 On July 3 , 1943 , Oana played a key role in a double @-@ header sweep of the New York Yankees that Detroit general manager Jack Zeller said brought " the greatest thrills of any game he witnessed . " In the second game of the double header , the Yankees led 5 – 2 in the third inning . Detroit manager Steve O 'Neill brought in his newly acquired pitcher , Oana . O 'Neill reportedly concluded that " the game was lost and so why waste his good pitchers . " Oana gave up four more runs , and the Yankees led 9 – 3 after seven innings . Oana then held the Yankees scoreless in the eighth inning and hit a three @-@ run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning . He held the Yankees scoreless again in the ninth inning , and the Tigers won the game with four runs in the bottom of the ninth . Oana was the winning pitcher and had his first major league home run in the same game . In all , Oana appeared in 10 games for the Tigers in 1943 , all as a reliever , compiling a 3 – 2 record with a 4 @.@ 50 ERA in 34 innings pitched . Oana also compiled a .385 batting average with two doubles , a triple , a home run , and seven RBIs in only 26 at bats for the 1943 Tigers . 
