The New York Yankees rank among the most successful sports franchises in the world. The team currently holds 27 World Series titles, the most by far for any Major League Baseball team. Some of the most legendary players in baseball wore Yankee pinstripes.
Picking the best moments for this franchise is almost impossible because there are so many. The following looks at a few of the best, most of them from the earlier days, including how the franchise started.
Yankees World Series Wins 1903 - Present
1901: The New York Yankees Begin (In Baltimore)
The Yankees have their roots in the rivalry between the established National League and the upstart American League in the early 20th century. Once ridiculed by the National League, the American League – led by founder and president Ban Johnson – had gained in popularity. When the two leagues discussed joining, the New York Giants of the National League vetoed the idea of allowing an American League team in New York.
With no way into New York, Johnson founded the Baltimore Orioles in 1901. However, he worked behind the scenes the entire time to get a team in Gotham – he knew his league could not survive without a club in New York City. But the dispute ran deep. Among other things, Giants owner Andrew Freedman didn’t like that Johnson was trying to clean up the hooligan behavior, dirty play and abuse of umpires – that kind of behavior was par for the course in the National League at that time.
Freedman blocked Johnson at every turn, including keeping him from securing a good site for a field in New York. He kept it up even after he sold the Giants in 1902.
However, in 1903, Johnson moved the franchise from Baltimore to New York City when he found two new owners connected enough in city politics to get the deal done: pool hall and casino owner Frank J. Farrell and former New York City Police Chief William Devery. They purchased the team for $18,000.
The team started as the New York Highlanders and played in a remote location in upper Manhattan, the best field they could get permission to use, called Hilltop Park. New York Press Sports Editor Jim Price is credited with coming up with the name Yankees – mostly because “Yanks” fit better in headlines than Highlanders. The team officially changed their name to Yankees in 1913.
After leaving Hilltop Park in 1913 to share the Polo Grounds with the Giants, the Yankees moved into Yankee Stadium in 1922. They had already won AL Pennants in 1921 and 1922, but the winning was about to begin in earnest.
1919: Getting Babe Ruth
George Herman “Babe” Ruth is remembered as a Yankee, and that’s thanks to a famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) trade between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 1919.
Ruth, already a star as a player and pitcher in Boston, was sold by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to the Yankees. He got $125,000, three payments of $25,000 each for three years and access to a $300,000 line of credit. While the reasons why Frazee needed cash remain a mystery, the most popular theory is that he needed the money to bankroll a stage play (“My Lady Friends”) that would later become the musical “No, No, Nanette.”
Ruth went on to become the most famous Yankee – and baseball player – of all time. “No, No, Nanette” did make money for Frazee, and included the song “Tea For Two,” but also marked the beginning of a Red Sox championship drought that would last 86 years.
Historic MLB Players & Baseball Stories
1927: Murderer’s Row
There’s a reason people refer to the ‘27 Yankees as one of the greatest sports teams of all time. They simply were unstoppable. Nicknamed “Murderer’s Row,” the Yankees batting lineup in 1927 featured Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri. Ruth set the home run record that year with 60 – hitting more than every team in Major League Baseball other than his own. The team hit a collective .307.
But that’s just the half of it. The Yankees’ pitching staff had five starters who won at least 10 games: Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Urban Shocker, Dutch Ruether and George Pipgras. The Yankees won 110 games and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.
Perhaps the best testament to the greatness of the 1927 New York Yankees came on July 4, 1927. The Washington Senators came to town for an Independence Day double header. They lost the first game 12-1 and the second game 21-1. Senators first baseman Joe Judge told reporters that day: “Those fellows not only beat you but they tear your heart out. I wish the season was over.”
1939: The Luckiest Man Alive
On July 4, 1939, Gehrig gave the world an enduring memory not of baseball skill but of class and fortitude in the face of dire circumstances. Diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease that took his life just two years later, Gehrig gave a speech at Yankee Stadium in which he said, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man alive,” listing all the good things in his life. His baseball career was over, but his legend will survive as long as baseball is played.
1941: Joe DiMaggio’s Hit Streak
Between May 14 and July 16 of 1941, the “Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games. The closest anyone has come to beating this record was 44 by Pete Rose. This is a record most expect to stand forever.
1956: Larsen Is Perfect
On Oct. 8, 1956, Yankee Don Larsen (with Yogi Berra catching) pitched a perfect game in the World Series – the only time that has ever happened in 115 years. Larsen accomplished the feat against then-crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Don Larsen Early Life and MLB Career
1961: Roger Maris Breaks Home Run Record
In 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1927. Maris hit the record-breaking home run in the last game of the season, on Oct. 1, against (of course) the Red Sox. However, Maris broke the record in 162 games while Ruth did in 154, so it’s always been somewhat controversial. The record held until 1998.
1977: Reggie Jackson Hits Three
Reggie Jackson hit three homeruns in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series on Oct. 18. All three home runs came on the first pitch, and all were by three different pitchers. His performance earned Jackson the enduring nickname of “Mr. October.” He also helped the Yankees win their first title in 15 years – yes, sometimes even the Yankees go through a championship drought.
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