TCB Fantasy Report Week 11

Looking Back

There is nothing good to say about the Astros' fantasy performance last week. The only player who was not a total disaster to his fantasy managers was Brett Myers, and that's just because he contributed one save without giving up a run. The hitting was atrocious, and the Astros 2nd and 3rd best-ranked pitchers on Yahoo last week were Wilton Lopez and Kyle Weiland, neither of whom logged an inning.

Avert your eyes Astros fans, and look to the future.

NameRankRHRRBISBAVGOPSJose Altuve24240020.2170.541Matt Downs26111210.2500.750Justin Maxwell29421300.2220.707Jordan Schafer31410120.2500.646Carlos Lee73300200.5001.000J.D. Martinez74211400.1050.421Brian Bogusevic75720000.2940.647Jed Lowrie79521200.1000.467Jason Castro120210100.1330.455Chris Snyder122900000.1430.286Brett Wallace124200000.1820.432Chris Johnson127500010.1050.210







NameRankWLSVERAWHIPK/9Brett Myers2190010.001.000.00Wandy Rodriguez7111004.501.334.50Dallas Keuchel7670001.801.603.60Wesley Wright8550009.001.504.50Brandon Lyon11690009.002.5013.50David Carpenter11910004.911.914.91Bud Norris11920108.101.8013.50Rhiner Cruz12760008.311.386.23Lucas Harrell13140108.441.313.38Jordan Lyles13160106.232.312.08Fernando Rodriguez133401016.201.802.70J.A. Happ134701021.603.6013.50

Looking Forward

The Astros should be able to rebound against Kansas City and Cleveland this week, as neither of those teams' starting lineups, rotations, or bullpens are as fierce as those the Astros faced during the week past. Expect a rebound from just about everybody. Which is to say, if one player performs as he has during the season as a whole instead of how he did last week, that will constitute a rebound for the entire team.

Until the starting pitchers figure out why they can't miss bats or avoid big innings, best keep them on your bench or drop all non-Wandys and non-Buds. They're just not rosterable at this point.

Crawfish Boxes Leagues

• The Crawfish Boxes - HMC Wrecking Crew finally dethroned me from the #1 spot after a 11-1-0 win over Lulecitos. That tied for best win of the week with Jellystone Beras, who beat Lima-Time Clan. Vengeance shall be mine.
• TCB Baseball Madness - I was knocked out of first in this league also this week, by Joe Morgan's a Fool. Best win goes to AlwaysSunnyInSeattle 11-1-0 over brad e.
• Boxes O' Crawfish - Astros Don't Suck is still in first despite a 3-8-0 loss, but lowastros is sneaking up behind after a 11-1-0 win over Bayou Dogs. I've climbed all the way to fourteenth place in this league after an 11-1-0 win over last-place WildHaze, and the Caveman also beat House 11-1-0. Root. Root. Root.

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Lou Brock And The Hall Of Fame Class Of 1985

Lou Brock And The Hall Of Fame Class Of 1985 Lou Brock was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.  In his first year of eligibility, Brock captured 315 of the 395 votes cast, good for a … Continue reading →

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This Week In Yankees History (6/17-6/23)

