The New York Yankees
are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, and moved to New York City in 1903, becoming known as the New York Highlanders before being officially renamed the "Yankees" in 1913. [1] From 1923 to 2008, the Yankees' home ballpark was Yankee Stadium, one of the world's most famous sports venues. In 2009, they moved into a new stadium, also called "Yankee Stadium". [2]
The franchise leads Major League Baseball in both revenue and titles, with 26 World Series championships and 39 American League Pennants. They have more championships than any other franchise in North American professional sports history, passing the 24 Stanley Cup championships by the Montreal Canadiens in 1999. [3] [4] [5] Throughout the team's history, the franchise has produced some of the most celebrated players in Major League history, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra. The franchise has seen 44 of its players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Yankees have retired the numbers of 16 of its players.
The Yankees have achieved widespread popularity and a dedicated fanbase, although they have acquired a polarizing reputation for their heavy spending in pursuit of winning. Their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox is one of the fiercest and most historic in professional sports. To support the Yankees and expand their media coverage, the dedicated television channel YES Network was launched in 2002, and it has become a large source of revenue for the franchise.
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History
(1901–1902) Origins: the Baltimore era
At the end of
1900, Western League president
Ban Johnson reorganized the league, adding teams in three Eastern cities, which formed the
American League. Plans to put a team in New York City were blocked by the
National League's
New York Giants, who had enough political power to keep the AL out. Instead, a team was put in
Baltimore,
Maryland, a city which had been abandoned when the NL contracted from 12 to 8 teams in 1900.
Nicknamed the Orioles, the team began playing in
1901, and were managed and owned in part by
John McGraw. During the
1902 season, McGraw feuded with Johnson, and secretly jumped to the Giants. In the middle of the season, the Giants, aided and abetted by McGraw, gained controlling interest of the Orioles and began raiding it for players, until the AL stepped in and took control of the team. In January
1903, a "peace conference" was held between the two leagues to settle disputes and try to coexist. At the conference, Johnson requested that an AL team be put in New York, to play alongside the NL Giants.
[6] It was put to a vote, and 15 of the 16 Major League owners agreed on it, with the only opponent being John T. Bush of the Giants. As a result, the NL agreed to let the "junior circuit" establish a franchise in New York. The Orioles' new owners,
Frank J. Farrell and
William S. Devery, found a ballpark location not blocked by the Giants, and Baltimore's team moved to New York.
(1903–1912) Move to New York: the Highlanders Era
The team's new ballpark,
Hilltop Park (formally known as "American League Park"), was constructed in northern
Manhattan at one of the island's highest points between 165th and 168th Streets, just a few blocks away from the much larger
Polo Grounds. The team came to be known as the New York Highlanders for two reasons: it was a reference to the team's elevated location, and also to the noted British military unit
The Gordon Highlanders, which coincided with the team's president, Joseph Gordon. As was common with all members of the American League, the team was also referred to as the New York Americans.
New York Press
Sports Editor Jim Price coined the unofficial nickname Yankees (or "Yanks") for the club as early as 1904, because it was easier to fit in headlines.
[7]
The most success the Highlanders achieved was finishing second in
1904,
1906 and
1910, 1904 being the closest they would come to winning the AL pennant. That year, they would lose the deciding game on the last day of the season to the
Boston Americans, who would later become the Boston Red Sox. This had much historical significance, as the Highlanders' role in the pennant race caused the Giants to announce that they would not play in the
World Series against the AL pennant winner. The World Series would not be skipped again for another 90 years, when a
strike truncated the entire
1994 season. It would also be the last time Boston would beat New York in a pennant-deciding game for a full century (
2004). 1904 was also the year that pitcher
Jack Chesbro set the single-season wins record at 41, which still stands. (Under current playing practices, this is an unbreakable record).
(1913–1922) New owners, a new home, and a new name: the Polo Grounds Era
The
Polo Grounds burned down in
1911 and the Highlanders allowed the Giants to play in Hilltop Park during reconstruction. Relations between the two teams warmed, and the Highlanders would move into the newly rebuilt Polo Grounds in
1913. Now playing on the Harlem River, a far cry from their high-altitude home, the name "Highlanders" no longer applied, and fell into disuse among the press. The media had already widely adopted the "Yankees" nickname coined by the
New York Press
, and in 1913 the team became known officially as the New York Yankees.
By the mid 1910s, owners Farrell and Devery had become estranged and were both in dire need of money. At the start of
1915, they sold the team to Colonel
Jacob Ruppert and Captain
Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston for $1.25 million.
[8] Ruppert inherited a brewery fortune, providing the Yankees with an owner who possessed deep pockets and a willingness to dig into them to produce a winning team. This would lead the team to more success and prestige than Ruppert could ever have envisioned.
(1923–1935) Sluggers and the Stadium: the Ruth and Gehrig era
thumb
In the years around 1920, the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the
Chicago White Sox had a
détente. Their actions, which antagonized Ban Johnson, garnered them the nickname the "Insurrectos".
[9] This détente paid off well for the Yankees as they enlarged their payroll. Most new players who would later contribute to the team's success came from the Red Sox, whose owner,
Harry Frazee, was trading them players for large sums of money. Pitcher-turned-outfielder
Babe Ruth was the most talented of all the acquisitions from Boston, and the outcome of the trade would haunt the Red Sox for the next 86 years, a span in which the team did not win a single Championship. The Red Sox often found themselves eliminated from the playoff hunt as a result of the Yankees' success. This phenomenon eventually became known as the
Curse of the Bambino as the failure of the Red Sox and the success of the Yankees seemed almost supernatural, and seemed to stem from that one trade.
Ruth's multitude of home runs proved so popular that the Yankees began drawing more people than their landlords, the Giants.
In
1921, when the
Yankees made their
first World Series appearance against the
Giants, the Yankees were told to move out of the Polo Grounds after the
1922 season. Giants manager
John McGraw was said to have commented that the Yankees should "move to some out-of-the-way place, like Queens", but they instead broke ground for a new ballpark in the Bronx, right across the
Harlem River from the Polo Grounds. In 1922, the
Yankees returned to the
World Series again, and were dealt a second defeat at the hands of the
Giants. Important newcomers in this period were manager
Miller Huggins and general manager
Ed Barrow. The hiring of Huggins by Ruppert would cause a break between the owners that eventually led to Ruppert buying Huston out in
1923.
