4/25/2021 Joe Dimaggio dies.

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 9-11, plays Cleveland  

4/25/2021 Today In Yankees History

1904	At American League Park, the Senators remain winless since the start of the season when they lose their eighth consecutive game, bowing to New York 4-1. Highlander right-hander Jack Chesbro picks up the first of his record 41 victories he'll record this season.

1933	Yankees rookie hurler Russ Van Atta goes 4-for-4 and shuts out the Senators, 16-0, in his major league debut. The 26 year-old southpaw will finish his rookie season with a 12-4 record, batting .283 in 67 plate appearances.

1933

At Griffith Stadium, the benches clear when Yankee outfielder Ben Chapman viciously spikes Buddy Myer and then responds to the Senators infielder's retaliation by punching and hurling anti-semitic remarks at the injured Jewish second baseman. The ugly 20-minute brawl, which spreads into the stands and includes over 300 fans getting into the action, will result in suspensions and fines for the players involved.

1999

The fifth monument unveiled in Yankee Stadium history pays tribute to Joe DiMaggio, who died last month at 84. "Joltin' Joe" becomes the fifth Bronx Bomber to be honored in this fashion, joining Miller Huggins (1931), Lou Gehrig (1942), Babe Ruth (1949), and Mickey Mantle (1996). Click Here to Enlarge

1999

On the day the team pays tribute to Joe DiMaggio, life-long Yankee fan Paul Simon, standing in centerfield, performs his 1968 classic Mrs. Robinson. The singer-songwriter's iconic lyrics, "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you," brings cheers from the enthusiastic sellout crowd at the Bronx ballpark.

4/24/2021 Yankees wins 3 in row. Casey Stengel wins his 3,000th game as manager.

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 8-11. Defeats Cleveland 2-1, 

now 9-11. That's 3 wins in a Row.

Gerrit Cole was one pitch better than Shane Bieber in a heavyweight matchup of aces as Rougned Odor and Aaron Hicks homered off Cleveland’s Cy Young winner in the fifth inning, giving the New York Yankees a 2-1 win over the Indians on Saturday.

1917	At Fenway Park, Yankee left-hander George Mogridge no-hits the Red Sox, 2-1. The southpaw's performance is the first no-no in franchise history and the first-ever thrown in the Boston ballpark.

1923

President Warren G. Harding, an avid baseball fan who likes to keep a scorecard at games, witnesses the first shutout ever thrown at Yankee Stadium. The chain-smoking Chief Executive is delighted to see Babe Ruth's fifth-inning homer off Allen Russell but is disappointed the Senators drop the contest, 4-0.

1960

Before making their first out of the game, the Yankees score eight runs against Baltimore in the bottom of the first frame. The Orioles narrow the gap with eighth and ninth-inning grand slams hit by Albie Pearson and Billy Klaus, respectively, but the Bombers hold on to beat the Birds in the Bronx ballpark, 15-9.

1965

Casey Stengel wins his 3,000th game as a manager when his Amazin' Mets score three runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Giants at Candlestick Park, 7-6. The 'Old Perfessor,' the former skipper of the Dodgers, Braves, and Yankees, won more than a third of his games (1,149) during his 12-year tenure with the Bronx Bombers.  Forging Genius: The Making of Casey Stengel

1987

At Cleveland Stadium, Rickey Henderson becomes the first player in baseball history to hit a home run off two different 300-game winners in the same game. The left fielder's solo homer in the eighth inning off Phil Niekro and his two-run blast in the ninth off Steve Carlton aren't enough to thwart the Tribe's 6-5 walk-off victory over the Yankees.

2008

The David Ortiz jersey, which was secretly buried in cement at the new Yankee Stadium in an attempt to curse the team, is acquired in a Jimmy Fund charity auction for $175,100. The winning bidder from the 282 who vied for the tattered Red Sox jersey is Kevin Meehan, the owner of Imperialcars.com, located in Mendon, Mass.

4/23/2021 Yankees 2 wins in a row. Jenny Cavna, 1st lady broadcaster.

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 7-11. Defeats Cleveland 5-3, 

now 8-11. That's 2 wins in a Row.

