Mike King, born in Rochester but raised in Rhode Island, grew up a Yankees fan and adored his fellow pitcher Mariano Rivera, the Hall of Fame closer. Naturally, King was in awe when the Yankees called him up to the major leagues for the first time on Sept. 19.
But another surreal moment awaited him a day later — and a week before he became the 54th Yankee to appear in a game this season — when he was handed a marker and asked to sign a navy blue wall hidden inside the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, one that featured not only Rivera’s signature but those of dozens more franchise legends, from Mike Mussina to Yogi Berra, and Paul O’Neill to Whitey Ford.
“It was humbling,” said King, who caught himself staring at the wall. “I feel like I really haven’t done anything when I’m looking at all those names.”
The dominant theme of the Yankees’ 2019 season was injuries — and victories in spite of them. The club set a major league record by sending 30 different players to the injured list, many of them stars gone for large chunks of the season. Yet they still emerged from the 162-game regular season with 103 wins, an American League East title and home field advantage in their first-round postseason matchup against the Minnesota Twins, which begins Friday at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees’ potent blend of resources (a payroll over $230 million, the third-largest in baseball, plus big investments in player development) and developmental acumen (from analytics to scouting) helped them build a talented and deep roster, and patch it up when injuries took their toll.
In return, many new players earned the right to join a tradition. Every player to appear in a Yankees game — from the longest-serving (the former shortstop Derek Jeter) to the shortest (King) — may scribble their name onto the wall of team history. Of the 54 players used this season, 22 made their Yankees debut, including some crucial additions: outfielder Mike Tauchman, infielders D.J. LeMahieu and Gio Urshela, and pitchers Adam Ottavino and James Paxton.
“It’s a cool tradition, whether you have one day as a Yankee or 10 or 18 years,” relief pitcher Zack Britton said. “It’s cool, especially for those guys who didn’t spend that much time here. Like, maybe one day when they’re retired, they come to the clubhouse and they’re able to show their grandkids their name up on the wall.”
Few franchises revel in their history the way the Yankees do. They are seeking their 28th World Series title. The idea for collecting signatures originated when the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 with the navy blue wall, in a hallway adjacent to the locker room, standing unadorned. Clubhouse staff members kicked around possibilities, and Joe Lee, the assistant equipment manager, suggested that players sign it.
The goal is to have every living Yankees player sign; an estimated 500 have done so already. (Since 1903, the Yankees have used more than 1,700 players.) If a former player is in town, he can stop by to sign the wall. Even players who appeared in just one game for the Yankees this season — like pitchers Joe Mantiply, Brady Lail and Adonis Rosa, none of whom are on the major league roster anymore — have the right to add their name.
First baseman Luke Voit, who was acquired in an unheralded trade in July 2018 but has proved to be a useful hitter, signed the wall the first day he was called up last season and then spent several minutes scanning through the history. “You forget guys that played here,” he said.
Some signatures on the wall are easily recognizable: Willie Randolph, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly. Some look more like indecipherable squiggles. Several are a tad faded, such as those of C.C. Sabathia and Brett Gardner, the two remaining holdovers from the Yankees’ last World Series-winning team, in 2009.
Only Hall of Famers are allowed to sign inside the massive Yankees logo in the middle of the wall. There are 11, including Joe Torre, the Hall of Fame manager who never played for them. Mussina and Rivera have signed twice: before and after they were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Then there are the names that might have been forgotten by less die-hard fans, like catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who played in 33 games for the Yankees in 2008, near the end of his Hall of Fame career; infielder Torey Lovullo, who appeared in 22 games for the 1991 Yankees and became the Arizona Diamondbacks’ manager; and Tyler Lyons, a left-handed reliever who signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in mid-August and threw nearly nine innings.
“It’s an honor to put on that jersey, and you take advantage of it every chance you get,” Lyons said. “You may never get to do it again.”
Even the star outfielder Aaron Judge felt the same way on his first day in the major leagues — Aug. 13, 2016. When he was taken to the wall and he saw the autographs of the Hall of Famers Goose Gossage and Reggie Jackson, Judge said, “You sure you want me to sign?”
The wall is egalitarian: Although he has remained one of baseball’s biggest stars, Judge has as much real estate for his name as Gleyber Torres, an All-Star infielder; Cameron Maybin, a key in-season addition that boosted a decimated outfield; and the Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.
“It’s a special group,” Judge said. “I’ve always been in awe, and I always like looking at it. The wall is filling up, though.”
That is especially true this year, with all the new faces. To reach this point, the Yankees had to find reinforcements from the minor leagues and other teams to overcome their nightmarish run of injuries.
Additions from outside the organization both before and during the season proved vital: first baseman and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (acquired in a trade), LeMahieu (signed as a free agent), Tauchman (trade), Maybin (trade), Paxton (trade) and Ottavino (free agent). They were bolstered by players developed in the Yankees’ minor leagues who made their major league debuts this year, like first baseman Mike Ford and infielder Thairo Estrada.
“Although it was sad that we had that many injuries, it’s cool that everyone who has come up has done their job,” Torres said.
The Yankees leaned so heavily on their Class AAA affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, that the minor league team shattered a franchise record, with 84 players appearing in a game in 2019, including the playoffs. Of the teams in the 2019 major league postseason, only the Tampa Bay Rays (57) used more players than the Yankees’ 54 during the regular season. (The Yankees’ record is 58, set in 2014.)
“I don’t think anybody foresaw us using that many players,” said Tauchman, who helped buoy the outfield until his season-ending calf injury in early September. “Really good teams need a lot of players, for the most part. That speaks more to the way baseball is now.”
Teams have increasingly relied on younger, cheaper players, especially those with minor league options who can be shuttled back and forth to plug holes. The Yankees called up pitchers Stephen Tarpley and Nestor Cortes Jr. from Scranton a combined 15 times this season.
“It’s not fun getting sent down ever,” Tarpley said. He then smiled as he displayed a pair of socks in his locker featuring the bounty hunter character in the “Star Wars” movies. “But I feel like a hired gun, in a sense, like a Boba Fett.”
Tarpley made a point to sign the wall, but not every 2019 Yankee has done so. LeMahieu couldn’t recall signing it yet, but said, “This year is going to take up a lot of room.” Told of the tradition, Urshela said he needed to add his name soon. Ford said he was waiting to be asked to do it.
“We might need a new wall, though,” he said.