In
1923, the Yankees moved to their new home,
Yankee Stadium. It was the first triple-deck venue in baseball and seated an astounding 58,000 people. In the first game at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth hit a home run, which was fitting as his home runs and drawing power paid for the stadium, giving it its nickname of "The House That Ruth Built".
At the end of the year, the
Yankees faced the
Giants for the third straight year in the
World Series, and finally triumphed for their first championship. Prior to that point, the Giants had been the city's icon and dominant team. From 1923 onward, the Yankees would assume that role, and the Giants would eventually leave the city for San Francisco.
In the
1927 season, the
Yankees featured a lineup that become known as "
Murderers' Row", and some consider this team to be the best in the history of baseball (though similar claims have been made for other Yankee squads, notably those of
1939,
1961 and
1998).
[10] The Yankees won a then-AL record 110 games with only 44 losses, and swept the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the
1927 World Series. Ruth's home run total of 60 in 1927 set a single-season home run record that would stand for 34 years. Meanwhile, first baseman
Lou Gehrig had his first big season, batting .373 with 47 home runs and 175 RBIs, beating Ruth's single-season RBI mark (171 in 1921). In the next three years, the
Philadelphia Athletics would take the AL pennant each season and win two world championships.
In
1931,
Joe McCarthy came in as manager, and brought the
Yankees back to the top of the AL. They swept the
Chicago Cubs in the
1932 World Series, and brought the team's streak of consecutive World Series game wins to 12. This series was made famous by Babe Ruth's "
Called Shot" in game three of the series at
Wrigley Field, a fitting "swan song" to his illustrious World Series career. Ruth would leave the Yankees to join the NL's
Boston Braves after
1934, and would never see the World Series again.
(1936–1951) Joltin' Joe: the DiMaggio era
With Ruth retired, Gehrig finally had a chance to take center stage, but it was only one year before a new titan appeared:
Joe DiMaggio. The team would win an unprecedented four straight World Series titles from
1936 to
1939. For most of 1939, however, they had to do it without Gehrig, who was forced to retire because of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The Yankees declared July 4, 1939 to be "Lou Gehrig Day", on which they retired his number 4 (the first retired number in baseball). Gehrig also made a famous speech in which he declared himself to be "the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
[11] He died two years later.
Often described as the last year of the "Golden Era" before World War II and other realities intervened,
1941 was a thrilling year as America watched two major events unfold:
Ted Williams of the Red Sox hunting for the elusive .400 batting average and Joe DiMaggio getting hits in consecutive ballgames. By the end of his hitting streak, DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games, the current major league record.
Two months and one day after the Yankees beat the
Brooklyn Dodgers in the
1941 World Series, the
Pearl Harbor attacks occurred, and many of their best players, including DiMaggio himself, went off to serve in the military. The Yankees still managed to pull out a win against the
St. Louis Cardinals in the
1943 World Series. After a few slumping seasons, McCarthy was fired early in
1946. A few interim managers later,
Bucky Harris took the job, righting the ship and taking the Yankees to a hard fought
series victory against the
Dodgers.
Despite finishing only three games behind the first place
Cleveland Indians in
1948, Harris was released in favor of
Casey Stengel, who had a reputation of being a clown and managing bad teams. His tenure as Yankee field manager, however, was marked with success. The "underdog" Yankees came from behind to catch and surprise the then-powerful
Red Sox on the last two days of the
1949 season, a face off that fueled the beginning of the modern
Yankees–Red Sox rivalry. By this time, however, DiMaggio's career was winding down, and the "Yankee Clipper" retired after the
1951 season. This year also marked the arrival of the "Oklahoma Kid",
Mickey Mantle, who was one of several new stars that would fill the gap.
(1951–1959) Stengel's squad in the 1950s: the Stengel era
Bettering the clubs managed by Joe McCarthy, the Yankees won the world series five consecutive times from (
1949–
1953) under Stengel, which continues to be the major league record. Led by players like center fielder Mickey Mantle, pitcher
Whitey Ford, and catcher
Yogi Berra, Stengel's teams won ten pennants and seven World Series titles in his twelve seasons as the Yankees manager. Casey Stengel was also a master at publicity for the team and for himself, even landing a cover story in
Time
magazine in 1955.
In
1954, the
Yankees won over 100 games, but the
Indians took the pennant with an AL record 111 wins. In
1955, the
Dodgers finally beat the
Yankees in the
World Series, after five previous Series losses to the them, but the Yankees came back strong the next year. On October 8,
1956, in Game Five of the
1956 World Series against the
Dodgers, pitcher
Don Larsen threw the only
perfect game in World Series history, which also remains the only
no-hitter of any kind to be pitched in postseason play.
[12]
The
Yankees lost the
1957 World Series to the
Milwaukee Braves. Following the Series, the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers left for
California, leaving the Yankees as New York's only baseball team. In the
1958 World Series, the Yankees got their revenge against the Braves, and became the second team to win the Series after being down three games to one. For the decade, the Yankees won six World Series championships ('50, 51, '52, '53, '56, '58) and eight American League pennants (those six plus '55 and '57). Led by Mantle, Ford, Berra,
Elston Howard (the Yankees' first African-American player), and the newly acquired
Roger Maris, the Yankees entered the 1960s seeking to replicate their success of the 1950s.
(1960–1964) The M&M Boys: the Mantle and Maris Era
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Arnold Johnson, owner of the
Kansas City Athletics, was a longtime business associate of then-Yankees co-owners
Del Webb and
Dan Topping. Because of this "special relationship" with the Yankees, he traded them young players for cash and aging veterans. Invariably, these trades ended up being heavily tilted in the Yankees' favor, leading to accusations that the Athletics were little more than a Yankee farm team at the major league level. Ironically, Kansas City had been home to the Yankees' top farm team for almost 20 years before the Athletics moved there from Philadelphia in
1954.
In
1960,
Charles O. Finley purchased the Athletics, and put a cease to the trades. However, before this, the Yankees strengthened their supply of future prospects, which included a young outfielder named
Roger Maris. In 1960, Maris led the league in slugging percentage, RBIs, and extra base hits. He also finished second in home runs (one behind Mantle) and total bases, and won a
Gold Glove, which gathered him enough votes for the American League MVP award.
The year of
1961 would prove to be one of the most memorable in Yankee history. Throughout the summer, Mantle and Maris hit home runs at a fast pace, and became known as the "M&M Boys".
