The History of the New York Yankees

The History of the New York Yankees

One can call it greatness, one can call it destiny, but the most successful franchise in all of sports The New York Yankees are a team that developed into nothing but a world renown team of excellence.  The story of the New York Yankees developed from and covers for more than a century.  This is the story that is filled with the most memorable and magical moments, mystique, drama, destiny, thus it falls nothing short of a fairy tale.  Just the word Yankees represents ideas of greatness, excellence, and success.  One can say the names Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly.  One would totally be confounded in amazement at the greatness of these legendary players especially those that have followed the success of the team’s history over the years.  One may not have grown up around the time of the great “Babe” or “Joltin Joe”, but certainly they have heard of the names before.  The countless times of magic and mystique continue to dwell in the hearts and memories of Yankee Fans forever and the Yankee fans of today fall nothing short of that sense of pride in the pinstripes also.  In fact the pride and the belief in this team is what fueled the spirits of many New Yorkers throughout the years.  Throughout the existence of the New York Yankees, its greatness would not exist without the ultimate support and backing of the “greatest fans in the world”.  The home of where this storied franchise began and where the memories and the lore had been born laid in the heart of the South Bronx, Yankee Stadium.  The fans it drew, the financial success it helped give the city, as well as the greatest team that took host in this famous piece of real estate showed its significance to New York City.

Throughout the eras, the Yankees have assembled possibly the most lethal and best teams in baseball and the league.  The 27 world championships won marks and exemplifies the awesomeness of the franchise.  However this team of New York as the majority of the people know and come to love was not always great and in fact was born from nothing but a second or even third rate squad.  The Yankees were actually born as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901.  About two years later, Bill Devery and Frank Ferrell bought the team for $18,000 dollars, moving this franchise to be situated in a location in upper Manhattan.  They built a stadium nearby to where the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital is now, and they called it Hill Top Park, thus naming the team the New York Highlanders.  This team was composed of their best player a pitcher named Jack Chesbro who had won 41 games in 1904 which was a standard high at the time.  However, Chesbro threw a wild pitch in the 9^th inning of their last game of the season that year costing them the pennant and rendering them inferior to many of the top teams for the next ten years.  Due to poor management, the next highlight for this third-rate team was in 1912 when they added pinstripes to their uniform(signifying what is now an emblem of a world renown icon).  The first decade of the history of the Yankees was riddled with mediocrity and poor ownership and management.  Soon these Highlanders moved into and shared the Polo Grounds, home of John McGraw’s New York Giants.  It was not until 1914 that a wealthy businessman in Jacob Rupert bought the team now without a home and the Highlanders, after being labeled as “Yankees” in the media at the time became known as the New York Yankees within those years of change. 

Jacob Rupert in need of promoting his brewery products decided to try and take this team into a new direction.  Since the beginning of baseball and up to the point of 1918, the most successful baseball team was that of the Boston Red Sox.  They had won the majority of world championships up to that point.  They were led by a superstar by the name of George Herman Ruth(Babe) who spent the early days of his career as a great pitcher.  In 1918 he was among the leaders in strikeouts, wins, and because the manager Ed Barrow switched him to the outfield, he led the league in home runs as well.  However the most dubious move and arguably the most well-known move in baseball history came in the 1918 off-season.  It was said that Harry Frazee the owner of the Red Sox also ran and invested in Broadway shows.  *Needing the money to continue running that business, he sold the “Babe” to the New York Yankees for what was $125,000 dollars at the time stunning baseball fans and perhaps setting their own Red Sox fans in what would be the next 86 years of misery.  However what an impact Babe Ruth had in his first years with New York.  He set the major league record for home runs in 1920 and 1921 and drew a record high 1 million fans to watch the Yankees play in the Polo Grounds.  This feat was an accomplishment not even the New York Giants had achieved.  Ruth was arguably the biggest star and attraction to the New York fans which of course brought in much more revenue and profit.  Seeing the increase in fans of these new Yankees, John McGraw kicked his residents out.  So the New York Yankees found land just across the river in the South Bronx and this new building would become known as “the House that Ruth built”.  So in 1923, Yankee Stadium opened up and to many people’s delight, The Babe hit a home-run on Yankee Stadium’s opening day and that year they would go on to beat their rivals across the river, the New York Giants for their first World Series title in their history.

