Johnny Damon is about to add another pinstriped chapter to a career that already sits in one of baseball’s strangest and most unusual lanes.
The former Red Sox star has been named to the Yankees’ upcoming Old-Timers Game roster, a reminder that he remains one of the rare players to hold real crossover appeal in both Boston and New York. The roster was announced on Wednesday, and Damon’s inclusion puts him back in Yankees colors for an event that figures to stir memories on both sides of the rivalry.
That dual legacy is no accident. Damon was a World Series champion with Boston on the 2004 team that broke the curse, then later won another title with the Yankees in 2009, which remains New York’s most recent championship.
His Boston years still loom large. Damon arrived from Oakland for the 2002 season and spent four years with the Red Sox, batting .295 with 136 doubles, 29 triples, 56 home runs and 98 stolen bases. Back then, the long hair and beard made him one of the most recognizable players on the roster.
The look changed when he moved to New York ahead of the 2006 season. The clean-cut Yankees version was a different image, but the production stayed strong enough to keep him a key figure in the Bronx as well.
Damon’s path to that point had already been a winding one. He started with the Royals, spent one season with Oakland, then moved on to Boston and New York before later playing one year each with the Tigers, Rays and Indians.
Now 52, Damon finished his MLB career in 2012, leaving behind a résumé that still stands out for one simple reason: he managed to become a legend for both the Red Sox and the Yankees.
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