If Your Birthday is November 2nd...

...you share it with Jonathan Loaisiga. The young Yankee pitcher had some impressive moments during a rookie season shortened by arm problems.

He shares his birthday with a recent Yankee: lefty reliever Tommy Layne, who appeared in 48 games during the 2016 and '17 seasons.

Also getting their cake and candles today:

  • Orlando Cabrera, the native of Colombia who played shortstop for nine different clubs over his 15-season career, highlighted by 2004, when he replaced Nomar Garciaparra as the Red Sox shortstop as the club snapped its 86-year championship curse.
  • Melvin Mercedes has one of baseball's plushest names. He's also one of the games rarities, a true one-and-done. He made his lone big league appearance for the Tigers August 15th, 2014, tossing two innings of hitless shutout relief in a 7-2 loss to the Mariners. Yet, two days later, he was optioned back to Triple A Toledo; and he never made it back to the show. He was last heard from in 2017, pitching for the York Revolution in the independent Atlantic League.
  • Willie McGee, the sweet-swinging outfielder who came up through the Yankee farm system, but for still-mystifying reasons, was traded to the Cardinals in the winter of 1982. McGee went onto become an alltime St. Louis favorite, playing on three-pennant winning teams, while the man he was traded for, pitcher Bob Sykes, never again reached the majors.
  • Tom Paciorek played the outfield for six big league clubs, but found his greatest fame as Hawk Harrelson's sidekick on White Sox TV broadcasts for a dozen years.
And we remember Johnny Vander Meer, still the only pitcher ever to throw back-to-back no hitters. After winning 15 or more games four times for the Reds of the 1930s and early '40s, the New Jersey-born lefty was never quite as effective after returning from service in World War Two.
(My image of Jonathan Loaisiga is from the July 2nd Yankees/Braves game in the Bronx.)

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