This Week in Yankees History
June 17th - June 23rd
June 17th
1903 - Former Yankees P Benjamin ?Big Ben? Shields (1924-1925) was born (1903-1982). Ben Shields went 3-0 in 6 games for the Yankees.
1917 - The Giants and Yankees played the 1st Sunday game in New York City for a war charity in front of 21,000 spectators at the Polo Grounds.
1918 - The New York Yankees play an 8-inning 5-5 tie with the Detroit Tigers, called because the team had to catch a train to Cleveland.
1936 - Red Ruffing of the New York Yankees set an AL record for pitchers by recording up to 10 total bases. Ruffing hit 2 HRs as part of a 4-hit day (2-singles), helping the Yankees to a 15-4 crushing of the Cleveland Indians.
1941 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees was credited with a hit in his 30th consecutive game when an easy grounder to shortstop bounced up and hit Luke Appling on the shoulder. The Chicago White Sox beat the Yankees by the score of 8-7.
1961 - Former Yankees reserve OF Vic Mata (1984-1985) was born. The New York Yankees signed Vic Mata as an MLB amateur free agent in 1978. He appeared in 36 games for the Yankees hitting .312.
1977 - The Yankees open a three-game series at Fenway Park, with starter Jim ?Catfish? Hunter is bomber by four 1st inning HR?s by Red Sox batters: Rick Burleson, Fred Lynn, Carlton Fisk and George Scott. The Boston Red Sox win the game by a score of 11-1.
1978 - Ron Guidry of the Yankees struck out 18 batters in a 4-hit, in a 4-0 shutout of the Angels, to set an AL record for a left-handed pitcher in a single game. Guidry, who struck out 15 batters in the first 6 innings of the game. Ron posted his 11th consecutive victory without a loss. The performance will help coin a new nickname for Guidry as the team's announcer, Phil Rizzuto, began to refer to him as 'Louisiana Lightning', inspiring a new Yankees tradition as the fans began to clap rhythmically, each time there was 2 strikes on the batter.
1979 - Former Yankees OF Duffy Lewis (1919-1920) passed away (1888-1979). Duffy Lewis was traded by the Boston Red Sox goes along with front-line P Ernie Shore and Dutch Leonard for New York Yankees P Ray "Slim" Caldwell, P Slim Love, C Roxy Walters, OF Frank Gilhooley and $15,000. The Boston Post reports, "It will take a lot to convince Boston fans that they got the best of this one". Duffy Lewis will hit .272 for the Yankees. On December 31, 1920, Lewis is traded by the Yankees along with veteran P George Mogridge to the Washington Senators for OF Braggo Roth.
1984 - Former longtime Yankees Bullpen Coach Jim Hegan (1961-1973,1979-1980) passes away (1920-1984). Jim Hegan was a 5-time AL All Star catcher for the Cleveland Indians during the late 1940?s and early 1950?s. Jim was the Indians starting catcher from 1946-1956. Jim joined the Yankees in 1961 as a MLB coach. He was a MLB scout for the Yankees for 2 years before retiring from baseball. Jim?s son Mike Hegan played for the Yankees during the 1960?s and early 1970?s. They were the first MLB Father-Son duo to appear in the World Series together (1964).
1985 - Former Yankees minor league INF Mitch Hilligoss was born. In 2006, Mitch Hilligoss was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 6th round of the MLB amateur player draft. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. On January 26,2010, Mitch was traded by the Yankees to the Texas Rangers for OF Greg Olson.
1987 - Former Yankees player (1967-1968), MLB Coach (1968-1979) and Manager (1980), Richard Howser died from brain cancer at the age of 51 (1937-1987). As player, he came to the New York Yankees at the end of his MLB career dealing with bad back problems. Upon his retirement as an active player in 1968, the Yankees hired him to be a MLB coach. In 1980, he led the Yankees to a 103-59 record in AL East before losing to the Royals in the AL Championship Playoffs. After leaving the Yankees, he managed the Kansas City Royals before being stricken by cancer.
June 18th
1918 - The New York Yankees score in every inning except for the 8th inning as they beat the Cleveland Indians by a score of 19-3.
1946 - The New York Yankees waived veteran P Bill Zuber (1943-1946) to the Boston Red Sox. Bill went 18-23 for the Yankees.
1975 - Former Yankees P Felix Heredia (2003-2004) was born. Felix Heredia went 1-2 as a Yankees reliever, before being traded to the New York Mets for veteran reliever Mike Stanton in 2004.
1976 - MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voided the sales of Oakland A?s stars Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi. Kuhn ordered the players to return to Oakland, but A?s owner Charlie Finley will not allow the A?s manager Chuck Tanner to use any of them in a game until June 27.
1977 - New York Yankees OF Reggie Jackson and Manager Billy Martin became involved in a dugout confrontation that is seen on national television during a ?Game of the Week? broadcast on NBC-TV being played at Boston?s Fenway Park. After Martin removed Jackson for loafing on a ball hit to the outfield, replacing him with reserve OF Paul Blair. Jackson questioned Manager Billy Martin actions in the Yankees dugout. The two were eventually separated by Yankees MLB coaches Elston Howard and Yogi Berra.
2007 - The New York Yankees signed Chinese C Zhenwang Zhang and P Kai Liu. It is touted as the 1st time a MLB organization has signed Chinese players. This is not the case, as the Seattle Mariners had signed Chao Wang in 2001.
2009 - In a start delayed by rain for over 5 hours at New Yankee Stadium, Craig Stammen earns his 1st MLB career victory when the Washington Nationals shut out the New York Yankees by the score of 3-0. It is the 1st homer-less game at the ballpark since it?s opening in April.
2010 - The New York Mets extend their winning streak to 8 games when rookie hurler Hisanori Takahashi, with bullpen help from Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez, shuts out their cross-town rivals the New York Yankees, by the score of 4-0.
2011 - A violent collision at home plate between Carlos Pena of the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees C Russell Martin is the highlight of the Yankees' 4-3 win. With New York up 3-2 in the 6th inning, Geovany Soto hits a bases-loaded line drive to left which LF Brett Gardner catches as he is charging; he fires a one-hop strike to Martin, which arrives just before Pena crashes into him, sending his helmet flying and the catcher rolling on the ground. But Martin holds on for an inning-ending double play. Yankees starter A.J. Burnett is the winner over Ryan Dempster, with Closer Mariano Rivera picking up the save.
June 19th
1903 - Future Yankees Hall Of Fame 1B Lou Gehrig (1923-1939) was born in New York City (1903-1941). Lou Gehrig will make his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 1923. During the 1925 AL season, he will become the Yankees' everyday 1B replacing veteran Wally Pipp. He will set a record for the longest MLB consecutive games played streak while combining with Babe Ruth to form one of the greatest run-producing tandems of all time. He finished his New York Yankees career with a .340 BA with 493 HRs with 1,991 RBIs in 2,164 games for the Yankees. Lou won the American League MVP award 3 times in his MLB career. In 1934, Lou won the AL Triple Crown with a .363 BA, 49 HRs with 165 RBI?s. He was elected to Baseball?s Hall of Fame in 1939. In May of 1939, Lou stopped playing MLB because of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); he would pass away from the disease in 1941.
1904 - The New York Yankees obtained OF Pat Dougherty from the Boston Red Sox for INF Bob Unglaub. He hit .273 for the Yankees in 234 games in 1904-1906.
1912 - Former Yankees MLB Scout (1971-1974), MLB player, Coach and Manager Don Gutteridge was born (1912-2008). Don Gutteridge was a MLB player, who later became a Minor League Manager for the Chicago White Sox. He was a MLB scout in 1968 for the Kansas City Royals, helping the team prepare for the expansion draft. In July of 1968, he rejoined the Chicago White Sox working on Manager Al Lopez?s MLB coaching staff. He took over the White Sox Manager?s job in May of 1969, running the team until September of 1970, posting a 109-172 record. He joined the New York Yankees organization as a MLB Scout in 1971, holding the position until 1974. He finished up his MLB scouting career with the Dodgers working for them from 1975 to 1992.
1913 - The New York Yankees waived P Ed Klepfer to the New York Giants. He went 0-1 in 10 games for the Yankees in 1911 and 1913.
1918 - The New York Yankees purchased OF Ham Hyatt from the Boston Braves for cash. Ham hit .229 and was released by the team.
1941 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit in his 32nd consecutive game, en route to his record breaking MLB 56 consecutive games hitting-streak, going 3-for-3, including a HR, against the Chicago White Sox.
1949 - Former Yankees reserve OF Gene Locklear (1976-1977) was born. Gene Locklear was obtained on July 10,1976, when he was traded by the San Diego Padres to the Yankees for a player to be named later. The Yankees would send P Rick Sawyer on July 31,1976, to the Padres to complete the trade. Gene only appeared in 14 games for the Yankees, spending most of his time at AAA.
1950 - Former Yankees reserve INF Fernando Gonzalez (1974) was born. Fernando Gonzalez hit .215 for the 1974 Yankees in 51 games as backup infielder.
1961 - Yankees RF Roger Maris hit a 9th-inning HR off of Kansas City A's pitcher Jim Archer, his 25th HR of the 1961 American League season, putting him 7 games ahead of Babe Ruth's 60th HR pace in 1927.
1974 - Former Yankees 1B/DH Doug Mientiewicz (2007) was born. The New York Yankees signed 1B/DH Doug Mientiewicz as a MLB free agent in January of 2007. He would appear in 72 games, hitting .277 before breaking his wrist for the 2007 Yankees.
1975 - The New York Yankees obtained OF Rich Coggins (1975-1976) from the Montreal Expos for cash. Rich hit .237 for the Yankees. On May 18,1976, he was traded by the Yankees along with P Ken Brett to the Chicago White Sox for OF/DH Carlos May.
1977 - Carl Yastrzemski (2), Bernie Carbo (2), and George Scott (1) of the Boston Red Sox hit five home runs in an 11-1 triumph over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. The 5 home runs give the Red Sox a MLB record 16 in 3 games. Boston hit 6 homers on June 17th and 5 on June 18, also against the Yankees. The Yankees had no homers in the 3-game series.
1979 - At Yankee Stadium, a crowd of 36,211 fans showed up to witness the return of Billy Martin as New York Yankees manager in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin had been named to replace Bob Lemon the previous day, and began his 2nd stint as Yankees skipper a season earlier than previously announced.
June 20th
1908 - Former Yankees INF Billy Werber (1930-1933) was born (1908-2009). Billy hit .272 in 118 games for the Yankees. With 1933 being his best Yankees season hitting .258 in 111 games. In May 1933, he was sold to the Boston Red Sox. He later played with the Philadelphia A?s. While with the Cincinnati Reds, Werber became the 1st player to bat in the 1st televised MLB game, a contest against the Brooklyn Dodgers on August 26, 1939. The next season, he batted leadoff for the Cincinnati Reds hitting .370 in the 1940 World Series. He finished his 11-season MLB career with the New York Giants. When Billy passed away in 2009, he was the last living teammate of Babe Ruth.
1911 - In a New York 3-2 win against the Washington Senators, Highlanders 1B Hal Chase makes a MLB record of 21 putouts.
1913 - After New York wins the opener by the score of 9-3, Washington Senators starter Bert Gallia hits three of the first four Yankee batters that he faces in the 1st inning of the nightcap. Three more Yankee batters are plunked by Nats relievers Joe Engel (2) and Tom Hughes (1), for a record 6. The outcome is the same as the 1st game; New York wins again, by the score of 9-3. Yankees leadoff hitter Bert Daniels puts his name in the AL record book, when he gets hit 3 times.
