Yankees: This Week In Team History February 25-March 3

The Yankees recorded several significant events during the week of February 25 thru March 3. Here a few of those that shaped both the Yankees and all of Major League Baseball. All block quotes are courtesy of National Pastime.

Yankees History – February 25

1994

Yankees shortstop, Phil Rizzuto, played for the Yankees during the 1940’s and early 50’s, missing three years for active duty during World War II. Sure of hands and fleet of foot, he earned the nickname “Scooter.” He played on teams that won seven World Championships and, in 1950, won the Most Valuable Player award in the American League, batting .324 and leading the league with an astounding 735 plate appearances in only 155 games.

But it wasn’t until 1994 that Rizzuto made it to the Baseball Hall Of Fame as detailed here:

"After a long campaign by Yankee fans, including owner George Steinbrenner, the Veterans Committee elects Phil Rizzuto to the Hall of Fame, along with the posthumous selection of Leo Durocher. The former infielder and current television broadcaster’s enshrinement, that causes much debate given the borderline career stats, became especially important to his supporters when Pee Wee Reese, a similar-styled shortstop of the rival crosstown Brooklyn Dodgers, was inducted in 1984."

Yankees History – February 26

1935

By 1935, the most storied Yankees player to ever don the Pinstripes was nearing the end of his career. He is rightfully credited with introducing baseball to the Modern Era and the home run. In 1927, for instance, when he hit his magical 60, that sum represented more any other team recorded that season, with only one exception, the Philadelphia Athletics.

National Pastime records the event that day as follows:

"Babe Ruth is granted his release by the Yankees, giving the aging superstar an opportunity to play for the Braves. The 39 year-old outfielder hit 659 home runs and batted .349 during his 15-year tenure with New York."

Yankees History – February 27

1912

The uniform worn by the New York Yankees has undergone several changes over the years. However, a few of the changes have stuck. There’s also a wealth of little tidbits about their uniform that might make for interesting reading later. But, here’s what happened in 1912:

"The Yankees announce they will begin wearing pinstripes on their uniforms. It will take a few seasons (April 22, 1915) before the vertical lines become a reality."

Yankees History – February 28

2000

Former Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, had a heart of gold when it came to helping ballplayers in need of assistance. In the late 1990’s, he took both Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry under his wings and made them a New York Yankee. This followed a period in their

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lives in which all the fame and notoriety they had earned during the 1980’s was unraveling, due to drug dependencies.

Doc Gooden rewarded him by pitching an unlikely no-hitter at Yankee Stadium and was carried off the field on the backs of his teammates, with Steinbrenner beaming from his owner’s box. And Strawberry crushed three majestic home runs in the ALCS in 1996, propelling the team to an eventual World Series title against the Atlanta Braves, the team’s first in nearly two decades.

But not all stories end well, and in the year 2000, National Pastime reports:

"Yankee outfielder/DH Darryl Strawberry is suspended for one year after testing positive for cocaine last month. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig does not make any provision for an early return from the suspension based on good behavior."

Yankees History – March 1

1969

Mickey Mantle lived hard and played hard as the face of the franchise throughout the 1960’s. An admitted alcoholic, he once said of himself, “If I had known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”, referring to the premature death of his father, Mutt, who died from a hereditary disease. An iconic Yankee, Mantle crossed a bridge on this date in 1969:

"Citing “I can’t hit when I need to”, Mickey Mantle announces his retirement, thus ending his fabled Hall of Fame career. The oft-injured Yankee slugger ranks third, behind Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, on the all-time home run list with 536 round-trippers, and finishes his 18-year stay in the majors with a .298 batting average."

1993

Also on this date, George Steinbrenner was back in the news. Vilified by many of his colleagues for his free-spending ways, Steinbrenner was closely watched by Major League Baseball. National Pastime reports what happened on March 1, 1993:

"Two and half years after accepting a life-long ban from being involved in the day-to-day operation with the team, Yankee owner George Steinbrenner is reinstated. ‘The Boss’ had been exiled from baseball by commissioner Fay Vincent in 1990 for hiring Howie Spira, a known gambler, to snoop into the life of star outfielder Dave Winfield."

Yankees History – March 2

Babe Ruth makes his second appearance in this week’s news and this time it has to do with money. Most fans today know and understand that the lowest paid major league players earn a half-million dollars a year. The discussion between the Yankees and Ruth in 1927 was about a mere twenty percent of that, but the controversy raged for days and weeks. National Pastime reports:

"Babe Ruth becomes the highest paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce the Bambino will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years. The historic deal is struck when the ‘Sultan of Swat’, who had asked for $100,000, meets Colonel Jacob Ruppert, the club’s owner, at the Ruppert Brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan."

Yankees History – March 3

There are no significant events recorded in Yankees history on this date.

Next Week’s Installment will Appear Next Friday And Will Include:

Two Wild And Crazy Yankee Teammates
A Ground-Breaking Woman Broadcaster
Baseball In Cuba
Babe Rugh (Again!)
And An Injury To Alex Rodriguez That Threatens His Career

Next: Yankees 25 Most Memorable Home Runs

Til then, follow Yanks Go Yard for the latest development at the Yankees Spring Training complex.