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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 21)
82 years ago
The New York Yankees announced Lou Gehrig’s retirement, based on the report that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The 36-year-old star remained with the team as captain.
15 years ago
After building a 10-2 lead at Yankee Stadium, the Devil Rays lost to the Bronx Bombers 20-11, making it the second time in franchise history the team was ahead by eight or more runs and then lost by nine or more. No other club in baseball history has ever achieved this dubious distinction except for Tampa Bay.
June 21, 2005
— NY Yankees Throwbacks (@yankeethrowback) December 19, 2019
The Yankees score 13 runs in the bottom of the 8th, turning an 11-7 deficit into a 20-11 lead pic.twitter.com/StzOR4Hla4
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Birthdays
Happy birthday to Russ Van Atta and Eddie Lopat!
Van Atta, who was born in 1906, pitched 249.2 innings for the Yankees from 1933-1935. He retired in 1939 as a member of the St. Louis Browns.
Lopat hurled nearly 1,500 innings in pinstripes from 1948-1955. He won five World Series rings and played an integral part for New York as he accumulated a 2.60 ERA in 52 postseason innings. He was an All-Star for the Yankees in 1951 and was even on MVP ballots in 1950, 1951, and 1953.
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We thank Baseball-Reference, Nationalpastime.com, and FanGraphs for providing background information for these posts.