The hits Jordan Montgomery surrendered to the first four Rays up on September 2, 2020, including two-run jolts from Randy Arozarena and Mike Brosseau, all but wrapped up what would be a 5-2 Tampa final. A late Clint Frazier home run and DJ LeMahieu rbi single were too little, too late.

On September 2, 2022, the Yankees sent righthander Luis Severino on a rehab assignment to the Tampa Tarpons.

Subbing for an absent Aaron Boone, bench coach (and manager for the day) Josh Bard appeared to stay with starter Lance Lynn for far too long in an 11-7 loss to visiting Detroit on September 2, 2018. Pulled in the fourth with the Bombers down 7-3, Lynn could have witnessed his mates close it to 8-5 through eight, but then southpaw Stephen Tarpley, making his major league debut, allowed three more tallies in the ninth, making the two-run Yankee uprising in the bottom half far too short.

A singleton blast by Chase Headley and a three-run shot by Matt Holliday off Boston southpaw Drew Pomerantz in Yankee Stadium on September 2, 2017, carried the Bombers to a 5-1 victory. Masahiro Tanaka got 11 ground ball outs while allowing five hits through seven innings for the win.

Things looked bleak for Yankee righty Ivan Nova, in the midst of a Rookie-of-the-Year-worthy season (he would finish fourth in the voting), when the first four Blue Jays hitters he faced in Yankee Stadium on September 2, 2011, produced a walk, two hits, a sac fly, and two runs. But to the rescue came left fielder Brett Gardner, who closed out the dangerous inning with a diving catch of a line drive on which he doubled Jose Bautista off first by tossing to Derek Jeter, whose throw to Nick Swisher beat the Toronto power hitter to the bag. And Brett wasn’t done, tying the score with a two-run jolt to right in the third. Nova, meanwhile, retired 18 of 20 (one more hit, one walk) through seven and got the win because Robinson Cano singled in Jeter in the fifth for the 3-2 Yankee win.

Visiting Boston pounded young righthander Shane Greene to a 7-1 lead through four innings on September 2, 2014, on the strength of a Yoenis Cespedes rbi double, and home runs from Daniel Nava, Xander Bogaerts, and Mookie Betts. The Yankee pen pitched well in relief until righty Chaz Roe, making his major league debut, surrendered two runs in the ninth of a 9-4 Yankee loss.

Phil Hughes seemed up to the task pitching to the visiting Orioles on September 2, 2012, once just returned Chris Dickerson gave him a lead with a second-inning two-run jack. But Mark Reynolds homered for one in the fifth, then hit a grand slam an inning later, and the O’s coasted to an 8-3 win. When southpaw Randy Wolf relieved Chris Tillman in the fourth, going three-plus frames for the win, he became the 50th member of the 2012 Baltimore roster.

The September 2, 2010, headliner in the 5-0 win over Oakland in Yankee Stadium was staff ace CC Sabathia, but Curtis Granderson made a late claim at the laurels as well. The Yanks’ burly southpaw barely broke a sweat, subduing the A’s over eight innings with 96 tosses, only one of which was struck for a hit, Mark Ellis‘s second-inning clean single to right center. But Granderson, subbing early in the game for ailing Nick Swisher, stroked home runs in both the sixth and seventh innings for three rbi’s.

It was Yankees in front of Boston in the standings on September 2, 2001. The venue was Fenway, the opposing pitchers, Mike Mussina and (at the time) Boston’s David Cone. Cone battled gamely through eight scoreless innings against the “perfect” Mussina, who lost his perfecto to Carl Everett‘s single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, one half inning after Cone had allowed the only (unearned) run of the contest, on Enrique Wilson‘s double. In a strange twist, Boston GM Dan Duquette fired interim pitching coach John Cumberland after the game. Cumberland had been promoted to the spot after the incumbent Joe Kerrigan had replaced the fired Jimy Williams as manager.

In another memorable pitching performance, September 2, 1996, was the day that David Cone returned to the Yankees’ mound after recovering and rehabbing from May shoulder surgery to remove an aneurysm. Joe Torre, following the pitch count from the game plan they had established going in, did the generally unthinkable, taking the ball from Cone after seven innings of a still intact no-hitter. Mariano Rivera allowed one hit in finishing up the 5-0 win over Oakland.

The September 1 additions to the Yankees major league roster in 2008 were not as significant as the ones that followed on September 2, as they activated righthanders Joba Chamberlain and Dan Giese from the 15-day disabled list.

One of the titles I considered for this column was “Mickey Mantle Memories,” because highlights featuring The Mick are the ones that please me the most. Here, a string of September 2 achievements from No. 7 and his teammates:

On this day that Billy Martin returned to the Yankees from the Army in 1955, Mickey Mantle‘s three-run (and 36th) home run provided most of the offense in Whitey Ford‘s one-hit 4-2 win over the Senators.

