The Yankees weren’t looking for much in December of 1997. After all, they had just won the World Series over the powerhouse Braves in a six-game series a few seasons ago, the franchise’s first title since a six-game sweep over the Dodgers in 1978, and finished with a 96-66 record in 1997. behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the division.
Unfortunately, that meant meeting Cleveland, which, despite the bad record, could be a pain at the time. They certainly were a thorn in the side of the Bombers, teaming up with young Mariano Rivera to send the Yanks packing in the American League Division Series.
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Last season, there didn’t need to be many changes, as the system only needed a few minor tweaks. That’s where former quarterback and designated hitter Chili Davis steps up — on both sides, to be specific.
Charlie Theodore “Chili” Davis
Born: January 17, 1960 (Kingston, Jamaica)
Yankees Tenure: 1998-99
One of five players in major league history to be of Jamaican descent, Davis immigrated to the United States with his three brothers and sisters when he was 10 years old. Charlie Davis took to the baseball diamond to match those at his Los Angeles schools. A catcher and first baseman at the time, he proved to be valuable and was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 1977 MLB Amateur Draft.
Davis took time off to develop the minors before making his MLB debut on April 10, 1981 at the age of 21. And after playing in the first game of his career, he played just seven more in 1981, totaling just two hits in those eight games before the management and coaching staff in San Francisco saw enough to believe the switch-hitter could be a full-time MLB player.
In 1982, Davis made the majors and never looked back throughout his career. He played in 152 games and slashed .261/.308/.410 with a .719 OPS, coming in at an OPS+ just one point better than the 101 average. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not bad at all for a 22-year-old on a Giants team that was slightly above average. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, losing to Steve Sax of the Dodgers, Johnny Ray of the Pirates, and Willie McGee of the Cardinals in a well-contested race.
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Davis would spend the next five years of his career in San Francisco and earn two All-Star appearances in 1984 and 1986 before signing with the California Angels in the 1987 offseason. From 1988 to 1990, he stayed in California and had several strong seasons, including 1989, when he captured several AL MVP votes. In 1990, Davis became the designated hitter full-time after back problems prevented him from meeting the standards needed in the outfield.
Davis signed with the Twins and continued to hit in 1991, hitting .277/.385/.507 with an .892 OPS and the third-highest OPS+ of his entire career at 141, and also received MVP support. He also won his first of three World Series rings while hitting a two-run home run in that historic Fall Classic against Atlanta.
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But, after that, he wouldn’t come close, despite putting up better numbers a few years later when he returned to the Angels and posted OPS numbers nearing 1.000 in 1994 and 1995, with 1994 being the year he would make his third and final All-Star appearance.
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In 1997, after four (second) years with the Angels, Davis left for Kansas City for the season. It was time for then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to make his splash in the 1997 free agent pool. When the Yankees signed Davis to a two-year contract worth $9.8 million and an option for a third season, it was all Steinbrenner could have asked for, he told Jack Curry, then a team reporter. The New York Times:
We are very happy with this guy because he is a hitter and a big influence in the clubhouse. We thought one of our problems last year was going from DH to DH. You look at Davis, and he’s a professional DH. That’s what we lacked last year.
Was he the greatest player of all time? No. Did Steinbrenner have to shower him with big money and big guarantees to bring him to The Bronx? Not at all.
Regardless, Davis was a key member and leader of the team’s back-to-back World Series titles in 1998 and 1999. He played in just 35 games on the record-setting ’98 team due to a sudden ankle injury and subsequent surgery, but posted above-average numbers in those games and had a team-wide .884 batting average – especially the last team-wide OPS. DH Darryl Strawberry missed the playoffs to battle cancer. His finest hour came in the 1998 ALCS, when, in a pivotal Game 5 in Cleveland, Davis came up with three RBI and a home run in Game 5 that sent the Yankees back to the Bronx with a 3-2 series lead:
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And in 1999, his final season in the league before retiring, Davis finished on a high note, appearing in 146 games for the Yankees and finishing the season with an OPS of .812 and an OPS+ of 108. He memorialized what would have been a 17-no-hitter in Pedro Martínez in Yanketínez’s single at home in Yanketínez’s home run in Runno. In one of the funniest moments of the season, Chili hit a home run in the home opener against Detroit, seconds after team legend Yogi Berra predicted it in the TV booth.
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Davis left the game as a three-time World Series champion (as well as contributing to all three World Series winners) and a three-time All-Star. He retired at age 39 in December 1999 after the Yankees released him to pursue flexible options at DH.
At the time of his retirement, Davis ranked third in MLB history with 350 homers as a switch-hitter, behind only Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray (now ranked seventh). He was part of the inaugural Giants “Wall of Fame” class in 2008 and was honored with a plaque in San Francisco. Davis has been busy since his retirement, serving as a major league hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics (2012-2014), Boston Red Sox (2015-2017), Chicago Cubs (2018), and New York Mets (2019-2021).
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Happy birthday, Chili!
See more in the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
