This Day in Yankees History: Alfonso Soriano crushes J.A. Happ

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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82 Years Ago

In the first half of a doubleheader, Joe DiMaggio smashes three consecutive triples in what has to be at least some sort of modern record. DiMaggio’s efforts power the Yankees to an 8-7 win over Cleveland. It’s a legitimate question if any Yankee will tally three triples on the entire season in 2020.

The day becomes even more historic in the second game, as Monte Pearson tosses a no-hitter in a 13-0 win. Pearson uses two double plays to face the minimum 27 batters.

Seven years ago

As part of the surprisingly successful start to his second stint in the Bronx, Alfonso Soriano hits the 399th and 400th home runs of his career. The bombs come off of J.A. Happ, who had little idea at the time that giving up dingers at Yankee Stadium would soon come to be a common occurrence for him. Soriano’s homers back up Andy Pettitte in a 7-1 win.

Three Years Ago

The Mariners match a record with five errors in one inning, helping the Yankees to a six-run first-inning outburst in what ultimately ends up a 10-1 victory. Shortstop Jean Segura commits three of the blunders, while Kyle Seager and former Yankee Ben Gamel commit one apiece:

Masahiro Tanaka was the beneficiary of the butchery, earning the victory while tossing seven innings of one-run ball.

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Infielder Baldy Louden was born on this day 133 years ago. He played four games for the Yankees in 1907, and didn’t appear in the majors again until 1912 with Detroit. He managed a 102 OPS+ in 603 career games. For the most part, I mention him to note the superiority of early 20th-century baseball nicknames.

It’s also the 34th birthday of recent Yankees signing Jordy Mercer. Mercer has yet to play for the Yankees, but it’s possible he could get a call given the team’s brutal slate of injuries. The longtime Pirate only owns a career 91 OPS+, but he can handle himself up the middle on the infield dirt.

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