Then in 1958, back-to-back sixth-inning dingers off Boston’s Dave Sisler from Yogi Berra and The Mick broke a scoreless tie, and the Yanks won, 6-1. Mantle and Berra would go yard back-to-back 12 times in their careers playing together, and the two homered in the same game 50 times.

Detroit’s Frank Lary generally earned his “Yankee Killer” tag, but not on the 2nd in 1961. Mickey Mantle scored Roger Maris, who had doubled and moved up on an error, with a perfect drag bunt. Maris added two homers and Elston Howard chipped in with a three-run bomb in a 7-2 win.

Then on September 2, 1965, Mickey Mantle gave Whitey Ford all the support he would need when he blasted a three-run homer in the first, and the Yanks coasted to an 8-1 win over the Angels.

Mickey Mantle was playing far less innings exactly two years later on this day in 1967, but his two-run pinch homer off Bob Priddy of the Senators rewarded Mel Stottlemyre with the 2-1 win. Mel allowed six hits and no walks.

The at-the-time Devil Rays stunned Yankee Stadium with six late runs in an 8-2 Tampa win on September 2, 2007. Lightly regarded (and birthdaying, see below) Jason Hammel held the Bombers to one run through five innings, Carlos Pena drove Andy Pettitte from the mound with a three-run, seventh-inning bomb, and Josh Wilson and Akinori Iwamura homered for three more runs in the eighth.

Toronto’s Dave Stieb lost four potential no-hitters on ninth-inning base hits before he finally finished the job in a 3-0 blanking of the Indians on September 2, 1990, posting the first no-no in Blue Jays team history. And Chicago Cubs hurler Milt Pappas‘s 8-0 no-hitter against the Padres on the same day in 1972 was painfully close to perfect, as the only blemish occurred when he walked Larry Stahl with two outs in the ninth.

The Yankees fell 4-0 in the second game of a disastrous Interleague three-gamer in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia on September 2, 1997. As related yesterday, we took vacation and attended the whole series. Little-known righthander Mike Grace faced just 27 Yankee batters in the three-hitter. Derek Jeter was caught stealing after singling in the fourth, and Paul O’Neill and Charley Hayes singles in the eight and ninth, respectively, were each followed by double play grounders from the next batter. Former Yankee Rex Hudler (see birthdays below) scored the only run Philly would need after singling with two down in the home third.

After the Yankee Old Timers Game was rained out on July 15, 2000, the festivities were held on September 2. One team of greats prevailed 5-0 on rbi’s by Graig Nettles, Joe Pepitone, and Brian Doyle. In the game that followed, Jorge Posada batted second, and he walked, singled, and homered, the first two off ex-Yankee starter Eric Milton, in a 13-4 Yankee drubbing of the Twins. At leadoff, Derek Jeter scored three, as did Paul O’Neill, with a single, double, and home run. Denny Neagle was the beneficiary of all the offense.

Jon Lieber held Cleveland scoreless through seven in a 9-1 Yankee win in New York on September 2, 2004. Gary Sheffield had three hits, three rbi’s, and a sac fly, and Alex Rodriguez crowned a five-run second with a three-run bomb.

Bunching eight walks and 14 hits off Oakland pitching, including Clay Bellinger and Chuck Knoblauch home runs, the Yanks beat the A’s 9-3 in Yankee Stadium behind Orlando “el duque” Hernandez on September 2, 1999.

Nomar Garciaparra and Shea Hillenbrand had three hits apiece in an 8-4 Boston win over the Yankees in the Stadium on September 2, 2002.

Yankee fans were frustrated with the pitching of Felix Heredia while he was here, but it was a whole different (and unrelated) Gil Heredia who flummoxed the Yankee bats in a 2-0 Oakland A’s win on this day in 1998. The run the A’s scratched on two singles in the top of the first off David Cone was his undoing, as he allowed just two more singles through seven, but took the loss.

Reggie Jackson became the 19th player to hit 20 homers in 11 straight years in the Yankees’ 6-2 win over Seattle, September 2, 1978.

The Yankees blanked Firpo Marberry and the Senators 1-0 when Lou Gehrig tripled in Babe Ruth in the bottom of the ninth on September 2, 1932.

It’s good from time to time to mix in a few Yankee heroes we rarely mention. Yankee pitchers Tom Gorman and Ewell Blackwell combined to throw a double shutout at the Red Sox on September 2, 1952, 5-0 and 4-0.

