This Day in Yankees History: Clemens throws bat at Piazza

Welcome to the relaunched This Day in Yankees History. As the offseason has begun much sooner than anyone has ever hoped for, the Pinstripe Alley team has decided to continue the revived program in its new format. These daily posts will highlight two or three key moments in Yankees history on a given date, as well as recognize players born on the day. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with us!

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This Day in Yankees History (October 22)

46 years ago

Considered to be the biggest one-for-one trade in baseball history, two very well-known outfielders are exchanged for one another as the Giants send Bobby Bonds to the Yankees for Bobby Murcer. The swap of the next ‘Willie Mays’ (Bonds) for the next ‘Mickey Mantle’ (Murcer) marks the first time two $600,000 players have traded for one another.

20 years ago

In Game Two of the 2000 World Series, the Yankees defeat the Mets, 6-5, in a game which is overshadowed by Roger Clemens throwing the barrel of a shattered bat at Mike Piazza as he ran to first. The eagerly awaited at-bat, due to the Rocket’s beaning of the Mets’ superstar in July, results in the two players confronting one another and the emptying of both benches.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Canó!

Ichiro played 11 seasons in Seattle before the Mariners traded him to the Yankees for a pair of minor league pitchers before the 2012 trade deadline. Ironically enough, his first game as a Yankee was played the night of the trade, at Safeco Field against the Mariners. In his three seasons with the Yankees, he hit .281/.314/.364 with an OPS of .679. He played at least 143 games in each of those three years.

While Ichiro left the Mariners for the Yankees, Robinson Canó did the exact opposite. After nine seasons in New York, Canó signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners in 2013. While in pinstripes, he slashed .309/.355/.504, including six MVP finishes, five All-Star appearances, and two Gold Gloves. Canó played five years in Seattle before being traded to the Mets in 2019.

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We thank Baseball-Reference and Nationalpastime.com for providing background information for these posts.