If Your Birthday is September 23rd...

...you share it with Joba Chamberlain, an instant cult hero and perhaps the most captivating Yankee rookie between Derek Jeter and Gary Sanchez. Nearly unhittable when he first came to the majors during the final two months of the 2007 season -- posting a microscopic 0.38 ERA in 19 games, while striking out 34 batters in 24 innings as Mariano Rivera's set up man -- he couldn't sustain the success. A bad omen was an ill-fated playoff appearance that October in Cleveland, when swarms of small flying bugs descended on him, shaking his concentration and leading to a Yankee loss. The organization's indecision on converting him to a starter and then returning to the 'pen, led to injuries as a once-promising career just faded out.

Pete Harnish was born on Long Island and attended Fordham University, but enjoyed his biggest major league seasons away from New York. He won 16 games for the '93 Astros and '99 Reds; in between, he posted just a 10-21 record with the Mets.

Jim Morrison didn't really "Break on Through" when he first came up with the Phillies and was mostly a utilityman with the Pirates. The closest he came to "Light[ing] My Fire" was 1986, when he hit 23 home runs for Pittsburgh/

Dennis Lamp, who pitched for the Cubs, White Sox, Blue Jays and A's -- and earned his place in history from two milestone moments: he surrendered Lou Brock's 3000th career hit and Cal Ripken's first.

Jim Rooker is recognized for both his eight Pirates seasons, including the 1979 World Champs, and decades more in the club's broadcast booth, where his most notable moment came on June 8th, 1989. After the Pirates scored 10 runs in the top of the 1st inning at Philadelphia, he told listeners, "If we don't win this one, I don't think I'd want to be on that plane ride home. Matter of fact, if we don't win, I'll walk back to Pittsburgh." The Phils came back from ten down, and went on to win 15–11. Rooker had to wait until after the season to make good on his "walk home" promise, conducting a 300-mile-plus charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Spring Training Flashbacks: Subway Series, Florida Style - 2016