April 6, 1977 - Welcome, Bucky Dent

NEW YORK - George Steinbrenner was adamant that Fred Stanley could not be the Yankees every-day shortstop. Stanley had been the Yankees shortstop throughout most of 1975 and 1976, and he was the classic good-glove, no-hit type of shortstop for that era. Cal Ripken would break the mold a few years hence, and today there are several shortstops around the major leagues who are physical specimens who field the position beautifully, but also bring dynamite to the plate.

Not Fred Stanley. In 1977, he was a 5-foot-10, 165-pound career .220 hitter with no pop, not to mention the fact that his error in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 1976 World Series led to the Cincinnati Reds scoring the game-winning run in a 4-3 victory.

On a team filled with stars, Steinbrenner could not put up with Stanley any longer, and young Mickey Klutts had proven throughout spring training that he wasn't ready to step into the full-time role. So, Steinbrenner harangued general manager Gabe Paul and demanded that he find a suitable replacement. At the cost of wild-haired outfielder Oscar Gamble and two fringe players, Paul acquired Dent from the Chicago White Sox and he reported to Yankee Stadium on this day to meet his new teammates, barely 24 hours before the start of the regular season.

"I left spring training very happy," said a distraught Stanley. "I was going to prove last year was not a fluke. I was going to prove I'm as good a ballplayer as I think I am. And here I am again."

The year before, Dent hadn't exactly lit the world on fire. He batted .246 with just two home runs and 52 RBI and he made 18 errors, but Steinbrenner had actually met Dent in 1976 while attending an NBA game in Chicago, and the two hit it off. That's all George needed.

Interestingly, Dent was actually offered more money to stay in Chicago, but he had been beaten down always fighting for a bigger contract and he wanted out, even though the Yankees signed him for a bit less money. "I was there for eight years," Dent said of his time with the White Sox. "I thought they should pay me more. I figure you've to sacrifice a little to come to a place like this."

When he arrived, the first thing manager Billy Martin said to him was, "Get a haircut. And be ready to go; you're in there tomorrow."

Here we go.

#BuckyDent #FredStanley #MickeyKlutts