» May 16, 1941: The Yankees bench Phil Rizzuto and Jerry Priddy, putting back Joe Gordon and Frankie Crosetti. New York then rally in the 9th to beat the White Sox, 5–4. » May 27, 1948:
The Yankees pound 14 hits to the A's 7, but come up short, 6–5. It is the first-place A's 7th straight win. A hit and run single in the 8th scores Sam Chapman all the way from 1B. Phil Rizzuto and Hank Majeski match home runs.
» July 16, 1948:
The Browns frustrate the third-place Yanks, whipping Allie Reynolds, 10–4. Bob Dillinger leads the way with a bases loaded triple, three singles, two stolen bases and five RBI. Cliff Fannin holds the Yanks scoreless until Phil Rizzuto's homer in the 8th.
» November 25, 1949: Ted Williams, who lost the Triple Crown when his
batting average was .0002 below that of George Kell,
wins the MVP vote in a landslide. Phil Rizzuto and
Joe Page finish 2nd and 3rd in the voting.
» February 2, 1950: The TV show WHAT'S MY LINE premiers with Phil Rizzuto as the very first mystery guest.
» May 4, 1950: The White Sox, helped by Bob "Sugar" Cain's 5-hitter, embarrass the Yankees 15–0 at the Stadium. The score ties the Yank's team record, set in 1907, for the most runs in a shutout loss. One bright spot for the Yankees in the humiliating defeat is Phil Rizzuto's three hits.
» June 8, 1950:
The Yankees score seven runs in the 6th to beat the Tigers, 11–4. Phil Rizzuto's record string of 238 errorless chances ends when he fumbles a grounder in the 5th.
» October 26, 1950: The Baseball Writers of America select Yankee SS Phil Rizzuto as the AL MVP.
» October 6, 1951: Back at the Polo Grounds, the Giants win 6–2, as Whitey Lockman homers with two on in the 5th. The Giants score five in the inning after Eddie Stanky kicks the ball out of Phil Rizzuto's glove on a tag play at 2B.
» August 25, 1952:
In a 1-0 win over the Yankees in Yankee Stadium,
Virgil Trucks of the Detroit Tigers pitches his second no-hitter of the season. The no-hitter is in doubt for three innings when a play made by SS Johnny Pesky in the third inning is under debate. The official scorer, John Drebinger, records it as an error when Pesky has trouble getting a ball hit by Phil Rizzuto out of his glove. Dan Daniel of The New York World Telegram convinces Drebinger that it cannot be ruled an error because the ball was stuck in the fielder's glove, and Rizzuto is awarded a hit. In the sixth inning, with Trucks not having given up another hit, Drebinger calls Pesky in the dugout from the press box, and the SS says that he should be given the error rather than Rizzuto the hit. The call is changed again, and Trucks's no-hitter is preserved. Trucks's record is now 5-15.
» April 28, 1953:
A wild fight occurs after Browns Clint "Scrap
Iron" Courtney spikes Phil Rizzuto in the 10th inning
in St. Louis. In the brawl, umpire John Stevens dislocates
his collarbone. Six players are fined for their
actions. Courtney retaliated after being knocked over
in the top of the 10th when Gil McDougald scored the
go-ahead run in an eventual 7-6 Yankee win.
» July 22, 1954:
Stengel switches players in an effort to get more power in the Yankee lineup. Phil Rizzuto plays 2B and Mickey Mantle plays SS. Mantle wins the game 3-2 against Chicago with a 10th-inning HR.
» July 24, 1954:
After Casey Stengel pulls Phil Rizzuto in the eighth for a pinch hitter, he brings in Mickey Mantle again at SS. Mantle plays SS with Willie Miranda at 2B against lefthanded hitters. Against righties, Miranda and Mantle switch positions. Cleveland wins 5-4 to go 21Ž2 games up on New York.
» August 25, 1956:
To make room for Enos Slaughter, the Yankees give Phil "the Scooter" Rizzuto his unconditional release. Through the instigation of Ballantine Beer, Rizzuto will be in the announcing booth next year, replacing Jim Woods.
» December 18, 1956: Former Yankee SS Phil Rizzuto signs as a Yankee radio-TV announcer.
» August 4, 1985: In a day of milestones, Tom Seaver becomes the 17th pitcher to win 300 games and Rod Carew becomes the 16th player ever to collect 3,000 career hits. Seaver pitches the White Sox to a 4–1 six-hit victory on Phil Rizzuto Day at Yankee Stadium as 54,032 New Yorkers cheer him on, while Carew bloops a single to left off Frank Viola in the 3rd inning of the Angels 6–5 win over the Twins.
» March 1, 1988: For the first time since 1956 the Special Veterans Committee does not elect anyone to the Hall of Fame. Phil Rizzuto, Leo Durocher, Joe Gordon, and Gil Hodges are among the candidates passed over.
» February 25, 1994: The veterans committee elects Phil Rizzuto and Leo Durocher to baseball's Hall of Fame.
» July 31, 1994:
Steve Carlton, Leo Durocher, and Phil Rizzuto are inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.
» August 18, 1995:
Yankees announcer, and former SS, Phil Rizzuto retires as team broadcaster after 39 years at the mike, reportedly because WPIX-TV refused to allow him to miss a game to attend teammate Mickey Mantle's funeral. Rizzuto eventually will return for the 1996 season.
» March 1, 1996: The Yankees christen Legends Field, their new $30 million 31-acre complex near the Tampa Airport. The field has the exact dimensions of the stadium in the Bronx. On hand to see Phil Rizzuto toss out the first ball are former Yanks Whitey Ford, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry, and Chris Chambliss, who then watch the new Yankees beat the American League Champion Indians, 5–2.
» April 5, 2001: Paul O'Neill hits a 1st inning home run, off Dan Reichert, for the only run in the Yankees' 1-0 win over the Orioles. Mike Mussina (7.2 IP) is the winner. It is only the 2nd time in team history that the Yankees win a 1-0 game with a 1st inning home run. Previously, it was done in 1941, with the home run by Phil Rizzuto.
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