1. materials characteristic of baseball and the culture of baseball; 2. collectible baseball Americana
2002
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada signs a five-year contract with the club. Terms of the pact are not announced, but Posada was asking $7.75 million in arbitration, which would have made the 30-year-old the second best-paid catcher in MLB history.
1927
Yankees OF Bob Meusel swipes second base, third base, and home in the 3rd inning as New York tops the Tigers of Detroit, 6 – 2. Lou Gehrig contributes a homer and two doubles.
1975
Pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, suffering from a torn rotator cuff, is given his unconditional release by the New York Yankees. He compiled a 164-139 record and a 2.97 ERA as well as 40 shutouts in an eleven-season MLB career all with the Yankees.
2005
Jerry Coleman, the San Diego broadcaster, is selected as the recipient of this year’s Ford C. Frick Award. The 80-year old play-by-play man, who was the MVP of the 1950 World Series, had spent 41 years in the booth working for the Yankees, Angels and Padres.
1982
Free agent Reggie Jackson signs a four-year, nearly $4 million contract with the Angels, ending his five-year roller coaster ride with the Yankees. In 5 seasons as an Angel, Reggie belts 123 home runs, and has a memorable movie moment in “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”
1943
A wartime tone for the season is set when Red Ruffing, just months short of his 38th birthday, and minus four toes, is drafted into the Army Air Corp. The Hall of Fame hurler was 14-7 for the Yankees in 1942.
1964
The Yankees fire long-time television and radio voice Mel Allen. The well-known broadcaster popularized the “going, going, gone” home run call and was known for his catchphrase “how about that” in reaction to happenings on the ball field.
