This Day in Yankees History: Ron Guidry breaks out on his birthday

Welcome to the relaunched This Day in Yankees History. Even with the start of the 2020 season, the Pinstripe Alley team has decided to continue the revived program in its new format. 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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This Day in Yankees History (August 28)

43 Years Ago

Ron Guidry, on his 27th birthday, records his third shutout in what is his initial breakout season. The Yankees squeak out a 1-0 victory over the Rangers as Guidry faces just 28 batters and allows two hits. He’ll finish the year 16-7 with a 2.82 ERA in over 210 innings and receive some down-ballot Cy Young votes, a year before winning the award outright.

13 Years Ago

The Yankees find themselves a mascot, as a squirrel somehow makes its way to the top of a foul pole, where he becomes a fan favorite and appears on the Jumbotron:

The squirrel must have been terrified, but the Yankees managed a 5-3 victory over the Red Sox. Johnny Damon provided the winning margin with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh of Daisuke Matsuzaka.

12 Years Ago

The Red Sox come to town for their final ever game at Yankee Stadium II. A young Jon Lester duels with a nearly-retired Mike Mussina. Lester tosses 6.2 innings and allows one run, while Mussina holds the Sox to two runs in seven innings. The Yankees trail entering the seventh, but tie the score 2-2 on Jason Giambi’s two-run homer. Giambi later wins the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, a fitting end to Boston’s time at the old place.

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As previously mentioned, this is Guidry’s birthday, as the former pitcher turns 70 today. It’s also the 77th birthday of Lou Piniella. Piniella played 11 seasons with the Yankees, maintaining a 111 OPS+ overall and tallying nearly 1000 hits with the club. He of course went on to a long career as a manager, which included 224 victories at the helm of the Yankees.

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