Mickey Mantle

Ralph Houk, who managed the powerhouse Yankees teams of the early 1960s to two World Series championships, died yesterday. He was 90. Dick Bresciani, Red Sox spokesman, said Mr. Houk’s grandson, Scott Slaboden, told the team Mr. Houk died at his home in Winter Haven, Fla. Slaboden, who lives in Greater Boston, said in an e-mail that Mr. Houk “died peacefully of natural causes’’ after a brief illness. Mr. Houk spent parts of eight seasons as a backup catcher for the Yankees, playing in 91 games.

NEW YORK — Gil McDougald, an All-Star infielder who helped the New York Yankees win five World Series during the 1950s, has died. He was 82. Mr. McDougald died Sunday of prostate cancer at his home in Wall Township, N.J., the Yankees said last night. Mr. McDougald spent his 10-year major league career with the Yankees and played a key role on one of baseball’s greatest dynasties. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1951 and teamed with Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and manager Casey Stengel to lead New York to eight American...

NEW YORK — Gil McDougald, an All-Star infielder who helped the New York Yankees win five World Series during the 1950s, has died. He was 82. Mr. McDougald died Sunday of prostate cancer at his home in Wall Township, N.J., the Yankees said last night. Mr. McDougald spent his 10-year major league career with the Yankees and played a key role on one of baseball’s greatest dynasties. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1951 and teamed with Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and manager Casey Stengel to lead New York to eight American...

NEW YORK — Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria hit consecutive homers last night, and the Tampa Bay Rays feasted on a fallible New York bullpen after a long rain delay took some of the luster out of a key game for a 7-2 victory over the Yankees. Dan Johnson hit his third homer against New York in a week, and the Rays’ bullpen outpitched the pinstriped relievers to help Tampa Bay pull within 1 1/2 games of New York in the AL East in a game that ended at 12:34 a.m. Tampa Bay improved to 9-8 in the season series — the first tiebreaker should the teams be equal after 162 games —...

VENICE, Fla. - Tom Tresh, the 1962 American League Rookie of the Year and part of three New York Yankees teams that reached the World Series, died Wednesday after a heart attack. He was 71. Mr. Tresh was an 1962 All-Star as a shortstop and made the team again in 1963 as a center fielder. He later earned a Gold Glove in the outfield. "Tommy was a great teammate," Yankees great Yogi Berra said in a statement. "He did everything well as a ballplayer and was an easy guy to manage.

NEW YORK — Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria hit consecutive homers last night, and the Tampa Bay Rays feasted on a fallible New York bullpen after a long rain delay took some of the luster out of a key game for a 7-2 victory over the Yankees. Dan Johnson hit his third homer against New York in a week, and the Rays’ bullpen outpitched the pinstriped relievers to help Tampa Bay pull within 1 1/2 games of New York in the AL East in a game that ended at 12:34 a.m. Tampa Bay improved to 9-8 in the season series — the first tiebreaker should the teams be equal...

NEW YORK - Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive, and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Mr. Murcer died yesterday due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said. "Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked, and a true friend of mine," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

Red Sox guy finishes second to Yankee guy in narrow MVP race. It makes us want to holler "bag job. " It just does. Especially when the Red Sox guy is the lovable David Ortiz and the Yankee guy is the smarmy, loathsome poser, Alex Rodriguez (actually, I kind of like A-Rod, but that's his image here in the hardball Hub of the universe). Ted Williams finished second to a Yankee in MVP voting four times. When he hit .406 in 1941, he finished second to Joe DiMaggio. When he won the Triple Crown the next year, he finished second to Yankee second baseman Joe Gordon.

Hideki Matsui rounded third base, headed home and saw teammates gesturing upward with their hands. “I was just going to step on home plate, just normally,’’ he said, “but they told me to throw my helmet. So I threw my helmet.’’ The usually reserved Japanese star homered off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning last night at Yankee Stadium to beat the Baltimore Orioles and give the streaking New York Yankees 2-1 wins in three straight games for the first time in 18 years.

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez leaned to his right and watched the ball as it sailed toward the foul pole in left. When it stayed true, he threw up his hands -- the long wait for No. 500 was finally over. Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, connecting on the first pitch he saw yesterday to end a 10-day wait. "I acted like a goofball running around the bases, but you only hit 500 once," he said after the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals, 16-8.

Ralph Houk, who managed the powerhouse Yankees teams of the early 1960s to two World Series championships, died yesterday. He was 90. Dick Bresciani, Red Sox spokesman, said Mr. Houk’s grandson, Scott Slaboden, told the team Mr. Houk died at his home in Winter Haven, Fla. Slaboden, who lives in Greater Boston, said in an e-mail that Mr. Houk “died peacefully of natural causes’’ after a brief illness. Mr. Houk spent parts of eight seasons as a backup catcher for the Yankees, playing in 91 games.

Six years later, he is back in new Yankee Stadium, still pitching for the honor of Red Sox Nation. Pedro Martinez gets the ball in Game 6 tonight of the World Series, and he is the only thing standing between the Evil Empire and its 27th world championship. In his role as Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher, Pedro knows he is carrying the colors for Sox fans around the world - just as he did in 2003 when Grady Little left him on the mound too long in the ancient ballpark across the street.

Hideki Matsui rounded third base, headed home and saw teammates gesturing upward with their hands. “I was just going to step on home plate, just normally,’’ he said, “but they told me to throw my helmet. So I threw my helmet.’’ The usually reserved Japanese star homered off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning last night at Yankee Stadium to beat the Baltimore Orioles and give the streaking New York Yankees 2-1 wins in three straight games for the first time in 18 years.

VENICE, Fla. - Tom Tresh, the 1962 American League Rookie of the Year and part of three New York Yankees teams that reached the World Series, died Wednesday after a heart attack. He was 71. Mr. Tresh was an 1962 All-Star as a shortstop and made the team again in 1963 as a center fielder. He later earned a Gold Glove in the outfield. "Tommy was a great teammate," Yankees great Yogi Berra said in a statement. "He did everything well as a ballplayer and was an easy guy to manage.

NEW YORK - Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive, and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Mr. Murcer died yesterday due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said. "Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked, and a true friend of mine," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

The pinstriped standard is 26 World Series championships, including 10 won by the Yankees between 1947 and 1962. That was baseball's definition of a dynasty back when players were bound to one team for life. With that dominance, the Yankees became the most-watched, most-admired, most-feared, and most-resented team. What qualifies as a dynasty now? "I would think three in a row, something like that," said Philadelphia general manager Pat Gillick. "It's very difficult. Two in a row is a doable.

NEW YORK -- Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died yesterday. He was 84. Mr. Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., said the Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title. A three-time All-Star outfielder, Mr. Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years.

Six years later, he is back in new Yankee Stadium, still pitching for the honor of Red Sox Nation. Pedro Martinez gets the ball in Game 6 tonight of the World Series, and he is the only thing standing between the Evil Empire and its 27th world championship. In his role as Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher, Pedro knows he is carrying the colors for Sox fans around the world - just as he did in 2003 when Grady Little left him on the mound too long in the ancient ballpark across the street.

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez leaned to his right and watched the ball as it sailed toward the foul pole in left. When it stayed true, he threw up his hands -- the long wait for No. 500 was finally over. Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, connecting on the first pitch he saw yesterday to end a 10-day wait. "I acted like a goofball running around the bases, but you only hit 500 once," he said after the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals, 16-8.

NEW YORK -- Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died yesterday. He was 84. Mr. Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., said the Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title. A three-time All-Star outfielder, Mr. Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years.