This Day in Yankees History: Yankees win day after the Babe passes away

Welcome to This Day in Yankees History. The season may be underway, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a trip into the past. 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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100 Years Ago

Ray Chapman tragically dies, one day after he was struck in the head by a pitch from Yankee submariner Carl Mays. Reports indicate that it was late afternoon and that Chapman didn’t react to the pitch; in the fading light, he may have not even seen the pitch coming from Mays’ low delivery. Chapman remains the only on-field fatality in baseball history.

72 Years Ago

Babe Ruth’s body is displayed at Yankee Stadium the day after his death, and an estimated crowd of over 100,000 arrives to pay their respects. On the field, Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the season to tie Ruth’s record and propel the Yankees to an 8-1 win over the Washington Senators.

18 Years Ago

Alfonso Soriano takes Mariners starter James Baldwin deep to notch 30 home runs and at least 30 stolen bases on the year. Soriano becomes the only second baseman to achieve the feat of versatility, and the second Yankee, after Bobby Bonds in 1975. Soriano would go 30/30 two more times in his career, including 2006, when he went 40/40 with the Nationals.

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Happy 49th birthday to Jorge Posada! The longtime catcher retired nine years ago after a sparkling career spent all with the Yankees. His 275 homers still rank in the top-ten ever for a backstop. It’s also the 33rd birthday of outfielder Thomas Neal, who made 15 appearances in his career, four of them for the 2013 Yankees. Good luck coming up with him on the Sporcle quiz. And it’s the 42nd birthday of reliver Chad Qualls, who tossed seven of his 807 career innings with the 2012 Yankees.