July 19th

 On this day in Yankee history... 

1896: Bob Meusel is born. 

                               https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bob_Meusel      





1904: Mark Koenig is born. 

  
                            https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Mark_Koenig





1914: Marius Russo is born. 

                         https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Marius_Russo 






1950: The Yankees obtain their first black players, outfielder Elston Howard and pitcher Frank Barnes. They purchase them from the Kansas City Monarchs and assign them to the Muskegon Clippers of the Central League.  

1959: Before 57,000 at the Stadium, the Yankees sweep a pair from the visiting White Sox, winning the nitecap 6-4 on Mickey Mantle's homer off Turk Lown. In game 1, Yankee veteran Enos Slaughter belts a pair of homers; at age 43, he is the oldest player this century to accomplish the feat. Carlton Fisk, a few months older, will top Slaughter in 1991.  

                         http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B07191NYA1959.htm 

                         http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B07192NYA1959.htm   





 
1960: The Yankees outslug the Indians 13-11 behind the power of Bill Skowron. The Moose follows a Yogi Berra blast with his second homer in the 8th, but Cleveland answers with two in the bottom of the 8th to take an 11-8 lead. Skowron then hits a bases-loaded double in the 9th to win it. Roger Maris hits his 30th home run, and Jimmy Piersall homers for the Tribe. 

                          http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1960/B07190CLE1960.htm      






1961: ML Commissioner Ford Frick, an old friend of Babe Ruth's, announces that should Ruth's single-season home run record be beaten after 154 games are played, the record will carry a 'distinctive mark'. When asked about the ruling, Roger Maris replies, "A season is a season." Sportswriter Dick Young suggests an asterisk, which is later claimed to be Frick's idea. No such designation is ever used in the record books, though, but the incident leads to a legend that an 'official record book' lists Maris's record with an asterisk. The myth is still popularly believed over 50 years later. 

1962: John W. Cox, owner of Yankee Stadium, donates the facility to his alma mater Rice University. 

1975: Thurman Munson's 1st-inning single and RBI against the Twins are nullified because the tar on his bat handle exceeds the 18-inch limit. Catcher Glenn Borgmann gets the putout. The Yankees lose 2-1. 

                           http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1975/B07190MIN1975.htm   





2002: Frank 'Spec' Shea, Yankee starting pitcher in the first ever televised World Series game, dies at the age of 81. 

  
                            https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Spec_Shea 




  

2007: Shelley Duncan hits his 25th homer for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees to break Wendell Magee's franchise record for home runs. Duncan will be called up to the  majors and hit three homers in his first three days in big leagues.