1916 - Tilly Walker's HR over the LF wall is the only HR the Boston Red Sox will hit at Fenway Park this season, but it is the lone Boston score today as the Yankees win the game by a score of 4-1. Inserted as a defensive replacement late in the game, Red Sox shortstop Everett Scott starts a string of 1,307 consecutive games, all played at that position. He will complete the streak as a Yankees player on May 6,1925. It will be the best in MLB history until Lou Gehrig's 2,130 games in 1939.
1918 - The New York Yankees buy P John Robinson from the St. Louis Browns for cash. He went 2-4 and was released by the team.
1928 - Former Yankees Pinch Runner Arthur ?Dutch? Schult (1953) was born. Art Schult played 5 seasons in the majors for 4 different teams. He was in 59 games at 1st base and 56 in the outfield. He was first up with the New York Yankees, his next team was the Cincinnati Reds, moving on to the Washington Senators. His last MLB season was with the Chicago Cubs. He hit for a .254 average, while playing in the majors. He appeared in only 7 games as a New York Yankee, all of them as a pinch runner, but he scored 3 runs.
1929 - Former Yankees minor league P Wally Burnette was born (1929-2003). In 1948, the New York Yankees signed Wally Burnette as a MLB amateur free agent. He never played for the Yankees at the MLB level. Wally Burnette arrived with the Kansas City A's via one of the many trades between the 2 teams during that era. After 2 years in the Army, he won 21 games with the Binghamton Triplets (Eastern League) in 1953. He finished with a 6-8 record with a good ERA of 2.89 as a rookie in 1956, but he hurt his arm in spring training the following year, Wally was gone after 1958 AL season with an overall record of 14-21 and a .356 ERA for the A's.
1934 - The AL leading New York Yankees trip the Cleveland Indians twice by scores of 3-2 and 3-0 at Yankee Stadium. New York ties the 1st game on Frank Crosetti's solo HR in the 8th inning off of P Bob Weiland, then wins it on Lou Gehrig's 18th HR in the 9th inning. Lefty Gomez, in relief of starter Johnny Broaca, is the winner. In 2nd game, Hal Trosky Sr.'s single is the only hit off of Yankees starter Red Ruffing, who also knocks in a run.
1939 - The New York Yankees re-obtained veteran hurler Jim DeShong on waivers from the Washington Senators. Jim went 10-8 for the Yankees in 1934-1935. He didn?t appear in any games for the Yankees in 1939.
1940 - The New York Yankees lose to the Chicago White Sox 1-0 in 11 innings, their 6th straight loss, then protest a "catch" by Sox LF Moose Solters, contending he dropped the ball in the 2nd inning when he was reaching for his cap. Umpire George Quinn apparently missed the error and the protest is upheld. The game will be replayed September 18th, but, for several years, all of today's records count including Monte Pearson's loss and Johnny Rigney's win, will count. It is the 1st time since 1919 that the Yankees have been shut out in extra innings by one pitcher: they lost on May 19, 1935 in extra innings to 2 pitchers, Stewart and Brown.
1946 - A Fortune magazine story gives some rare details of MLB finances, showing the 1945 Yankees revenue of $1.6 million and profit of $306,000, cut to $201,000 after minor league team losses. Of the gross income, $896,000 is from home ticket sales.
1946 - The New York Yankees purchased OF Hal Peck from the Philadelphia A?s for an undisclosed amount of cash. He doesn?t play for the Yankees in 1946. On December 6,1946, Hal was traded by the Yankees along with hurlers Gene Bearden and Al Gettel to the Cleveland Indians for C Sherm Lollar and INF Ray Mack.
1950 - New York Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000 MLB career hit, an 8th inning run-scoring single off of P Marino Pieretti during a Yankees 8-2 victory against the Cleveland Indians.
1956 - At Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Mickey Mantle poles two Billy Hoeft pitches into the right CF bleachers, something no other player had done since the bleachers were built in the late 1930s. The Yankees win the game by a score of 7-4.
1963 - In the 1st annual Mayor?s Trophy Game between the Yankees and Mets, the Mets down the Yankees by the score of 6-2, before 52,430 fans at Yankee Stadium. The profits of the game are annually turned over to the sandlot programs of the City of New York.
1979 - Former Yankees P Scott Patterson (2008) was born. On June 17, 2006, Scott Patterson was purchased by the New York Yankees from Lancaster (Atlantic League). On October 15,2006, Scott was granted free agency by the Yankees. On November 1, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the New York Yankees. He spends the season at AAA. On October 29,2007, Scott was granted free agency by the Yankees. On November 20, 2007, Scott was resigned as a free agent with the team. He appeared in 1 game with no record for the 2008 Yankees. On September 11, 2008, he was selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres from the New York Yankees.
1983 - AL All Star Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer retires as an active MLB player (Yankees: 1965-1966, 1969-1974, 1979-1983). Bobby Murcer was groomed to be the next Mickey Mantle, but it didn?t work out that way, he still had a very good career with the Yankees. He made the AL All Star team in 1971-1974. He won AL Golden Glove in 1972. His best Yankees season with the bat was in 1971, when he hit .331. In the winter of 1974, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for OF Bobby Bonds. Bobby would return to the Yankees in a trade with the Chicago Cubs during the 1979 AL season. Finishing out his Yankees MLB playing career in 1983. He became a Yankees broadcast announcer.
1984 - At Detroit, New York Yankees rookie reliever Jose Rijo falls to 1-7 when he serves up a 2-out 3-run HR to Howard Johnson in the 13th inning. Detroit wins the game by a score of 9-6. Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish and Chet Lemon also hit HRs for the Tigers, who draw their 3rd straight 40,000 plus crowd.
1989 - The New York Yankees traded AL All Star LF Rickey Henderson back to the Oakland A's for journeymen pitchers Eric Plunk and Greg Cadaret and OF/DH Luis Polonia.
2001 - Former Yankees P Bob Keegan passed away (1919-2001). Before the 1946 AL season, P Bob Keegan was signed as an MLB amateur free agent by the New York Yankees. The 25-year old Keegan was a native of Rochester, NY, who had also attended Bucknell University. Also he was fresh out of the United States Army Air Corps where he had been a navigator on a B-24 during World War II. The Yankees assigned him to the Binghamton Triplets (Eastern League), where he posted a 5-6 record with a 3.87 ERA his 1st season of professional baseball. Bob Keegan would struggle while pitching in the New York Yankees organization from 1946-1951. He would have only 2 seasons above .500 record during those seasons, going 8-6 in 1948 in a split season with the Kansas City Blues and the Newark Bears. He was 14-9 in 1951 with Kansas City Blues and the Syracuse Chiefs. It appears that the Syracuse club knew a good thing when they saw it. On April 3, 1952, they purchased Bob Keegan from the Yankees. The right-hander went 20-11 with a 2.64 ERA. The International League season was hardly over when Syracuse sold Bob to the Chicago White Sox. 
2006 - Former Yankees 3B Billy ?Bull? Johnson (1943,1946-1951) passed away (1918-2006). Before 1936 AL Season, Billy Johnson was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent. Third baseman Billy Johnson reached the majors with the 1943 New York Yankees, hitting .280 with 94 RBIs. He missed the next 2 seasons while serving during World War II. Johnson entered the Merchant Marines in March 1944, and then he was inducted into the U.S. Army in September 1944. Billy was discharged from the Army in May 1946. After the war, he returned to the Yankees, he appeared in a total of 4 World Series (1943,1947,1949-1950) with the club. In 1947, Billy was a member of the 1947 AL All Star team. Billy appeared in 735 games for the Yankees, hitting .275 with 45 HRs with 388 RBIs. On May 14,1951, Billy Johnson was traded by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals for 1B Don Bollweg and $15,000.
2010 - The New York Yankees are back in 1st place in the AL East, 1 game ahead of the surging Boston Red Sox and the slumping Tampa Bay Rays, after CC Sabathia pitches 8 scoreless innings as the Bronx Bombers shut out the Mets and Johan Santana, 4-0. All the runs come on Mark Teixeira's grand slam HR.
June 21st
1897 - Former Yankees INF Spencer Adams (1926) was born (1897-1970). Spencer Adams hit .120 in 28 games for the Yankees.
1906 - Former Yankees P Russell (Russ) ?Sheriff? Van Atta (1933-1935) was born (1906-1986). On September 12, 1932, Russ Van Atta was purchased by the New York Yankees from St Paul (American Association) for cash plus 2 players to be named. Russ went 15-9 for the Yankees from 1933-1935. Russ had an amazing MLB debut: he not only shut out the Washington Senators by the score of 16-0, he also went 4 for4 at the plate. During the winter of 1934, he injured his hand by cutting it, Russ was limited to relief (with some spot-starts) for the rest of his MLB playing career. On May 15,1935, Russ was purchased by the St. Louis Browns from the New York Yankees.
1916 - Rube Foster of the Boston Red Sox no-hits the New York Yankees for the 1st no-hitter in Fenway Park, beating Yankees starter Bob Shawkey by a score of 2-0. Harry Hooper leads the Red Sox offense with 3 hits.
1918 - Former Yankees P and Coach Ed ?Steady Eddie? Lopat (1948-1955) was born (1918 - 1992). The New York Yankees obtained Eddie Lopat from the Chicago White Sox in February of 1948 for C Aaron Robinson, Pitchers Fred Bradley and Bill Wight. From 1948 to 1954, Eddie won 113 games for the Yankees as part of the Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, Whitey Ford (1950,1953) starting rotation that won 5 straight World Championships (1949-1953). Ed helped Whitey Ford with his MLB development, using a 8MM camera to study the pitcher?s movements. Eddie known, as ?The Junkman? would be started by Manager Casey Stengel in-between fastball starters Reynolds and Raschi, to throw off the opposition club?s hitters. Some Eddie?s Yankee career highlights are 113 wins with a .657 WP, 20 career shutouts, with 91 complete games. His Yankee career ERA was 3.21. In 1951, he was 21-9 for the Yankees. He was the Yankees MLB pitching coach in 1960. He would later work for the Kansas City A?s as a Manager and General Manager, later work with the Montreal Expos in the front office.
1930 - Babe Ruth hits 3-HR?s in one game for the 1st time in his regular MLB season career, but the Yankees still lose to the Philadelphia A?s by a score of 15-7. The Yankees had been leading the game by a score of 6-0, when the A?s scored 9 runs in the 7th inning. Ruth?s 3rd HR of the game went out of Shibe Park over the RF wall landing 1 block away. In the second game of the doubleheader, the A?s win again beating the Yankees by a score of 4-1.
1939 - The New York Yankees announced 1B Lou Gehrig's retirement from MLB, based on the report that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The 36-year-old star will remain with the team for the rest of 1939 AL season as team captain.
1950 - Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th MLB career hit, a 7th-inning single off of Cleveland Indians' Marino Pieretti, as the Yankees win the game by a score of 8-2. Joe DiMaggio joins Luke Appling and Wally Moses as the only active MLB players with 2,000 or more hits. Eddie Lopat is the winning pitcher for the Yankees, running his AL career record against the Cleveland Indians to 25-6.
