Today in History Aug 9
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| 1939 | Yankee third baseman Red Rolfe begins an eighteen-game scoring streak. The Penacook (NH) native will score thirty runs during this span. Robert Abial "Red" Rolfe (October 17, 1908 – July 8, 1969) was an American third baseman, manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Rolfe also was an Ivy Leaguer: a graduate, then long-time athletic director of Dartmouth College, and (from 1943–46) baseball and basketball coach at Yale University. In 1949, Rolfe's first season as manager, the Tigers improved by nine games and returned to the first division. Then, in 1950, they nearly upset the Yankees, winning 95 games and finishing second, three games behind. A fluke botched double play was the team's undoing. Late in September at Cleveland, the Indians had the bases loaded in the tenth inning with one out and the score tied. Visibility was poor because smoke from Canadian forest fires was blowing across Lake Erie. On an apparent 3-2-3 double-play grounder to first base, Detroit catcher Aaron Robinson thought he simply needed to touch home plate for a force play to retire the Indians baserunner charging in from third. But in the smoky conditions Robinson had not seen that a putout had already been made at first base, necessitating that the catcher tag the runner, not the plate, to record an out. Robinson mistakenly tagged the plate, the run counted and Cleveland won the game. It was the turning point in the pennant race, for the postwar Tigers, and for Rolfe's managerial career. Beset by an aging starting rotation, the Tigers faltered in 1951, slipping to 73 wins and finishing fifth, 25 games behind New York. Then Detroit completely unraveled in 1952, winning only 23 of 72 games under Rolfe. On July 5, he was fired and replaced by one of his pitchers, Fred Hutchinson. The 1952 club won only 50 games, losing 104 – the first time ever that the Tigers lost 100 or more games   Rolfe and Ray Meyer 1942
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| 1949 | Dom DiMaggio, hitless in his first four at-bats against Yankee hurler Vic Raschi, sees his 34-game hitting streak come to an end. The Red Sox outfielder's older brother Joe makes a shoestring catch in the eighth inning, taking his sibling's last chance to extend the streak.  joe Dimaggio's brother  Dominic Paul DiMaggio (February 12, 1917 – May 8, 2009), nicknamed "The Little Professor", was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox (1940–1953). DiMaggio was the youngest of three brothers who each became major league center fielders, the others being Joe and Vince. In 1959, DiMaggio joined forces with nine other New Englanders, led by Billy Sullivan, to found and capitalize a Boston American football team that debuted in 1960 as the AFL’s Boston Patriots.
Vic Raschi  Victor John Angelo Raschi (March 28, 1919 – October 14, 1988) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the top pitchers for the New York Yankees in the late 1940s and early 1950s, forming (with Allie Reynolds and Eddie Lopat) the "Big Three" of the Yankees' pitching staff. He was nicknamed "The Springfield Rifle". Later in his career, as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was responsible for allowing Hank Aaron's first career home run. Raschi's debut on the New York Yankees was on September 23, 1946, wearing uniform number 12. The next year he wore three different numbers (17, 19, and 43) but number 17 became his from then on during his Yankee career. From 1946 to 1953, Raschi won 120 games while losing 50, a .706 winning percentage. He led the American League in won/lost percentage at .724 (21-8) in 1950, and in strikeouts with 164 in 1951. Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, who faced Raschi in the 1951 World Series, thought that Raschi was one of the best pitchers he had ever seen.[2] Raschi had a .184 career batting average, with seven runs batted in (RBI) in one game, an American League record for pitchers, on August 3, 1953. While playing with the Yankees, he and his wife Sally lived in Hillsdale, New Jersey.[3] He was a better than average fielding pitcher, recording a .977 fielding percentage, committing only 8 errors in 351 total chances, which was 19 points higher than the league average at his position.
