When I think about the New York Yankees, theres a lot of things to think about. 26 world titles, highest payroll in sports history, were at the losing end of the greatest comeback in sports history. Those are many things to think about, and they only took place in the last 6 years. For a 102 year old team, there are many things some people do not know about, the highest highs, lowest lows and things that happened along the way. So lets start at the beginning, 1903.
In 1903, owners Frank Farrell and Bill Devery moved the Baltimore Orioles to New York, so they could compete with the Gaints for attendance. Playing at Hilltop Park in Mannhatten and with new manager Clark Griffith, the New York Highlanders were ready to play.
The Highlanders never were able to to get to the postseason in 9 seasons, though compiling a record of 734-709(.508), so a change was made. In 1912, the Highlanders went 51-103, the only 100+ loss season in Yankees history. 1913 was the season when the Highlannders changed their name to the Yankees, and got Frank Chance as their manager.
In 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 in cash and a $300,000 loan. Up to that point, Ruth was the center point of the Red Sox greatness, helping them to win 5 of the first 15 World Series.
It wasn't untill 1921, 18 years into the Yankees history, they won the division, but lost that Championshiop game to the Giants 5 games to 3. They got back to that game the next year, and again played the Giants, but were swept with the exception of a tie, 5-0-1
Yet in the very next year, 1923, these two team went at it again in the World Series, though the Yankees came out vistorious in their first of many Championships.
Miller Huggins stayed with the Yankees for 12 years, getting them to 6 World Series and winning three of them. One of those teams is which concidered the Greatest team in baseball history, the 1927 Yankees, also known as murderurs row, recorded a record of 110-44, with a .714 winning percentage. The following year the Yankees were mangaed by Bob Shawkey, but thats all he lasted, and the Yankees got someone new.
On May 6th, 1930, the Yankee and the Red Sox made another trade which would prove costly for the Red Sox, but effective for the Yankees. The Yankees Got Charles "Red" Ruffing, who, up to that point had a record 39-96, coming off two seasons in a row with ove 20 losses. The Red Sox got $50,000 and Center fielder Cedric Durst. For the rest of that season, Ruffing recorded his best record up to that point, 15-5 with the Yankees 15-8 that season. Durst finished out the 1930 season, but retired after the finish of it.
In 1931, the Yankees got Joe McCarthy, who, for the next 16 years, he would set himself as the greatest Yankees manager ever. In his very first season as Yankees manager, he finish second, 13.5 games behind Philadelphia, who later went on to lose to the Cardinals in the World Series, 4-3. But the very next year, McCarthy lead the Yankees to a record of 107-47, the 3rd of 18 100+ win season for the Yankees. The Yankees swept the Cubs in that World Series, outscoring them 35-19.
For the next 3 years, McCarthy came in second in the American League, twice 7 games out, behind once the Athletics, and once the Tiger, and once only 3 out behind the Tigers. But for the following four season, McCarthy got his chances, as his team made it to 4 consecutive World Series.
In 1936, after finishing nearly 20 games infront of the Tigers, the second place team, the Yankees met the Giants once again in the World Series. Game 1 ended with the Giants on top 6-1, with Ruffing pitching a complete game loss. Game 2 was in the Yankees favor though, with haveing two 6 or more run innings, the Yankees won 18-4. Game 3 was one of the best games in Yankees postseason history. It was 1-1 in the bottem of the 8th, George Selkirk lead off with a single, followed by a Frank Powell walk. Tony Lazzeri made a sac. bunt to move the runners forward, which brought up Ruffing. The Pitcher got a hit in the infeild, but with Selkirk trying to score, he was thrown out and Ruffing was safe on a fielders choice, which also move Powell to third. Crosseti then singled, which was all the Yankees needed winning the game 2-1. Game 4 the Yankees came out on top 5-2. Game 5 was also a great one, where the Giants score 1 in the top of the 10th to lead to a 5-4 victory. At that point the Yankee lead the series 3-2, and closed it off with a 13-5 victory in game 6.