1903

The Highlanders, previously called the Orioles before their recent move from Baltimore, win their first game representing New York. Spitballer Harry Howell goes the distance, throwing a two-hitter to get the win when the team that will become known as the Yankees beats Washington at American League Park, 7-2.

1939	At Griffith Stadium, Senators' right-hander Alejandro Carrasquel faces the Yankees in his major league debut. The 26 year-old from Caracas becomes the first player from Venezuela to appear in a major league game.

1985

Don Baylor collects his 999th and 1000th RBIs when he hits a two-run home run off Oil Can Boyd in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Bronx Bombers on the board in New York's 5-4 extra-inning loss to Boston at Yankees Stadium. The 36 year-old outfielder/DH will end his 19-year career driving in 1276 runs.

2000

At Toronto's SkyDome, Yankees Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, in a 10-7 victory over the Blue Jays, become the first teammates to each homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark will become the second pair of teammates to accomplish the feat, also homering from each side of the plate for the Diamondbacks on Opening Day in 2009.

2014

Due to his effort to get a better grip on the baseball on a chilly spring night at Fenway Park, Michael Pineda, will be ejected in the second inning for using pine tar after trying to conceal the foreign substance on his neck. The Yankees right-hander will get a ten-day suspension for using the sticky material, which is usually overlooked by opponents when discreetly used since it does not affect the ball's flight.

2018

Jenny Cavna, the Rockies’ pre-and post-game host, becomes the first woman in 22 years to do televised play-by-play for a major league game when she details the action in the team's 13-5 loss against the Padres at Coors Field. At the Metrodome in 1996, Yankee commentator Suzyn Waldman, after being an analyst for the first two games of the series, described the action in the Bronx Bombers' 9-5 defeat of the Twins on a WPIX telecast.

4/22/2021 Whitey ford strikes out 15 batters

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 6-11. Defeats Cleveland 6-3, now 7-11.

 

4/22/2021 Today In Yankees History

1903	In the first game of franchise history, the New York Highlanders (later to be renamed Yankees) lose their opener to Washington at American League Park, 3-1. Jack Chesbro takes the loss, but the 28 year-old right-hander will finish the season with a 21-15 record (.583) along with an ERA of 2.77.

1912	Similar to the looks of the Pirates, the Yankee uniforms feature pinstripes for the first time. The Bronx Bombers will abandon the fashion statement for the next two seasons, returning to the style for good in 1915, changing the color from black to navy blue.

1956	New York starter Don Larsen hits a grand-slam off Frank Sullivan in the Yankees' 13-6 victory over Boston at Yankee Stadium. The 26 year-old right-hander, a good-hitting pitcher, will finish his 14-year career with 14 home runs and a .242 average.  8x10 Autographed Don Larsen Photo

1959

Although it takes extra innings, Whitey Ford ties the Yankees' record for strikeouts, fanning 15 batters when he beats the Senators in 14 innings, 1-0. 'Slick' equals the mark established by Bob Shawkey in 1919, when the right-hander defeated Philadelphia in a nine-inning game, 9-2.  Slick: My Life in and Around Baseball

1959	Bill Skowron homers to deep left field off Chuck Stobbs in the top of the 14th inning, accounting for the lone run in the Yankees' victory over the Senators at Griffith Stadium. Whitey Ford goes the distance for the win in the longest American League 1-0 game to be decided by a home run.

2006

Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J.J. Hardy, and Prince Fielder all go deep in the bottom of the fourth frame at Miller Park, making the Brewers the fifth team to hit five home runs in one inning. Milwaukee joins the 1966 Twins, 1939 Yankees, 1949 Phillies, and the 1961 Giants to establish the major league mark.

2007

The Red Sox become the fifth big-league team to hit four consecutive homers in an inning when Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek go deep with two outs in the third inning at Fenway off Yankee starter Chase Wright. J.D. Drew was also part of the quartet of the 2006 Dodgers, who were the fourth major league team to connect for four straight round-trippers in one frame.

