We kicked off our Birthday series on New Year’s Day, with a virtual unknown in Charlie Devens. Today, we’re following that up with one of the better and more significant pitchers in recent Yankees history.
David Cone, born 63 years ago today, pitched in 17 seasons in the big leagues, during six of which he donned the pinstripes. It was a career not short on accolades, with many of his best moments coming as a member of the Yankees.
Coney pitched over 900 total innings for the Yankees, all of which coming in the latter half of his career. Despite the righty being well into his 30s, his tenure in New York was full of excitement and high-quality work, well worth a high placement in our Top 100 series from a few years back. From perfect games and World Series rings, to a becoming a beloved presence in the broadcasting booth, David Cone’s birthday is certainly one to celebrate.
David Cone
Born: January 2, 1963 (Kansas City, MO)
Yankees Tenure: 1995-2000
Before his arrival in the Bronx part way through the 1995 season, David Cone already had a highly accomplished MLB career under his belt. He won 20 games and made his first All-Star team in 1988 with the Mets, the first season in an excellent run in Queens, pitching over 210 innings in five straight seasons. He made another All-Star team in 1992, before being traded to the Blue Jays mid-season, where he continued his success and helped Toronto claim their first World Series championship.
He followed that up with perhaps an even better run with his hometown Royals, which included a Cy Young Award in the ‘94 campaign, along with another All-Star selection. Perhaps at the peak of his powers, Cone was traded to the Yankees in July of 1995.
Cone was good for the remainder of the 1995 season and in his own words, he left his arm out there while trying to pitch the Yankees past the Mariners in the ALDS. Despite 282 pitches between his two starts, it wasn’t enough, as he gave up a homer to Ken Griffey Jr. in Game 5 and then walked Doug Strange with the bases loaded to tie it up in the eighth (setting the stage for birthday twin Edgar Martinez to break hearts).
After some flirtations with the Orioles in free agency, Cone ended up re-signing with the Yanks, and the club hit their stride in the ‘96 campaign. He missed some time that season with a scary aneurysm in his right arm, pitching just 72 innings across 11 starts, but he defied expectation and came back by September. On the whole, he was excellent, managing a 2.88 ERA and striking out around a batter per inning. Not-so-coincidentally, that season also marked the beginning of the Yankees dynasty in the late ‘90s.
Cone pitched in all three rounds of the postseason in ‘96, including six terrific innings in a winning effort in Game 3 of the World Series, the first of four consecutive wins to take the home Fall Classic. Coney was even better in 1997, this time staying mostly in good health, and preventing runs at one of the best rates of his career in nearly 200 innings. He made his first All-Star team as a member of the Yankees that season and also set a team record for most strikeouts in a single game by a righty with 16 on June 23rd in Detroit (a mark since tied by Michael Pineda).
In the Yankees’ historic 1998 season, Cone was an indispensable member of the deep rotation that helped lead them to 114 regular season wins and another World Series. The then 35-year-old won 20 games for the second time in his career, despite a slight step back in his efficiency, and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. This all came after a miserable start to the season, which included 16 earned runs in his first two outings, and a 6.60 ERA in his first eight. Clearly, the veteran bounced back, and once again was vital to their championship win. Once again, he pitched six quality innings in Game 3, which the Yankees won against San Diego.
The 1999 season, despite Cone being closer to 40 than 30, was more of the same for the right-hander and his squad. He fell just shy of 200 innings in his 31 starts, but he still maintained a 3.44 ERA (136 ERA+) in a season that netted him his fifth and final All-Star selection. He was once again integral in the World Series, the Yankees’ second consecutive championship, this time pitching seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit in a Game 2 win. Somehow, that was perhaps far from his most significant personal accomplishment.
On July 18th of that year, in an afternoon start against the Expos, David Cone made history. On a day that featured Don Larsen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, the Yankee right-hander pitched the sixteenth perfect game in MLB history. There was a rain delay early on, but Coney pushed through, retiring 27 batters in a row, striking out ten, and solidifying himself a significant place in baseball history.
During the latter part of 1999, and much of the 2000 season, Cone finally began to show signs of slowing down. He still made 29 starts in what was the final season of his tenure in New York, but he held an unsightly 6.91 ERA throughout, and appeared to be in the twilight of his career at the age of 37. He pitched in the postseason once again, this time out of relief, and delivered 1.1 scoreless innings, helping the Yankees capture a third consecutive World Series, and a fourth in five seasons. Despite the slow finish to his time there, Cone’s enormous importance to those teams would be impossible to deny.
David Cone would pitch two more seasons in the big leagues, one with Boston and after a year off, one short comeback bid with the Mets to finish out his excellent career in the Majors. Post-retirement, the former hurler has carved out a nice role in the broadcast booth as a welcomed presence for the YES Network as well as nationally televised games.
A happy birthday to one of the more important Yankees of his era, and to someone who continues to make his mark on the baseball world.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