The Yankees once again made it in 1937, and yet again played the Giants. The Yankees got out to an early lead, 3 games to 0, even though the Giants won game 4, the Yankees answered back by winning game 6 and the Series 4-1.
Another season, another World Series apperence for the Yankees in 1938, but the proformance by Red Ruffing will be rememberd as one of the greatest World Series preformances ever. The first game, Game 1, he pitched 9 full inning allowing one run along with 5 Ks and no Walks as the Yankees won 3-1. Game 2 the Yankees won 6-3 with help from Homeruns from Frank Crosetti and Joe Dimaggio. Game 4 was also a Yankees win 5-2. Ruffing made his second start in game 4, with a chance to wrap up the series and give the Yankees their 7th World Series title. He gave up 2 Earned Runs, along with 6 K's and 2 Walks, the Yankees won the game and the series 8-3. Even though World Series MVPs weren't awarded at the time, Ruffing played the part of one totaling 18innings, 11 Strikeouts, and ERA of 1.5 in 2 complete games.
Even after winning 3 World Series in a row, the Yankees went back for one more attempt versus the Cincinnati Reds, though it ended up not even being a close contest as the Yankees won their 4th Title in a row, 4 games to 0.
The Yankee fought hard in 1940, coming up short in the American league, 2 games out of first behind Detroit and 1 game out of second behind Cleveland.
Though it only took McCarthy and the Yankee one year to get back to first, as in 1941, they Beat the Dodgers 4 games to 1. In 1942, it seemed as if the Yankees would be on track to yet again, Win it, but even after winning Game 1 of the World Series 7-4, they fell in the next 3 games, and lost the Series 4-1.
McCarthy took his Yankees to the Series one more time before he was done, in 1943, where he, yet again, beat the Cardinals 4 games to 1. Though that was the last trip McCarthy would take that far. Finishing in 3rd, 4th, and 3rd in the other 3 years of his magerial career with the Yankees. Yankees knew finding a replacement for McCarthy wold be hard, as he coached them for 16 years, made it to 8 World Series and won 7 of them. But The Yankees found the right guy, Bucky Harris.
Bucky Harris was known for both his bat as a player and his job coaching. He lead Washington to its first World Series win in 1924, and looked ot do the same for the Yankees then in 1947. And he woul;d have to do it without the likes of Red Ruffing, who was released and signed by the Chicago White Sox. But they found a starter just as good to fill his shoes, Spec Shea, a rookie from Connecticut would go 14-5 that season, and help lead the yankees to the 1947 World Series. The 1947 World Series was a match-up many wanted to see. It was the New York Yankees with Veteran Joe Dimaggio and the Brooklyn Dodgers with Jackie Robinson with new rookie Jackie Robinson. It was one of the first hard fought Yankees Series that went to a Game 7, as the first 6 games were won Yankees-Yankees-Dodgers-Dodges-Yankees-Dodgers with the Yankees winning game 7, 5-2. Harris only stayed one more year with the Yankees, falling short and finishing in 3rd place in the leage, though his replacment would, too, rank up there as one of the greatest ever.
His name was Casey Stengel, and he'd been around the league a few other times, he coach 2 teams a combined 9 years in a 15 year span before comeing to the Yankee, and took no time making a mark. In his very first year he started a streak that would never be touched by any other team in baseball history. He started off in 1949, a year the Yankees went 97-57, and beat out the Red Sox for first place of the American League by only 1 game. That season also ended in two 1-point victories over the Sox to pull the difference between making the World Series and not. In one of the best games to see, Game 1 of the 1949 World Series was a thriller. Tied 0-0 in the bottem of the ninth, first batter up was 12-year Yankee veteran Out Fielder Tommy Henrich, playing in what would be his last great season, hit a solo home run, to grant the Yankees a 1-0 win and lead in the series.
