Revisiting Yankee Stadium, ‘The House That Reggie Built’: Player And Staff Reflections From The 1970s And 1980s

Five former Yankees players and staff shared their thoughts on working in the renovated Yankee Stadium. I chose them because of the wide-ranging and different perspectives they had working and playing in the Stadium during their careers in baseball. Some of these players and staff were on teams that won the World Series and others were on last-place teams. Their careers varied from several years to just a few months in Yankee Stadium.

The makeup of the interviewees includes authors, superstars, and everyday players. I wanted to give the readers a reflection of how Yankee Stadium is special from an insider’s point of view. The interviewees are Marty Appel, public-relations director of the New York Yankees from 1973 to 1977; Dom Scala, who was the Yankees bullpen catcher from 1978 to 1986; Billy Sample, an eight-year veteran outfielder who played for the Yankees in 1985; Steve Sax, a 13-year veteran second baseman who played for the Yankees from 1989 to 1991; and Kevin Mmahat, who pitched for New York in 1989.

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Marty Appel was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He began working full-time for the Yankees in 1969, when he was hired by public-relations director Bob Fishel at the age of 19 to handle future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle’s fan mail. In 1970 Appel began working as an assistant public-relations director under Fishel. Three years later, new Yankees owner George Steinbrenner named Appel, at the age of 23, the youngest public-relations director in professional sports. Appel remained with the Yankees until 1977.1

Dom Scala became the Yankees bullpen catcher in 1978 after infielder Mickey Klutts broke his thumb warming up a pitcher before a game. The injury to Klutts infuriated Steinbrenner, who wanted to hire a full-time bullpen catcher. Scala got the job after working successfully with pitcher Dick Tidrow under the guidance of Yankees bullpen coach Elston Howard.2 Scala received the nickname of Disco from teammate Paul Blair for his likeness to John Travolta’s Tony Manero character in the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever. Scala’s Yankees teammates were shocked that he talked like Manero and would disco dance in the players lounge before games with Mickey Rivers and Thurman Munson.3 After completing his tenure with the Yankees in 1986, Scala was an advance scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1987 to 1990 and coached at Adelphi University from 2004 to 2021.4

Billy Sample was a legendary college baseball player at James Madison University, his career batting average of .388 setting a school record. In 1976, as a junior, Sample batted .421 with 27 stolen bases and led his team to the NCAA Division II Tournament.5 That June, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Sample played outfield for the Rangers, Yankees, and Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1986. In 1985 Sample played 59 games for the Yankees and hit .288 with one home run and 15 RBIs. After retiring from baseball, Sample worked as a broadcaster and commentator. He is also a prolific writer: He has contributed to Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and USA Today Baseball Weekly; self-published a book on Amazon; and produced the screenplay for the 2013 movie Reunion 108.6

Steve Sax is a former second baseman and played in the majors from 1981 to 1994. He was a five-time All-Star and won the 1982 NL Rookie of the Year and the Silver Slugger Award in 1986. Sax also played on the 1981 and 1988 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers teams. In his three years with the Yankees, from 1989 to 1991, Sax compiled a .294 batting average with 19 home runs and 161 RBIs. In 1989 Sax set the Yankees team record for most singles in a season with 171.7

Kevin Mmahat pitched at Tulane University from 1983 to 1986 and in the minor leagues from 1987 in 1992, where he had a 35-26 record with a 3.50 ERA. On July 5, 1991, Mmahat threw a no-hitter for the Yankees’ Triple-A Affiliate Columbus Clippers in a 6-0 win over the Louisville Redbirds in an International League game. In his time in the major leagues, he had four appearances with the Yankees in relief work in 1989.8

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Melesky: Thank you everyone for your help and time. I very much appreciate it, and I greatly appreciate the recollections that you are sharing with us.

Steve, before you played for the Yankees, you were a Dodger for seven years. Were there any similarities or differences? How did Yankee Stadium and the atmosphere compare to Dodger Stadium?

