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 (September 2)
89 Years Ago
Lou “Biscuit Pants” Gehrig mashes his third grand slam in four days, propelling the Yankees to a 5-1 victory over the Red Sox. Already the 11th of his career, Gehrig would go on to hit another 13 bases-clearing round-trippers, giving him the all-time record for career grand slams. Gehrig held onto that top mark 76 years beyond his retirement, until Alex Rodriguez slugged his 24th salami in Yankee Stadium on August 18th, 2015. Following A-Rod’s steroidal detente with the Yankees, the 2015 season’s rekindling culminated in this unfortunate memorialization of that record-breaking achievement:
GRAND SLAM! #BAEROD pic.twitter.com/SU2wAF84ex
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 19, 2015
73 Years Ago
The Giants’ three homers at the Polo Grounds unties them with the 1936 Yankees’ mark of 182 dingers for the greatest single-season tally in MLB history. Lou Gehrig was the top man for the ’36 Yankees with 49 bombs, while Johnny Mize’s 51 homers led the Giants to their record total of 211. Just last season, the Twins and Yankees finished first and second atop the all-time leaderboard with 307 and 306 homers, respectively. Though no player on either team hit more than Nelson Cruz’s 41, five Twins clubbed at least 31 home runs. The Bombers were fueled by even greater equity, as 14 Yankees finished the season with double-digit homers, good for their own Major League record.
1 Year Ago
There’s a bummer in the Bronx, as the Yanks are shut out for the first time in 221 consecutive games. Mike Minor went seven strong for the Rangers, then got another out before handing the ball over to the pen to close out the Yankees 7-0. Masahiro Tanaka gave up just two through six, but Nestor Cortes imploded on impact, surrendering four runs in two innings. The streak concluded as the second-longest of all time, short of the franchise’s own record from 1931-33, when the Yankees scored in 308 straight contests.
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Former Yankee, Ronald Torreyes, celebrates his 28th birthday from the Phillies’ Minor League system. Between 2016-18, Torreyes played 221 games in pinstripes. Other than every time he jumped to high five Aaron Judge, his highlight with the team was the only walk-off hit of his career. On June 23, 2017, Torreyes’ single plated Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the tenth to beat the Rangers, 2-1.
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We thank Baseball-Reference and Nationalpastime.com for providing background information for these posts.