Yankees: 3 Hall of Famers you forgot played for NYY

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The Yankees have such a rich history that there are some Hall of Famers who’ve made forgotten cameos in Pinstripes.

Yankees fans know Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio like the backs of their hands — at least, the would, if each finger weren’t so obscured by championship rings.

Most fans can even recall the deepest rung of unheralded Hall of Fame talents, who’ve graced the Bronx with wonderful cameos. From Wade Boggs to Tim Raines, to even Randy Johnson and, yes, Rickey Henderson, many of the league’s elite from other venues chose to take their talents here, after they’d already been well established across the baseball landscape.

But then, a level below those stars who brought their talents to town only briefly, are the Hall of Famers who you never in a million years would’ve guessed ever suited up in our iconic uniform. Consider this your primer — yes, everyone really does want to put on the pinstripes before they wrap things up.

Phil Niekro #35 of the New York Yankees pitches during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium on September 13, 1985 in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /

3. Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro, aka Knucksie, was a member of the Yankees in his old age.

Long before Tim Wakefield made the Yankee Stadium mound equal parts nightmare and fantasy for NYY bats (depending on the day), his most famous predecessor put on the home whites.

The remarkable Phil Niekro, on the heels of his spectacular and befuddling knuckler, won 318 games and pitched from age 25 to 48 in MLB, and was largely effective for his entire tenure.

Though most famous as a venerated Atlanta Brave, Niekro spent his age 45 and 46 seasons in the Bronx, making the All-Star team in 1984 with a 16-8 record and 3.09 ERA.

The next season, he remained an effective pitcher (16-12, 4.09), and in a season marred by the brutal import of Ed Whitson, the team even tried to double their pleasure, adding Phil’s 40-year-old brother Joe, a fellow knuckleballer, to the rotation. The experiment didn’t last long; though the “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” ’80s Yankees got some good promotional photos out of the whole endeavor, Joe only made three starts that season alongside his bro.

When Phil departed after the ’85 season, though, Joe stuck around, going 9-10 with a 4.87 mark the next year.

Enos Slaughter #17 of the New York Yankees and Gil Hodges #14 of the Brooklyn Dodgers pose for a portrait prior to World Series Game 2 on September 29, 1955 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Tommy Byrne and the Yankees won the second game of the series 4-2, in front of 64,707 fans. (Photo by Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

2. Enos Slaughter

Cardinals infielder Enos Slaughter joined the Yankees in the ’50s.

No, it’s not Johnny Mize — though the Big Cat also joined the Yankees slightly after his prime to slug dingers, in a similar era.

Yes, Enos Slaughter, forever associated with the Birds on the Bat for his work as a scrappy right fielder, joined the Yanks at the age of 38 in 1954, following 10 straight All-Star seasons in St. Louis (with three years missed for military service sandwiched in between).

A National Leaguer with a big reputation joining the Yankees after most of their skills have worn away? No. You don’t say.

‘Country’ Slaughter played parts of six seasons with the Yanks, somehow boomeranging back to the Bronx despite not really being much of a standout in the junior circuit. His best season in pinstripes was 1958, at the age of 42, when he managed to hit .304 in 160 at-bats with four round-trippers.

Despite playing in only 24 games with the Yankees in 1956, after being shipped back from New York’s pseudo farm club the Kansas City A’s, Slaughter shined in the World Series that year, hitting .350 with a dinger in the six-game victory against Brooklyn.

Now, how can any Yankee fan forget that?!

1989: Gaylord Perry pitches in an Old Timers Game in 1989. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

1. Gaylord Perry

One of baseball’s biggest outlaws, Gaylord Perry, pitched for the Yankees

See the Yankees logo on this well-traveled wild man’s jersey? It’s right there, bottom right from our perspective. Proof!

In a way, it’s not terribly surprising that Gaylord Perry pitched for the Yankees. After all, he pitched for half the league. But on the other hand, the Steinbrenner Administration allowed this unsavory character who threw the shineball, emery ball, and spitball onto his squeaky-clean roster?! Now I’ve seen everything!

Heavy dose of sarcasm aside, Perry was a wizard for the way he was allowed to skirt traditional rules that any other hurler would’ve been penalized. As his excellent career droned on, he became known more for his prop-based experimentation than his skills as a moundsman, but rest assured, he was a great pitcher before he was a walking prank war.

A 41-year-old Perry joined the 1980 Yankees for the stretch run after a mid-August trade from Texas; New York sent pitcher Ken Clay to the Rangers (that’s two-time champion Ken Clay to you!)

Perry went 4-4 down the stretch in 10 starts, but it wasn’t enough; the ’80 Yankees went 103-59, lost the ALCS to the Royals, and Perry didn’t appear in any game. In fact, the two-time Cy Young winner only pitched two postseason games in his entire career, going 1-1 with a 6.14 ERA against the Pirates in the 1971 NLCS.

He’d go on to hurl for the Braves, Mariners, and Royals, retiring after the 1983 season at age 44.

SAN DIEGO, : Scott Brosius of the New York Yankees jumps for joy after the Yankees defeated the San Diego Padres, 3-0, in game four of the World Series 21 October at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA. The Yankees swept the series 4-0 and Brosius was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

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