* Film/Documentary: 100 Years of the New York Yankees

           In the years after that, the Yankees hired Ed Barrow away from the Red Sox as their general manager, and from that point on, half the Red Sox team followed the Babe from Boston to New York.  Pitchers like Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock would be included.  This remarkable change would in turn throw the Red Sox into a next generation of incompetence.  The sale of Babe Ruth and the events that followed right after would utterly begin the most fabled and most famous rivalry in sports history, between the Yankees and Red Sox.  The Red Sox would not win for nearly a century as the “Curse of the Bambino” was born.  The dawn of Lou Gehrig in 1925 would signify a sure quality first-baseman for the Yankees and batted right after the Babe himself.  Gehrig would become the Yankees 5^th team captain and in 1927, players such as Tony Lazzeri, Earl Combes and Bob Muesel would add to this already powerful lineup into what the Yankees were known as “Murderer’s Row” that year.  The most devastating 1-2 punch in history of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig resembled that awesomeness of the Yankees as Ruth set a record that year with 60 home runs and Gehrig followed with 46.  The Yankees would go on to win in 1927 beating the Pirates and also won the year after.  Lou Gehrig would be perhaps the most famous sports athlete to have played in more than 2000 consecutive games and starts.  Most of their early success came from manager Miller Huggins who led them through their first decade of excellence.  Unfortunately the late 1920s marked the beginning of the Great Depression and the loss of Miller Huggins in 29’. 

The entrance of Joe McCarthy would pick up where Miller Huggins left off.  The Yankees would win again in 1932 but also marking the end of Babe Ruth’s legendary career with the Yankees and would end his career with the Boston Braves.  Players such as Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez and Bill Dickey filled out the lineup and order that was now led by Lou Gehrig.  The arrival of a young boy named Joe DiMaggio in 1936 would take this team to one of their pinnacles of their history.  With the addition of “Joltin Joe” on a team that already featured Lou Gehrig, the Yankees would win three consecutive World Series Titles from 1936 onto 1938.  Lou Gehrig’s incredible run and streak of 2,130 consecutive games ended in 1938.  *In the summer of 1939, Gehrig spoke the most famous words in sports history in front of the crowd at Yankee Stadium as well as in front of his teammates from the eras of the past.  He had addressed and announced the diagnosis of the disease that unfortunately ended his life at an early age of 37.  The Yankees would win the World Series that year.  Lou Gehrig’s number 4 would be the first number retired as a Yankee.

1941 marked a significant year as Joe DiMaggio set a record still held today hitting in 56 consecutive games leading them to yet another Pennant and championship that year.  The Yankees would win eight World Series titles with Joe McCarthy as manager.  In 1947, “Joltin Joe” would win his third MVP that year and Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams would win the triple-crown.  Both were have said to be in a rumor that was brewing and said to have involved a trade between DiMaggio and the “splendid splitter”.  However both Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams had served in the military in several of their big league careers prior to 1947.  In fact, the nation’s victory in the war resembled great pride and honor in the strength in this country and fans were absolutely proud of their many heroes in the war.  Fans showed great support for especially two of the league’s best in DiMaggio and Williams.  Thus baseball and the success of the New York Yankees gave fans but also the American people something to fall back on, to get them through, to relieve their stresses and worries in a time of war as well as a sense of entertainment and pride as well.