Ultimately, a severe hip infection forced Mantle to leave the lineup and drop out of the race. Maris continued though, and on October 1, the last day of the season, he hit home run number 61, surpassing Babe Ruth's single season home run record of 60. However, MLB Commissioner
Ford Frick (who, as it was discovered later, had
ghostwritten for Babe Ruth during his career) decreed that since Maris had played in a 162-game season and Ruth had only played in one with 154, two separate records would be kept. It would be 30 years before the dual record would be done away with, and Maris would hold the record alone until
Mark McGwire broke it in
1998. Maris still holds the American League record.
The Yankees won the pennant with a 109–53 record and went on to defeat the
Cincinnati Reds in the
1961 World Series. The team finished the year with a then record 240 home runs. In
1962, the sports scene in New York changed when the National League expanded to include a new team, the
New York Mets in nearby
Flushing, Queens. The
Mets lost a record 120 games while the
Yankees would win the
1962 World Series, their tenth in the past sixteen years, defeating the
San Francisco Giants in seven games.
The
Yankees also reached the
1963 World Series, but were swept by the
Los Angeles Dodgers. After the season, Yogi Berra, who had just retired from playing, took over managerial duties. The aging
Yankees returned the next year for
a fifth straight World Series, but were beaten in seven games by the
St. Louis Cardinals. It would be the Yankees last World Series appearance until
1976.
(1964–1972) New ownership and a steep decline: the CBS era
After the
1964 season,
CBS purchased 80% of the Yankees from Topping and Webb for $11.2 million.
[13] With the new ownership, the team began to decline. In fact, the Yankees finished in the
second division for the first time in 40 years in
1965. This was worsened by the introduction of the
major league amateur draft that year, which meant that the Yankees could no longer sign any player they wanted. Webb sold his 10 percent stake to CBS before the year was over.
In
1966, the
Yankees finished last in the AL for the first time since
1912. After they finished next-to-last in the
1967 season, the
team's fortunes improved somewhat, but they would not become serious contenders again until
1974. Various reasons have been given for the decline, but the single biggest one was the Yankees' inability to replace their aging superstars with new ones, as they had consistently done in the previous five decades. Topping and Webb had owned the Yankees for 20 years, missing the World Series only five times and going 10–5 in the ones they did get to. By contrast, the CBS-owned teams never went to the World Series.
During this period, the Yankees also lost two of their signature broadcasters. The legendary "Voice of the Yankees,"
Mel Allen, was fired after the 1964 season, supposedly due to cost-cutting measures by long time broadcast sponsor
Ballantine Beer.
[14] Two years later,
Red Barber was let go. Some say this was because of his on-air mention of a paltry showing of 413 fans at a then 67,000-seat Yankee Stadium during a game against the
Chicago White Sox.
Sports biographer
David J. Halberstam also noted Barber's less-than-happy relationship with
Joe Garagiola and
Phil Rizzuto, two ex-major leaguers with whom he shared the booth.
(1973–1981) Steinbrenner, Martin, Jackson, and Munson: the Bronx Zoo era
A group of investors, led by
Cleveland-based shipbuilder
George Steinbrenner, purchased the club from CBS on January 3, 1973 for $8.7 million. Mike Burke stayed on as president until he quit in April. Within a year, Steinbrenner bought out most of his other partners and became the team's principal owner, although Burke continued to hold a minority share into the 1980s.
One of Steinbrenner's major goals was to repair the Stadium, which had greatly deteriorated by the late 1960s. CBS initially suggested renovations, but the team would have needed to play elsewhere, and the Mets refused to open their home,
Shea Stadium, to the Yankees. A new stadium in
the Meadowlands, across the
Hudson River in
New Jersey, was also suggested. Finally, in mid-
1972, Mayor
John Lindsay stepped in. The city bought the Stadium and began an extensive two-year renovation period. Since the city also owned Shea, the Mets had to allow the Yankees to play two seasons there. The renovations modernized the look of the stadium and reconfigured some of the seating.
thumb was renovated into its final shape and structure, as shown here
After the
1974 season, Steinbrenner made a move that started the modern era of
free agency, signing star pitcher
James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter away from Oakland. Midway through the
1975 season, Steinbrenner made another move, hiring former second baseman
Billy Martin as manager. With Martin at the helm, the
Yankees reached the
1976 World Series, but were swept by the
Cincinnati Reds and their famed "
Big Red Machine."
After the 1976 campaign, Steinbrenner added star Oakland outfielder
Reggie Jackson to his roster. During spring training of
1977, Jackson alienated his teammates with controversial remarks about the Yankees captain, catcher
Thurman Munson. He also had bad blood with manager Billy Martin, who had managed the
Detroit Tigers when Jackson's
Athletics defeated them in the
1972 playoffs. Jackson, Martin, and Steinbrenner repeatedly feuded with each other throughout the life of Jackson's five-year contract. Martin would be hired and fired by Steinbrenner five times over the next 13 years. This conflict, combined with the extremely rowdy Yankees fans of the late 1970s and the bad conditions of the Bronx, led to the Yankee organization and stadium being referred to as the "Bronx Zoo."
[15] Despite the turmoil, Jackson starred in the
1977 World Series, when he hit three home runs in the same game, and overall, four home runs on four consecutive pitches from four different pitchers. Jackson's great performance in the postseason earned him the
Series MVP Award, and the nickname "Mr. October."
[16]
Throughout the late 1970s, the race for the pennant was often a close competition between the Yankees and the Red Sox. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the Yankees had been dominant while the Red Sox were largely a non-factor. However, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Yankees were mired in second place and the Red Sox led the league. In the late 1970s the two teams were contending simultaneously and locked in a close fight.
On July 14, 1978, the
Yankees were 14½ games behind the
Red Sox. The Yankees went on a long winning streak, and by the time they met Boston for a pivotal four-game series at
Fenway Park in early September, they were only four games behind the Red Sox. The Yankees swept the Red Sox in what became known as the "Boston Massacre", winning the games 15–3, 13–2, 7–0, and 7–4. The third game was a shutout pitched by "Louisiana Lightning"
Ron Guidry, who would lead the majors with nine shutouts, a 25–3 record, and a 1.74 ERA. Guidry also finished with 248 strikeouts, but
Nolan Ryan's 260 strikeouts with the
California Angels deprived Guidry of the pitching
Triple Crown.