Game 2 was just as good, with a 2-out single to score a run in the second for the Dodgers, it would tell the difference of the game, as the Dodgers went onto win 1-0, and tie the Series 1-1. Not to be anyless than the other two games, Game 3 was also a great game. With the score 1-1 heading into the ninth, the Yankees had three hits with 2 outs to score 3 runs, and make it 4-1, but the Dodgers wouldn't go quietly. With one out and no one on Louis Olmo hit a solo homer to make it 4-2. Two batter later, Roy Campenella hit a solo homer also to make it 4-3, but with 2 outs and down by 1, pinch hitter Edwards was called out on strikes, giving the Yankees the win and a 2-1 Series lead.
Game 4 was the Yankees from the start, as they had two consecutive 3 run innings to give them a 6-0 lead in the 5th. Even though Brooklyn scored 4 in the 6th, they didn't score again, leaving the Yankees to win and go up 3-1 in the Series. In the possible final game of the series, the Yankees went to work early, scoring 10 runs over 6 innings to lead 10-2. The Dodgers did score 4 in the 7th, but thats it, and the Yankees won their 12th World Series, 4 games to 1.
In 1950, The Yankees made it to another World Series, finishing only 3 games in front of Detriot for the American League Title. The Yankees beat the Phillies in that World Series in a sweep, 4 games to 0, but each of the first 3 games were all decided by 1 point, including game 2 which had a 10th inning game winning home run by Joe Dimaggio.
1951 was another year where the Yankees won the American League, but the World Series was close that season, instead of the basic one sided efforts by the Yankees. Game 1 went in favor of the Giants, and after a 3-1 Yankees win in Game 2, Game 3 made it seem like the Yankees weren't going to win a thrid Championship in a row. The Giants had a five run 5th that lead them to a 6-2 victory. And for one of the first time in these two teams World Series rivalrys, the Giants lead the Series 2 games to 1. Games 4 and 5 showed off the old Yankees dominace as they won those two games 6-2 and 13-1 to propell them back into the lead with a 3-2 Series Lead. Game 6 seemed to be Yankees game all the way intot he ninth inning where the Yankees lead 4-1, but with 3 hits in a row with no outs, it looked as if the Giants could rally back with 1 on no outs and only down by one. But followed by three consecutive fly outs, it wasn't enough as the Yankees won another World Series, 4 games to 2.
With Dimaggio gone, many people didn't expect much from the Yankees in 1952, but with rookies Gil McDougle and Mickey Mantle, Stengel looked to record his 4h Title in a row, a feat not be be done since Joe McCarthy. The Yankees, yet again won the American League, beating out Cleveland by only 2 games, and went on to face the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. That World Series went to a Game seven, and the other 6 were alternatd between them, Dodgers-Yankees-Dodgers-Yankees-Dodgers-Yankees. In Game 7, the Yankees got big home runs by Mickey Mantle and Gene Woodling to a 4-2 win of the game, the World Series and the th in a row.
After winning 4 World Series in a row, Stengel had a chance to do something that had never been done before, win 5 World Series in a row. And after winning the AL, he would have a chance to do so, and for the 5th time, he would have to do it agenst the Dodgers. The Yankees got off to a fast start, winning games 1 and 2, but the dodgers fought back to win games 3 and 4, and tie the Series 2-2. Game 5 was an 11-7 victory for the Yankees, and the Yankees were then only one win away from their 5 Championship in a row. The Yankees got off to an early lead and lead 3-0 after 2, but due to a 2 run top of the ninth for the Dodgers, the game was tied 3-3 in the bottem of the ninth. With a runner on first, two hits, one by Mickey Mantle and one by Billy Martin, Hank Bauer scored and the Yankees won the game and the Series, Stengles 5th in a row. No other team has ever been able to win 5 World Series in a row, and Casey Stengel did in his first five years as Yankees manager.
In 1954, Stengel recorded his only 100+ win season in 11 years as a Yankee manager, and didn't make the post season, but finished 8 games behind the 111-43 Cleveland Indians who went on to be swept in the World Series by the Giant