If Your Birthday is October 21st...

..you share it with the late Whitey Ford, who passed away earlier this month. Read about this always genial man and lifetime Yankee here.  

Jose Lobaton caught for nine years in the majors, all but one as a backup. He understudied Wilson Ramos in both Washington, and, in 2018, with the Mets. Lobaton is among the select circle of players who have been married on a ballfield -- he and his wife Nina took their vows standing at home plate of Tropicana Field in 2012.

Khalil Greene spent five years as the Padres shortstop, and still holds the San Diego record for most home runs at the position (27, in 2007) -- though you can expect Fernando Tatis Jr to claim that mark sometime soon.

John Flaherty lived his boyhood dream: growing up in suburban Rockland County, he capped his 14 year major league career as the Yankees backup catcher in 2003, '04 and '05. He moved smoothly into the broadcast booth and is now an analyst on YES Network telecasts.

George Bell was one of the best Rule 5 draft selections ever. The Blue Jays pilfered him from the Phillies farm system in 1981 and he went onto be one of their big  bats from 1984-'90 -- highlighted by an MLP season in 1987, we blasted 47 home runs and drove in 134. Two years later, he hit a walk-off home run in Toronto's last game at Exhibition Stadium.

 

Bill Russell played 18 years for the Dodgers and was famous as the shortstop on the infield that played more games together than any in baseball history. He still holds the record for most games by a Los Angeles Dodger.

And we remember:

Bill Bevens, who came within one out of pitching the first World Series no-hitter ever. But Cookie Lavagetto of the Dodgers broke that up in game 4 of the '47 Fall Classic with what we now call a walk off two run double (Bevens was far from perfect, he walked 10 that day) -- for a 3-2 Brooklyn win. When you hear Chris Berman describe a deep fly ball with that staccato "back, back, back, back!" -- he's channeling the way Red Barber called that play on radio. 

Despite a popular belief that he never appeared in another major league game, Bevens bounced back and turned in a vital relief appearance in game seven -- blanking the Dodgers for 2-2/3 innings in a 5-2 Yankee victory. But he was sent to the Yanks' farm club in Newark the following spring and never did make it back to the show.