On the last day of the season, the two clubs finished in a tie for first place in the AL East, and a one-game playoff (the 163rd game of the regular season) was held at Fenway Park. With Guidry pitching against former Yankee
Mike Torrez, the Red Sox took an early 2–0 lead. In the seventh inning, light-hitting Yankee shortstop
Bucky Dent drove a three-run home run over the "
Green Monster" (Fenway Park's famed left field wall), putting the Yankees up 3–2. Reggie Jackson's solo home run in the following inning sealed the eventual 5–4 win that gave the Yankees their 100th win of the season and their third straight AL East title and Guidry earned his 25th win of the season.
After beating the
Kansas City Royals for the third consecutive year in the
ALCS, the Yankees faced the
Dodgers again in the
World Series. They lost the first two games in LA, but won all three games at Yankee Stadium and won Game 6 in Los Angeles, winning their 22nd World Championship.
Changes occurred during the
1979 season. Former Cy Young Award-winning closer
Sparky Lyle was traded to the
Texas Rangers for several players, including
Dave Righetti.
Tommy John was acquired from the Dodgers and
Luis Tiant from the hated Red Sox to bolster the pitching staff. During the season, Bob Lemon was replaced by
Billy Martin.
The 1970s ended on a tragic note for the Yankees. On August 2, 1979,
Thurman Munson died after crashing his private plane while practicing "Touch and Go" landings. Four days later, the entire team flew out to
Canton,
Ohio for the funeral, despite having a game later that day against the
Orioles. Martin adamantly stated that the funeral was more important, and that he did not care if they made it back in time.
Bobby Murcer, a close friend of Munson's, was chosen to give the eulogy at his funeral. In a nationally televised and emotional game, Murcer used Munson's bat (which he gave to his fallen friend's wife after the game), and drove in all five of the team's runs in a dramatic 5–4 walk-off victory. Before the game, Munson's locker sat empty except for his catching gear, a sad reminder for his teammates. His locker, labeled with his number 15, forever remained empty in the Yankee clubhouse as a permanent memorial. The number 15 has also been retired by the team.
The
1980 season brought more changes to the Yankees. Billy Martin was fired once again and
Dick Howser took his place.
Chris Chambliss was traded to the
Toronto Blue Jays for catcher
Rick Cerone. Thanks to Howser's no-nonsense attitude, Reggie Jackson hit .300 for the only time in his career with 41 homers, and finished 2nd in the MVP voting to Kansas City's
George Brett. The
Yankees won 103 games and the AL East by three games over the 100-win
Baltimore Orioles, but were swept by the
Royals in the
1980 ALCS.
After the season ended, the Yankees signed
Dave Winfield to a ten-year contract. The Yankees also fired Howser and replaced him with
Gene Michael. Under Michael, the Yankees led the AL East before a
strike hit in June of
1981. In the second half of the season, the Yankees struggled under
Bob Lemon, who replaced Michael. Thanks to the split-season playoff format, the Yankees faced the second-half winner
Milwaukee Brewers in the special
1981 American League Division Series. After narrowly defeating Milwaukee in five games, they breezed through
Billy Martin and the
Oakland Athletics in a three-game
ALCS. In the
World Series, the Yankees got off to a hot start by winning the first two games against the
Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Dodgers fought back and stunned the Yankees by winning the next four games to clinch their first World Series title since
1965.
(1982–1995) The Mattingly era
Following the team's loss to the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series, the Yankees had their longest absence from the playoffs since 1921. The Yankees of the 1980s, led by All-Star first baseman
Don Mattingly, had the most total wins of any major league team but failed to win a World Series (the first such team since the 1910s). They consistently had a powerful offense; Mattingly at various times was teammate to
Dave Winfield,
Rickey Henderson,
Mike Pagliarulo,
Steve Sax, and
Jesse Barfield, but the starting pitching rarely matched the team's performance at the plate. After posting a 22–6 record in
1985, arm problems caught up with Ron Guidry, and his performance declined in the next three years.
The team came close to winning the AL East in
1985 and
1986, finishing second to the
Toronto Blue Jays and
Boston Red Sox respectively, but fell to fourth place in
1987 and fifth in
1988, despite having mid-season leads in the AL East standings both years. Despite their lack of championships and playoff appearances the Yankees posted the highest winning percentage of all MLB teams during the 1980s.
By the end of the decade, the Yankees' offense was also on the decline. Henderson and Pagliarulo had departed by the middle of
1989, while back problems hampered both Winfield (who missed the entire '89 season) and Mattingly (who missed almost the entire second half of
1990). Winfield's tenure with the team ended when he was dealt to the Angels. From 1989 to 1992, the team had a losing record, spending significant money on free-agents and draft picks who did not live up to expectations. In
1990, the
Yankees had the worst record in the American League, and their first last-place finish since 1966.
On July 1, 1990, pitcher
Andy Hawkins became the first Yankee ever to lose despite throwing a no-hitter. Third baseman
Mike Blowers committed an error, followed by two walks and an error by the left fielder
Jim Leyritz with the bases loaded, scoring all three runners and the batter. The 4–0 loss to the
Chicago White Sox was the largest margin of any no-hitter loss in the 20th century. Ironically, the Yankees (and Hawkins) were no-hit for six innings in a rain-shortened game against the White Sox eleven days later.
The poor showings in the 1980s and 1990s would soon change. Steinbrenner hired Howard Spira to uncover damaging information on Winfield and was subsequently suspended from day-to-day team operations by Commissioner
Fay Vincent when the plot was revealed. This turn of events allowed management to implement a coherent acquisition/development program without owner interference. General Manager
Gene Michael, along with manager
Buck Showalter, shifted the club's emphasis from high-priced acquisitions to developing talent through the
farm system. This new philosophy developed key players such as outfielder
Bernie Williams, shortstop
Derek Jeter, catcher
Jorge Posada, and pitchers
Andy Pettitte and
Mariano Rivera. The first significant success came in
1994, when the Yankees had the best record in the AL, but the
strike ended the season and Mattingly's best chance for a World Series title.
A year later, the team qualified for the playoffs in the new wild card slot in the strike shortened
1995 season, their last prior playoff appearance also occurred in a strike shortened year. In the memorable
1995 American League Division Series against the
Seattle Mariners, the Yankees won the first two games at home and dropped the next three in Seattle. Mattingly, suffering greatly from his back injury, retired after the 1995 season. He had the unfortunate distinction of beginning and ending his career on years bookended by Yankee World Series appearances (1981 and 1996).