1951 - Former Yankees minor league P Bob Polinsky was born. In the 1st round of the January 1973 MLB amateur player draft (secondary phase), P Bob Polinsky was selected by the New York Yankees. After signing with the Yankees, Polinsky moved up the Yankees farm system rather quickly pitching at West Haven (AA) in 1974-1975 and the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA) in 1976. On April 5, 1977, Polinsky was traded by the Yankees along with OF/DH Oscar Gamble, minor league P La Marr Hoyt, and $200,000 to the Chicago White Sox for shortstop Bucky Dent. He would return to the Yankees organization in 1978, pitching for Tacoma Yankees (PCL, AAA). He pitched for the West Haven Yankees (AA) and Columbus Clippers (AAA) in 1979. Bob Polinsky never pitched in the majors.
1958 - Detroit Tigers starter Frank Lary pitches his 3rd straight shutout, beating the Yankees starter Duke Maas by a score of 1-0. Tigers RF Al Kaline throws out Duke Maas at home plate and hits his 7th HR of the 1958 AL season to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.
1960 - New York Yankees starter Whitey Ford out-duels Detroit Tigers ?Yankee Killer? Frank Lary to give New York a 6-0 victory in Detroit. Yankees CF Mickey Mantle is 3-for-5 with 2 HRs off of Frank Lary.
1964 - The New York Yankees move into 1st place by 8 percentage points over the Baltimore Orioles, as they out pitch the Chicago White Sox to win a doubleheader sweep by scores of 2-0 and 2-1. Mickey Mantle and Elston Howard solo HRs win it, 2-0 for Jim Bouton in the opener against White Sox hurler Juan Pizarro, and an error wins the nightcap 2-1 in the 17th inning. The Yankees sweep the 4 game series, giving up just 1 run in 41 innings, and take 9 games from White Sox in 11 days.
1966 - In the 1st game of a twin bill, there are 2 on and 2 outs in the 9th inning when Baltimore Orioles RF Frank Robinson makes a spectacular catch against New York's Roy White, diving into the stands over the short RF fence and disappearing from view. He emerges with the ball and it is ruled a catch, preserving a 7-5 Orioles victory, rather than 8-7 defeat.
1966 - Minor League Note: Satchel Paige makes his final professional pitching appearance, going the 1st 2 innings for the Peninsula Grays (Carolina League) against the Greensboro Yankees. Satchel gives up 2 runs. As noted by historian Bill Deane, Peninsula's regular catcher, Johnny Bench, took the night off.
1967 - in a weird doubleheader spit between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In the 1st game the Yankees had a 5-2 lead in the 11th inning, only to lose the game by a score of 6-5. In the 2nd game, the Yankees are trailing in the 9th inning by the score of 3-2; they score 4 runs to win the game by a score of 6-3.
1988 - With 2 outs in the 9th inning, Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell blasts a grand slam to give the Tigers, a 7-6 win over the Yankees.
1989 - Chicago White Sox Carlton Fisk surpasses New York Yankees HOF catcher Yogi Berra as the AL leader for career HRs by a catcher as his 307th HR helps to beat the Yankees by a score of 7-3.
1996 - The New York Yankees acquired P Billy Brewer while giving veteran reliever Steve Howe his release. Brewer went 1-0 in 4 games for the Yankees, after his trade on June 22,1996 by the Dodgers to the Yankees for P Mike Judd.
1997 - Tribe slugger Manny Ramirez has six RBIs, 4 on a grand slam HR, to lead the host Cleveland Indians to a 13-4 win over the New York Yankees and starter Andy Pettitte.
1998 - Cleveland Indians lefty starter Bartolo Colon coasts to an 11-0 shutout over the New York Yankees.
2000 - Former Yankees OF Edward ?Bud ? Stewart (1948) passed away (1916-2000). In March of 1947, OF Bud Stewart was acquired by the New York Yankees. Bud began the 1948 season in New York after hitting .358 for the Kansas City Blues (American Association) the previous season. After just 6 games with the Yankees, he was traded to the Washington Senators on May 13,1948, for OF Leon Culberson and $20,000.
2002 - Minor League Note: During the New York-Penn League game between New Jersey Cardinals and Staten Island Yankees, a fan hops a fence goes and goes onto the field to argue an umpire's call at 1B. The 38-year old woman is at the game with her 8-year-old daughter's Brownie troop.
2005 - After building 10-2 lead at Yankee Stadium, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lose to the New York Yankees by a score of 20-11, making it the 2nd time in franchise history the team is ahead by 8 or more runs and lose by 9 runs or more tallies. No other club history has ever achieved this dubious distinction as the D-Rays with their 1999 defeat to the Cleveland; Indians now have accomplished the feat twice.
June 22nd
1890 - Former Yankees reserve OF Mickey Fitzgerald (1911) was born. Mike Fitzgerald hit .270 in 19 games during the 1911 AL season.
1912 - The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees by a score of 10-3, to complete a 5-game sweep, in which they score 55 runs against the Yankees during the 5 game series.
1916 - Red Sox starter Babe Ruth almost duplicates teammate Rube Foster's no-hitter, allowing just 3 singles, two by Frank Gilhooley, in beating the Yankees in a 1-0 victory. The game takes only 1 hour, 18 minutes.
1928 - Journeyman hurler Hank Johnson of the New York Yankees blanks the star-studded Philadelphia A?s by the score of 4-0. In the game for Connie Mack's team are Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Collins, Tris Speaker and Lefty Grove, who were future Hall of Fame player?s.
1930 - Babe Ruth ties a MLB record by hitting 5 HRs in 2 games and 6-HRs in 3 games. The Yankees outfielder hits 3 HRs in the 2nd game of the doubleheader yesterday, 2 HRs in today's opener and 1 more in the nightcap.
1930 - New York Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig hits 3 HRs in the 2nd game of doubleheader against the Philadelphia A?s. The Yankees sweep the doubleheader beating the A?s by scores of 10-1 and 20-13.
1934 - Former Yankees Minor League OF Russ Snyder was born. Nineteen year old Russ Snyder signed as an amateur MLB free agent with the New York Yankees before the 1953 AL Season. A left hand hitter who attended the University of Nebraska, he began pro ball in the Yankees organization in 1953 hitting an astounding .432 for the McAlester Rockets of the Sooner State League with 240 base hits in 556 at-bats. One would think that this opening performance would get Russ a quick look at the "Show" but it took 6 more years in the bushes before he got inside a MLB park.
On April 12, 1959, the New York Yankees traded Russ Snyder and INF Tommy Carroll to the Kansas City A?s for OF Bob Martyn and INF Mike Baxes. His trade was a rare mistake by Yankees GM George Weiss. Martyn and Baxes were sent to Richmond (AAA). Russ first came up with the A?s in 1959 after hitting .336 for the Portland Beavers of the (PCL). He then hit .313 in 73 games for the A's. Snyder was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after one more season with the A?s. From 1961 to 1967, he was a semi-regular in the Orioles outfield hitting .305 in 1962 and .306 for the 1966 World Champions. Russ appeared in 3 games in the 1966 World Series, he had one base hit and one RBI to help his club in the series. He closed out his 12-year MLB career with a lifetime .271 average in 1,365 games, after wearing the uniforms of the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers in his last three seasons. Russ had spent 7 seasons (1953-1959) in the minor leagues, where he hit for a .316 average in 761 games. Snyder had played an uninterrupted 18 consecutive years of professional baseball, a feat in itself. He started at age 19 in 1953 and finished at age 36 in 1970. 
1934 - The Detroit Tigers take over 1st place in the American League, by beating the Washington Senators by a score of 11-3, dislodging the New York Yankees, who lose their game by a score of 4-1 to the Cleveland Indians.
1936 - Former Yankees P Jim Bronstad (1959) was born. Jim Bronstad went 0-3 in 16 games with 2 saves with the 1959 New York Yankees. He spent the 1960-1963 seasons with Richmond (International League, AAA). In 1963, the Washington Senators purchased Jim from the Yankees.
1953 - Former Yankees OF Charlie ?Eagle Eye? Hemphill (1908-1911) passed away (1876-1953). On November 5,1907, Charlie Hemphill was traded by the St. Louis Browns along with P Fred Glade and 2B Harry Niles to the New York Highlanders for Hobe Ferris, OF Danny Hoffman and 2B Jimmy Williams. He appeared in 386 games, hitting .269 for the Yankees.
1959 - At Kansas City, New York slugger Mickey Mantle drives in 6 runs with a triple and 2 HRs to lead the Yankees to a 13-6 victory over the A?s. Yankees 1B Bill ? Moose? Skowron adds his 4th HR in 4 days to move Yankees to 3 games out of 1st place in the AL.
1961 - Yankees RF Roger Maris leads the Bronx Bombers on an 8-3 thrashing of the Kansas City A's by belting his 27th HR of the 1961 AL season. He adds 2 doubles and a single. Maris has now, has hit 20 HRs in the past 30 days (May 24th -June 22nd) to tie the MLB mark set by NL slugger Ralph Kiner in 1947.
1965 - Ray Barker's MLB-record-tying 2nd consecutive pinch-hit HR is wasted in a 1st-game, a 6-2 Yankees loss to the Kansas City A's. Mickey Mantle adds an HR in the opener, but in the 4-2 nightcap win, he tries to score from 2nd on a wild pitch and snaps a upper-thigh hamstring. He will be out for three weeks. The June 21st Sports Illustrated cover features Mickey Mantle with the prescient title "New York Yankees: End of an Era?"
1977 - New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles 3-run HR and Reggie Jackson?s 2-run triple snap the Yankees 5-game losing streak and create a come from behind 12-11 victory at Detroit.
1996 - In Cleveland, Ruben Sierra HRs from both sides of the plate as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians by a score of 11- 9. One of Sierra's HRs comes in the 9-run, 6th inning by the Yankees. Albert Belle, back from a 2-game suspension, is 3-for-5 with a HR, while Eddie Murray adds his 488th MLB career HR for the Tribe. The game takes 4-hours, 10 minutes to play.
2010 - Minor League Note: The GCL Yankees rip the GCL Pirates, by the score of 11-4. In the fifth inning, the Bucs turn to reliever Dovydas Neverauskas, who will allow 2 runs in 2 1/3 IP. He becomes the 1st Lithuanian to play in the minor leagues.
2011 - The Cincinnati Reds split a doubleheader with the New York Yankees as Chris Heisey hits 3 HRs in the nightcap for a 10-2 win. Johnny Cueto is the winner against journeyman starter Brian Gordon. The Yankees win the opener by the score of 4-2, when Jorge Posada, making a rare start at 1st base, hits a 2-run HR, his first long ball since April 23rd.
June 23rd
1894 - Former Hall of Fame Yankees General Manager (1948-1960) and Minor League Director (1932-1947) George Weiss was born (1894-1972). George Weiss spent 29 years in the New York Yankees organization before being fired in October of 1960. Before becoming the Yankees General Manager in 1948, he helped establish and run the Yankees farm system under Yankees long-time GM Edward Barrow. He was tight fisted with the Yankee player salaries, caring only about getting his bonus money from the Yankee Co-Owners Del Webb and Dan Topping for bringing in the team under ?budget.? The Yankee players did not like him. His search for the perfect black Yankee player, delayed the team?s entry into the black player market. After being let go by the Yankees in October of 1960, George would join the National League expansion New York Mets in 1961, as their 1st team General Manager and President (1961-1966), along with Casey Stengel as the team?s 1st MLB manager. George Weiss was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
1907 - Former Yankees reserve OF Allen ?Dusty? Cooke (1930-1932) was born (1907-1987). Dusty Cooke hit .294 in 122 games for the Yankees. On May 15,1933, Dusty was traded by the New York Yankees to the Boston Red Sox for Marv Olson, Johnny Watwood and cash. He joined the Navy in October of 1942 and served in Okinawa Bay during the war. Cooke received training in the navy in conditioning, so he became the MLB trainer for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1946. Cooke was a Phillies MLB coach from 1948-1952 and was also the club's manager for a short time in 1948.
