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The 2020 season is over, and the Yankees have fallen short of the World Series once again. The Pinstripe Alley team is going to continue to keep these daily posts that highlight a few key moments in Yankees history on a given date, because honestly, what else do we have at this point besides the franchise’s history. Yay. Here we go.
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24 Years Ago
The Yankees were trailing the Orioles 2-1 in game three of the ALCS on this day in 1996, but a four-run eighth inning turned it into a dramatic victory. The rally was helped along by Bernie Williams, who drove in Derek Jeter as the tying run with a single, then advanced to third on a Tino Martinez base hit. The throw on Martinez’s hit came to third and Todd Zeile, who proceeded to spike the ball into the dirt while trying to pull back on a potential throw to first. The ball didn’t roll very far, but far enough for Williams to dart home and score the go-ahead run, and Cecil Fielder blew it open afterward with a home run to left. Good times.
20 Years Ago
Let’s continue with another big eighth inning, this time in the 2000 ALCS, which was the continuation of the Yankees backing into the postseason before doing their normal thing of beating everybody — yes kids, they used to do that. A lot. On this day 20 years ago, in game two of the series, the Bombers pounded out eight hits in one inning against the Mariners, an ALCS record in what turned out to be a 7-1 win. Talk about a big eighth inning.
11 Years Ago
Ah, now on to the last time the Yankees won a World Series. The last game played at the Metrodome on this day in 2009, and it ended with an ALDS win for the Yankees, who wrote another chapter in a book dedicated to beating the pulp out of the Twins in the playoffs. Jorge Posada went deep for the Yanks, as did Alex Rodriguez, who went on to have quite the postseason.
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Birthdays
Happy birthday Gio Urshela! The 2020 season ended in misery, but Urshela’s grand slam and double play from his butt will be remembered fondly. Speaking of big playoff moments, happy birthday to Orlando Hernandez, El Duque! One of the best big-game pitchers of the Yankees’ 1990s dynasty, Hernandez is also the proud owner of one of the best Yankees commercials of all time.