(1996–2007) The Joe Torre era
After the 1995 season, Steinbrenner replaced Showalter with
Joe Torre. Torre had a mediocre run as a manager in the National League,
[17] and the choice was initially derided ("Clueless Joe" ran the headline on the
New York Daily News
).
[18] However, his calm demeanor proved to be a good fit, and his tenure was the longest under George Steinbrenner's ownership.
1996 saw the rise of three Yankees rookies who would form the core of the team for years to come: shortshop
Derek Jeter, catcher
Jorge Posada, and closer (then setup man)
Mariano Rivera. Aided by these young players, the Yankees won their first AL East title in 15 years in
1996. They defeated the
Texas Rangers in the
ALDS, and in the
ALCS beat the
Baltimore Orioles in five games, which included a notable fan interference by young
Jeffrey Maier that was called as a home run for the Yankees. In the
World Series the team rebounded from an 0–2 series deficit and defeated the defending champion
Atlanta Braves, ending an 18-year championship drought. Shortstop
Derek Jeter was named Rookie of the Year. In
1997, the Yankees lost the
1997 ALDS to the
Cleveland Indians in five games. GM
Bob Watson stepped down and was replaced by assistant GM
Brian Cashman.
The
1998 Yankees are widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest teams in baseball history, compiling a then-AL record 114 regular season wins against just 48 losses and then sweeping the
San Diego Padres in the
1998 World Series. Their 125 combined regular and post season wins is a major league record. On May 17, 1998, David Wells pitched a
perfect game against the
Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. On July 18,
1999, which was "Yogi Berra Day" at the Stadium,
David Cone pitched a perfect game against the
Montréal Expos. The
ALCS was the Yankees' first meeting with the
Red Sox in a post-season series. The
Yankees would go on to win the
1999 World Series giving the 1998–1999 Yankees a 22–3 record (including four series sweeps) in six consecutive post-season series.
In
2000, the
Yankees faced the crosstown rival
New York Mets in the first
Subway Series World Series since 1956. The Yankees won the series in 5 games, but a loss in Game 3 snapped their streak of World Series wins at 14, surpassing the club's previous record of 12 (in 1927, 1928, and 1932). The Yankees are the last major league team to repeat as World Series champions and after the 2000 season they joined the Yankee teams of 1936–1939 and 1949–1953, as well as the 1972–1974 Oakland Athletics as the only teams to win at least three consecutive World Series.
In aftermath of the
September 11 attacks, the
Yankees defeated the
Oakland A's in the
ALDS, and the Seattle Mariners in the
ALCS. By winning the pennant for a fourth straight year, the 1998–2001 Yankees joined the
1921–1924 New York Giants, and the Yankee teams of '36–'39, '49–'53, '55–'58 and '60–'64 as the only teams to win at least four straight
pennants. The Yankees won eleven consecutive postseason series in this four-year period. In the
World Series against the
Arizona Diamondbacks, the Yankees lost the series when closer Mariano Rivera uncharacteristically blew a save in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, all seven games were won by the home team.
A vastly revamped
Yankees team finished the
2002 season with an AL best record of 103–58. The season was highlighted by
Alfonso Soriano becoming the first second baseman ever to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season. In the
ALDS the Yankees lost to the eventual champion
Anaheim Angels in four games.
In
2003, the
Yankees again had the best league record (101–61), highlighted by
Roger Clemens' 300th win and 4000th strikeout. In the
ALCS, they defeated the
Boston Red Sox in a dramatic seven game series, which featured a bench-clearing incident in Game 3 and a series-ending
walk-off home run by
Aaron Boone in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7. In the
World Series the Yankees lost in 6 games to the
Florida Marlins, losing a World Series at home for the first time since 1981.
In
2004, the
Yankees acquired
Alex Rodriguez, who moved to third base from his usual shortstop position to accommodate Derek Jeter. In the
ALCS, the Yankees met the
Boston Red Sox again, and became the first team in professional baseball history, and only the third team in North American pro sports history, to lose a best-of-seven series after taking a 3–0 series lead.
In
2005 Alex Rodriguez won the
American League MVP award, becoming the first Yankee to win the award since Don Mattingly in 1985. The Yankees again won the AL East by virtue of a tiebreaker but lost the
ALDS in five games to the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The
2006 season was highlighted by a 5 game series sweep of the
Red Sox at Fenway Park (sometimes referred to as the "Second Boston Massacre"), outscoring the Red Sox 49–26.
[19]
Despite winning the AL East for the ninth consecutive year, the Yankees lost again in the
ALDS, this time to the
Detroit Tigers. After the ALDS was over, tragedy struck when pitcher
Cory Lidle died when his
plane crashed into a highrise apartment building in Manhattan. Along with Thurman Munson, Lidle was the second active Yankee to be killed in a private plane crash.
On June 18, 2007 the Yankees broke new ground by signing the first two professional baseball players from the
People's Republic of China to the MLB,
[20] and also became the first team in MLB history to sign an advertising deal with a Chinese company.
[21] The Yankees' streak of nine straight AL East division titles ended in
2007, but they still reached the playoffs with the AL Wild Card. For the third year in a row, the team lost in the first round of the playoffs, as the
Cleveland Indians defeated the Yankees in the
2007 ALDS. After the series, Joe Torre declined a reduced-length and compensation contract offer from the Yankees and returned to the National League as manager of the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
(2008–Present) New manager, new stadium: The Girardi era
After Torre's departure the Yankees signed former catcher
Joe Girardi to a three-year contract to manage the club.
[22]
The
2008 season was the last season played at historic Yankee Stadium, after which the team will move to
New Yankee Stadium, which is located adjacent to the current field. To celebrate the final year and history of Yankee Stadium, the
2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played there on July 15, 2008.
[23] The final regular season game at Yankee Stadium was played on September 21, 2008 against the
Baltimore Orioles, the city from which both the Yankees and their great star
Babe Ruth originated.
[24] Fielding
Derek Jeter as their captain,
Andy Pettitte as the starting pitcher, and led by home runs from
Johnny Damon and
Jose Molina, the Yankees won 7–3. Molina's home run, a two-run shot hit to left-center field with one out in the bottom of the 4th inning, turned out to be the final home run in Stadium history. The final run was scored by Yankee pinch-runner
Brett Gardner in the bottom of the 7th inning.