1915 - Former Yankees C Aaron Robinson (1943,1945-1947) was born (1915-1966). Aaron Robinson was the New York Yankees catcher from 1945-1947, sharing duties with Yogi Berra (1947) and Sherman Lollar (1947) before being traded for Chicago White Sox starter Eddie Lopat in February of 1948. Aaron Robinson was recalled from the Newark Bears upon his entry into the US Coast Guard in June 1943. He was discharged from military service in July 1945. Robinson was an AL All-Star catcher in 1947. He played in the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. However, Aaron Robinson became expendable because the team had a 22-year-old catcher named Yogi Berra. Robinson played 8 seasons in the MLB, never appearing at any other position than catcher. While he got into one game in 1943, he was 30 before he played his 2nd MLB game in 1945, and 31 before he became the regular catcher for the Yankees. He had an excellent season in 1946, hitting .297 with a .506 slugging percentage. As a comparison, Joe DiMaggio, who was also 31 that year, slugged .511.
1915 - The New York Yankees a draw a AL record 16 walks in 1-9-inning game against Philadelphia A?s pitcher Bruno P. Haas. It was Haas 1st MLB game, he added 3 wild pitches to the fire, which lead to a 15-0 defeat of the A?s. Haas breaks the American League record of 15 walks, set by hurler Boardwalk Brown. He ties Bill George's MLB record. Haas will pitch in just 5 more games before ending up in the NFL as a halfback for Akron.
1917 - The New York Yankees purchased shortstop Aaron Ward and OF Howie Camp from Louisville (Southern League). Aaron Ward would play shortstop for the Yankees for 10 seasons, while Camp hit .286 and was released by the team in 1917.
1924 - Former Yankees P Harry ?Lefty? Schaeffer (1952) was born (1924-2008). Pitcher Harry Schaeffer served in the Navy during World War II. The 22-year-old left-hander returned in time to put together a 12-6 record with the Stroudsburg Poconos (Class D, North Atlantic League) in 1946. Before the 1947 season, Harry was obtained by the New York Yankees from Stroudsburg as part of a minor league working agreement. The Pennsylvania native would spend until 1952 in the minors, working his way up the Yankees chain. One of his good seasons came in 1948 with the Manchester Yankees (Class B, New England League), when he forged a league-leading 2.33 ERA; he put together a 12-9 record while pitching 209 innings, plus making the league?s All-Star team. Harry went all-out for the 1951 Beaumont Roughnecks (Texas League), when he went 19-9 with a 2.59 ERA while pitching 261 innings, opening the door for his trip to Yankee Stadium. Schaeffer's MLB career began and ended in 1952 when he lost his only decision in 5 games for the New York Yankees. Harry would spend the rest of 1952 season with the Kansas City Blues (American Association) and the Oakland Oaks of the (PCL), putting together a combined 7-5 record with a 3.07 ERA 
The left-hander would spend 2 more seasons in the minors, spending 1953 season with the Kansas City Blues winning 11 games. Finishing up his minor league career in 1954 with both the Toledo Mud Hens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Harry ended his 9-season run with an 84-67 record and a 3.32 ERA while pitching 1,241 innings in 248 games. 
1927 - At Boston, Lou Gehrig leads the Yankees to an 11-4 victory by hitting 3 HRs, a 1st at Fenway Park. Gehrig hits a 2-run HR in the 2nd inning, adding solo HR shots in the 6th and 8th innings, off of Red Sox P Danny Mac Fayden. He adds a single to his total as Yankees starter Dutch Ruether coasts to the win.
1932 - New York Yankees 1B Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a Yankees uniform, equaling INF Joe Sewell's record with one team (Cleveland Indians).
1935 - The league-leading New York Yankees (37-22) lose their 3rd game in a row, dropping a 6-5 decision to the 2nd-place Cleveland Indians. Yankees 3B Red Rolfe's error in the 8th inning allows the Tribe to tie the game. Yankees starter Lefty Gomez losses 2 wild pitches in a row in the 9th inning to allowing Tribe base runner Joe Vosmik to get to 3B. Abe Wright's single brings home the winner. Mel Harder, in relief in the 9th inning, wins his 11th game of the 1935 AL season.
1940 - Bobo Newsom wins his 9th game in a row, stopping the New York Yankees on 4 hits. The Tigers move to a game and a half in back of the 1st-place Cleveland Indians.
1950 - Eleven HRs, an MLB record drive in all the runs scored in a 10-9, Tiger win over the Yankees before a crowd of 51,000 Tiger fans at Briggs Stadium. Detroit has 4 HRs in the 4th inning as Dizzy Trout, Gerry Priddy, Vic Wertz, and Hoot Evers connected. Pitcher Dizzy Trout's HR, off of Yankees P Tommy Byrne, is his 2nd career grand slam HR. Hoot Evers hits another HR, an inside-the-park 2-run game winner in the 9th inning off of Yankees closer Joe Page to win it. For Yankees, Hank Bauer connects for 2 HRs, including 1 in the 4th inning. Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Coleman, Yogi Berra, and PH Tommy Henrich also belt round trippers. It is the 1st time that 9 different players connected for HRs in a game.
1957 - Japanese Prime Minister Kishi wearing a Yankees baseball cap is one of 63,787 fans at Yankee Stadium to see Yankees split a doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox, winning the 1st game by a score of 9-2, and then dropping the 2nd game by a score of 4-3. AL All Star CF Mickey Mantle goes 6-for-9 as the Yankees maintained their 1½ game lead over the Chicago White Sox. Mantle is leading the AL in hitting; HR?s and is 1 run behind the Washington Senators' 1B Roy Sievers in RBIs.
1959 - The New York Yankees ride on 2-run HRs from Mickey Mantle, Hank Bauer and Gil McDougald to a 10-2 win over the Kansas City A?s. Yankees starter Whitey Ford throws a complete game victory, giving up only 5 A?s hits, allowing only 2 runs with 5 strikeouts for his 7th victory of the 1959 AL season.
1960 - Former Yankees P Jim Deshaies (1984) was born. On June 7, 1982, Jim Deshaies was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 21st round of the 1982 MLB amateur player draft. Jim went 0-1 in 2 games for the 1984 Yankees. On September 15,1985, Jim was traded by the Yankees along with minor league players to be named later to the Astros for veteran starter Joe Niekro. The Yankees would send minor league players Neder Horta on September 24,1985 and Dody Rather on January 11,1986 to the Houston Astros to complete the trade.
1962 - All Star CF Mickey Mantle returns to the New York Yankees regular lineup and HRs against the Tigers starter Paul Foytack. But it is not enough as Detroit wins the game by a score of 5-4.
1963 - A MLB fielding record is set by Boston Red Sox 1B Richard Stuart, better known as "Dr. Strange Glove" handles three 1st-inning grounders and tosses to P Bob Heffner for putouts. Stuart's teammates and Fenway Park fans give him a standing ovation. The Yankees beat the Red Sox by the score of 8-0, behind Jim Bouton?s complete game victory. Bouton wins his 10th game of the 1963 AL season. While Yankees RF Roger Maris hits his 14th HR of the AL season to lead the Yankees hitting attack.
1964 - Charlie Lau ties a MLB record with 2 pinch hits in the 8th inning of Baltimore Orioles 9-8 win over the Yankees. The O's, losing score 7 runs in the inning after 2 outs. Yankees manager Yogi Berra is criticized by some of his players for lifting starter Roland Sheldon, who was leading by the score of 7-2, having allowed just 2-solo HRs by Boog Powell. The Yankees rookie reliever Pete Mikkelsen cannot hold the Yankees 7-2 lead as the Baltimore Orioles move into 1st place.
1966 - At Yankees Stadium, Baltimore Orioles hurler Jim Palmer beats the Yankees, for a 5-2 victory. Yankees starter Al Downing takes the loss dropping his 5th decision of the 1966 AL season. Mickey Mantle and Joe Pepitone, each hit solo HRs off of Orioles starter Jim Palmer for the only Yankee runs scored in the game.
1967 - Former Yankees INF/OF Hensley ?Bam-Bam? Meulens (1989-1993) was born. In 1985, Hensley Meulens was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur MLB free agent. He really didn?t live up to his hype as power hitter. In 1991, he won the James P. Dawson award for best Yankee rookie in spring training camp. After the 1993 AL season, the Yankees released Hensley. He is currently member of the San Francisco Giants MLB coaching staff.
1988 - New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner fires Manager Billy Martin for the 5th time, replacing him with former manager Lou Piniella. In 1985, Lou Piniella was fired and replaced by Martin. In 1985, Martin was fired and replaced by Lou Piniella. New York's 40-28 record is the 4th best in the MLB, but the Yankees had just completed a 2-7-road trip.
1989 - Former Yankees P Rick Anderson (1979) passed away (1955-1989). Rick Anderson was 0-0 in 1 game with the 1979 Yankees. He was unable to crack into the Yankees bullpen of Gossage, Davis and others. On January 12, 1972, he was drafted by the Yankees in the 1st round (5th pick) of the 1972 MLB amateur player draft (Secondary Phase). Rick Anderson was the 1979 International League Pitcher of the Year. With the New York Yankees' Columbus farm club that season, he was 13-3 with a 1.63 ERA and 21 saves. On November 1, 1979, Rick was traded by the Yankees along with P Jim Beattie, OF Juan Beniquez, and C Jerry Narron to the Seattle Mariners for OF Ruppert Jones and P Jim Lewis.
1995 - Former Yankees reserve 1B/OF ?Marvelous Marv' Marvin Throneberry (1955, 1958-1959), known best by his playing antics with the New York Mets, dies from cancer at age 60 (1933-1995). In 1952, Marvin Throneberry was signed by the New York Yankees at the age of 18. In the minor leagues, he was the 1956 MVP of the American Association with the Denver Bears, hitting 42 HRs. In 1957, he hit 40 HRs for the Denver Bears. He had hit over 200 minor league HRs. He made it to the big leagues in 1955 for 1 game. Then Marv was a reserve player for the Yankees in 1958 and 1959 AL seasons. After unable to beat out Bill Skowron at 1B, Marv was part of Yankees player package in the Roger Maris trade with the Kansas City A?s in December of 1959. He will become the 1st ex-Yankee MLB player to play for the New York Mets in 1962. During his MLB career, Marv played for the Yankees, Kansas City A?s, Baltimore Orioles and finishing with the New York Mets in 1963. His brother Faye also played in American League, as an outfielder for several teams during the 1950?s. Marv will later become a minor league team radio announcer. During the 1980?s, Marv did appear in the Miller Beer commercials with other former star MLB players, with a line, ?I don?t know, why I am doing here.?
1996 ? The New York Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the Indians in Cleveland for the 1st time since the 1964 American League season.
1997 - At Detroit, New York Yankees starter David Cone strikes out 16 Tiger batters, his highest game total in 6 years, as Cecil Fielder hits a 3-run HR as New York wins, by a score of 5-2. Cone, who had shoulder surgery to repair an aneurysm on May 10,1996, allows only 4 Tiger hits, including HRs by Bob Hamelin and Damion Easley, in 8 innings of work.
2000 - Former Yankees reserve C Bob Tillman (1967) passed away (1937-2000). Bob Tillman hit .254 in 22 games for the New York Yankees after coming from the Boston Red Sox during the 1967 AL season. In the winter of 1967, Bob was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with minor league P Dale Roberts for Braves INF Bobby Cox.
2001 - The New York Yankees attempt to shore up their bullpen by getting reliever Jay Witasick from the San Diego Padres for minor league INF prospect D'Angelo Jimenez. The Yankees 1st choice, Montreal Expos closer Ugueth Urbina, failed to pass a physical and will end up with their eastern division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Jay Witasick was a major disappointment for the Yankees, going 3-0 in 32 games. On December 13,2001, Jay was traded by the Yankees to the San Francisco Giants for OF/1B John Vander Wal.