2008

In a scheduling oddity, both New York big-league teams play in Chicago, with the Mets playing the Cubs in a matinee and the Yankees taking on the White Sox in an evening tilt. This unusual occurrence marks the first time in 11+ years that two teams from one city have played as visitors in the same town on the same date, a quirk necessitated due to the Pope's appearance at Yankee Stadium two days ago.

2010

At Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Yankees turn their first triple play in 42 years when Alex Rodriguez steps on third to start a 5-4-3 around-the-horn play that results in three outs in the 4-2 loss to the A's. The team's last triple killing occurred in June of 1968, on a 1-5-3 ground ball hit by Minnesota's John Roseboro, a play started by pitcher Dooley Womack, continued by third baseman Bobby Cox, and finished by Mickey Mantle, who was playing first base

4/21/2021 Eddie Murray homers lefty and righty 11th time.

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 6-10. Lose to Atlanta 1-4, now 6-11.

 

4/21/2021 Today In Yankees History

946	Frank Hayes establishes a major league record for catchers when he plays in the last of 312 consecutive games behind the plate. The 31-year-old Indian backstop's streak began on October 2, 1943, when he started for the Browns on the final day of the season at Yankee Stadium.

1994

At the Metrodome, switch-hitting DH Eddie Murray knocks a home run from both sides of the plate in the Indians' 10-6 win over the Twins. 'Steady Eddie' has gone deep batting both left-handed and right-handed in the same game eleven times, breaking the previous record established by Yankee legend Mickey Mantle in 1964.

4/20/2021 Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams only game they play together

                     Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-10. defeated Atlanta 3-1, now 6-10.

 

4/20/2021 Today In Yankees History

1912

After two days of rain, the first major league game finally occurs at Fenway Park in front of 27,000 enthusiastic fans, the largest crowd to attend a game in Boston. The inaugural contest is memorable, with the Red Sox staging an eleven-inning 7-6 walk-off victory over the New York Highlanders when Tris Speaker, following a game-saving catch he made in the top of the frame, singles, plating Steve Yerkes, who reached base on an error and advanced on a passed ball. Fenway Park (1914) Library of Congress - George Grantham Bain Collection

1939

In the only game he'll ever play with Lou Gehrig in the field, Ted Williams strikes out in his first major league at-bat. The 20 year-old Red Sox rookie, last season's American Association Triple Crown winner, will finish the day 1-for-4 with the first hit of 2,654 he will collect during his 19-year career, a 400-foot double in a 2-0 loss at Yankee Stadium.

1988

Yankees outfielder Claudell Washington, appearing as a pinch-hitter, hits the 10,000th round-tripper in franchise history, the most in the major leagues. The historic home run comes off Jeff Reardon in the top of the ninth inning in New York's eventual extra-inning 7-6 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome.

2007	Alex Rodriguez becomes the second player to hit twelve home runs in the season's first fifteen games when he goes deep twice in the Yankees' 7-6 loss to Boston at Fenway Park. Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt also accomplished the feat, hitting a dozen for the Phillies in 1976.

2012	Ivan Nova wins his 15th straight decision when the Yankees beat

4/19/2021 Joe DiMaggio engaged actress Dorothy Arnold. Babe Ruth died 8 months earlier,

                             Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-10. Can't Lose today as they don't play.

 

