by James Vletstra
January 13, 2023
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The Greatest Yankees Moments of All-Time!
The New York Yankees are rich in history. They celebrate their great history every year with Old Timers Day and other celebrations. Of course, the Yankees are also constantly adding to their history. In looking back over their long and successful history, there are countless moments that would be considered great.
I have ranked my top 250 Yankees moments.
Not all of these were accomplished by the Yankees, but they were at least involved. I will be releasing (in groups of 25) what I feel are the Top 250 Moments in Yankees history.
I hope you enjoy reliving each of these memories as much as I did putting them together. Feel free to share yours in the comments.
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THE TOP 250 MOMENTS IN YANKEES HISTORY: Part 2, 225-201
225. April 17, 2007 Robinson Plaque dedicated
60 years after breaking the color barrier, the Yankees honored Jackie Robinson with a plaque in Monument Park.
224. September 20, 1958 Hoyt Wilhelm no hits Yankees
Wilhelm is a Hall of Fame pitcher, mostly for his work out of the bullpen, however he pitched the Orioles' first no hitter, defeating the Yankees 1-0.
223. May 23, 1962 Joe Pepitone hits 2 home runs in the same inning
The Yankees' first baseman is the second of five Yankees to hit two homers in an inning, versus the Kansas City Athletics
222. July 5, 2024 Ruth knocked unconscious
In a game at Griffith Stadium in Washington DC, Babe Ruth is knocked out after running full steam into a wall. He eventually stays in the game and gets three hits
221. July 25, 2021 German K’s 4
Domingo German struck out four Red Sox in one inning
220. July 10, 2004 Ruffing plaque dedicated
Red Ruffing, legendary pitcher from the 30s and 40s, has a plaque commemorating his accomplishments erected in Monument Park
219. October 21, 1976 Lost World Series
The Big Red Machine from Cincinnati, avenged two earlier World Series losses to the Yankees as they swept them in four games
218. April 30, 1946 Feller no hits Yankees
Bob Feller returned from military service to throw a 1-0 gem. It was the Hall of Famer’s second career no hitter
217. September 27, 1938 Gehrig hits final Home Run
When Lou Gehrig stepped off the field in 1938 at 35 years of age, it was expected that he had several more productive years ahead of him. ALS had a different plan. He hit career number 493, second behind only Babe Ruth’s 714. Jimmy Foxx (429), Mel Ott (343), and Roger Hornsby (301) rounded out the top five
216. Multiple Occasions Several Astros combined to no hit Yankees
On June 11, 2003 Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner combined to no hit the Yankees 8-0. On June 25, 2022, Cristian Javier, Hector Neris, and Ryan Pressly duplicated the feat, this time winning 3-0
215. September 5, 2007 ARod hits 2 homers
Alex Rodriguez hit two home runs in the 7th inning against the Mariners
214. April 15, 1954 Barrow gets plaque
Long before there was a Monument Park, former general manager Ed Barrow was honored for his years of service
213. June 25, 2021 Loasiga fans four
Johnathon Loasiga strikes out 4 batters in an inning against the Red Sox exactly one month before German
212. October 5, 1952 Mize clutch HR
Hall of Famer Johnny Mize belted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead in a game they eventually lost
211. April 23, 2000 Switch hitters hitting homers
In MLB history, a player has hit a homer from each side of the plate in the same game 357 times. 55 times it was done by a Yankees player. In this particular day Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada both did it
210. April 17, 1951 Shepherd’s first game
PA announcer Bob Shepherd spent 56 years behind the mic at Yankees Stadium. His first included 8 future Hall of Fame players, including Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle
209. July 30, 1976 Stengel gets plaque
Casey Stengel gets honored for his Hall of Fame managerial career
208. July 25, 1912 Daniels hits for cycle
There’s been 339 cycles in baseball history. Bert Daniels hit the first in franchise history when the team was still called the Highlanders
207. June 29, 1987 Mattingly hits 6th Grand Slam
Don Mattingly hit six career grand slams. All six came in 1987 before July.
206. October 10, 1926 Yankees lose World Series
The Cardinals won their first World Series when Babe Ruth attempted to steal second base down 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7 and was thrown out
205. September 20, 1980 Munson plaque
The Yankees honored their recently deceased captain Thurman Munson who tragically died in a plane accident 13 months prior
204. June 3, 1936 DiMaggio hits 2 HRs in same inning
Joe DiMaggio became the first Yankees player to hit two homers in the same inning against the White Sox
203. June 30, 1908 Cy Young no hits Yankees
Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young pitched his third and final no hitter against the Highlanders for the Boston Red Sox
202. October 8, 1961 Ford breaks Ruth record
Whitey Ford breaks Babe Ruth record of 29 2/3 consecutive shutout innings in the World Series
201. September 11, 1966 Miller homers in first at bat
In his first MLB at bat, John Miller hit a home run against the Red Sox
One of my greatest Yankee moments was being present at the DH against Cleveland in 1970 when Bobby Murcer hit 4 HR across both games including 3 in the second game, the last of which gave the Yankees the win. Sam McDowell shut them down in the first game but Murcer and Curt Blefary hit HRs late in the game. Also that day, A fan threw a cherry bomb from the upper deck that landed near Ray Fosse's foot (luckily the jerk was arrested), Vada Pinson leveled Stan Bahnsen with a punch in a fight behind home plate after scoring on a wild pitch, Murcer went behind the monuments in CF to chase a ball hit by Tony Horton (ended…