This Day in New York Yankees History 7/24: A Rod and Varitek Fight it Out

One of the best and longest rivalry in Major League Baseball is the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. This rivalry was especially heated in the early and mid-2000's as both teams were perennial winners. These two teams met 27 times a season and ended up fighting for the American League pennant more times than not.

The rivalry continued on this day in 2004 when then Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the previous night's hero with a game winning home run, with a pitch. A Rod stared down Arroyo as he went down to first base causing the Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek to get in Rodriguez's face. Varitek pushed his glove into A Rod's face that initiated a benches clearing brawl between the two teams.

Also on this day in 1999 the Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians on the way to their biggest margin of victory in 46 seasons with the score of 21-1. Chili Davis would go 5-6 with six RBI in the game in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1983 the Kansas City Royals and the Yankees played in what is widely considered to be the Pine Tar Game. George Brett's ninth inning home run was disallowed when the umpires ruled that there was too much pine tar on his bat. American League president Lee McPhail would overrule the decision and the game would resume on August 18th. The Royals would ultimately beat the Yankees 4-3.

Also on this day in 1978 Billy Martin resigned as the manager of the Yankees. George Steinbrenner would replace Martin with Bob Lemon and Lemon would lead the Yankees to their second consecutive World Series title.


Finally on this day in 1926 Gehrig stole home for the second time this season. Gehrig would steal 102 bases in his career and 15 of those was a steal of home plate. I'm not entirely sure if that's a record or anything but it's still an awesome stat.


Oh and also on this day in 2014 the New York Yankees acquired Chris Capuano from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. Yeah I don’t care either.

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/24: A Rod and Varitek Fight it Out

One of the best and longest rivalry in Major League Baseball is the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. This rivalry was especially heated in the early and mid-2000's as both teams were perennial winners. These two teams met 27 times a season and ended up fighting for the American League pennant more times than not.

The rivalry continued on this day in 2004 when then Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the previous night's hero with a game winning home run, with a pitch. A Rod stared down Arroyo as he went down to first base causing the Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek to get in Rodriguez's face. Varitek pushed his glove into A Rod's face that initiated a benches clearing brawl between the two teams.

Also on this day in 1999 the Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians on the way to their biggest margin of victory in 46 seasons with the score of 21-1. Chili Davis would go 5-6 with six RBI in the game in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1983 the Kansas City Royals and the Yankees played in what is widely considered to be the Pine Tar Game. George Brett's ninth inning home run was disallowed when the umpires ruled that there was too much pine tar on his bat. American League president Lee McPhail would overrule the decision and the game would resume on August 18th. The Royals would ultimately beat the Yankees 4-3.

Also on this day in 1978 Billy Martin resigned as the manager of the Yankees. George Steinbrenner would replace Martin with Bob Lemon and Lemon would lead the Yankees to their second consecutive World Series title.

Finally on this day in 1926 Gehrig stole home for the second time this season. Gehrig would steal 102 bases in his career and 15 of those was a steal of home plate. I'm not entirely sure if that's a record or anything but it's still an awesome stat.

Oh and also on this day in 2014 the New York Yankees acquired Chris Capuano from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. Yeah I don’t care either. 

Quick Hit: Should New York Be Concerned?

Should the New York Yankees be concerned that seemingly nobody wants to be their hitting coach? Eric Hinske turned down the job, Dave Magadan will not be hired although we haven't heard a reason why, Chili Davis took an extra year to coach the worst offense in the league from the season before, and Greg Colbrunn would seemingly rather be the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs coach than the MLB hitting coach. 

New York stated they expected to have a hitting coach in place before the World Series started, now you have to wonder if the team will have one by the time the World Series ends.... Cause for concern?

Red Sox Keep Chili Davis From Yankees

I was reading about some of the coaching moves and non-moves going on with the Yankees, and I came across a very interesting quote regarding Chili Davis agreeing to be the Boston Red Sox new hitting coach.

Davis was one of the guys the Yankees were looking at for their vacant hitting coach position, after he held the same position with the Oakland Athletics since November of 2011. However, on Sunday, Boston swooped in and signed Chili to a three year deal.

While a three year contract for a hitting coach isn't unprecedented (Kevin Long was signed to a three year deal with the Yankees when he was fired), it is a bit long. It turns out the Sox gave Davis a three year deal because it "was the only way Davis could be kept from signing with the Yankees."

One thing that struck me was the desperation. While Oakland went from 8th in the American League in runs scored in 2012 (the season after Davis was hired), to 3rd in 2013, and 3rd again in 2014, it's not like Davis, or any hitting coach for that matter, would turn the Yankees from the 11th ranked offense in the AL to an offensive juggernaut. But maybe my ignorance is shining through in this case.

But there's another thing...

There was a time in which I thought the Yankees cared too much about what went on in Boston. My feeling has always been that the Yankees should simply do what's best for them without caring what the other guys do. You should be trying to lift yourself up, not trying to bring others down.

But that's what Boston apparently did. Instead of simply doing what's best for their team, they made a quick decision to try and hurt the Yankees. It's that type of move that helps erase any fear I had of the Red Sox.

