For Giambi, whose father introduced him and his brother, Jeremy -- who spent six years in the Majors from to -- to the game and who idolized Mickey Mantle, joining the Yankees was the realization of a lifelong dream.
As excited as Giambi was for the chance to wear the pinstripes, he knew that the challenge of succeeding in the Big Apple -- especially for a player who was expected to essentially be the best player in the game from day one -- would be off the charts. But there was an aura surrounding the team I was joining.
The media is a big part of the aura of the New York Yankees. The press is always there. They expect big things, just like the owner did. Like so many other players who have come to New York with big expectations, Giambi did not match his output from previous seasons at first.
He finished the first month of with four home runs, and he was batting. You really have to walk that fine line. As the temperature in New York slowly warmed up, so did Giambi. The slugger authored his first signature moment in a mid-May classic against the Minnesota Twins at the old Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had fallen behind, , in the top of the 14th, but the team rallied in the bottom of the frame.
With one out and the bases loaded, Giambi came to the plate in the pouring rain and hit a game-winning grand slam into the famed black seats in straightaway center field. From that moment, he was officially embraced in the Big Apple. I felt like I was back to being the player I was in Oakland.
I was relaxed, and I was off and running. To a point, that is when I really stepped to the forefront. Giambi went on to hit. Tied at three games apiece, the two clubs met at Yankee Stadium in what was sure to be a battle for the ages. There was literally nowhere to go.
I called equipment manager Rob Cucuzza and asked him where to go. He found out where I was and told me to stay there. All of a sudden, a police car came to get me, and it was like the parting of the Red Sea. When I got to the Stadium, Joe Torre was laughing at me. As troubling as the traffic was that afternoon, the start of the game was even worse for Giambi and the Yankees. Roger Clemens, the former Red Sox legend turned Yankees ace, was knocked out of the game in the fourth inning.
Then in the fifth, Giambi came to the plate and gave the Yankees their first sign of hope, smacking a leadoff home run. Then I hit the homer to dead center, and we felt like we were off and running a little bit. The eighth inning proved to be the turning point of the game and the season for the Yankees. But what Aaron did in that situation was truly special.
I was so excited that we were going to the World Series. It was a dream come true. Before Giambi could begin his third season with the Yankees, he found himself in the middle of a controversy that would forever change the game.
Giambi started to become known for his power early on in his career. After spending much of his early career with the Athletics, he was then traded to the New York Yankees. Giambi continued to have success playing for the Yankees. In his first season with his new team in , he hit 41 home runs, which is tied for second-most in his career.
Giambi was a professional hitter who knew how to make adjustments at the plate and knew how to attack a mistake pitch. Pitchers also knew when not to pitch to Giambi. He had five straight seasons of or more walks. After seven seasons with the Yankees, Giambi went back to Oakland for a season and then finished playing with the Colorado Rockies and the Cleveland Indians.
Many thanks to him. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. The Negro Leagues are Major Leagues. We have dramatically expanded our coverage of the Negro Leagues and historical Black major league players. Read our Announcement. WAR R Batting Career Batting Postseason Fielding Postseason. Pitchers in non-DH games that appeared on the lineup card but didn't bat will still have a game in this column.
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