* Film/Documentary: 100 Years of the New York Yankees

Though the Yankees would win in 1947 under Bucky Harris, they would replace Harris in 1949 with Casey Stengel whom many people and media doubted in terms of character and managerial skill.  Surprisingly he stunned the skeptics with a Championship victory his first year.  In the years following, this team would be surrounded by dominant pitching such as Vic Raschi, Eddie Lopat, Joe Page and Allie Reynolds who is the only Yankee to throw two no-hitters in a single year.  Names such as Phil Rizzuto “Scooter”, Jerry Coleman, and Bobby Brown would help the team’s success.  1951 marked the end of an incredible career for Joe DiMaggio but also paved the way for a guy named Mickey Mantle to enter the stage.  Billy “the Kid” Martin would be players who followed making great defensive plays in critical world series games along with a great catcher Yogi Berra who would lead the team after DiMaggio’s departure.  *The Yankees would go onto win five consecutive World Series from 1949 to 1953, a feat unmatched in baseball history.  This decade of Yankee success but also led by manager Casey Stengel would be a great decade in Yankee and New York history as well.  The Yankees would win the pennant for another four consecutive years from 55’ to 58’.  In 1956, Don Larsen in game 5 of the World Series would throw a perfect game leading the Yankees to win that year.  Casey Stengel would round out his career in 1960 leading the Yankees to 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series Titles under his management.  Thus New York’s golden age was well in motion as Yankee fans knew in their hearts that the Yankees were going to win the pennant nearly each and every year.  On top of that, there were 6 subway series played in the 1950s and that really gave New York that great sense of pride knowing that at least one team from New York was going to win.  Most if not all New York baseball fans got into it and it thrilled the fans, excited them, provided that sense of pride and it marked a decade of Glory years for New York City. 

Just the name Mickey Mantle would resemble greatness and that sense of respect.  That is what he was all about Mantle did not only win batting crowns and hit home runs, and drive in RBIs and fielded the ball exceptionally well, he was a great teammate and a hero to many people and those that really admired and looked up to him.  Elston Howard became the first black player on the Yankees several months after the Dodgers signed and brought in Jackie Robinson.  Howard was a great catcher along with Berra and played in the outfield as well.  Ralph Houk replaced Stengel and became manager in 1961.  That year was arguably perhaps the most studded and awesome line-up in baseball history as it featured players like Mickey Mantle of course, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Moose Skowron, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, and Clete Boyer.  Whitey Ford had 25 wins that year, Mickey Mantle hit 54 home runs and Roger Maris broke a record set only in history by the Babe himself.  Maris hit his 61^st home run on the final day of the regular season in 61’ surpassing Ruth’s prior record of 60 and Whitey Ford also surpassed Ruth’s record as a pitcher 33 1/3 scoreless innings pitched.  Comparing such a line-up to the “Murderer’s Row” of 27’ exemplified the greatness of the team over the eras.  The Yankees won 109 games that year and went on to win another championship.  1964, Mickey Mantle hit his 18^th home run in the playoffs but were beaten by the Cardinals in seven games.  That was Berra’s only season of managing while leading them into a pennant.  In 64’ the Yankees were bought by CBS and were brought into a decade of mediocrity as players such as Mantle and others got older and lost skill.  It was not until the 1970s that players such as Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Bobby Murcer and Sparky Lyle were brought in. 

1973 marked the dawn of a new era as a group of businessmen from Cleveland bought the team from CBS and was led by George Steinbrenner.  *He says “this team will be champions again, give me three years”.  So within those three years, he had brought in guys like Chris Chambliss, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph, Lou Piniella, Dick Tidrow, Ed Figueroa, and Catfish Hunter.  Yankee Stadium had undergone renovation in those years and reopened  in 1976 beginning a new era in their history.  Thurman Munson became team captain and Billy Martin returned as manager.  So the Yankees returned to the postseason after a 12 year drought of not being in the playoffs.  In the 5^th game against the Kansas City royals, Chris Chambliss hit a walk-off game winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth sending the Yankees back to the World Series however they lost to the Cincinatti Reds.  In the off-season after, Steinbrenner signed a free agent named Reggie Jackson.  His immediate impact on the team brought drama to the team as well as the media.  He doubted and questioned the leadership of Thurman Munson and also noted in a magazine “I’m the straw that stirs the drink”.  This immediate impact caused a ruckus in the Yankee dugout as clearly Munson was the Yankee captain and also during a game against the Red Sox, in 77’, a failure to make a

