» June 15, 1961: Undefeated Ralph Terry's 11-inning 3–2 win at Cleveland moves the Yankees into first place. Mickey Mantle's homer ties the score at 1–1 and Johnny Blanchard's pinch single in the 11th wins it.
» July 21, 1961:
Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris slam back-to-back home runs in the first inning for New York, but it takes a 2-out, 9th-inning pinch-hit grand slam by Johnny Blanchard to finally subdue the Red Sox, 11–8, at Fenway. The pinch slam is the American League's 6th of the season, a new record.
» July 22, 1961: John Blanchard does it again with a solo pinch-hit home run to start a 3-run 9th-inning Yankee rally to tumble the Red Sox 11–9.
» July 26, 1961: John Blanchard ties a major-league record by hitting his 3rd and 4th home runs in four at bats over three games. He drives in four of the Yankee runs in a 5–2 victory over the White Sox at the Stadium. New York manages just six hits but four are homers, including one by Mickey Mantle following Blanchard's first-inning clout. Blanchard will end the year with 21 homers in 243 at bats, the first player in history to hit 20 or more in fewer than 250 at bats.
» August 6, 1961:
Mickey Mantle leads the Yankees to a doubleheader sweep of the Twins, going 5-for-9 with three home runs and a double. His four RBIs gives him an even 100 for the year and his homer total is now 43. In the opener, Mantle's had two home runs off his favorite pitcher Pedro Ramos, but it is Johnny Blanchard's homer in the 10th that ties the game at 6–6. In the 15th, Yogi Berra hits a bases loaded grounder and just beat the throw at first to give the Yanks the win. The Yankees win the nitecap by a run as well, when Clete Boyer drives in Mantle in the 9th inning to break a 2–2 tie. New York now leads Detroit by two 1/2 games.
» September 4, 1961: Mickey Mantle misses the Labor Day doubleheader with a painful and swollen forearm, but the Yanks don't need him as they sweep a pair from the Senators, 5–3 and 3–2. The sweep moves the Yanks six games up on the slumping Tigers, who lose 6–3 to the Orioles and trail 4–1 in a game suspended. Mantle's replacement John Blanchard breaks a 3–3 tie in the opener with an 8th inning homer.
» September 6, 1961: Roger Maris connects for #54, off Tom Cheney of the Senators, as the Yankees win, 8–0, behind Whitey Ford's 5-hitter. Ford is now 23–3. John Blanchard hits a pair of homers, each time following a walk to Mickey Mantle, and Moose Skowron and Bob Hale also homer.
» September 29, 1961: Johnny Blanchard singles and homers to drive in both runs in the Yanks, 2–1 win over the Red Sox. The Bomber handyman hits his 21st homer and singles in Roger Maris in the 9th to pin the loss on Bill Monbouquette. Whitey Ford pitches four scoreless innings for New York, and finishes the year having no stolen bases off him in 243 innings, a record.
» October 7, 1961: John Blanchard's pinch-hit home run ties the game in the 8th, and Roger Maris' 9th-inning home run off Bob Purkey is the difference in a 3–2 New York win for Luis Arroyo in game three of the World Series.
» October 9, 1961: Super-subs Johnny Blanchard and Hector Lopez spark a 5-run first inning and 13–5 win for New York. Both hit home runs, and Lopez drives in five runs. Bud Daley's long relief effort wraps up the Series, as Ralph Houk becomes the 3rd rookie pilot to guide a World Series winner.
» August 22, 1964: The Yankees lose the first game to Boston, 5–3, extending their losing streak to six games. Boston scores three runs in the 8th inning to win it. In the nitecap, New York wins, 8–0, as Mickey Mantle and John Blanchard both homer, and Roger Maris drives in three runs. Mel Stottlemyre wins his 3rd game in a row since being recalled from Richmond. The Yanks end the day five 1/2 games behind the Orioles, with the White Sox in 2nd place, one 1/2 games back.
» May 3, 1965:
The Yankees trade John Blanchard (.147) and P Roland Sheldon to Kansas City for C Doc Edwards. Edwards will replace the injured Elston Howard.
» September 11, 1965: Tony Cloninger's one-hit, 9–0 win is Milwaukee's 2nd straight one-hitter against the Mets, tying a ML mark set 48 years ago. Wade Blasingame, Billy O'Dell, and Phil Niekro combined the day before for a 3–1 win. In today's win, Aaron has two hits, a stolen base, RBI, and run scored before leaving for pinch hitter John Blanchard.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
