1967 Yankees

The 1967 New York Yankees went 72-90, finishing ninth in the American League -- one spot above the Kansas City Athletics and 20 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Red Sox. It was the second consecutive season of irrelevance for a franchise that had owned October for the better part of four decades. The offseason had gutted the roster of its remaining dynasty-era stars. The front office traded away the present without acquiring much of a future. And yet, on a Sunday afternoon in May, Mickey Mantle gave the 18,872 fans at Yankee Stadium something to remember -- and something to hold onto while everything else crumbled.

The Winter Purge

The offseason stripped away the last remnants of the dynasty. On November 29, Clete Boyer -- Gold Glove third baseman, five-time pennant winner -- went to Atlanta for Bill Robinson and Chi-Chi Olivo. Nine days later, the Yankees traded Roger Maris to St. Louis for Charley Smith. The man who'd hit 61 home runs in 1961 left New York for the price of a utility infielder. Pedro Ramos went to Philadelphia. By spring training, the roster bore almost no resemblance to the team that had won the 1964 pennant.

Number 500

May 14, 1967. Bottom of the seventh, Yankees trailing the Orioles 4-3. Stu Miller on the mound, a veteran knuckle-curve specialist who'd been getting hitters out with soft stuff for fifteen years. Mantle worked the count to 3-2, then launched a changeup into the right-field bleachers. Home run number 500. The sixth man in baseball history to reach that number, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, and Willie Mays. The crowd roared. Mantle circled the bases on those busted knees, tipped his cap, and for a few minutes the Bronx felt like the Bronx again. The Yankees won 6-5. It didn't change the standings. It didn't save the season. But it gave a dying franchise its one genuine moment of 1967.

The Clarke Era Begins

With Bobby Richardson retired and Tony Kubek long gone, the middle infield belonged to Horace Clarke and Ruben Amaro. Clarke hit .272 with 21 stolen bases and led the team with 160 hits -- solid enough numbers, but he became the face of the futility era whether he deserved it or not. For the next seven years, sportswriters would call this stretch "the Horace Clarke Era," as if one decent second baseman was responsible for an entire organization's collapse.

The lineup scored just 522 runs -- worst in the American League. Joe Pepitone hit .252 with 13 home runs and 64 RBI, a brutal dropoff from his 31-homer campaign in 1966. Mantle managed 22 home runs and 55 RBI in 144 games, but his body was breaking down in real time. He'd moved to first base to save what was left of his legs.

The Brawl

On June 21, the rivalry still had teeth even if the standings didn't. Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg drilled Yankees pitcher Thad Tillotson between the shoulder blades, and both benches emptied. Players kicked, gouged, and rolled on the grass in a full-scale brawl that required 12 New York City policemen to restore order. Lonborg, unbothered by the chaos, went back to the mound and pitched a complete-game 8-1 victory. The Red Sox were headed for a pennant. The Yankees were headed for ninth place. Even the fights went Boston's way.

Howard's Farewell

On August 3, the Yankees confirmed the era was truly finished. Elston Howard -- the first Black Yankee, a future Hall of Famer, the bridge between DiMaggio and Mantle -- was sent to the Boston Red Sox for Pete Magrini and a player to be named later. Howard was 38 and still capable. He'd help the Red Sox during their "Impossible Dream" pennant run that fall, providing the veteran steadiness behind the plate that Boston's young rotation needed. The Yankees traded away their institutional memory for minor league spare parts.

The Pitching Holds On

Al Downing quietly put together the best season of his Yankees career -- 14-10 with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 171 batters in 235 innings. Stottlemyre bounced back from his 20-loss disaster in 1966 with a 15-15 record and 2.96 ERA. These two pitched well enough to anchor a contender. Instead, they pitched for a ninth-place club that couldn't score.

Whitey Ford made his final appearances in the spring, pitching in just two games before the circulatory problems in his arm shut him down for good. He'd won 236 games for the Yankees. He wouldn't win another. Ford officially retired after the season, closing the last direct line to the championship rotation that had dominated since the early 1950s.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run?

May 14, 1967, at Yankee Stadium. Mantle hit a 3-2 changeup from Baltimore Orioles reliever Stu Miller into the right-field bleachers in the bottom of the seventh inning. He became the sixth player in baseball history to reach 500 home runs. The Yankees won 6-5.

What was the Yankees' record in 1967?

The Yankees went 72-90, finishing ninth in the ten-team American League, 20 games behind the pennant-winning Boston Red Sox. They scored just 522 runs -- the fewest in the league -- and posted their most losses since 1913.

Why was Roger Maris traded after the 1966 season?

The Yankees traded Maris to the St. Louis Cardinals on December 8, 1966, for infielder Charley Smith. By that point, injuries had diminished Maris's production, and the organization was shedding its dynasty-era veterans as part of a broader (if poorly executed) transition. Maris helped the Cardinals win the 1967 World Series.

When did Whitey Ford retire?

Ford made his last appearances in early 1967, pitching just two games before arm problems ended his season. He officially retired after the 1967 season with a career record of 236-106, all with the Yankees. Circulatory problems in his throwing arm made it impossible to continue.