[Merkle923]

This was my first "favorite new player" when the Yankees promoted him and stuck him into the line-up on September 17, 1967. The following weekend against the first place Minnesota Twins - though billed as a speed-and-defense guy - Shopay hit a three-run homer off Dave Boswell in his second major league at bat and kept Minnesota from expanding their lead from one half game to a game-and-a-half. Since Minnesota lost the pennant by one game, Shopay's homer was of unexpected importance.

He hit another one a week later and the Yankees thought they'd found their next left fielder. But he went into military service for 1968, and when he came back the Yankees decided he was at best a platoon outfielder (26 career plate appearances against LHP compared to 283 against righties) and such a non-prospect that they not only let him go in the 1969 Rule V draft, but when the Orioles didn't keep him on the 1970 major league roster, New York did not reclaim him.

Shopay went on to a surprisingly lengthy run (off-and-on for seven seasons) as a pinch-hit specialist for the O's, and was used four times (without success) in the 1971 World Series. Just to top it off, by pure chance I attended a Yankee game when I was 10 years old and found myself seated behind his wife. They were from a town deep in the wilds of Connecticut called Bristol, which I had never heard of till then but which came up again later in a very different context.

By the way, after his homers on September 23 and September 30, 1967, his next in the majors came on April 24, 1977, against Dave Roberts of the Tigers. If that isn't a record drought for a non-pitcher, it's close enough.