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| 1999 | A total of five grand slams occur on the same day for the first time in major league history. Cardinal Fernando Tatis, Expo Jose Vidro, Marlin Mike Lowell, Yankee Bernie Williams, and Mariner Jay Buhner connect to set the record. (Ed. note - Lowell, Williams, and Buhner all played for the Columbus Clippers - thanks to Steve Basford for this interesting aside. -LP) |
| 2009 | In the eighth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox in the Bronx, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit consecutive homers for the sixth time this season, the most ever for a pair of Yankees in one season. The teammates’ accomplishment is remarkable, considering the franchise featured the dynamic duos of Ruth and Gehrig as well as Mantle and Maris in its storied past. Johnny Damon    Johnny David Damon (born November 5, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2012. During his MLB career, Damon played for the Kansas City Royals (1995–2000), Oakland Athletics (2001), Boston Red Sox (2002–05), New York Yankees (2006–09), Detroit Tigers (2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011) and Cleveland Indians (2012). Damon also played for the Thailand national baseball team and was a member of the squad for the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. On December 20, 2005, Damon signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the New York Yankees.[6] The Red Sox stood firm on a three-year contract and chose not to negotiate against a five-year deal proposed by agent Scott Boras. Damon's signing with the Yankees led to his being subsequently vilified by many Red Sox fans because of his previously professed loyalty to the city and Red Sox organization, including his now infamous statement in May 2005, where he claimed, "There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they're going to come after me hard. It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need."[16] As the Yankees have a strict dress code for players forbidding both long hair and facial hair beyond neat mustaches, Damon had his shoulder-length "cave man" hair cut and beard shaved on December 22. Damon, who had a clean-cut appearance until his third season with the Red Sox, had been planning on cutting his hair and shaving his beard off even if he didn't sign with the Yankees, but waited until after he signed with them in order to prevent speculation.[17][18][19] The following season, in a pivotal five game series in August between the Yankees and Red Sox at Fenway Park, Damon went 3-for-6 in each of the first three games, including a doubleheader on August 18, and a game on August 19. Damon hit two home runs, drove in eight runs, and scored eight runs in the first three games as the Yankees won by a combined score of 39–20 and dealt a severe blow to the Red Sox 2006 play-off aspirations. In 2006, Damon finished 3rd in runs (115) and 9th in stolen bases (25) in the AL, while hitting 24 home runs, his career high. He also tied his mark of 35 doubles from the previous two seasons.[13] He was only one of 4 players in the major leagues to hit at least 24 home runs and steal at least 24 bases. On June 7, 2008, Damon went 6 for 6 in the Yankees 12–11 win over the Kansas City Royals, including a walk-off ground-rule double, which had bounced over the wall. He is the first Yankee to have six hits in a 9 inning game since Myril Hoag accomplished the feat in 1934.[20] Damon said in a post-game on-field interview that this was his first walk-off as a Yankee. The Yankees placed Damon on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his MLB career on July 6, 2008 with a bruised AC joint in his left shoulder. The injury occurred a day earlier when Damon collided with the outfield wall in an attempt to catch a triple. At that time, Damon was one of only three active major league ballplayers who had played at least 10 years in the majors without going on the disabled list. He returned to active duty, and hit 27 doubles for the season.[13] Damon hit 53 home runs in his three complete seasons with the Yankees.[13] On July 27, 2009, Damon hit his 200th career home run against the Tampa Bay Rays' Brian Shouse. For the 2009 season, he batted .282 and tied for the lead among American League left fielders in errors (with 5), while he was 4th in the league in runs scored (107). Johnny Damon hit a home run in Games 3 and 4 of the 2009 ALCS, defeating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 6 games. When the Yankees went on to play the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series, Damon got credit for stealing two bases in one play when the Phillies defense was shifted against batter Mark Teixeira. Damon got his second championship ring as the Yankees would eventually defeat the Phillies in 6 games. Damon, after winning his second World Series, entered free agency after the 2009 season despite expressing his desire to return to the Yankees.[21] He insisted that the Yankees not even make him an offer, however, unless they pay him at least the $13 million he earned for the past four years.[21] As a result of his contract demands, the Yankees signed 1B/DH Nick Johnson to a one-year/5.5MM deal, despite Damon lowering his salary demands at the last minute.[22] The Yankees then signed outfielder Randy Winn to a one-year $2 million[23] deal which essentially closed the door on Damon's return to the Bronx.
Mark Teixeira   Mark Charles Teixeira (/teɪˈʃɛərə/ tay-SHAIR-ə; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed Tex[1], is an American retired professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and New York Yankees. Before his professional career, he played college baseball at Georgia Tech, where in 2000 he won the Dick Howser Trophy as the national collegiate baseball player of the year. One of the most prolific switch hitters in MLB history, Teixeira was an integral part of the Yankees' 27th World Series championship in 2009, leading the American League (AL) in home runs and runs batted in (RBI) while finishing second in the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) balloting. Teixeira was a three-time All-Star, won five Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards, and also holds the all-time major league record for most games with a home run from both sides of the plate, with 14.[2] He was the fifth switch hitter in MLB history to reach 400 home runs. Drafted fifth overall by the Texas Rangers in 2001, Teixeira made his MLB debut on Opening Day in 2003, and hit 26 home runs as a rookie. He hit career-highs of 43 home runs and 144 RBI in 2005. The centerpiece of consecutive mid-season trades in 2007 and 2008, the Rangers first sent him to the Braves for a prospect package centered around Elvis Andrus and Matt Harrison. He was later traded in July 2008 to the Los Angeles Angels, where he played for half a season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. In December 2008, he agreed to a lucrative eight-year contract with the Yankees, contributing his most productive season in pinstripes the following year. Injuries limited his effectiveness afterward, including a calf strain in 2012, early season-ending wrist surgery in 2013, various ailments in 2014, a shin fracture in 2015, and neck spasms and torn cartilage in 2016. Teixeira retired at the conclusion of the 2016 season and contract with the Yankees.[3] In each season from 2004 to 2011, Teixeira hit at least 30 home runs with 100 RBI. 