routine play put Jackson on the bad end with manager Billy Martin.  All this drama and ruckus in the Yankee clubhouse was termed “The Bronx Zoo” and attracted the media and the press and everyone involved with the Yankees.  The Yankees went on to beat their American League rivals the Royals which landed them back into the world series against the L.A. Dodgers.  This is when those magical moments of the Yankees seem to stir and rear itself up when in game 6, Reggie Jackson blasted 3 home runs never done by a Yankee or perhaps any other player in the world series.  This brought the Yankees back to their winning ways as they brought home their 21^st World Series title and all that fury, that turmoil was forgotten and perhaps forgiven.  George Steinbrenner had more or less kept to his word as a title returned to the Bronx.  The 78’ season did not start as expected as early troubles between the Martin and Jackson and the team took holster forcing Billy Martin to resign as manager and Bob Lemon took over to try and re-inspire the team.  Trailing by 14 games behind Boston late in the season, the Yankees crept back and tied the Sox by the end of the season forcing a single game playoff between the two.  Ron Guidry prior to this start against the Sox had recorded an 18 strikeout game against the Angels surpassing Whitey Ford’s record of 15.  Guidry won the Cy Young that year and the Yanks entered this must-win game.  Down by two, “The Curse of the Bambino” presented itself as Bucky Dent hit a three-run home run to give the Yankees the lead and eventually win the pennant that year.  The Yankees would also go on to win the World Series that 78’ season.

The Yankees would not win for another 18 years.  Within those unsuccessful years, Dave Righetti pitched a no-hitter against the Red Sox in 1983 and Don Mattingly’s first taste of the off season in 95’ landed not much success.  It did however bring in players such as Bernie Williams, and Paul O’Neill as led by Buck Showalter in the 95’ season brought them closer but no cigar.  Mattingly retired and Tino Martinez came in 96’.  That also marked the beginning of the Joe Torre era and a young kid who would be named the “Captain” and certainly is still the captain today, Derek Jeter.  The greatest closer of all time arguably also came in, Mariano Rivera.  The Yankees would return to the postseason that year with Derek Jeter’s mystified home run caught by a kid in right field.  The catch of third base Charlie Hayes and John Wetteland with the save brought the Yankees back to being World Champions as they defeated the Braves in 96’.  1998 marked another historic season as the Yankees go on to win 125 games in total and clinch another title.  They would sweep the Braves in 1999 and go on to defeat the New York Mets in the subway series of 2000 signifying their 26^th World Series Championship.  The Yankees led by Joe Torre and Derek Jeter along with the great line-ups of that era would win 4 World Series titles out of the five years.  The 2001 World Series and its magical moments in it with Tino’s game tie-ing home run in game 4 and Scott Brosius’ game tie-ing home run would represent the spirit and the fight of New York especially after the events of 9/11.  The comeback the team showed against the Athletics as well as against the Diamondbacks represented the strength and fire in rising out of the ashes, it gave New York as well as the New York Fans a sense of hope in those devastating times.  It brought people together and it also reminded New Yorkers of the strength and the pride of the city.

Throughout the Yankees illustrious history, there were many moments of magic,, mystique, story that surrounded this greatest franchise in all of sports.  The excellence and success of these Yankee dynasties throughout the century really exemplified wonder and greatness of the team.  The Yankees meant more than just a baseball team, their success gave the fans a wonderful sense of leisure.  They gave the fans a team to root for.  The excellence over the years brought in a great amount of revenue for the city.  In times of trouble, the Yankees symbolized the strength and recuperation that the fans and New Yorkers needed.  The determination to recover resembles the fire of the people that made New York City great.  To come out and play and win as the New York Yankees came to do in their history portrayed that sense of triumph, excellence and pride in the pinstripes and also the fans that have supported them throughout their century, the New York Yankees have fell nothing short of baseball’s greatest.

* Film/Documentary: 100 Years of the New York Yankees