More than 100 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles team that would be moved north to become the Highlanders in New York in seven months took a 23-7 pasting at the hands of Cleveland on September 2, 1902. Amazingly, Baltimore starter Jack Katoll went the distance, surrendering 23 hits on the day.

When Carl Mays and the Yankees beat the Athletics 11-6 in the first of two on September 2, 1922, it was his record 23rd straight victory against that one team. But Bob Hasty pitched Philly to a split by shutting out New York 4-0 in the nightcap.

On September 2, 2019, the Yankees signed two free agent righthanders to minor league contracts: Sebastian Perrone and Franklin Corniel.

On September 2, 2018, the Yankees recalled righthander Jonathan Loaisiga from the AA Trenton Thunder.

In what seems like a bazaar set of moves, on September 2, 2016, the Yankees recalled Nick Rumbelow from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and then placed him on the 60-day disabled list, recovering from April 2016 Tommy John surgery. In other moves, the team selected the contracts of left fielder Eric Young Jr. and righthander Jonathan Holder from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; recalled righties Kirby Yates [from the Pulaski Yankees], and Luis Severino and Nick Goody [from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre]; infielder Rob Refsnyder was also recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

With roster expansion the theme of the day, the Yankees transferred righthander Masahiro Tanaka from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day list; designated outfielder Zoilo Almonte for assignment; and released righty Matt Daley on September 2, 2014. Then the club recalled righthanders Chase Whitley, Preston Claiborne and Bryan Mitchell; and catcher John Ryan Murphy from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Finally, the team selected the contracts of lefthander Rich Hill; outfielders Chris Young and Antoan Richardson; and righthander Chaz Roe (Young pinch-ran and Roe relieved in the day’s game — see above) from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees extended their roster expansion moves by one on September 2, 2013, when they recalled righthander Preston Claiborne from the Tampa Yankees.

A strange rumor made the rounds in New York on September 2, 1927, to the effect that Lou Gehrig was about to be traded to Detroit. It of course never happened.

Courtesy of their expanded roster, the Yankees recalled southpaw Aaron Laffey from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on September 2, 2011.

All Wells, all the time. On September 2, 1999, David Wells, at the time with the Blue Jays, pitched against Bob Wells of the Twins, who struck out Blue Jays rookie Vernon Wells, in a 6-1 Toronto win.

Manager Ralph Houk of the Yankees, the Old Major, signed a new three-year contract to pilot the team on September 2, 1969.

Not yet in that capacity for the Yanks, Billy Martin was fired from that same position (managing) with the Tigers on September 2, 1973, for the rocky relationship he maintained with the Detroit front office.

Fred (Firpo) Marberry of the Senators starred on both sides of the field in a 2-0 win over the Yankees on September 2, 1928. He shut down the Bombers from the mound and drove in both runs.

Frank Torre, Joe’s brother, scored six runs in the Braves’ 23-10 win in the first of two they swept September 2, 1957, from the Cubs.

The Red Sox won all 10 games they played the Yankees in New York in 1912, finishing the job with a doubleheader sweep on September 2. After winning the first game 2-1, Joe Wood shut the Yanks out 1-0 in the nightcap for his 30th win and 13th straight victory.

I’m eager to acknowledge that Mickey Vernon of the Senators stroked his 2,000th hit on September 2, 1954, as any baseball mention of that first name reminds me of my hero, Mickey Mantle. And Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, blasted his 400th career home run on September 2, achieving that number in 1965.

When Baltimore’s Milt Pappas stopped the Yanks on three hits in a 5-0 shutout on this day in 1960, two of the safeties were hit by Tony Kubek.

When the Oakland A’s beat the Royals 7-6 on September 2, 2002, it was their 19th consecutive win, tying the record posted by the 1906 White Sox and the 1947 Yankees. In two days, the record would belong to Oakland all by themselves.

The Yankees recalled righty Jorge DePaula from AAA Columbus on September 2, 2005.

Our September 2 highlights featuring future or former Yankee players both involve one-hitters lost by the pitchers who threw them. Boston’s Bill Monbouquette, who would go 11-12 for the Yankees later in his career, lost a one-hitter 2-1 to the Twins on this day in 1964 when Zoilo Versalles homered in the sixth inning. And Detroit’s Matt Nokes, who would later play four-plus years for the Yanks, got the only hit off Tom Candiotti in a 2-1 Tigers win over the Indians’ hard-luck knuckleballer on September 2, 1987.

The Orioles fell behind the Red Sox, 8-0, on this day in 1956, but rallied to win, 11-10, in regulation.

Dizzy Dean won his 23rd game on September 2, 1935, in a 4-1 win over Pittsburgh; and when Cleveland Indian Jim Bagby beat the Tigers 10-1 on the same day in 1920, it was his 31st.

