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9 Fact(s) Found
| 1923 | On Opening Day, in front of over 72,000 fans, Babe Ruth hits Yankee Stadium's first home run, a two-run blast off Red Sox hurler Howard Ehmke, helping to beat Boston, 4-1. The new $2.5-million ballpark is the first to feature three decks. |
| 1923 | At South Field on Columbia's campus in New York City, a collegian hurler strikes out seventeen batters to establish a school record but loses the game due to wildness to Williams, 5-1. Lou Gehrig, the young southpaw, will become better known for his hitting prowess with the Yankees. |
| 1929 | The Yankees will become the second team to wear numbers on uniforms when rain postpones their Opening Day game, giving the Indians the distinction of being the first to don the digits. The assignment of the numbers, Earle Combs #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10 (#'s 8-10 are all catchers) is the result of the player's position in the lineup. |
| 1929 | Babe Ruth hits a home run in his first at-bat since his marriage yesterday, a first-inning solo shot off Red Ruffing in the Yankees' eventual 7-3 victory over Boston. As the 'Bambino' rounds second base, he tips his hat to his new bride, Claire Hodgson. |
| 1939 | The five-year ban on broadcasting games played by the New York major league teams ends when Red Barber, hired away from the Reds by Larry McPhail, calls Brooklyn's 7-3 loss to the Giants at Ebbets Field. In 1934, the two National League teams and the Yankees agreed not to air their games on the radio, fearing the exposure would reduce the number of fans attending games. |
| 1950 |
The Yankees defeat the Red Sox on Opening Day, 15-10, after trailing 9-0 after five innings. The Bronx Bombers take the lead when they score nine times in the top of the eighth frame at Fenway Park, thanks to eight hits, none being home runs, and three walks surrendered by Boston's starter Mel Parnell and four relievers.
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| 1956 |
Third base umpire Ed Rommel becomes the first major league arbitrator to wear glasses during the Yankees' 9-5 victory over Washington at Griffith Stadium. The bespectacled arbitrator, known as the father of the modern knuckleball, played 13 seasons with Philadelphia, compiling an impressive 171-119 record with the A's from 1920 to 1932.
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| 1972 | The Yankees play a night game at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day for the first time in franchise history. The Bronx Bombers, behind the three-hitter by thrown Steve Kline, beat the Brewers in the Bronx ballpark, 3-0. |
| 1978 | After getting ahead in the count 3-0, Reggie Jackson, knowing he has a green light to hit away, feigns to be upset by getting a bogus take sign from third base coach Dick Howser. Oriole right-hander Tippy Martinez, deceived by the batter's behavior, grooves a fastball down the middle of the plate that the Yankee slugger promptly puts over the fence, giving the Yankees a 4-3 walk-off victory. |
9 Fact(s) Found