Wood vs Wood #261

Last time it was another big victory for 1987, 8-0. Who will win here?

George Alusik looks away from the photographer at Yankee Stadium. You get a nice, if blurry, look at the centerfield bleachers and flagpole. Alusik was a big power hitter who never really got a full chance at the big league level. He was signed by the Tigers at the age of 18, but his development was delayed due to serving in the Korean War. After the war he won two AAA batting titles but never got much of a look by the Tigers, who sold him to the KC A's two games into the '62 season. There Alusik put up good power numbers in limited playing time. He had a five-game HR streak in 1962, one short of the record at the time. He played his last big league game in 1964 at the age of 29. In 1965 at the age of 30 he hit .207 in AAA, ending his career. In 298 major league games he hit .256 with 23 HR and 93 RBI. After his playing career he returned home to New Jersey. When he died in 2018, his obituary said he was "a practical joker always making people laugh, avid golfer, hunting/fishing, playing the slot machines in AC Casinos".

Ruben Sierra takes a big cut at Yankee Stadium. Sierra was an exciting slugger who put up some big numbers early in his career, most notably 1989 when he led the AL in triples, RBI and slugging. The Yankees traded Danny Tartabull for him in 1995 and he was a key figure in returning the team to the postseason after a 14-year absence. His at-bats were always exciting, must-watch moments, including two home runs against the Mariners in the ALDS, and he is still one of my favorite Yankees. He struggled to start the '96 season, and the Yankees traded him to Detroit for Cecil Fielder. This was a wise move by the Yankees, as Fielder contributed a lot of big hits to the world championship team, while Sierra's production fell of a cliff upon turning 30. Sierra eventually reinvented himself as an excellent pinch hitter and bench player, and he returned to the Yankees from 2003-2005, getting a lot of big hits, including two more postseason home runs. Overall in 2,186 games for nine teams, Sierra hit .268 with 306 HR and 1,322 RBI. During his time with the Yankees, Sierra's walk-up music was his own salsa music, and he has recorded several successful albums since the end of his baseball career.