Mariano Rivera pitched the top of the 9th inning, and the final batter was Baltimore's
Brian Roberts, who hit a ground-ball out to Yankee first baseman
Cody Ransom, closing out 86 years of baseball history at the stadium. After the game, Derek Jeter addressed the crowd, thanking them for their support over the years, and urging them to "take the memories of this field, add them to the new memories that will come at the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them on from generation to generation."
[25] The Yankees players then circled the field and saluted the fans, to the sound of "
New York, New York". Despite multiple midseason roster moves, the team was hampered by injuries and missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons. During the off-season, the Yankees retooled their roster with several star free agent acquisitions, including
CC Sabathia,
A.J. Burnett, and
Mark Teixeira. The Yankees also decided not to resign veterans
Bobby Abreu and
Jason Giambi. This strategy differed from the previous season's, where the team banked on young pitching prospects.
The Yankees opened the new
Yankee Stadium at the beginning of the 2009 season, which quickly acquired a reputation as a "home run-friendly" ballpark. The Yankees also set a major league record by playing error-free ball for 18 consecutive games from May 14–June 1, 2009.
[26]
Distinctions
The Yankees have won a leading 26 World Series in 39 appearances (which, since the first World Series in 1903, currently amounts to an average appearance every 2.7 seasons and a championship every 4.0 seasons); the
St. Louis Cardinals are second with ten World Series victories. The Yankees' number of World Series losses, 13, also leads in Major League Baseball, with the
New York/San Francisco Giants coming in at second place with 12. The
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are second in total World Series appearances with eighteen; eleven of those eighteen appearances have been against the Yankees, where the Dodgers have gone 3-8 against them.
[27] Among North American major sports, the Yankees' success is only approached by the 24
Stanley Cup championships of the
Montreal Canadiens of the
National Hockey League. They have played in the World Series against every National League pennant winner except the
Houston Astros and the
Colorado Rockies, a feat that no other team is even close to matching.
[28]
Through 2008, the Yankees have an all-time regular season winning percentage of .567 (a 9472-7235 record), the best of any team in baseball.
[29]
Team nicknames
The "Yankees" name is often shortened to "
the Yanks
." Their most prominently used
nickname is "
the Bronx Bombers
" or simply "
the Bombers
", a reference to their home and their prolific hitting. A less used nickname is "
the Pinstripes
", in reference to the iconic feature on their home uniforms. Critics often refer to the team and the organization as "
the Evil Empire
", a term applied to the Yankees by
Boston Red Sox president
Larry Lucchino in a 2002 interview with the
New York Times
.
[30] The statement has been greeted with mixed sentiment and often considered hypoctrical as Lucchino's team is also among the highest payrolls in the MLB every year - though it is still about $75 million less than the Yankees' over the past two seasons. A term from the team's tumultuous late 70's, "
the Bronx Zoo
", is also sometimes used by detractors, as well as the "
Damn Yankees
," after the
musical of the same name. These have both been embraced by fans.
Logo, uniform, and dress code
Popularity
Fan support
With the recurring success of the franchise since the 1920s, the Yankees have been and continue to be one of the most popular sports teams in the world, with their fan base coming from much further than the
New York Metro Area. The Yankees typically bring an upsurge in attendance at all or most of their various road-trip venues, drawing crowds of their own fans, as well as home-town fans whose interest is heightened when the Yankees come to town.
left
The first one-million fan season was in 1920, when 1,289,422 fans attended Yankee games at the Polo Grounds. The first two-million fan season was in 1946, when 2,265,512 fans attended games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have beaten the league average for home attendance 83 out of the last 87 years (only during 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994 did they not accomplish this). In the past seven years, the Yankees have drawn over three million fans each year, with an American League record-setting 4,090,696 in 2005, becoming only the third franchise in sports history to draw over four million in regular season attendance in their own ballpark.
[31] The Yankees were also the league leaders in "road attendance" in each year from 2001 through 2006.
[32]
One famous fan is
Fred Schuman, popularly known as "Freddy Sez". For over 50 years he has come to Yankees' home games with a baseball cap, a Yankees' jersey (which on the back bears his own name) and a cake pan with a
shamrock painted on it which is connected to a sign inscribed with words of encouragement for the home team. The sign changes every game (but always features the prefix "Freddy Sez") and Freddy carries a metal spoon with him encouraging fans to bang the pan for good luck as he walks through the crowd throughout the game.
To avoid unwanted publicity, Yankees members use
aliases when registering for hotels.
The Village Voice
published a list of aliases used by Yankees members, and the contents were republished on
The Smoking Gun
.
[33]
The Bleacher Creatures
The "Bleacher Creatures" are a notorious group of season ticket holders who occupied Section 39 in the right field bleachers at the old Yankee Stadium, and will be occupying Section 203 in the new one. They are known for their strict allegiance to the Yankees, and are often merciless to opposing fans who sit in the section and cheer for the road team. They also enjoy taunting the opposing team's right fielder with a series of chanting and slandering. The "creatures" got their nickname from
New York Daily News columnist Filip "Flip" Bondy, who spent the 2004 season sitting in the section for research on his book about the group,
Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium
, published in 2005.
[34]
Global expansion and business model
The Yankees baseball club is formally owned by
Yankee Global Enterprises LLC which also owns the team's regional YES sports network. While the club has claimed it is operating under annual losses in excess of $47 million this figure is attributed only to the ballclub's finances and not to finances attributed to YES or Yankees Global Enterprises.
The Yankees have become well known for a winning reputation on a global level. In 2007, they reached an agreement with the Chinese Baseball Association to allow coaches, scouts and trainers to work in China to promote baseball and judge talent.
[35] They are trying to do the same with the
Yomiuri Giants and the
Hanshin Tigers in Japan. The Yankees and Yomiuri Giants currently have a close relationship and share ideas and strategies. The
Yomiuri Shimbun daily newspaper has an ad on the left-field wall at Yankee Stadium, and other Japanese ads appear on the scrolling backstop advertising board. The Yankees are hoping that close ties with countries such as China and Japan will give them personal, in depth judgments of baseball talent.
[36]
In 2008, the Yankees announced a joint venture with the
Dallas Cowboys that would form the basis for a partnership in running food and beverage, and other catering services to both teams' stadiums.
