2011: Overcoming the O's
The Yanks rallied to walk off against Baltimore. Trailing the Orioles 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees fought back by scoring four runs between the fifth and seventh innings off Jake Arrieta and Jason Berken. In the bottom of the ninth, Jorge Posada tied the game at five with a lead-off home run off Kevin Gregg, sending the action to extras. With runners on second and third in the bottom of the tenth and one out, Nick Swisher ended the game with a walk-off sac fly against Mike Gonzalez, scoring Mark Teixeira and giving the Yanks a 6-5 win.
2004: A Veteran Reaches a Milestone
Like Mike Mussina a few days earlier, Kevin Brown won the 200th game of his career. With the Yankees hosting Tampa Bay, a three-run homer by Jason Giambi off Mark Hendrickson in the bottom of the first inning set the tone, and Brown threw seven innings of one-run ball for the victory in a game that ended 5-1.
1968: The Playing Debut of an Iconic Manager
In a 4-3 Yankees loss to the Twins in the Bronx, a baseball legend makes their MLB debut for the Yanks: Bobby Cox. He pinch-hit for Gene Michael in the bottom of the ninth inning and struck out against Al Worthington. Cox hit .225 over 220 games with the Yanks in 1968 and 1969, which were the only big league games he played in due to bad knees that cut his career short. Cox went on to become a Hall of Fame manager, entering Cooperstown in 2014 after the Veteran's Committee voted him in for his work leading the Braves from 1990-2010. Additionally, Cox had an earlier stint managing the Braves and also spent time in charge of the Blue Jays.
1967: The Yanks Avoid Infamy
Just a few months before being traded to a Red Sox team that went on to reach the World Series, Elston Howard prevented a Boston pitcher from throwing a no-hitter in their very first MLB game. With the Yankees hosting the Sox, 21-year-old Billy Rohr made his debut and came within one out of achieving the feat, but Howard prevented it with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rohr then retired the next batter - Charley Smith - to wrap up a one-hitter. Final score: Red Sox 3, Yankees 0.
1955: A Trailblazer Makes History
With the club visiting Fenway Park, Elston Howard broke the Yankees' color barrier, becoming the first African American to play for the team. Howard entered off the bench in the bottom of the sixth inning replacing Irv Noren as the Yanks' left fielder, then in the top of the eighth he recorded an RBI single off Willard Nixon in his first plate appearance, scoring Mickey Mantle. The Yankees lost 8-4 to the Red Sox, the only other team Howard played for in his 14-year MLB career. A four-time World Champion, Howard's accomplishments with the Yankees included the 1963 American League Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Glove Awards as a catcher, and 12 All-Star nods.
1941: Holy Cow!
Starting a journey that saw him become one of the most beloved figures in Yankees history as a player and a broadcaster, local boy Phil Rizzuto made his MLB debut in a 3-0 Yankees win over the Washington Senators on the road. Rizzuto played his entire 13-season career with the Yanks, and it would have been more if not for military service during World War II from 1943 through 1945. The 1950 American League MVP, "The Scooter" won seven World Championships with the Yanks and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994 after being voted in by what was then known as the Veteran's Committee.
1933: Red Does It All
The Yankees walked off against the Red Sox. With the score tied at two in the bottom of the ninth, Red Ruffing - the Hall of Fame pitcher - truly "helped his own cause." He hit the second walk-off grand slam in Yankees history and their first since Babe Ruth did so eight years earlier, getting to Bob Weiland and giving the Yanks a 6-2 win over the Sox. Ruffing made himself the victor - regarding his work on the mound, he struck out nine batters.
1931: A Manager Named Joe
Having previously managed the Cubs from 1926-1930, Joe McCarthy made his debut as Yankees manager as the Yanks beat the Red Sox 6-3 in the Bronx. It was the first of a franchise-record 1,460 wins for McCarthy as Yankees manager and he went on to lead the club to seven World Championships during his tenure, which lasted from the start of the '31 season until early in the 1946 campaign. His success in charge of the Bronx Bombers propelled him to the Hall of Fame - having been voted in by the Veteran's Committee, McCarthy was inducted into Cooperstown in 1957.
1920: First Look at an Early Star
On Opening Day in a 3-1 Yankees loss to the Philadelphia Athletics in Philly, Bob Meusel makes his MLB debut playing third base. A lifetime .309 hitter, Meusel spent all of the Roaring '20s with the Yankees, helping them win World Championships in 1923, the legendary 1927 season, and 1928 - the first three championship seasons in franchise history. In December of 1929 the Yankees sold him to the Reds, with whom he played his final major league season in 1930.