4/19/2021 Today In Yankees History

1939 At an informal press conference arranged by Universal Pictures, actress Dorothy Arnold tells wire service reporters that she and Joe DiMaggio are engaged and plan to marry sometime this summer. Upon hearing the news, the somewhat surprised Yankee center fielder clarifies that no ceremony will occur during the baseball season, but the couple will exchange vows in November. 1948 Yankee starter Allie Reynolds, thinking the Senators are trying to trick him, refuses to leave second base after he hits his first and only career home run, which is unbeknownst to him because he did not see the ball clear the left-field fence. In front of an amused President Truman, New York skipper Bucky Harris finally convinces the skeptical baserunner to round the bases so the Opening Day contest at Griffith Stadium can continue.  Allie Reynolds: Super Chief 1949 On Opening Day, the Yankees unveil a monument in centerfield honoring Babe Ruth eight months after his death. The legendary "Bambino' joins Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, also awarded posthumously with cenotaphs, the team's highest honor. 1960 Roger Maris, obtained from the A's in the offseason, goes 4-for-5 batting leadoff in his first game as a Yankee. The 25 year-old right fielder's 11 total bases, including two home runs and a double, contribute to the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day 8-4 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. 1972 Sparky Lyle becomes the first reliever to come into a game with a signature entrance song when the Yankee Stadium PA system plays Pomp and Circumstance as the closer approaches the mound. Although the southpaw secures the last out of the team's 3-2 victory over Milwaukee, the reliever believes the Edward Elgar's march, selected by PR man Marty Appel, adds more pressure to his closer role and asks the public relations department to put the tradition on hold. 1979 After a 6-3 loss to the Orioles in New York, Goose Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb due to a clubhouse brawl with Yankee teammate Cliff Johnson. The reliever will be out of action until mid-July, and Johnson, due to the altercation, will be traded to the Indians in June for southpaw Don Hood. 2019 When right-hander Adam Ottavino faces the Royals' Terrance Gore in the seventh inning of New York's 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium, the matchup becomes the first zero vs. zero confrontation to take place in a big-league game. The 33-year-old reliever, whose the first Bronx Bomber to wear the uniform #0, strikes out the Kansas City outfielder, the second Royals player ever to don a cipher and the first since George Scott wore it in 1979.

3/02/2021 Babe Ruth Sign 3 years deal for $70,000 per season.

                                 Welcome to Today In Yankees History. 

Kenny Rogers Sportsbook Poker Slots 

by Kenny Rogers

Buy comic books at mycomicshop.com

Today in Yankees History
March 2nd

1927

Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce the Bambino will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years. The 'Sultan of Swat,' who had asked for $100,000, meets Colonel Jacob Ruppert at the owner's brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan to finalize the historic deal.

4/17/2021 Mickey Mantle hits 565 foot homer!

                             Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-8 play Tampa Bay today. Lost again 2-6, now 5-9

Lost 3 in row. What's wrong with those Yankees?

4/17/2021 Today In Yankees History

1912 In front of a larger than usual crowd at the Polo Grounds of over 14,000 patrons that includes Broadway legend George M. Cohan, the Giants beat the new-look Yankees, now sporting pinstripes, in an unscheduled exhibition game, 11-2, to raise money for the survivors of the HMS Titanic. The charity contest, the first Sunday game ever played between major league teams at the Coogan's Bluff ballpark, raises over $9,000 when each fan donates the price of an admission ticket to purchase a special program for the event. 1925 Babe Ruth undergoes an operation for an intestinal abscess at St. Vincent's Hospital, where he will remain for six weeks. The 30 year-old Yankee outfielder will miss the first forty games of the season due to his "bellyache heard 'round the world," a popular misconception that blamed the consumption of an abundance of hot dogs and soda for his illness. 1929 In a ceremony that takes place on Opening Day at five a.m. to avoid crowds, Claire Hodgson becomes the second Mrs. Babe Ruth. The Yankees' outfielder's first wife, Julia Woodford, died in a house fire in January. 1939 On the morning of Opening Day in Washington, D.C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Yankees visit Abner Doubleday's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. A rainout this afternoon cancels FDR's ceremonial first pitch at Griffith Stadium, with Veep Garner doing the honors in the season opener against the same opponents four days later after the Bombers return from New York having played Boston to start their campaign. Library of Congress Library of Congress 1951 Mickey Mantle, batting third, grounds out to second base in his first major league at-bat. The 19 year-old right fielder will hit a sixth-inning run-scoring single, going 1-for-4 in the Yankees' Opening Day 5-0 victory over Boston in the Bronx. 1951 For the first time, in a career that will span more than half of a century, public address announcer Bob Sheppard announces the Yankees' lineup. The 'Voice of God's introduction of the team includes the memorable names of Mickey Mantle, playing his first game, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, but the first player's name announced will be DiMaggio - Dom DiMaggio, the leading off for the visiting Red Sox. 1953 Mickey Mantle blasts a 'reported' 565-foot homer off southpaw Chuck Stobb in the Yankees' 7-3 victory over Washington at a windy Griffith Stadium. The distance of the historic round-tripper hit by the 21 year-old Yankee outfielder will become the subject of much debate, with later research debunking its original tape-measure status. 1976 At Yankee owner's George Steinbrenner's insistence, Thurman Munson is named the team captain. The reluctant backstop is the first player to assume the role since the Bronx Bombers honored Lou Gehrig with the position in 1935.  1976 Thurman Munson Card (Topps #650) 1977 Mike Pazik posts his first and last major league win when hurls eight innings in the Twins’ 10-2 victory over Oakland at Metropolitan Stadium. The 27 year-old former Yankees farmhand's career will come to a sudden end on April 25 when his van is hit head-on by a car driving the wrong way on a freeway entrance, resulting in the southpaw fracturing both legs. 2006 In the bottom ninth inning, Mark Loretta hits a two-out, two-run home run over the left-field wall, giving the Red Sox a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Mariners at Fenway Park on Patriots' Day. The only other player to end a game with a homer on Boston's special day of celebration is Frank Malzone, who gave the team a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Yankees in 1959, the year the New England baseball tradition began. (Ed. Note: Mark H., a leading denizen of Red Sox Nation, inspired this entry. - LP)