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Spring 2012 PuRPs List: #25-21

Today I reveal five more names on the Spring 2012 PuRPs list. Here are PuRPs 30-26. As a reminder, 31 ballots were cast in this edition of the PuRPs poll, with 30 points being granted for a first place vote, 29 for second, etc. Until a player was named on 11 ballots, his vote totals were modified on a sliding scale to avoid an individual ballot having too much say over the community forecast -- but none of the above players had that problem, as all 30 players on the PuRPs list were named on at least 14 ballots.

For each player on the PuRPs list, I've included a link to their stats (via Baseball-Reference), their relevant "tool score indicators" compared to their league on a 1-100 scouting scale (which is explained here) per the wonderful Baseball Cube, their contract status (via Rockies Roster), their probable MLB ETA (assuming they do make the Show), and a note on their 2012 season to date. For what it's worth, I'll also include where I put them on my personal ballot.

Remember that neither the tool scores nor the statistics pages are the end-all be-all when evaluating these players. Context is hugely important (such as the player's age relative to the league's average or the league average offensive numbers), as is the fact that injuries to prospects can affect both their tools and their stats.

Here are PuRPs 25-21:

25. Kent Matthes (154 points, 19 ballots) -- Fall 2011 Ranking: 22 -- High ballot 14, Mode (most common when placed) ballot 24

The 25 year-old Matthes, a right-handed outfielder currently plying his trade in Tulsa, was named the 2011 California League MVP despite having his season cut short by injury. And deservedly so -- his line was .334/.378/.642 with 65 extra base hits. This caused him to shoot up prospect lists (John Sickels ranked him 11th while Baseball America had him 8th) despite his advanced age for the level.

Unfortunately, things have not gone well for Matthes in AA Tulsa, as he has struggled mightily at the plate -- his line so far is .195/.252/.376 for the Drillers. Some of this could be from lingering effects from the hand injury that prematurely ended his 2011 season, but that's becoming less of an excuse as time goes by. Still, the high esteem of the scouting community for Matthes' power as well as the shine from 2011 were enough for me to put Matthes at 18 on my PuRPs ballot.

Hit Tools

Speed
52Contact
33Patience
32Batting
64Power
76

Contract Status: 2009 4th round, Rule 5 Eligible After 2012, 3 options remaining

MLB ETA: Late 2013

24. David Kandilas (174 points, 19 ballots) -- Fall 2011 Ranking: 28 -- High ballot 17, Mode ballot 21

The Kandy-Man, a 21 year-old outfielder playing for Asheville this year after playing 3 seasons in Casper, hails from Australia and played for the country in the 2011 Baseball World Cup. He has flashed good OBP skills thus far to accompany his great speed. His batting average isn't great, but his plate discipline (25 walks to 21 strikeouts) as a younger player in the SAL has been an eye-opener, leading to a .250/.388/.411 line.

Still, it should be said that Kandilas is playing the 4th outfielder role with the Tourists and he was injury for a few weeks. It's tough to evaluate a player like Kandilas given a lack of every-day playing time, but I'm lowering my expectations for him because of this fact -- he got lost in the shuffle of OF prospects on my ballot and didn't make the cut for me. If he can earn some more playing time and maintain that plate discipline, he'll force his way into my consciousness and onto my ballot.

