Results tagged ‘ august 20 ’
August 20 – Happy Birthday Brad Arnsberg
On August 5, 1987, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 to remain in first place in the AL East, a half-game ahead of the Blue Jays and three games ahead of third place Detroit. After the game, reporters asked then Yankee skipper Lou Piniella, what he thought about the performance of his rookie right-hander, Brad Arnsberg, who made his second-ever big league start that evening and got his first-ever Yankee victory. Sweet Lou took a puff on his victory cigar and praised the poise of the then-24-year-old, six foot four inch Arnsberg, telling reporters the youngster had shown a lot of poise out there.
Arnsberg had been showing a lot of poise since he first signed with the Yankees after New York selected him in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1983 MLB Amateur Draft. He had been assigned to the Yankees’ Greensboro farm team in the single A level Sally League and finished 12-5 with 4 shutouts in 1984. In ’85, the Yankees brought him north to Albany-Colonie, which is where I got to see him pitch for the first time and where he frequented the headlines of the Times-Union sports pages all season by going 14-2 for the double A A/C Yankees, with a microscopic 1.59 ERA. That got him a ticket to Columbus and triple A ball, where Arnsberg stumbled at first, going just 8-12 against the stiffer competition. He then rebounded to 12-5 for the Clippers the following year and everyone in the Yankee organization thought he was ready for the big show. His performance that night against Cleveland seemed to confirm those expectations.
Five days after that victory against Cleveland, Piniella gave the kid a start against the Royals and Arnsberg got hammered, giving up seven earned runs and three home runs against the Royals in Kansas City in a 10-1 Yankee loss. By then, New York had fallen a half game behind the Jays. They would end the season in fourth place nine games behind first-place Detroit who nipped ahead of second-place Toronto in September. Arnsberg would make a couple of more relief appearances in pinstripes but never again get the opportunity to start for Piniella or the Yankees. That November, the once promising Yankee right-hander became the property of the Texas Rangers, when New York made him the player to be named later in the trade they had made with Texas for Don Slaught.
After spending much of his first year with Texas on the DL and back in the minors, the Rangers put Arnsberg in their bullpen in ’89 and the following year, he appeared in 55 games, went 6-1 and saved 5, including Nolan Ryan’s 300th victory. That would be the Medford, Oregon native’s finest big leagues season. Within two years he found himself back in the minors and he eventually became a big league pitching coach for the Marlins, Blue Jays and most recently the Astros.
Arnsberg shares his August 20th birthday with this outstanding former Yankee third baseman.
August 20 – Happy Birthday Graig Nettles
The Dodgers and the Yankees clashed in the 1978 World Series. If you’re a longtime Yankee fan, older than forty, you simply don’t forget Graig Nettles defensive performance in Game 3.
The Dodgers had jumped ahead of New York two games to none and only “Puff” and his well worn fielders glove prevented them from making it three straight wins. He made four great plays in that game. In the third inning, with New York ahead 2-1 and Bill Russell on first base with two outs, Nettles made a diving stop of Reggie Smith’s smash down the third base line and threw Smith out at first. In the fifth, with the tying run on second, Nettles again victimized Smith by knocking down his screaming line drive, preventing the run from scoring and holding the Dodger outfielder to an infield single. The very next hitter, Dodger first baseman, Steve Garvey then scorched another one at Nettles who backhanded it on his knees and forced the runner at second to end the inning. Yet again in the visitors’ half of the sixth, the Dodgers loaded the bases and with two outs, LA second baseman Davey Lopes sent another hard grounder in Nettles’ direction. After another great stop, he made another great throw, forcing the runner at second and ending another Dodger threat. As he ran toward the dugout, the Yankee Stadium crowd gave him a standing ovation. Nettles won Gold Gloves in 1977 and ’78.
Born in San Diego on this date in 1944, he was the AL Home Run Champion in 1976 and when he retired after the 1988 season he had 390 career home runs. 319 of those blasts were the most home runs ever by an AL third baseman. Great glove, plenty of power, a quick irreverent wit and that Game 3 performance sum up my memories of the Yankee’s All-Time great third baseman.
Nettles shares his August 20th birthday with this one-time top Yankee pitching prospect.
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