4/16/2021 Boston Marathon Bombings

                        Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-7 day off. Tampa Bay 8 Yankees 2, now 5-8. 

Lost 3 in row. What's wrong with those Yankees?

4/16/2021 Today In Yankees History

1929

On Opening Day, the Indians become the first team to wear numbers on the back of their jerseys permanently when they edge Detroit at League Park, 5-4. The Tribe beat the Yankees in becoming the first team to regularly don digits when rain postpones the earlier-scheduled Bronx Bombers' contest against Boston in New York.

1984

In his first three at-bats, A's Dave Kingman hits three home runs, including a grand slam, driving in eight runs against the Mariners in a 9-6 victory. 'Sky King' will compile five three-round-tripper games during his 16-year career, second only to Johnny Mize, who accomplished the feat six times from 1938 to 1950 while with the Cardinals and Yankees.

2009	Grady Sizemore's grand slam spoils the debut of the new Yankee Stadium, an eventual Cleveland 10-2 rout over the Bronx Bombers. The Indians outfielder's decisive blast off Damaso Marte is the keynote hit of the Tribe's nine-run seventh inning, a frame that started with the score tied at 1-1.

2013

In tribute to the victims of yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings, the fans at Yankee Stadium sing Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, the anthem of their American League East rivals. Before the contest against Arizona, the Bronx Bombers display their logo next to the Red Sox emblem with the words "United We Stand" on an outside video board.

4/15/2021 Baseball Players Wears Number 42 Honoring Jackie Robinson.

                             Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-7 day off. Can't lose today.

What is wrong with the Yankees?  

4/15/2021 Today In Yankees History

1976

In the debut of the 'new' Yankee Stadium, 52,613 fans watch the Bronx Bombers shell Minnesota on Opening Day, 11-4. Bob Shawkey, the winner of the 1923 Stadium opener, throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the ballpark that has been completely rebuilt from top to bottom, replacing the fences, the seats, the roof, and the original grandstand.

2005

A Fenway fan is ejected from the game after taking what appeared to be a swipe at Gary Sheffield as the Yankee outfielder fields a ball hit by Jason Varitek. The right fielder's response, which includes shoving the fan, making a fist, and exchanging words, will be investigated by major league baseball.

2007

To honor Jackie Robinson, major-league players, including Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter and Braves' outfielder Andruw Jones, wear the Dodger immortal's uniform No. 42 on the 60th anniversary of his historic breaking the color barrier in baseball. In the Cardinals and Brewers contest at Busch Stadium, every player and coach on both teams dons Jackie's revered number.  Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers #42 Youth Home Jersey

2011

The Rangers tie an American League mark shared with 15 teams by turning six double plays in a nine-inning game, including a record-tying five DPs by Elvis Andrus for the most by a shortstop, in the team's 5-3 victory at Yankee Stadium. The first six batters in the Bronx Bombers' lineup, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones, and Nick Swisher, bounce into Texas twin killings.

