This Day in Yankees History: Raines arrives in the Bronx

Welcome to This Day in Yankees History. We may be well into hot stove season, but there’s still some time to dig into the history books, even during the holidays. 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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25 Years Ago

The Yankees traded for some outfield depth on this day in 1995, acquiring future Hall of Famer Tim Raines in exchange for future considerations from the White Sox. Raines, entering his age-36 season, had lost a step or three, having stolen just 13 bases two years in a row, but he still helped the Yankees to their first World Series in 18 years the following season, playing 59 games in 1996.

Raines played three seasons for the Yankees and finished with a 118 OPS+ during his time in pinstripes. One of his most famous Yankee moments came against the Orioles in 1998, when he was the Yanks’ first batter following the epic brawl that ensued after Armando Benitez plunked Tino Martinez, and Raines’ at-bat resulted in a home run.

19 Years Ago

On this day in 2001, Rudy Guliani, then the mayor of New York City, announced that both the Yankees and Mets had reached an agreement with the city for both franchises to build brand new $800 million stadiums, both of which would have a retractable roof. A model of a new Yankee Stadium, which would be built on the grounds of the old Yankee Stadium, was presented with the proposal, but it never came to pass. The Yankees instead went without the roof, saved hundreds of millions of dollars, and moved right across the street in 2009.

5 Years Ago

The Yankees orchestrated a highly controversial trade on this day in 2015, sending away four prospects to the Reds for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who at the time was under investigation for domestic violence. That investigation interrupted a potential deal with the Dodgers, and the Yanks made the decision to swoop in and get the hard-throwing reliever at a discounted price.

Chapman would eventually be suspended for 30 games, only adding to the disappointment of the trade that certainly put the franchise on shaky moral ground.

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No birthdays today, but Hall of Famer Ted Lyons was born on this day in 1900. The pitcher accumulated a 70.4 WAR over his career with the White Sox, including a 2.10 ERA over 180 innings in his final big league season, when he was 41 years old.

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We thank Baseball Reference and National Pastime for providing background information for these posts.