This Day In New York Yankees History 7/3: Jim Thome Approaches Don Mattingly

I know we're going way back on this one but apparently there used to a crazy Boston law back in the day that restricted baseball games on Sunday within 1000 feet of a church. Okay.... I don't see the correlation between the two of them but I digress. On this day in 1932 the Boston Red Sox joined the 20th century by playing their first Sunday Game at Fenway Park. The Red Sox and Boston lawmakers immediately regretted the idea as the Red Sox would lose to the Yankees 13-2 on this day. Whoops.

Also on this day in 2002 against the same Yankees team Jim Thome, a member of the Cleveland Indians at the time, hit a home run off New York's David Wells giving him a home run in his seventh consecutive game. The home run would leave Thome just one game short of the major league record shared by Dale Long (1956 Pittsburgh Pirates), Don Mattingly (1987 New York Yankees), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993 Seattle Mariners) who all had home runs in eight consecutive games.

Quick Hit: Eight Consecutive Days w/ Home Runs

Today marks the day that the Pittsburgh Pirates first basemen Dale Long made history way back in 1956. Long would hit his eight home run in eight games establishing a new major league record. While this record would later be tied by New York Yankees first basemen Don Mattingly in 1987 and the Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr in 1993 the record has still yet to be broken.

Not that the two should matter or necessarily collate but two of the three men never got a World Series ring. Was this the Baseball Gods saying they could have their cake but not eat it too? The world may never know. Long got a World Series ring finally as a member of the New York Yankees in 1962 but was a part time player and only played in two games and had five at bats in the series against the San Francisco Giants.