GAME 122: Hiroki Kuroda turned in a solid 6.2 inning start, and this time the Yankees actually plated a few runs to back him up. Shawn Kelley (7th) and Dellin Betances (8th) took it to David Robertson, who closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth. It was Robertson’s 33rd save out of 35 chances.
HITMEN: Brett Gardner knocked in 2 with a single in the 5th, and Jacoby Ellsbury got off the schneid with an RBI single. Chase Headley went 2-4, Mark Teixeira clubbed his 20th home run in the 8th. It was the 361st career homer for Tex, tying him with Joe DiMaggio for 80th on the all-time home run list.
Here’s the box score and mlb.com’s Bryan Hoch‘s recap.
MEMORY LANE: On August 17, 2006 the Yankees signed Staten Island, New York-native Frank Menechino as a free agent to a minor league contract, and was sent to the team’s then-AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers. Menechino wasn’t called up to The Bronx that year, and signed with the Colorado Rockies the following season. He played the bulk of his 15-year MLB career with Oakland and Toronto, and is currently the Miami Marlins hitting coach. He also served as hitting coach for the Trenton Thunder in 2009.
Pictured here is Menechino at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar on Sept. 27, 2007 visiting US troops in Qatar during the Heroes of the Diamond Tour. Players showed their support for Americans overseas by participating in a morale, welfare and recreation venue in Southwest Asia. Way to go, Frank!
A Busy Day in Yankees History
On this date in 1920, Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman died from a beaning by Carl Mays of the Yankees the day before. This was the only on-field fatality in major league history… In 1929, the Yankees purchased Lefty Gomez from San Francisco (Pacific Coast League) for $45,000… In 1944, Johnny Lindell of the New York Yankees hit four consecutive doubles in a 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Lindell drove in two runs and scored twice… In 1948, Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the season to tie the American League mark. Henrich, who broke in with the Yankees in 1937, had never hit a grand slam before this season. (Source: Today In Baseball History.com)
Happy 43rd Birthday to Jorge Posada!
