The New York Yankees are the most successful team in both Major League Baseball and all American sports. No other organization comes close to the 27 Yankees World Series wins.
In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals are a distant second at 11. In all sports, the Boston Celtics are the closest U.S.-based team, with 17 NBA championships.
The following is a list of every Yankees World Series win. A handful are highlighted because even on this impressive list, they stand out. Of course, every Yankees fan has their own favorite – and plenty of great memories.
1923
Yankees 4, New York Giants 2. The season opened with Babe Ruth hitting a home run at the first game played at the original Yankees Stadium. The season ended with the first Yankees World Series win.
1927
Yankees 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 0. This series marked the first time a National League team was swept by an American League team.
1928
Yankees 4, St. Louis Cardinals 0. The Yankees continued to rewrite the record books, as this was the first back-to-back championship for any team that swept both series. Ruth hit a staggering .625 in the series, hit three homers in Game 4 and caught the last out (off the bat of Frankie Frisch).
1932
Yankees 4, Chicago Cubs 0. The Yankees swept the Cubs in a series that may have not been as memorable as others, but features one of the most famous moments in all of sports history. In Game 3, Babe Ruth came to the plate in the 5th inning to face Cub pitcher Charlie Root. He supposedly called his shot by pointing with the bat where he planned to hit the ball out in Wrigley Field – which he then did. However, debate continues to this day about whether he really called his shot. Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who was at the game as a kid, is one of the many eyewitnesses who said it happened. This also was the last World Series appearance for Ruth.
1936
Yankees 4, Giants 2. This was a transition series for the Yankees, being the first with Joe DiMaggio and the first without Ruth. Same result.
1937
Yankees 4, Giants 1. Before this series, the Yankees were tied with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox for the most championships (5). After this, the Yankees never looked back.
1938
Yankees 4, Cubs 0. Another sweep and another victory over the Cubs. This one is notable because it was the Yankees last game in Wrigley Field until 2003 (an interleague matchup).
1939
Yankees 4, Cincinnati Reds 0. The Yankees won their fourth in a row with yet another sweep. In Game 3, Yankees pitcher Monte Pearson pitched a complete game, two-hitter that lasted just 87 minutes.
1941
Yankees 4, Dodgers 1. The first series win over the Dodgers – something that would become a frequent occurrence for long-suffering Brooklyn fans.
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1943
Yankees 4, Cardinals 1. After losing to the Cardinals in 1942, the Yankees won to claim their 10th championship. That seemed like a lot – and it was – but they were just getting going.
1947
Yankees 4, Dodgers 3. The first series in which an opponent pushed a series-winning Yankees team to Game 7.
1949
Yankees 4, Dodgers 1. This series victory started a run in which the Yankees won five World Series in a row, all with Casey Stengel as manager, and 14 out of 16 American League championships.
1950
Yankees 4, Philadelphia Phillies 0. The Whiz Kids of Philadelphia were no match for the Yankees and pitchers like Vic Raschi, Allie Reynolds and Whitey Ford.
1951
Yankees 4, Giants 2. Another transition year, as this was the last World Series with Joe DiMaggio and the first with Mickey Mantle.
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1952
Yankees 4, Dodgers 3. Another seven-game series against the Dodgers, another win for the Yankees.
1953
Yankees 4, Dodgers 2. The fifth in a row, a feat never duplicated by any other baseball team. Future Yankees manager Billy Martin had 12 hits.
1956
Yankees 4, Dodgers 3. After the Dodgers finally broke through and beat the Yankees in 1955, the Yankees came back and won again. This was the last all-New York City series until the Yankees played the New York Mets in 2000. This one is remembered most for Game 5, when Don Larsen pitched a perfect game to defeat the Dodgers. No one else has ever pitched a perfect game in the World Series, making this one of the most extraordinary feats in baseball. The image of catcher Yogi Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms after the final out is one of the most iconic in all sports.
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1958
Yankees 4, Milwaukee Braves 3. Milwaukee managed to take the Yankees to Game 7, and even led the series three games to one. Then, the Yankees stormed back, winning the final game behind great pitching from Bob Turley and an eighth inning rally started with a double by Berra.
1961
Yankees 4, Reds 1. This was the same season in which Roger Maris beat Babe Ruth’s home run record by hitting his 61st on the last day of the season.
1962
Yankees 4, Giants 3. This one is most remembered for how it ended. In the ninth inning of Game 7, Willie McCovey hit a scorching line drive with two runners on base – but Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson made the catch and ended the series.
1977
Yankees 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 2. In one of the most remarkable feats ever, Reggie Jackson hit four home runs (one in Game 5, three in Game 6) all on the first pitch. What’s more, each was hit off a different Dodgers’ pitcher – Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, Elias Sosa and Charlie Hough. Jackson earned his nickname during this series: Mr. October. This was the only World Series win Billy Martin had as manager.
1978
Yankees 4, Dodgers 2. Another back-to-back championship, with the Dodgers again on the losing end of a World Series against the Yankees.
1996
Yankees 4, Atlanta Braves 2. In the first two games, the Braves outscored the Yankees 16-1. The Yankees never lost again. After taking three in row in Atlanta, the Yankees won the World Series – the team’s first in 18 years – in Yankees Stadium. The most memorable involved a comeback in Game 4, capped by catcher Jim Leyritz’s home run off Atlanta closer Mark Wohlers.
1998
Yankees 4, San Diego Padres 0. David Wells, Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte all collected wins in this series that was never close.
1999
Yankees 4, Braves 0. The Yankees closed out the 20th century with another back-to-back championship run.
2000
Yankees 4, New York Mets 1. And they opened the 21st century with a win over the Mets, giving the Yankees their third championship in a row.
2009
Yankees 4, Phillies 2. The 27th Yankees championship came against a Phillies team that was the defending champions. It was the last World Series appearance for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Amazing anecdotes and incredible facts about the Yanks. I’ve never been a Yankee follower but as a baseball lover I have to agree this team is the greatest sport franchise ever.
(Just one “collateral” fact: century XX actually ended December 31st 2000; next day, January 1st 2001 began century XXI
The Yankees most amazing feat in my opinion are their playoff appearances. They have made the playoffs in nearly one half of their seasons.
I thought that Jim Leyritz comeback homer was in game three not game four.