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| 2011 | With the tying runs at the corners and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Curtis Granderson is picked off at first, ending the game as Mark Teixeira, the Yankees' leading home run hitter, stands at the plate. The last out of New York's 6-4 loss to the Angels is the result of the seldom effective fake to third, throw to first move perpetrated by closer Jordan Walden, which easily catches the Bronx Bomber outfielder off the base when he attempts to steal second base on a 1-6-3 play. |
Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Miami Marlins.
Granderson played college baseball at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was selected by the Tigers in the 2002 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2004. Granderson is a three-time MLB All-Star, and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2011. As of 2019, he led active players in career triples, was 2nd in career strikeouts, was 5th in career home runs, and was the 6th-oldest player in the National League.[1]
Off the field, Granderson is recognized for his commitment to the community through outreach and charity work.[2] Many of his charitable endeavors support inner-city children. He has also served as an ambassador for MLB abroad. Granderson won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award four times and the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 in recognition of his contributions in the community.
After the 2009 season, the Tigers began shopping Granderson to other franchises in an effort to reduce their payroll.[37] The Yankees acquired Granderson in a three-team trade on December 9. In the deal, the Yankees received Granderson while sending Phil Coke and centerfielder Austin Jackson to Detroit. Also, the Arizona Diamondbacks received Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy and Tigers pitcher Edwin Jackson in return for young pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth, who joined the Tigers.[38]
Granderson hit a home run in his first Yankee at bat on April 4, 2010, becoming the twelfth player to do so.[39] Although he missed some games due to a strained groin, Granderson finished the season with 136 games played, a .247 batting average, and 24 home runs.[40] Granderson, who struggled against left-handed pitching throughout his career, also put up subpar numbers against right-handed pitchers, causing Granderson to revamp his swing with the help of hitting coach Kevin Long in August 2010.
Granderson's work with Long was credited as a reason for his strong 2011 campaign.[42] Granderson received over 6.6 million votes for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game.[5] In August 2011, Granderson and Mark Teixeira became the first Yankees teammates to hit 30 home runs in 115 games since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961. On August 10, Granderson hit two home runs against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to tally a career-high 31 home runs.[43] Granderson, Robinson Canó, and Russell Martin all hit grand slams in a game against the Oakland Athletics on August 25, the first time a team had three grand slams in one game.[44] Granderson was named American League Player of the Month for August 2011, in which he batted .286, with a .423 on-base percentage, slugged .657, hit ten home runs, recorded 29 RBI, and scored 29 runs, and had the highest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (4.44).[45][46] He became the first player in MLB history to record 40 home runs, 10 triples and 25 stolen bases in one season.[42] Granderson finished fourth in balloting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
On May 6, 2012, Curtis achieved his 1,000th hit against the Kansas City Royals. On August 26, 2012, Granderson hit his 200th career home run against the Cleveland Indians. He finished the 2012 season with a .232 batting average, 43 home runs, 106 RBI, and set a new Yankees season record by striking out 195 times.
On October 19, the Yankees exercised Granderson's club option for 2013. Originally worth $13 million, it became a $15 million option after he placed 4th in the MVP voting in 2011.[49] In his spring training debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on February 24, 2013, Granderson was hit by a pitch from J. A. Happ that fractured his right forearm. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list to begin the 2013 season.[50] He returned to the Yankees on May 14.[51] On May 18, 2013, Granderson made his first start at right field. May 24, 2013, Granderson broke the knuckle of his left pinkie finger after getting hit by Tampa Bay's Cesar Ramos's pitch in the 5th inning. He was again placed on the 15-day disabled list.[52] On May 29, 2013, Granderson underwent surgery in which a pin was inserted to the knuckle to stabilize the fracture. On August 2, 2013, Granderson was activated from the disabled list. Granderson was limited to only 61 games in 2013 batting .229 with 7 home runs and 15 RBI. He became a free agent for the first time of his career after the season.
| MLB debut | |
|---|---|
| September 13, 2004, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2019, for the Miami Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .249 |
| Home runs | 344 |
| Runs batted in | 937 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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