.
Players Born This Day
On September 18, 1926, Cleveland righty George Uhle (1898) beat the Yanks, 3-1, as he turned 28. George had a 17-year career, with a 10-year stop in Cleveland and five more in Detroit, but he is the first of six Yankee September 18 birthdays we cite this day. George earned an 8-5 mark with the 1933-1934 Bombers, before closing out his career with one more year in Cleveland. The Yanks purchased Uhle’s contract from the Tigers in April 1933.
Outfielder Kevin Thompson (1979) played 32 games for the Yanks before he was recently designated for assignment. He hit a home run and drove in seven runs. He was drafted by Minnesota in 1998 but not signed, then drafted by the Yanks the year after. His last action was in nine games with the 2007 Oakland A’s.
Being George Brett‘s brother perhaps got his foot in the door, but Ken Brett (1948), pitched for 10 teams, including the two games he tossed for the 1976 Yankees, in which he did earn a save. The Yanks got Ken from the Pittsburgh Pirates with Dock Ellis and Willie Randolph for Doc Medich in December 1975. They then shipped Brett and Rich Coggins to the Chicago White Sox for Carlos May the following May.
The 2008 season brought another player into the September 18 Yankee birthday list, southpaw Billy Traber (1979), who was originally signed by the Mets, then was traded to Cleveland. Traber was a free agent with Washington in 2006-2007, and one with the Yankees for that one season, during which he pitched to no record or saves in 19 appearances, to a 7+ era.
Catcher Rip Collins (1909) went 1-for-3 with a walk in three games for the 1944 Yankee squad, after serving his only other time in the bigs with the 1940 White Sox in 47 games.
New to the Yanks in 2013 was journeyman infielder Brent Lillibridge (1983), who came to the club as one of 10, 2013 third baseman with 19 career home runs and 68 rbi’s in six years with six clubs, most often the White Sox. He added three rbi’s to that total in 11 games for the Yanks.
Other birthdays: All Star famous for losing an extra-inning Perfect Game (both the honor and the actual game) Harvey Haddix (1925), who toiled mostly for St. Louis and Pittsburgh over 14 seasons; Ryne Sandberg (1959); Ozzie Timmons (1970); Chris Holt (1971); Mitch Meluskey (1973); Randy Williams (1975); Jody Gerut (1977); Donnie Veal (1984); Michael Kirkman (1986); Taylor Motter (1989); Juan Minaya (1990); Jon Singleton (1991); Justin Shafer (1992); Spencer Turnbull (1992); Vladimir Gutiérrez (1995); Beau Burrows (1996); Marcos Diplan (1996); Seth Beer (1996); Andre Pallante (1998); and Ceddanne Rafaela (2000)
