This Day in Yankees History: Tony Lazzeri makes history

Welcome to This Day in Yankees History. With the start of the 2020 season delayed for the foreseeable future, the Pinstripe Alley team decided to take a look back through history. These daily posts will highlight two or three key moments in Yankees history on a given date, as well as recognize players born on the day. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with us!

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84 Years Ago

Tony Lazzeri made MLB history against the then-Philadelphia Athletics, becoming the first player to launch two grand slams in the same game in a 25-2 blowout win. Lazzeri’s slams came in the second inning off of George Tuberville and in the fifth inning off of Herman Fink, and he added a solo shot in the seventh off of Woody Upchurch. Lazzeri ended up with 11 RBI that day, setting the American League record.

64 Years Ago

Mickey Mantle led the way offensively for the Yankees in an 11-4 victory over the Tigers in Detroit. Mantle went 5-for-5 in the game, hitting a solo home run in the second inning before connecting on four consecutive singles (he was also intentionally walked). Mantle was slugging an insane .880 by that point in the season, and would eventually end the year with a career-high .705 slugging percentage.

56 Years Ago

The Yankees were a part of history, but on the wrong side of the score. The MLB mark for shutouts in a single day was set with seven teams getting blanked, and the Yankees were one of those clubs. The Angels shut them down, allowing just a pair of hits to Phil Linz and a single to Roger Maris as Dean Chance went the distance.

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Happy 29th birthday to Chad Green, one of the key relievers on the current Yankee roster. Green has been exceptional in his role out of the bullpen since making it to the bigs full-time in 2017, working flexibly as an early-mid innings eater. His ability to adapt to the opener role last year brought him back into the fold after an ugly beginning to the season.

Today is also the birthday of Bartolo Colon, a very brief but memorable Yankee. Colon reinvented himself as a starter in his lone year in pinstripes in 2011, finding his way back after his Cy Young form had faded into a reliever role for four years. Colon went on to play seven more seasons after leaving the Bronx, including a stint with the cross-town Mets.

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We thank Baseball-Reference, Nationalpastime.com, and Baseballhall.org for providing background information for these posts.