Hit Tools

Speed
90Contact
66Patience
38Batting
64Power
46

Contract Status: 2009 FA (AU), Not Rule 5 Eligible, 3 options remaining

MLB ETA: 2016

23. Sam Mende (197 points, 25 ballots) -- Fall 2011 Ranking: HM -- High ballot 18, Mode ballot 23

The 22 year-old Mende, a right-handed 2B/3B playing for Asheville, is a 31st round draft pick in 2011 that crushed the ball in Casper and didn't stop in Low A (like Corey Dickerson). Playing every day as an age-appropriate player in the SAL, Mende has hit .314/.379/.545 with 33 extra base hits so far.

He didn't have much of a prospect pedigree entering the minors, but Mende has certainly made a name for himself so far in his professional career, so much so that Mende was 22nd on my ballot. A repeat performance in High A will push him into the top 20 even with 2012 draftees being included.

Hit Tools

Speed
56Contact
32Patience
45Batting
54Power
78

Contract Status: 2011 31st round, Not Rule 5 Eligible, 3 options remaining

MLB ETA: Late 2015

22. Joe Gardner (222 points, 25 ballots) -- Fall 2011 Ranking: 18 -- High ballot 15, Mode ballot 17

Gardner, a 24 year-old RHP at Tulsa and the third best pitching prospect in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, draws immediate comparisons to former Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook, in that Joe Gardner's bread and butter as a pitcher is inducing a LOT of ground balls. His ground out to air out ratio for 2011 was 2.30:1 (this year it's 1.46:1). The problem, like that with Aaron Cook, is that his strikeout rate is below average for a top prospect despite being able to get up into the mid 90s -- though his 6.6 K/9 rate in 2012 is an improvement from last year and he has reduced his BB/9 to 2.5.

His line this year isn't bad (3-3, 4.70 ERA), but then again it isn't good enough for a mid-season promotion to AAA either. In order for Gardner to be successful, he has to generate more strikeouts while maintaining his ground-ball tendencies. In all, Gardner is a polished prospect with a good sinker that is relatively close to the big leagues, which is why I ranked him 24th on my list. With the Rockies badly needing some pitching depth this season, perhaps Gardner could provide a spot start near the end of the year. If not, he'll be in line for a AAA berth next year and a cup of coffee sometime next year.

Pitch Tools

Control
33K-Rating
49Efficiency
57vsPower
83

Contract Status: 2011 Trade, Rule 5 Eligible After 2012, 3 options remaining

MLB ETA: 2013

21. Harold Riggins (229 points, 23 ballots) -- Fall 2011 Ranking: NR -- High ballot 13, Mode ballot 23

The 22 year-old Riggins, a right-handed 1B at Asheville, was another player who dominated an over-matched Pioneer League as a college draftee and who kept hitting in the SAL. Thus far in Low A Riggins is hitting .311/.396/.547 with 28 extra base hits.

He's limited defensively, which will deservedly hurt his prospect stock, but if he keeps hitting at this rate in High A and beyond that won't matter too much. I was enough of a believer in Riggins to put him at 21 on my ballot, but if he doesn't keep hitting at this rate he'll fall off of it quickly because of his limited skill set.

Hit Tools

Speed
23Contact
15Patience
80Batting
67Power
84

Contract Status: 2011 7th round, Not Rule 5 Eligible, 3 options remaining

MLB ETA: Late 2015

Stay tuned for PuRPs 20-16, coming soon!

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2012/6/18/3090833/spring-2012-purps-list-25-21

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Fish Bites: Marlins' June Struggles Continue

The Miami Marlins have been suffering through a myriad of woes this month as their slide continues. The biggest one has been the offense, which has been stagnant for most of June. With the day off today, the Marlins will be traveling to Boston to go visit the Boston Red Sox, who took two of three games down in south Florida. Hopefully, the Marlins can turn the tide around this month, but they will need some offensive regression to come soon in order to get this to happen.

- Ozzie Guillen says that no one should blame hitting coach Eduardo Perez for the faults of the team's bats this month. Here's Ozzie at his finest:

"It’s funny how this game works," Guillen said. "Nobody gives Eduardo credit when we were doing good. Now they’re going to [expletive] on him because we’re not hitting? That’s a bunch of [expletive]. No, blame the players. They were good two weeks ago [with the] same hitting coach."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/17/2853139/miami-marlins-ozzie-guillen-dont.html#storylink=cpy

As stubborn and backwards as Guillen is known to be, he has shown some flashes here and there this season. Perez cannot be faulted for a team-wide slump, just like he cannot be given credit for a team-wide hot streak. Players are mostly to blame for their own problems, with a good amount of good or bad luck mixed in when it comes to two weeks of play. Blaming Perez is just looking for a non-player scapegoat.

- The Fish have failed in the clutch this month, and that is a big reason why they have not scored runs lately. However, the appropriate word there may not be "clutch" so much as "runners in scoring position." In high leverage situations this year, the Marlins have hit .234/.307/.402, a .307 wOBA that is good for 12th in baseball! However, with runners in scoring position, the club is hitting .215/.320/.319, just a .277 wOBA that is third to last in the league.

- Hanley Ramirez was removed from the lineup on Friday night because he hit a ball in batting practice that struck him in the nose. He was back in the lineup on Saturday, no worse for the wear, though it did sound like he suffered a very minor concussion along with a "slight break," as Guillen put it.

- Micheal Hannah of Marlins Daily says that the expectations on the Marlins just aren't being met, especially for a select few players.

- Conor Dorney at Marlins Daily has his potential Marlins trade deadline targets. Unfortunately, I just don't see the Fish being active at the deadline because the club has very few bargaining chips.

- Over at Strip Club With Stanton, the always clever SCWS appeals to Bud Selig not to clone John Buck so the league can have no hitters everywhere. He also talks about his trip to the Clevelander and has some Father's Day gift ideas for the Marlins.

- At Marlin Maniac, Cory Eucalito recalls a tale of meeting Hanley Ramirez, barely. Hanley didn't exactly say "hi" back, I suppose.

Around the League

- Manny Ramirez was released by the Oakland A's after he failed to heat up in Triple-A and the team saw no interest in returning him to the majors.

- Apparently the Red Sox are spending on the draft like it's going out of style, and they may face the penalty of going over about five percent. If they do, there is a 75 percent tax on the amount they go over. (H/T MLB Trade Rumors)

- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Chicago Cubs are ready to deal Matt Garza, with AL East teams everywhere interested. (H/T MLB Daily Dish)

At Fish Stripes

- On Friday, we talked about Carlos Zambrano, Josh Johnson, and the effect known as defense-independent pitching theory. It and the links within it are a must-read for fans who want to get a new insight on how pitchers really influence games.

- Today, we asked earlier whether we overestimated the Marlins' offense this season? My guess is "perhaps a little."

Read The Full Article:
http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/6/18/3094571/fish-bites-miami-marlins-june-strugg
les-eduardo-perez-ozzie-guillen

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Pastornicky, Leonard, And Terdoslavich Have Great
Weeks At The Plate While Moore Shines On The Mound To Highlight The Atlanta Braves Minor League Hot Sheet

Who's Hot?

Tyler Pastornicky, SS, Gwinnett Braves: 11-27, 6 2B, 7 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 CS. Pastornicky initially scuffled after being demoted from Atlanta two weeks ago, but the Braves' young shortstop really caught fire this past week. Pastornicky was moved up to the 3 spot in the lineup in an effort to get his bat going, and he responded by putting up a .407/.429/.630 line over the past week. Pastornicky was a doubles machine this week, hammering out more two-baggers than singles. Pastornicky also drove in 7 and scored three times to cap a very productive week.

Joe Leonard, 3B, Mississippi Braves: 9-20, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 8 R, 1 BB, 1 SB. Leonard did it all this week, reaching in almost half his plate appearances while rapping out 6 singles, a double, a triple, and a homer. Leonard also stole a base, scored 8 times, and drove in 5 on his way to posting a .450/.476/.750 line for the week. Leonard, Atlanta's 3rd round pick in 2010, hasn't posted eye-popping numbers in any of his seasons so far, but has been solid and consistant. On the year, he sports a .265/.337/.363 line, which is improved from the .247/.311/.378 line he posted last year at Lynchburg. If he keeps improving, the Braves could have a solid player on their hands.

Joey Terdoslavich, 1B, Mississippi Braves: 8-21, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB. While he wasn't quite as hot as Mississippi's other corner infielder, Terdoslavich definitely merited mention this week, as he appears to be getting into a groove for the first time all year. After hitting a Carolina League record 52 doubles last year, Terdo only had 4 in 194 ABs with Gwinnett. Since his demotion, he's already knocked 6 in 43 at bats, including 4 this week alone. Perhaps shifting him back to first base - his natural position - has made him more comfortable at the plate, but regardless it seems Terdoslavich might finally be finding his form from last year. Terdoslavich is still performing pre-game drills at third in hopes to be able to shift their at some point, but for now he appears comfortable at first.

