Music to Yogi's Ears
In early September 1964, the Yankees lost a doubleheader
in Chicago, which dropped them one game behind the
White Sox in the standings. On the bus ride back
to the Hotel the somber mood was interrupted by
the sound of Mary Had a Little Lamb being
played by Phil Linz on his new harmonica. Manager
Yogi Berra, in a less than jovial mood, curtly yelled
back to Linz, "Knock off that racket". Linz, had
not clearly heard Berra, so he asked teammate Mickey
Mantle to tell him what the manager had said. Mantle
replied, "He said he can't hear it, play louder".
To the amusement of his teammates, he did, causing
Berra to rush back and knock the harmonica out of
Linz's mouth. The famous incident became a turning
point for the Yankees as they went on to win twenty-two
of their final thirty games, capturing the pennant
by one game over Chicago. This is the harmonica
Linz played on the bus that day.
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