Andy Phillips Back With the New York Yankees
9/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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KANSAS CITY, MO. -- It will be a week to remember for former University of Alabama All-American and Demopolis native Andy Phillips.
On Tuesday, Phillips was promoted to the New York Yankees for the second time this season. He will remain on the club's 40-man roster for the remainder of the regular season.
The former University of Alabama All-American and the school's all-time home run leader got the call on Monday night after the Triple A Columbus (Ohio) Clippers were eliminated from the International League Playoffs by the Richmond Braves.
He was first promoted to the Yankees on Aug. 15, 2004 but did not see action during his brief three-day stay before being returned to Triple A.
Phillips is expected to arrive in Kansas City shortly before game time tonight and be in uniform as the New York Yankees visit the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium.
When he arrives tonight in Kansas City, his first cousin Paul Phillips will be sitting in the Royals dugout. Paul was promoted to Kansas City last week from Triple A Omaha and made his debut in the Royals 26-5 win over Detroit on Sept. 9.
This will be their first game together since the 1998 season at Alabama when both were juniors. Following the season, Paul signed with the Royals, while Andy returned for his senior season in 1999 and then rewrote the Alabama record books for hitting standards.
The Yankees-Royals matchup is not the first time that two former Alabama players have played in the same game. It has happened often the last few years when the Oakland Athletics (Frank Menechino, 1993-94) met the Minnesota Twins (Dustan Mohr, 1995-97).
Probably the most famous game involving two former Alabama players was Game 3 of the 1932 World Series when Yankee great and Hall of Famer Babe Ruth pointed to center field and called his home run before swatting a pitch into the center field seats.
Another future Hall of Famer, Joe Sewell, was in the Yankees dugout when Ruth pointed to center field. Riggs Stephenson, a close friend of Sewell and teammate at Alabama, was the left fielder that day for the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees won the game and swept the four-game series.
After the series in Kansas City, the Yankees load up and head to the Bronx for a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox beginning Friday, Sept. 17. The Yankees lead the Sox by three games in the American League Eastern Division.
Phillips is just the fourth former Alabama player to play for the New York Yankees, joining Del Pratt (1918-20), Joe Sewell (1931-33) and Butch Hobson (1982). He is the first Crimson Tide player to debut with the Yankees.
Phillips is the fifth Alabama player in the Jim Wells era to reach the Major Leagues, joining Tim Young (LHP, Montreal Expos), Dustan Mohr (OF, Minnesota/SF Giants), Lance Cormier (RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks), Paul Phillips (C, Kansas City Royals) and Phillips (INF, New York Yankees).
