This Day in Yankees History: Lou Gehrig goes deep at Wrigley

With the start of the 2020 season delayed, 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 26)

100 years ago

A 17-year-old Lou Gehrig hit his first home run at a major league venue. Gehrig wouldn't debut as a big leaguer for three more years, but in 1920, he smacked a dinger in a high school championship game contested at Wrigley Field. Gehrig would return to Wrigley in Game Three of the 1932 World Series, when he hit two home runs.

81 years ago

The Yankees played their first night game ever, on the road against the A's in Philadelphia. They dropped the game 3-2, as opposing starter Cotton Pippen twirled a two-run complete game. New York wouldn't play their first night game at Yankee Stadium for another seven years.

33 years ago

The Yankees staged an all-time comeback against their all-time rivals. Down 9-0 against the Red Sox, and with ace Roger Clemens on the mound for Boston, the Yankees staged a stunning rally, scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the third. They ultimately won the game 12-11 thanks to a walkoff single in the tenth by Wayne Tolleson.

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Birthdays

Derek Jeter turns 46 years old today. Jeter, of course, was slated to be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this summer, but the ceremony has been delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19. It’s also the 63rd birthday of Mike Griffin, who pitched for the Yankees between 1979 and 1981 and maintained an 87 ERA+ in 62.2 innings. It would have been the 77th birthday of Bill Robinson. Robinson had a 104 OPS+ for his career, but struggled to a 75 OPS+ during three seasons with the Yankees in the late 1960s.

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