Yankees Will Not Hire Dave Magadan

Dave Magadan did not get the #Yankees job he tells me. #Athletics
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) October 20, 2014

In an interesting turn of events the New York Yankees will not hire Texas Rangers hitting coach Dave Magadan to be the team's hitting coach. No word on who the new favorite is for the job but Magadan and Chili Davis have come off the Yankees board in consecutive days.

Red Sox Hire Chili Davis to Open Hitting Coach Position

The Red Sox have hired A's Hitting Coach Chili Davis to the same position, WEEI's Rob Bradford reports.

Davis, 54, has been with Oakland for the last three seasons. During that time, interestingly, the A's have done nothing but win, impressively taking home two division titles and a wild card berth.

From Bradford's post:

According to a major league source, the Red Sox have agreed to terms with Chili Davis to become their next hitting coach. 

Davis, who worked as the hitting coach for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in 2011, has been the Oakland A’s hitting coach for the past three seasons. Though the A’s finished third in the AL in runs per game (4.5) under Davis this year, the team’s offense went into a tailspin in the final two months of the season, likely contributing to the A’s willingness to let the Sox talk to Davis, at a time when he remained under contract with Oakland. 

Davis was also interviewed by the Yankees, whom he played for from 1998-1999, this weekend. In each of those two seasons, as you probably already know, the Yanks captured championships, their twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth ones in franchise history.

As for his overall career, Davis solidly collected 350 home runs and 1,372 RBI, stats that definitely contributed to his making of three All-Star teams. Besides those numbers, though, he somewhat struggled at the plate, only batting .274 throughout 19 years.

The details of his new deal with Boston have not yet been revealed, but are expected to be soon.

Magadan Claims Yankees Will Hire New Hitting Coach This Weekend

Rangers' Hitting Coach Dave Magadan claimed that the Yankees will hire a new man for the same position sometime this weekend.

Magadan, who has worked for Texas for one season after being with the Red Sox for six, is currently one of many candidates for Kevin Long's former job. He was interviewed by the Yanks Wednesday, but said that he won't be the only who has done so by the beginning of the World Series.

"They told me they were going to interview a couple of other candidates," Magadan recently told The New York Post's George A. King III. "I don’t know if that was going to happen Thursday or Friday. They said they would make a decision shortly thereafter."

Magadan said that he thinks the meeting went nicely.

"I thought it went well," he said. "But they are the ones who need to think it went well.’’

That's certainly true, as Magadan isn't the only guy the Yankees seem to like right now. Oakland's Chilis Davis, for example, also talked to the team yesterday, and is always a possibility for the occupation due to his notable playing past.

Yankees Interested in Bichette, Thames, Rowson for Hitting Coach

The New York Yankees have begun the interview process for their vacant hitting coach position and have shown some early interest in Dante Bichette, Double-A hitting coach Marcus Thames, and James Rowson. New York has already interviewed former Texas Rangers hitting coach Dave Magadan for the job and will interview current Oakland Athletics hitting coach Chili Davis in the near future.

Yankees To Interview Chili Davis & Dave Magadan

The New York Yankees are preparing interviews for current Oakland Athletics hitting coach Chili Davis and current Texas Rangers hitting coach Dave Magadan. Davis, a former Yankee, has been the Athletics hitting coach since the 2012 season before spending time in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox organizations in his career. Magadan has been with the Texas Rangers since the 2012 season after spending time in the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox organizations in his career.

Quick Hit: Red Sox, Braves, Blue Jays, Mets, Others Interested In Kevin Long

Recently fired Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long is not expected to be out of a job long and the list of teams is already starting to take shape.The Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Mets are all said to be interested in retaining the hitting guru for their hitting coach positions. One would think that the Oakland Athletics and others would be interested in Long as well if their current hitting coaches, Chili Davis specifically, were to leave for another team.

Reportedly teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Milwaukee Brewers also have varying degrees of interest in Long as well.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/24: Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez Fight

One of the best and longest rivalry in Major League Baseball is the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. This rivalry was especially heated in the early and mid 2000's as both teams were perennial winners. These two teams met 27 times a season and ended up fighting for the American League pennant more times than not.

The rivalry continued on this day in 2004 when then Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo hit Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the previous night's hero with a game winning home run, with a pitch. A Rod stared down Arroyo as he went down to first base causing the Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek to get in Rodriguez's face. Varitek pushed his glove into A Rod's face that initiated a benches clearing brawl between the two teams.

Also on this day in 1999 the Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians on the way to their biggest margin of victory in 46 seasons with the score of 21-1. Chili Davis would go 5-6 with six RBI in the game in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1983 the Kansas City Royals and the Yankees played in what is widely considered to be the Pine Tar Game. George Brett's ninth inning home run was disallowed when the umpires ruled that there was too much pine tar on his bat. American League  president Lee McPhail would overrule the decision and the game would resume on August 18th. The Royals would ultimately beat the Yankees 4-3.

Finally on this day in 1978 Billy Martin resigned as the manager of the Yankees. George Steinbrenner would replace Martin with Bob Lemon and Lemon would lead the Yankees to their second consecutive World Series title.