 
Players Who Have Died This Day

No Yankee player has died on September 2.

We’ll lead the list of noteworthy nonYankee players to have passed on September 2 with righthander Jim Bagby (1988), who posted most of his 97-96 record with nine saves from 1938-1947 with the Indians and the Red Sox, and also with the Pirates. The other two players are righty pitchers as well: Johnny Welch (1940) won 35, lost 41, and saved six games with the Cubs and the Red Sox from 1926-1936; and Jim Wilson (1986) won 86, lost 89, and saved two games between 1945-1958, throwing more often than not with the Braves, the White Sox, the Red Sox, and the Orioles.

 
Players Born This Day

Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler (1960) was the most recent of five Yankees who call September 2 their birthday until 2016. Rex was drafted by the Yankees in the first round (18th pick) of the 1978 amateur draft, and he was traded with Rich Bordi to the Baltimore Orioles for Leo Hernandez and Gary Roenicke in December 1985. Rex debuted for the Yankees, playing 29 games with one rbi for the 1984-85 clubs in a 15-year career that included time playing in Montreal, St. Louis, California, and Philadelphia after his stops in New York and Baltimore.

“Marvelous” Marv Throneberry (1933) probably earned the moniker later as an original Met, but he slugged 15 homers and amassed 44 rbi’s for the 1955, 1958, and 1959 Yankees after they drafted him in 1952. He was part of the package along with Hank Bauer, Don Larsen, and Norm Siebern sent to the Kansas City Athletics for Roger Maris, Joe DeMaestri, and Kent Hadley in December 1959.

Monte Pearson (1908) posted an impressive 63-27 mark with two saves for the 1936 through 1940 clubs after four years in Cleveland and before finishing up with one campaign with Cincinnati. Monte earned one victory each in the four straight World Series the Yanks won from 1936-1939. The Yanks sent Johnny Allen to the Cleveland Indians for Pearson and Steve Sundra in December 1935. Five years later in 1940 New York sent Pearson to the Cincinnati Reds for Don Lang and cash.

Second baseman Joe Ward (1884) played nine games for the 1909 Highlanders once they got him from the A’s that March. They returned him to Philly in May of that year, and Ward finished his career there the next season. He had no homers or rbi’s in New York, but did drive in 47 runs in his career.

If Yankee fans think infielder Ronald Torreyes (1992) received spotty play in the Bronx in 2016, consider that his only earlier big leagues play was in eight games for the Dodgers in ’15. Initially signed as a free agent by Cincinnati in 2010, Torreyes was the subject of a flurry of moves in early ’16, first being acquired by the Yanks from the Dodgers in a multi-player trade, then selected off waivers by the Angels, and finally the reverse move, with the Yanks reselecting him off waivers from Anaheim. Ronald has shown a versatile glove and a nose for big at bats through summer 2018, knocking in 12 runs in 58 games (2016), then 36 in 108 tilts one year later. He was held to just seven rbi’s in 41 games on a roster crowded with young infield talent in 2018. He played seven games with the Twins in 2019, netting one rbi, but has found a home on Joe Girardi‘s Phillies, with whom he has stroked six home runs with 32 rbi’s in 83 games in 2020 and 2021, as of this writing.

The Yankee list grew with the addition of outfielder Franchy Cordero (1994) on a free agent contract on March 30, 2022. A free agent signing by the Padres in 2011, this lefty power hitter played with San Diego in 2017-2019, with Kansas City in 2020, and with Boston in 2021-2022. Six quick homers with 13 rbi’s after a Yankee callup midseason got him noticed, but he slumped here as he has elsewhere. Released that November, his current mlb totals are 27 long balls with 87 rbi’s.

Other birthdays start with the Hall of Fame legend Albert Spalding (1850) who, although he only pitched for seven years, recorded an unworldly 253-65 win-loss line, a winning percentage of .796; and former Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth (1931). Other players of note: Righthander Joe Heving (1900), who posted most of his 76-48 mark with 63 saves from 1930-1945 with the Indians and the Red Sox; Lamar Johnson (1950); Rick Manning (1954); Jamie McAndrew (1967); Jeff Russell (1969); Rich Aurilia (1971); Wes Littleton (1982); Jason Hammel (1982); Rommie Lewis (1982); Gaby Sanchez (1983); Dusty Ryan (1984); Evan Crawford (1986); Christian Bethancourt (1991); A.J. Minter (1993); Rob Kaminsky (1994); Willy Adames (1995); Ryan Feltner (1996); Aaron Whitefield (1996); Oliver Dunn (1997); Dominic Fletcher (1997); and Kerry Carpenter (1997).