October 10 – Happy Birthday Bobby Tiefenauer

Bobby Tiefenauer is the only member of the Yankee all-time roster to celebrate a birthday on this date. He was born in Desloge, MO, in 1929. He lasted parts of ten seasons in the Majors. His specialty was the knuckleball. In 1965, this right-hander pitched ten games in relief for the Yankees. During that season New York sent him to Cleveland and the Indians then traded Bobby for another former Yankee pitcher named Rob Gardner. Though Tiefenauer’s career had few highlights I did turn up something interesting about Gardner’s. Only passionate, long-time Yankee fans will remember that Rob Gardner won eight games as a part-time starter for the 1972 Yankees. The Yankees traded him to the Oakland A’s at the beginning of the 1971 season for one-time All-Star Felipe Alou. New York then reacquired Gardner from the A’s eight weeks later. Then, after the 1972 season, the Yankees traded Gardner back to the A’s for Felipe’s brother, Matty Alou, making Gardner the only Yankee in history traded for two brothers.

Meanwhile, Tiefenauer wore number 29 during his brief tenure in pinstripes, the same digit worn currently by Raffael Soriano. Other notable Yankee number 29′s included Francisco Cervelli, Mike Stanton and Hall of Famer, Catfish Hunter.

Tiefenauer died in June of 2000. Thus far, he is the only member of the Yankee all-time player roster to be born on this date but he does share his October 10th birthday with this great performer who played in Yankee Stadium for 31 seasons.