BRONX, N.Y. — On this date in New York Yankees history, David Wells returned to his beloved pinstripes.
Jan. 10, 2002 was the date when the large and loud lefty known as “Boomer,” rejoined the team he never wanted to leave.
The 38-year-old southpaw agreed to a two-year contract worth $7 million.
During his first tenure, Wells spent two seasons in the Bronx, pitching a perfect game and helping the team win the 1998 World Series. Wells was an American League All-Star that season and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.
After the 1998 season, the Yankees traded Wells with Graeme Lloyd and Homer Bush to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens.
A devastated Wells pitched splendidly with the Jays for two seasons before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox for one season.
Wells returned to much fanfare and provided the Yankees with 200+ workhorse innings in each campaign. The rubber-armed lefty had a hiccup in the 2002 ALDS and was mostly solid in the 2003 postseason until his back went out in Game 5 of the 2003 World Series.
The Boomer would go on to pitch four more seasons in the bigs but remains a beloved figure in the Bronx to this day.
