This Day in Yankees History: The day of milestones

With the start of the 2020 season delayed for the foreseeable future, the Pinstripe Alley team decided to revive the program in a slightly different format. These daily posts will highlight a few key moments in Yankees history on a given date, as well as recognize players born on the day. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

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This Day in Yankees History (June 13)

96 years ago

Bert Cole is plunked in the back by Bob Meusel, prompting the Yankee outfielder to hurl his bat at the Detroit southpaw and charge the mound. The ninth-inning brawl includes players, fans and even police. The umpires were unable to clear the field, so they forfeit the game to New York. The Yankees won, 10-6.

72 years ago

While celebrating the 25th anniversary of Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth makes his final appearance in the Bronx and has his No. 3 retired by the Bombers in front of a crowd of nearly 50,000 people.

26 years ago

Don Mattingly surpasses Wally Pipp for consecutive games played in a Yankees uniform. Mattingly’s 1,469th game is second to only Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 straight games.

17 years ago

Forty-year-old Roger Clemens becomes the 21st pitcher in MLB history to record his 300th victory, tossing 6.2 innings in the Yankees’ 5-2 victory over the Cardinals. In the second inning, the “Rocket” also joins Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton as just the third pitcher to reach 4,000 career strikeouts.

Five years ago

Alex Rodriguez becomes the third major leaguer in the modern era to surpass the 2,000 RBI mark as he smashes a two-run home run off Bud Norris in Camden Yards. The New York designated hitter trails only Hank Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213) on the all-time RBI list.

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