Criticism
With the long-term success of the franchise and a large Yankee fanbase, other teams' fans across the nation have come to hate the Yankees. The organization is sometimes referred to by detractors as "the
Bronx Zoo" (echoing the title of
Sparky Lyle's book) or "the
Evil Empire" (parodying
Ronald Reagan's characterization of the former
Soviet Union), although both names have been defiantly embraced by fans of the team.
Much of the animosity toward the team may derive from its high payroll (which was around $200 million at the start of the 2008 season, the highest of any American sports team),
[37] and the free agent superstars the team attracts in the offseason. Famed
Chicago Tribune columnist
Mike Royko summed it up when he said, "Hating the Yankees is as American as
pizza pie,
unwed mothers, and cheating on your
income tax."
[38]
Hatred of the Yankees is most apparent among
New England fans of the
Boston Red Sox, but extends to other places. It has become a tradition at many road games for the home crowd to chant "Yankees Suck!"
Fight and theme songs
thumb
The official fight song for the Yankees is "
Here Come the Yankees", written in 1967 by Bob Bundin and Lou Stallman. While it is not used as often, it is still heard frequently in instrumental form, most prominently in radio broadcasts. Another song strongly linked to the team is "
New York, New York", which is played in the stadium after home games. The
Frank Sinatra cover version is traditionally played after victories, and the
Liza Minnelli original version after losses. When the Yankees take the field before the start of every game,
2 Unlimited's "
Get Ready For This" is played with the fans usually clapping along. When the Yankees score a run at home, the bell chime of
Westminster Quarters is played.
A wide selection of songs are played regularly at the stadium, many of them live on the Stadium's Hammond organ.
God Bless America has been played during the 7th inning stretch since
September 11. The version typically played is an abbreviated version of
Kate Smith's rendition. However, during many important games (including most play-off games) and on noteworthy days, it is sung a Capella and live by
Dr. Ronan Tynan and includes a longer introduction. During the 5th, the grounds-crew, while performing their duties, dances to "
Y.M.C.A." "
Cotton-Eyed Joe" once played during the 7th inning stretch, is now played in the 8th inning. On the DiamondVision screen, a man in farmer's garb is shown dancing in the stadium's control room, with the words "Cotton-Eyed Joey" at the bottom. The organist will sometimes play the "
Zorba the Greek Theme", accompanied by clapping from the audience, to excite the crowd and encourage a rally.
Some players have their own songs which are played in celebration of their accomplishments, or to introduce them. These songs are meant to pump up the crowd. Examples include
Bernie Williams, whose actions were often accompanied by the lines "Burn (Bern) baby burn (Bern)" from "
Disco Inferno", and
Mariano Rivera, who gets a great ovation from the fans when he comes out from the bullpen to
Metallica's "
Enter Sandman". When Joba Chamberlain comes out to pitch, Mötley Crüe's "Shout at the Devil" is played. Occasionally,
Hideki Matsui will come out to
Blue Öyster Cult's "Godzilla", in reference to his nickname. Many times, when former Yankee left-handed pitcher
Mike Myers was sent in as a relieving pitcher, the theme song from the movie
Halloween was played, in reference to the
main villain of the movie who bears the same name.
During the 1993 season, "
We're Not Gonna Take It" by
Twisted Sister was played after every win, before "New York, New York".
Ace Frehley's, "
New York Groove" was used many times during the '70s as well as during some more recent playoff games. When the Yankees are either tied or behind in the late innings (usually the 8th inning), "Going the Distance" from the
Rocky II soundtrack is played while a mix of the Rocky II training scene and Yankee highlights are shown on the DiamondVision screen.
Radio and television
The
Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network launched in 2002, and serves as the primary home of the New York Yankees during the baseball season, and the New Jersey Nets during the basketball season.
Michael Kay is the play-by-play announcer and
Ken Singleton,
Paul O'Neill,
David Cone,
Al Leiter, and
John Flaherty work as commentators as part of a three-man booth. Bob Lorenz hosts the pre-game show and the post-game show, with
David Justice as the analyst and
Kimberly Jones and
Nancy Newman as the reporters. Some games are telecast on
WWOR-TV; those broadcasts are also produced by YES.
Radio broadcasts are on the
Yankees Radio Network, the flagship station being
WCBS 880 AM, with
John Sterling as the play-by-play announcer and
Suzyn Waldman providing the commentary.
The history of Yankee radio broadcasters is:
WABC 770 (1939-'40),
WOR 710 (1942),
WINS 1010 (1944-'57),
WMGM 1050 (1958-'60),
WCBS 880 (1961-'66),
WHN 1050 (1967-'70),
WMCA 570 (1971-'77), WINS 1010 (1978-'80), WABC 770 (1981-2001), WCBS 880 (2002-present).
Legendary past voices
- Mel Allen was the team's lead announcer from 1948 to 1964. Allen is still widely known as the "voice of the Yankees".
- Red Barber also called Yankees games for thirteen seasons (1954-1966).
- Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White teamed together in the 1970s and 80s. Rizzuto spent nearly 40 years in the broadcast booth, and White later became president of the National League. Bobby Murcer would also call games with Rizzuto and White and continue doing so until shortly before his death from brain cancer.
Retired numbers
The Yankees have retired fifteen numbers for sixteen players, the most in
Major League Baseball.
[39]
Billy Martin 2B,M Retired 1986
| Babe Ruth RF Retired 1948
| Lou Gehrig 1B Retired 1939
| Joe DiMaggio CF Retired 1952
| Mickey Mantle CF Retired 1969
| Bill Dickey C Retired 1972
|
Yogi Berra C, M Retired 1972
| Roger Maris RF Retired 1984
| Phil Rizzuto SS Retired 1985
| Thurman Munson C Retired 1979
| Whitey Ford SP Retired 1974
| Don Mattingly 1B Retired 1997
|
Elston Howard C Retired 1984
| Casey Stengel M Retired 1970
| Reggie Jackson RF Retired 1993
| Ron Guidry SP Retired 2003
| Jackie Robinson - Honored 2007
|
|
The retired numbers were displayed behind the old
Yankee Stadium's left field fence and in front of the opposing team's bullpen, forming a little alley that connects
Monument Park to the left field stands. When the franchise moved across the street to the new stadium, the numbers were incoporated into Monument Park that sits place in center field between both bullpens. The 15 numbers are placed on the wall in chronological order, beginning with
Lou Gehrig's number 4. This was retired soon after Gehrig left baseball on July 4, 1939, the same day he gave his famous farewell speech. His was the first number retired in
Major League Baseball history. Beneath the numbers are plaques with the names of the players and a descriptive paragraph.