Sax: One big difference that I remember between the two stadiums is the proximity to the field. In New York, the fans are very close to the field. Also, the fans in New York are more opinionated but also more knowledgeable and intense about the game. Dodger Stadium’s atmosphere is also very loyal, very involved but also will leave at the bottom of the seventh inning of the game … whereas New York was usually full for batting practice and rarely anyone left until the game was complete.

Melesky: Did you feel the tradition of past players playing at Yankee Stadium?

Sax: Oh yes, it was very highlighted at Yankee Stadium and even somewhat mystical. To know that Babe Ruth played there was almost surreal. Yankee Stadium was one of a kind and I was honored to be part of that tradition during my tenure with the Yankees. As a history buff, I never took that for granted ever and felt the nostalgia and honor each time I set foot in the Stadium.

Scala: I absolutely felt the ghost of past players from the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig era. We also had some of the all-time greats come to Old Timers Day each year. Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Johnny Mize, Bobby Richardson, Don Larsen. It was hard not to feel honored to be in the pinstripes. The old Yankee Stadium had the feel of no other stadium. The history and championships made you feel special and knowing all the greats that graced the locker room, dugout and field made you feel ten feet tall. I wouldn’t be the baseball lifer I am today if I wasn’t a Yankee.

Mmahat: As far as the stadium, “Wow!” is what I have been telling family and friends for years. Deion [Sanders] and I got called up the same day. The limo driver dropped us off outside the stadium in left field. Good thing Deion was with me because the grounds crew recognized him and not me. [The Yankees grounds crew] let us in and showed us to the locker room. But first we had to walk past Monument Park. I was numb. When we actually started walking on the warning track to the first-base dugout, I was very emotional, all I could think of was the [Adidas TV commercial that ran in June 1989]. It mentioned “the smell of the fresh cut grass of Yankee Stadium.”9 My dad grew up in New Orleans and was a huge fan of the New York Yankees. When I finally got to start a game in the stadium, I was overwhelmed with the history.

Appel: The original Stadium was most magnificent of that generation of ballparks. Baseball’s marketing was basically “play good, open the gates, people will come,” then gift days were added in the 1960s. The second stadium did away with the pillars, added escalators and an entertaining scoreboard and people realized it was better than the original. Over time, people grew nostalgic for the first one, and when Yankee Stadium I closed in 2008, people were saying that they preferred the original one. The current one has even more creature comforts and you can still see the game from the concession stands, which are varied. It has the Yankee Museum which is free to fans and wonderfully curated. I like that fans can circle the park, discover the bleachers, party there. The original two stadiums kept the fans locked out [or in] the bleachers.

Melesky: How was the Yankee Stadium field in terms of hitting and fielding?

Sax: Yankee Stadium was well known for the “slope” from the infield to the outfield, so the batters were hitting somewhat “downhill.” The character and structure while beautiful and nostalgic was not as polished as Dodger Stadium, which is impeccably groomed and pristine.

Sample: [Yankee Stadium] had corners in left field where the ball can roll in the corners forever. [It] can give the ball in the corner the “hockey rink” effect. Hal McRae hit a curving drive into the corner. I knew I had to get there in a hurry because if I can’t beat the ball to the sidewall, then I’ll never be able to keep McRae to a double. Well, I got to the sidewall and threw my body up against the padding to keep the ball from kicking out of the zone. It looked a bit awkward, but I did what I had to do.

Scala: It was a huge ballpark to hit homers in except to right field. Left-handed pitching always had the advantage in Yankee Stadium. The Yankee batters from 1978 to ’86 were line-drive hitters and drove the ball in the gaps to score many runs.

Melesky: Is there a memorable game that stood out for you when you played and worked there?

Appel: Mickey Mantle Day was a perfect tribute as I have ever seen, before or since. It was odd that there were no presents, it was just Mick surrounded by his life story, and then the golf cart ride around the field. Beautiful. The most memorable game that I saw was Chris Chambliss’s walk-off home run to beat Kansas City (7-6).

