September 29, 1976: Graig goes 4-for-5 with two home runs
and six RBI in a 9-6 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The first HR
came in the top of the first off starter Luis Tiant to give the Yanks a 2-0
lead. Graig struck again in the top of the second with a grand slam off
Tiant to give the Yanks a 7-0 lead. It was Graig's fourth two-HR game of
the season. In each of those games, he drove in at least five runs.
October 13, 1978: In the third game of the 1978 World
Series, Graig makes a couple of game saving plays behind Ron Guidry to preserve
a 5-1 Yankee win and cut the World Series to a 2-1 Dodger lead. In the top
of the 3rd with a 2-1 Yankee lead, Nettles made a diving stop of a shot down the
line by Reggie Smith, retiring Smith and ending the Dodger threat. In the
fifth, with two out, runners on first and second and a 2-1 Yankee lead, Reggie
Smith again smashed a ball toward third where Nettles made a diving stop.
He didn't record an out, but kept the ball in the infield and prevented the run
from scoring. Steve Garvey followed with a bases loaded grounder to third
that Nettles easily handled and fired to second for the force to end the inning.
Nettles' glove struck again in the top of the sixth. The Dodgers loaded
the bases again with two out when Nettles made a diving, backhand stop of a
Davey Lopes smash down the third base line, turned and forced the runner on
second to end the threat.
Acquired: November 27, 1972: Graig was acquired from the
Cleveland Indians with
Jerry Moses in return for
John Ellis,
Jerry Kenney,
Charlie Spikes and
Rusty Torres.
The trade was not without some controversy. This trade took place during
the time when George Steinbrenner was preparing to purchase the Yankees from
CBS. He had planned on bringing Gabe Paul, then a member of the Indians
board of directors, with him to take over as the Yankees president, in charge of
baseball operations. Paul had been working behind the scenes to help
orchestrate the deal between CBS and Steinbrenner. It was during this time the Nettles deal was
made.
Some cried foul, citing that Paul traded Nettles, knowing it would improve
not the Indians, but his future club, the Yankees. Paul defended the move,
claiming it was a monetary decision. Nettles was becoming a star in
Cleveland and would soon command more money, something the Indians franchise at
the time was very conscious about. The Indians had Buddy Bell in
the minors and Paul claimed he was ready to take over at third for the Tribe. Plus,
in OF Charlie Spikes, the Indians were getting the Yankees' top prospect in
return.
Truth is, it had only become an issue when Nettles went on to become a 5-time
all star and clutch performer in New York while Charlie Spikes flopped in
Cleveland. Paul was right about Buddy Bell. Bell went on to have an
18-year major league career with 5 all-star appearances of his own, but only one
with Cleveland as his career didn't truly take off until after he was traded to
Texas following the 1978 season. In a bit of six degrees of separation,
Bell was traded to Texas in return for
Toby Harrah.
In February of 1984, Harrah was acquired from the Indians by the Yankees and
replaced Nettles (traded a month later) at third base in New York.
Traded: March 30, 1984: Graig was traded to the San Diego
Padres for a player to be named later and
Dennis
Rasmussen. The Padres sent Darin Cloninger (career minor leaguer) (April 26,
1984) to the Yankees to complete the trade.
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