Navery Moore, SP, Rome Braves: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K. Moore turned in a stellar start for Rome this week, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run over 6 innings while striking out 8 and not walking a single man. Moore, the Braves' 14th round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2011 has been a pleasant surprise in the Rome rotation, posting a 3.90 ERA with 55 Ks in 62 innings so far this year. Moore has come on especially strong of late, allowing 3 or fewer runs in 8 of his last 10 starts, and 2 or fewer in 7 of his last 10. The best news is that Moore looks to be improving his command, allowing only 4 walks in his last 27.2 innings after allowing 21 in his previous 34.2 innings.

Honorable Mention - Gwinnett Braves: Lance Zawadzki, Josh Wilson, Ernesto Mejia, Luis Durango, Jose Constanza. Mississippi Braves: Zeke Spruill, Christian Bethancourt, Todd Cunningham, Keenan Wiley. Lynchburg Hillcats: J.R. Graham, Cody Martin, Braeden Schlehuber, Nick Ahmed, Tommy La Stella, Matt Lipka. Rome Braves: Ryan Weber, Fernando De Los Santos.

Who's Not?

There weren't many Braves' farmhands that had truly bad weeks. Some definitely underperformed, but I didn't want to stretch for the sake of filling up a list, so I'll simply stick with these two for the week.

Adam Russell, RP, Gwinnett Braves: 1.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 5 BB, 1 K. I usually try to give relievers a pass on the hot sheet, as the job is prone to swings, but Adam Russell had such a rough week it merited mention. Russell, in three separate appearances out of Gwinnett's pen, gave up 8 runs, 9 hits, and 5 walks, all while only recording 4 outs. That's pretty awful. On the year, Russell has now allowed 21 earned runs in 25.2 innings out of Gwinnett's pen, with 21 walks to 25 strikeouts. Not the most desirable of numbers, to be sure.

Myke Jones, CF, Lynchburg Hillcats: 3-16, 3 RBI, 0 R, 0 XBH, 1 BB. Poor Myke Jones just can't seem to get things going this year. After posting a .141/.232/.141 line in 85 ABs with Mississippi, he was demoted to Lynchburg. Though he has improved on those numbers in his time with the Hillcats, he's still been scuffling, and this week was no exception. He's always been good at taking walks, but his hitting will need to improve.

Dishonorable Mention - Gwinnett Braves: Stefan Gartrell. Mississippi Braves: Cory Harrilchak. Lynchburg Hillcats: Chris Garcia. Rome Braves: Greg Ross, Ernesto Silva, Brandon Drury, Elmer Reyes.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/6/18/3094362/pastornicky-leonard-and-terdoslavich
-have-great-weeks-at-the-plate

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Not These Guys Again: Atlanta Braves At New York
Yankees Series Preview

After a fairly disastrous week, the Braves just can't seem to catch a break. After a series against the Orioles that saw the Braves lose two of three games, and saw Brandon Beachy hit the disabled list with elbow soreness, the Braves head to New York to take on the same team that swept them a week ago. The Bronx Bombers are the hottest team in baseball right now, winners of nine straight and twelve of their last thirteen. During their nine game streak, the Yankees have averaged over 5 runs per game, and are outscoring their opponents 46 to 19.

The Braves - arguably the streakiest team in baseball this year - come in to the series as losers of six of their past seven games (after winning six in a row, of course). During the Braves 1-6 slide, they have been outscored 33 to 14. For those of you who don't want to do the math (And who could blame you? It's ugly) that's an average of two runs a game over their last seven. In fact, the Braves haven't mustered a run in their last twenty innings of play.

The Yankees lineup is one of the deepest and most dangerous in the league, and during their 9 game tear, it has been the three men up the middle driving it. Derek Jeter has collected 12 hits and 1 walk out of the leadoff spot over the last 9 games and has scored 9 runs. Keeping the Yankee shortstop off base will be key for the Braves in this series, primarily because you want the guy behind him to be hitting with the bases empty. Curtis Granderson has been on an absolute tear during the Yanks' streak, with 11 hits, including 2 doubles and 4 homers. He's also been an on-base machine, taking 7 walks as well. Finally, Jeter's double play parter, Robinson Cano, is one to watch out for as well. Cano has 12 hits, including 1 double and 3 homers in his last 9, with 7 walks as well. Of course, any hitter in the Yankees' lineup is capable of taking the ball out at any given time, but Jeter, Cano, and Granderson are three of the hottest right now.

Pitching matchups after the jump.

Monday, June 18, 7:00 P.M. EST

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Mike Minor

#36 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: L

Born: Dec 26, 1987

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CC Sabathia

#52 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-7

Weight: 290

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jul 21, 1980

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Tuesday, June 19, 7:05 P.M. EST

(Let's all take a moment to pause and laugh at poor Hiroki's headshot)

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Tim Hudson

#15 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-1

Weight: 175

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 14, 1975

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Hiroki Kuroda

#18 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-1

Weight: 190

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 10, 1975

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Wednesday, June 20, 1:05 P.M. EST

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Tommy Hanson

#48 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-6

Weight: 220

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 28, 1986

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Phil Hughes

#65 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-5

Weight: 240

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 24, 1986

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Lineup Notes: Freddie Freeman received two cortisone shots in his knuckle on Saturday. There's no break or fracture, Freeman just has to get to the point where he can grip a bat without bad pain. According to Dave O'Brien, Freeman is targeting a return for Tuesday.

Since the Braves will play with a DH in this series, we'll probably see more of Matt Diaz and Eric Hinske.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/6/18/3093529/not-these-guys-again-atlanta-braves-
at-new-york-yankees-series-preview

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Lou Brock And The 1964 & 1967 World Series
Championships

Lou Brock And The 1964 & 1967 World Series Championships Lou Brock played in three World Series match-ups during his career.  He and his Cardinals teammates won titles in the 1964 and 1976 contests. Brock was exceptional in post-season play.  … Continue reading →

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/lou-brock-and-the-1964-1967-world-seri
es-championships/

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Vote: The Hall of Fame Inner Circle Project

Writing often about Cooperstown the past couple years, I’ve come to favor a large Hall of Fame. I don’t apologize for this, nor do I think there’d be anything wrong with a museum that would honor the likes of Dwight Evans, Alan Trammell, or Smoky Joe Wood. That being said, I understand one reason people [...]

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http://baseballpastandpresent.com/2012/06/18/vote-hall-fame-circle-project/

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Best Fans in Baseball Leave Cardinals Game Early
to Get Jump on Hunting for Bo Hart Artifacts

ST. LOUIS - Thousands of Cardinals fans promptly left Sunday's game against the Royals in order to participate in various Best Fans in Baseball action events across Missouri on Sunday.

Billy Butler's ninth inning home run eventually sent the game into extra innings, and the five hour affair eventually ate into the Sunday evenings of many dedicated Cardinal fans.

"It's unfortunate that the game went to extra innings, because as one of the Best Fans in Baseball, I already had a previous appointment to lead a team of enthusiasts through St. Louis on a six hour long 'Fernando Vina Parked Here Tour'," said Mike Redbird.

Other fans faced similar quandaries. The largest group included some 500 people, who fanned out along both banks of the Mississippi river, hunting for Bo Hart memorabilia.

"A lot washes up every time we have a big rain," said Kevin LaTorre, "it's amazing, there are so many levels of amazing Cardinal history on these shores. We have the McEwing group on the Illinois side, and the Placido Polanco group on the Missouri side. On a good day, we'll find Bo Hart era trash - beer bottles, magazines, McDonald's wrappers, that all help us better understand that amazing time in Cardinal history. Material culture is really the best way to understand just what it was like being one of the Best Fans in Baseball in 2003."

"I love the Redbirds," said Michelle Lankford-Edmunds, "but I had already scheduled a talk at the Chesterfield Public Library."

The sixth of ten lectures on the 1997 Cardinals, Lankford-Edmunds' lecture will discuss John Mabry's performance in clutch situations.

"Mabry's utility, versatility, and baseball courage meant so much to that team," she said.

Out on the river, LaTorre's group followed the extra frames via a unique device. Constructed last year by a team at Washington University, the Lohseometer takes the baseball play by play, converts it to Morse code, then reads out the dashes and dots using a recording of Jack Buck's voice.

"It's truly the theater of the mind," said LaTorre. "Hearing Jack say 'dash dash dash dot dash dot dot dash dot dot' out on the mighty Mississp' while looking for reminders of the way we lived during those magical years of Bo Hart is baseball poetry and pure Americana."

Read The Full Article:
http://www.royalsreview.com/2012/6/18/3094546/best-fans-in-baseball-leave-cardina
ls-game-early-to-get-jump-on-large

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