A number of pitchers have enjoyed success over the years against the vaunted New York Yankees teams, but only one of them, Frank Lary, acquired the moniker “Yankee Killer.”
In a relatively nondescript career, over a fifth of Lary’s 128 career wins were against the Yankees, in a period in which they dominated the American League.
During the 1956 season in which the Yankees won 97 games on their way to winning the AL pennant, Lary defeated the Yankees seven times in eight appearances. Then between August 26,1957 and August 4,1959, he won 10 of 11 decisions against the Yankees. He turned in a 29-13 career win-loss record (.683 winning percentage) against them.
Here is a look at some other major-league pitchers who showed success against the Yankees, even if only for part of a season.
Between May 28, 1912, and June 30, 1914, Walter Johnson won 12 straight decisions against the Yankees, although the wins occurred before the Yankees became the perennially powerful team. By contrast, after Babe Ruth joined the Bronx Bombers in 1920, Johnson’s record was barely average against them, posting a 15-12.
Urban Schocker won five straight decisions against the Yankees with the St. Louis Browns between July 27, 1921, and May 23,1922. But then he lost his six games against them during the balance of 1922, including four in a row.
In his second year in the majors in 1934, 24-year-old Detroit Tigers pitcher Schoolboy Rowe won all five of his starts against the Yankees. He also dominated most of the other teams in the league that year, compiling a 24-8 record.
During 1944-1946, Detroit Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser defeated the Yankees 12 times in 16 starts and added another win in relief. He wasn’t just successful against the Yankees during those years. He compiled an overall 80-27 record against all opposition, leading the Tigers to a World Series championship in 1945.
Another 1946 hurler, Dave “Boo” Ferriss, got a measure of revenge against the Yankees when he defeated them in four consecutive starts. The Yankees had broken Ferriss’s string of eight consecutive wins to start his rookie season in 1945. The Boston Red Sox righty went 25-6 in the 1946 AL pennant-winning season after recording 21 wins the year before.
In 1953, Boston Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell won all five of his decisions against the Yankees, including four shutouts. He went 21-8 during that season.
Between September 25,1965 and June 19,1967, Gary Peters won seven straight decisions against the Yankees. However, at a later point in his career, he lost six in a row to them.
Angels pitcher Dean Chance had two stints of success against the Yankees. Between July 28,1964 and August 21,1965, he won six of seven decisions. Then between August 23,1966 and April 11, 1970, he defeated them in seven of eight games. His total record against the Yankees was 18-11 (.620 winning percentage).
Unlike other pitchers, Oakland A’s Cy Young Award winner in 1971 Vida Blue’s success against the Yankees didn’t come through impressive consecutive-game winning streaks. Yet he was 16-9 (.640 winning percentage) during his career against the Yankees, from 1969 to 1983.
When Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer started against the Yankees, he generally gave them a good chance of winning. In 55 appearances against them between 1965 and 1983, he was credited with 30 wins, against 16 losses, for a .652 winning percentage.
The Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay won all five of his decisions against the Yankees in 2008. During his career from 1998-2013, he defeated them 18 times, while suffering only 7 losses (.720 winning percentage) in a total of 38 games.
Getting back to Frank Lary, he was one of five brothers to play football or baseball at the University of Alabama. Frank was a star pitcher for the Crimson Tide, helping them to a College World Series appearance in1950. His brother Al briefly pitched in the majors, while brother Gene pitched in the minors.