Top 250 Moments: Part 9, 50-26

by James Vletstra

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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 9, 50-26

50. April 26, 2005. A-Rod 10 RBIs

With 4 hits, including 3 home runs, Alex Rodriguez knocked in 10 runs in a 12-4 victory over the Angels

49. August 11, 1929 Ruth Clubs Number 500

When Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run against the Cleveland Indians, Rogers Hornsby was second with 250 career homers

48. July 22, 1972 Number 8 Gets Retired

Two legendary Yankees catchers each wore number 8. Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra each had it retired for him. That’s why you see 8 on the wall twice

47. April 19, 1949 Ruth Monument and Plaque

A mere 8 years after his teammate Lou Gehrig was memorialized with a monument, Babe Ruth joined him in the Yankees outfield. The Great Bambino would be the last monument until Mantle in 1996

46. September 28, 2022 Judge hits 61

61 years after number 9 (Roger Maris) hit 61 homers, Aaron Judge (number 99) equaled his American League record in Toronto against the Blue Jays

45. October 10, 1964 Mantle Walk Off

Legend has it that Mickey Mantle told on deck batter Elston Howard to go back to the clubhouse, he was going to end it. Regardless if he said it or not, Mantle definitely hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 3 with both the game and the series tied at 1

44. October 18, 1977 Yankees Win First WS in 15 Years

In Game 6 of the World Series, Mr. October Reggie Jackson connected on 3 home runs against the Dodgers and the Yankees won their 21st championship

43. June 17, 1978. Guidry K’s 18

Ron Guidry threw a dominating 4-0 shutout with a record 18 strike outs against the California Angels

42. September 22, 2013 Rivera Number Retired

The number 42 had been retired across baseball since 2007. Mariano Rivera was grandfathered into being able to wear it. The Yankees retired the number again in honor of Rivera, even though he was still an active player

41. September 30, 1927 Ruth Hits 60

In a 4-2 victory over the Senators, Babe Ruth once again broke his own record when he hit his 60th of the season

40. September 26, 2013 Rivera Removed by Teammates

In what would be his last appearance, longtime teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter were sent to the mound to retrieve their friend in an emotional display as Mariano Rivera walked off the mound one last time

39. August 6, 1979 Murcer Eulogizes Friend

Bobby Murcer spent the day giving the eulogy to teammate Thurman Munson. That evening, he turned a 4-0 Orioles lead into a Yankees victory with a 3 run homer in the 7th and a walk-off 2 run single in the ninth to cap off an extremely emotional day

38. August 17-18, 1948 Ruth Lays In State

After passing away , Babe Ruth’s coffin was on display at Yankee Stadium where tens of thousands of his fans got to say goodbye

37. October 6, 1926 Ruth Hits 3 Homers in World Series Game

Unknown whether or not true or myth, but rumors swirl that Babe Ruth promised a sick child he would hit him a homer. In Game 4 of the World Series, Ruth delivered not one but three home runs. The legend of Babe continued to grow as a larger than life mythical hero

36. October 13, 2001 The Flip

Always at the right place at the right time, Derek Jeter raced to the foul lines to get an errant throw and flipped it to Jorge Posada to nail Jeremy Giambi of the A’s at the plate in Game 3 of the ALDS, preserving the Yankees 1-0 victory. This play would be reenacted by octogenarian Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra as a ceremonial first pitch

35. July 18, 1921 Ruth Hits One 575 feet

In one of the longest home runs ever witnessed, Babe Ruth hit a long home run at Navin Field (Tiger Stadium) in Detroit

34. July 31, 1994 Rizzuto Hall of Fame Speech

If you never watched the Hall of Fame induction speech of Phil Rizzuto, I suggest you find it on YouTube and prepare to be entertained by the man that announced thousands of games to multiple generations of Yankees fans

33. October 9, 1928 Yankees Win third World Series

Including umpires and managers , there were 17 Hall of Famers on the field. However, the one that stood out the most, of course, was Babe Ruth. Ruth hit 3 home runs in the clincher as the Yankees swept the Cardinals in 4 straight

32. July 2, 2007 Clemens Wins 350

During a 5-1 victory over the Twins, Roger Clemens reached win number 350. It is a milestone only nine men have achieved. Along with Greg Maddux, only two have done it in the past 60 years

31. August 21, 1931 Ruth hits 600

Babe Ruth was the only member of the 600 club until Willie Mays joined him in 1970. This one was hit against the St Louis Browns

30. May 24, 1936 Lazzeri Drives in 11

Tony Lazzeri was the first major leaguer to hit 2 grand slams in a day. In total he knocked in 11 runs on 15 total bases, including 3 home runs and a triple in a 25-2 drubbing of the Philadelphia Athletics

29. October 26, 1996 Yankees Win First Title in 18 years

Led by a run scoring triple by Joe Girardi, The Yankees defeated the Braves in six games to win their 23rd World Series. John Wetteland was named WS MVP. Some of the lasting images are of Charlie Hayes squeezing the last out and Wade Boggs riding the police horse

28. May 29, 2000 Velarde Turns 3

On Memorial Day, former Yankees Randy Velarde turned an unassisted triple play for the Oakland A’s. There has only been 15 such plays in MLB history

27. August 4, 2010 A-Rod 600

In a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays, Alex Rodriguez joined the 600 HR club. He was the 8th player to reach 600

26. July 24, 1983. Pine Tar

The infamous pine tar game is remembered for George Brett storming out of the dugout after his Home Run was disallowed. His Kansas City Royals would appeal and ultimately win