Photo By Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Welcome to This Day in Yankees History. We may be well into hot stove season, but there’s still some time to dig into the history books. These daily posts will highlight two or three key moments in Yankees history on a given date, as well as recognize players born on the day. Hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with us!
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34 Years Ago
Not a ton has happened on Christmas Eve over the years, so let’s focus in on the very consequential signing of Gary Ward.
After several decent seasons with the Twins and Rangers, Ward came to terms with the Yankees ahead of the 1987 season. He then put up a 78 OPS+ and a negative WAR in 851 plate appearances across three years (according to Baseball Reference). He was released in mid-April 1989. The aforementioned 78 OPS+ is, by a decent margin, the worst he hit anywhere in his major league career. C’est la vie.