Scala: [In 1984], Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly both were exceptional hitters with power [and battled each other all season for the American League batting title]. Dave Winfield had such a quick bat, was athletic, fast, and a fantastic outfielder. They were raking that year. As you know the batting title race went to the last day. Both were class guys and rooted for each other. I remember Winny saying on the last day … “May the best man win this thing.”

Mmahat: In my first game on the mound at Yankee Stadium, I was in relief against Milwaukee. In the bottom of the sixth inning, their pitcher threw at Luis Polonia. The benches emptied. In the top of the seventh, I knew I had to earn the respect of my teammates. I did not intentionally throw at batter Charlie O’Brien. I just wanted to come up and then it just so happened the ball wound up hitting him and he charged the mound. I was able to hold my own in the brawl. That night, we flew out and my teammates were extremely proud of my efforts and treated me with respect the rest of the season. It’s unfortunate that injuries plagued the remaining three years of my career, and I was not able to get off the disabled list to pitch again in New York. My cup of coffee tasted delicious even though it was a small cup.

Sax: Yes, there were several. I remember one of my first games at Yankee Stadium. We were playing the Twins the second week of the season and it was freezing cold which I do not like at all. It was a rough adjustment for me in 1989 and especially that game since I really do not like cold weather at all and especially not to play in cold weather. The press gave me a pass in the beginning as I was new in the American League, but I definitely had to earn their confidence. I hit a bloop hit that day into center field and from that moment on, the press and the New York fans warmed up to me and those years in New York were some of the best years ever for me. The fans in New York held you accountable and I loved the banners [and] support from the fans.

Sax: There was another memory that really stands out that is hard to forget. We had a day game scheduled to start at noon and we had a rain delay until 8:00 at night. Some fans stayed around during the rain delay and at around 3:00, a fan had fallen from the upper level and in the fall impaled himself on the fence below where he perished. The police came into the clubhouse as the players were just hanging out waiting for the rain to pass and asked us if we wanted to see a “dead body” so some of us went out to see it and as we arrived there was someone in the Bronx who was stealing the shoes off the impaled body. Only in New York.

Melesky: Thank you everyone for sharing your insights and stories about your time at Yankee Stadium. It is a very special place that has benefited from all your contributions to it.

SCOTT MELESKY has been a sports journalist for over 20 years. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1995. Melesky earned his master’s degree in education from Pacific Oaks College in May 2021. He has worked as a sports editor and writer for 18 publications and websites, including the Los Angeles Daily News, the Quincy Patriot Ledger, and the Syracuse Herald Journal. Melesky has also worked in four collegiate sports information departments highlighted by Marquette University. Melesky has contributed to four baseball books and is currently co-authoring Take Back Your Power with Marla McKenna and contributing to Nick Del Calzo’s My Baseball Story: The Game’s Influence on America and SABR’s book on the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Boston Red Sox’ World Series championship.

 

NOTES

1 Irvin Cohen, “Chat with PR Maven Marty Appel,” Jewish Press, July 7, 2010: 1-4.

2 Ray Negron, “Disco Era Begins at Yankee Stadium,” New York Sports Day, November 18, 2019: 1-2.

3 Negron, 1-2.

4 Negron, 3-4.

5 2013 Hall of Fame Roster – 1988-Billy Sample, JMU Hall of Fame, https://jmusports.com/sports/hall-of-fame/roster/billy-sample/2201, Accessed September 5, 2022.

6 Billy Sample, A Year in Pinstripes … And then Some (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), 116.

7 Alan Cohen, “Steve Sax,” SABR BioProject, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Steve-Sax/.

8 Kevin Mmahat statistics, BaseballAlmanac.com, https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=mmahake01.

9 Adidas, Fresh Cut Grass, June 1989. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBD3T5P7mc. Accessed September 6, 2022.