It was September 1, 1998 and the Yankees were coasting to the AL East Division title. With 98 wins entering the month, they had an 18.5 game lead in the division. Suffice it to say, they had a comfortable lead. Among their September call ups was a 26 year old named Shane Spencer. Spencer appeared in a few games at the major league level earlier in ’98, but had spent most of the past 8 seasons in the Yankees system before making a splash late in the season.
During the 14 games he played in September, Spencer hit 8 long balls while driving in 21 runs.