The number 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball in honor of
Jackie Robinson on April 15th, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his breaking the
color barrier. The day was declared
Jackie Robinson Day, and would later be observed by all of baseball, with select players from every team wearing the number 42.
Mariano Rivera, the current closer for the Yankees still wears the number due to a
grandfather clause and is the last remaining player to do so. While other teams placed the number 42 with the rest of their retired numbers, the Yankees didn't do so at first. Ten years later, on April 17th, 2007, the Yankees honored Robinson by mounting the logo of Jackie Robinson Day with corresponding plaque alongside the rest of the retired numbers.
[40] This was done two days after Jackie Robinson Day due to the observation being held while the Yankees were away in Oakland. When the Yankees moved to the second Yankee Stadium, they replaced the Jackie Robinson Day logo with a number 42 that resembled the other retired numbers.
In 1972, the number 8 was retired for two players on the same day, in honor of catcher
Bill Dickey and his protege, catcher
Yogi Berra. Berra inherited Dickey's number in 1948 after Dickey ended his playing career and became a coach. As the Yankees have never issued number 0, the only two single-digit numbers that have not been retired are number 2, currently worn by
Derek Jeter, and number 6, last worn by former Manager
Joe Torre. If both numbers are ultimately retired, the team would become the first in baseball history to have all of the numbers 1-10 retired.
The Yankees have not issued several numbers since the departure of prominent figures who wore them, specifically:
- 21 -- Paul O'Neill RF (1993-2001)
; Relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins briefly wore the number in the 2008 season but, on April 16, 2008, Hawkins switched to number 22 in response to the criticism he received by many Yankee fans, all the more suggesting that number 21 may one day be retired for O'Neill.
- 51 -- Bernie Williams CF (1991-2006)
; Played his entire 16 year career with the Yankees.
- 35 -- Mike Mussina P (2001-2008)
; Played the last 8 years of his career with the Yankees.
- 6 -- Joe Torre M (1996-2007)
; Led the Yankees to six American League Pennants and four World Series Championships. In addition he managed the team to the postseason each year during his tenure as manager. He is currently the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Team captains
Baseball Hall of Famers
Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Current roster
|
Active roster
| Coaches/Other
|
Pitchers
- 91 Alfredo Aceves
- 63 Jonathan Albaladejo
- 64 Andrew Brackman
- 33 Brian Bruney
- 34 A. J. Burnett
- 62 Joba Chamberlain
- -- Anthony Claggett
- 48 Phil Coke
- -- Wilkins De La Rosa
- -- Michael Dunn (baseball)
- -- Christian Garcia
- 38 Dan Giese
- -- Eric Hacker
- 65 Phil Hughes
- -- Steven Jackson (baseball)
- 31 Ian Kennedy
- -- Dámaso Marté
- 36 Edwar Ramírez
- 42 Mariano Rivera
- 30 David Robertson (baseball)
- 52 CC Sabathia
- 77 Humberto Sánchez
- 41 José Veras
- 40 Chien-Ming Wang
- 65 Chase Wright
|
| Catchers
- 64 Francisco Cervelli
- 26 José Molina (baseball)
- 20 Jorge Posada
Infielders
- 24 Robinson Canó
- -- Shelley Duncan
- 2 Derek Jeter
- 66 Juan Miranda
- 29 Cody Ransom
- 13 Alex Rodriguez
Outfielders
- 28 Melky Cabrera
- 18 Johnny Damon
- 11 Brett Gardner
- 22 Xavier Nady
- -- Nick Swisher
Designated hitters
|
| Manager
Coaches
† 15-day disabled list
* Suspended list
# Bereavement list
updated 2008-12-18
•
|
Minor league affiliations
The Yankees are affiliated with the following minor league teams.
[41]
- AAA:
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, International League
- AA:
Trenton Thunder, Eastern League
- Advanced A:
Tampa Yankees, Florida State League
- A:
Charleston RiverDogs, South Atlantic League
- Short A:
Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League
- Rookie:
GCL Yankees, Gulf Coast League
See also
- New York Yankees all-time roster
- Yankees–Mets rivalry
- New York Yankees award winners and league leaders
- New York Yankees season records
- New York Yankees team records
- List of New York Yankees owners and executives
- List of New York Yankees managers
- List of New York Yankees coaches
- Championships of the New York Yankees
- List of New York Yankees seasons
- The Pride of the Yankees
- Yankees Universe
- The Bronx Is Burning
Notes and references
References
- Yankees Timeline 1903-1925
- New Yankee Stadium
- Teams Who Have Won the Most North American Sports Championships
- World Series History: 1999
- Yankee Revenue To Immediately Double In New Stadium
- New York Yankees (1903-Present)
- Yankee Stadium
- Yankees Timeline (1903-1925)
- When the Yankees nearly moved to Boston
- 1927 "Murderers' Row" New York Yankees: No Team Has Ever Been Better
- Farewell Speech
- Larsen had one perfect day
- Yankees Timeline 1951-1975
- Voices of Summer
- The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees
- The Hall of Famers - Reggie Jackson
- Joe Torre Managerial Record
- Torre's timeline with Yankees
- Yankees finish off five-game sweep
- Yankees sign two Chinese prospects
- Yankees Sign Sponsorship Agreement With China's Yili Group
- Yankees name Joe Girardi the 32nd manager in franchise history; Signed to a three-year contract through the 2010 season
- 2008 All-Star Game
- 2008 Yankees Schedule
- No additional final sendoff for Stadium
- Blum, Ronald. "Teixeira slide sparks Yanks in 12-3 win over Texas." Associated Press. June 2, 2009. Retrieved on June 2, 2009.
- Season-By-Season World Series Results
- World Series History
- Baseball Teams and Baseball Team Encyclopedias
- Lucchino fires shot at Yanks after losing out on pitcher
- Yankees reach four million in tickets sales for second consecutive season
- MLB Attendance Report - 2006
- Batting Third, Charlie Wattsizname
- Filip Bondy, ''Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium '', foreword by David Cone (NY: Sports Publishing, 2005)
- New York Yankees and Chinese Baseball Association reach landmark agreement
- Yankees team with Yomiuri Giants
- 2006 Salary Database
- New York Yankee Quotations
- Retired Uniform Numbers in the American League
- Yankees retire Jackie Robinson's number
- Minor League Affiliates