4/14/2021 Bill Mazeroski, Dramatic Walkoff Homerun Beats Yankees Game 7 World Series

                             Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-6 Plays Toronto today. lost 4-5, now 5-7. 

What is wrong with the Yankees?  

4/14/2021 Today In Yankees History

1911

Shortly after midnight, a tremendous fire breaks out, destroying much of the Polo Grounds, leaving the Giants without a place to play. The Highlanders invite the McGraw men to share Hilltop Park, an offer the displaced National League team accepts for six weeks until the completion of the temporary stands at their damaged ballpark.

1955	Elston Howard, who will be named the American League's MVP in 1963, becomes the first black to play for the Yankees. The former Monarchs' catcher will appear in nine All-Star Games and 54 World Series games, compiling a .274 batting average during his 14-year playing career.

1960

Bill Mazeroski hits the first home run of the season at Forbes Field, going deep in the bottom in the second of the Pirates' 13-0 rout of the Reds in the team's home opener. The Bucs' second baseman will also hit the last round-tripper of the season at the historic Pittsburgh ballpark, ending the season with a dramatic ninth-inning walk-off homer that beats in Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series.

1965

Willie Mays hits his 455th career home run, a third-inning two-run shot to left field off future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, in the Giants’ 5-2 victory over the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. The round-tripper surpasses Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle’s current total, a lead the Say Hey Kid will not again relinquish to his rival center fielder.

1967

In the home opener at Yankee Stadium, southpaw Billy Rohr, making his major league debut, is one out from pitching a no-hitter when Elston Howard singles on a 3-2 pitch ruining the 21 year-old rookie's shot at immortality. A heartbroken six-year-old fan sitting near the Boston dugout named John has to be consoled by his mother, Jackie Kennedy, although his beloved Red Sox beat the Bronx Bombers, 3-0.

1993

After establishing the all-time career major league record last night with his 358th save, Cardinal reliever Lee Smith breaks the National League mark, recording his 301st in the Senior Circuit when he tosses a perfect 15th frame in the Cardinals' 2-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. The right-handed reliever will extend the big league mark to 478, pitching for the Cubs (1980-1987), Red Sox (1988-1990), Cardinals (1990-1993), Yankees (1993), Orioles (1994), Angels (1995-1996), Reds (1996), and Expos (1997).

4/13/2021 Reggie Bars.

                          Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-5 Plays Toronto today. Lost 3-7, now 5-6

4/13/2021 Today In Yankees History

1914

Major league baseball returns to Baltimore as the first Federal League game is played with approximately 27,000 patrons on hand to watch the Terrapins beat the Buffalo Blues at Terrapin Park, 3-2. After the elimination of the hometown Orioles from the National League at the end of the 1899 season, John McGraw's club joins the new rival American League in 1901, staying in the Charm City for two seasons before moving to New York to become the Yankees, after briefly known as the Highlanders.  Baseball in Baltimore (Images of Baseball)

1939

In a spring training game played in Norfolk, Virginia, Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig, with apparent muscle loss, especially around his shoulders, goes deep twice in a 14-12 exhibition loss against the Dodgers. The second and ninth-inning home runs will be the last round-trippers the 'Iron Horse' will ever hit.

1953

On Opening Day, thanks to the three-hit pitching of Max Surkont, the former Boston Braves win their first game representing the city of Milwaukee by beating the Reds, 2-0 at Crosley Field. The contest marks the first time since Baltimore shifted to New York to become the Highlanders, later renamed the Yankees, fifty years ago that a franchise has moved to a different city.

1962

On Opening Day, Detroit's starting pitcher Frank Lary pulls a muscle legging out a seventh-inning triple in the team's 5-3 victory over New York at Tiger Stadium. 'The Yankee Killer's' career will be shortened when the righty suffers subsequent arm problems resulting from compensating for the injury.

1978

In New York's Opening Day 4-2 victory over Chicago, Reggie Jackson hits a three-run homer in the first inning, his fourth consecutive round-tripper at Yankee Stadium, after going deep three times in last year's Fall Classic finale. The game becomes delayed when the crowd celebrates by showering the field with Reggie! Bars, a chocolate and peanut candy bar with a picture of the slugger swinging a bat, given to every fan entering the game.

1978

On Opening Day, Roger Maris returns to Yankee Stadium for the first time since being traded to the Cardinals in 1966. After shunning many previous invitations, the prodigal son returns to help Mickey Mantle hoist the club's World Champion flag when team owner George Steinbrenner promises to install sod and lights on the baseball field at his children's school in Gainesville (FL).

1998

Before tonight's game against the Angels, a 500-pound concrete and steel beam falls into the empty loge boxes between third base and left field at Yankee Stadium. The mishap causes the postponement of the next two games scheduled for the Bronx ballpark, with the team scheduling one of the games across the river at Shea Stadium.

2005

A nearby pedestrian saves eight-year-old Patrick McCarthy from getting run down by a truck when the boy starts to run into Boston's Newbury Street traffic. The hero, who prevents the tragic accident by putting out his arm and saying `Whoa, watch out, buddy,' turns out to be the boy's favorite player, Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez.

2008

At the new Yankee Stadium site, workers dig up a Boston jersey buried in the concrete from the ballpark scheduled for completion in 2009. The tattered David Ortiz jersey, which becomes an auction to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, was buried by a Bronx construction worker, a Red Sox fan, who had hoped to put a hex on the Bronx Bombers.

2009

Nick Swisher, who throws 22 pitches, allowing just one hit and one walk before retiring the next three consecutive batters, including a swinging strikeout of Gabe Kapler, becomes the first position player to pitch for the Yankees since Wade Boggs took the mound in 1997. During the 15-5 rout by the Rays at Tampa's Tropicana Field, the fun-loving first baseman volunteered to pitch the eighth inning to help save the bullpen after starter Chien-Ming Wang lasts only one inning.

4/12/2021 Mickey Mantle become the father of an eight-pound, twelve-ounce baby boy.

 Welcome To Today In Yankees History

by Kenny Rogers

Yankees 5-5 Plays Toronto today. 

4/12/2021 Today In Yankees History

1931

Former Cubs pilot Joe McCarthy makes his debut as Yankee manager, beating Boston at the Bronx ballpark, 6-3. The future Hall of Fame manager, who is the team's all-time leader in managerial wins with 1460, guides the club to eight pennants and seven World Championships during his 16-year tenure in the Bronx.

1935

The Yankees name Lou Gehrig to be the fifth captain in team history. The 33 year-old first baseman joins Hal Chase (1912), Roger Peckinpaugh (1914-1921), Babe Ruth (six days in 1922), and Everett Scott (1922-1925) to receive the honor as a player. (Our thanks to Howard W. Rosenberg of www.capanson.com for calling attention to the entry's incorrect date, which is commonly mistaken for April 21).

1953

During an exhibition game in Brooklyn, the Ebbets Field PA announcer informs the crowd, including the new dad as he approaches home plate to bat, "Mickey doesn't know it yet, but he has just become the father of an eight-pound, twelve-ounce baby boy." Mickey Mantle Jr., whose given middle name is Elven in memory of the Yankee slugger's recently deceased dad, is the first of four children, all sons, with his wife, Merlyn.

1955

At Municipal Stadium, the recently arrived Athletics beat the Tigers, 6-2, in their first game in Kansas City. At first, the franchise's shift from Philadelphia will be warmly received by the Missouri fans as the A's draw 1,393,054 patrons to the ballpark in their first season, second only to the Yankees in American League attendance.

2006

Twenty-two-year-old college senior Jeffrey Maier hits a third-inning two-bagger against Bates to become the all-time career hits leader at Wesleyan, with 169, surpassing the 2003 mark set by Bill Robinson. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound third baseman gained national notoriety a decade ago as a 12 year-old fan when he leaned over the Yankee Stadium fence to catch Derek Jeter's fly ball 'homer,' which prevented Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco from catching the ball during the 1996 ALCS.

2008

The Charleston RiverDogs, a Class-A minor league affiliate of the Yankees, commemorate the first visit of Benedict XVI to the United States with a Pope on a Rope Night promotion. The first 1,000 fans attending the South Atlantic League game against Rome at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park receive a soap figurine bearing a likeness of the Holy Father.