New York Yankees

The 2007 New York Yankees finished the regular season with a 94-68 record, third best in the Majors and good for the American League Wild Card. The Yankees finished second in the AL East behind the Boston Red Sox. Their starting third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, won Most Valuable Player honors.

Team History
The Yankees franchise actually got its start in 1901 in a different city and under a recognizable name, the Baltimore Orioles. The franchise folded after two seasons, and after its sale to two New York businessmen, was moved to New York for the 1903 season.

The team became the third in New York, but first in the American League, joining their National League counterparts, the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. Playing their home games in a park constructed entirely of wood at 168th St and Broadway in Manhattan, the team was nicknamed the "Highlanders", named for the park's location on the highest point on the island. They would play their first game under the heading, "New York" on April 22, 1903, losing to the Washington Senators, 3-1.

In 1911, a fire severely damaged the Giants home park, the Polo Grounds. For two seasons the two teams shared the Highlander's home field, Hilltop Park. After the newly rebuilt and superior Polo Grounds was re-opened, the Giants returned the invitation, inviting the Highlanders to share their new stadium. Two years later, on January 11, 1915, the Yankees, as they were now called, were purchased by the two gentleman who were instrumental in turning around the franchise, Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast Huston.

From 1911 to 1919, the Yankees won 80 games in a season just twice, but the franchise's fortunes were changed forever on January 3, 1920. Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, who made his fortune financing plays on Broadway, had a dilemma. He had a new play, "No, no, Nanette", which he was sure would be a blockbuster. (It was). But he lacked enough cash to both finance its production and to make a personal investment in its future gate earnings. Desperate, he sold his star player, pitcher George Herman "Babe" Ruth, to for $125,000 and a $350,000 mortgage note on Fenway Park.

The benefits from the acquisition were almost immediate, the Yankees set a franchise record for wins in 1920 with 95, and doubled their previous high in attendance to 1.2 million. In both 1921 and 1922 the Yankees won the American League pennant, and faced their landlords, the Giants, in the World Series. The Giants served the Yankees with an eviction notice, leaving them scrambling to find a piece of property suitable for a new Stadium.

The Yankees were able to purchase a piece of prime property along the East River in the Bronx, and construction began on their new Stadium on May 5, 1922. Amazingly, the 70,000 seat, triple decked stadium was completed in only 284 working days! Yankee Stadium opened on April 23, 1923, with an announced crowd of 74,200 fans in place to see the Yankees take on the visiting Boston Red Sox. Behind a Babe Ruth three run homer, the Yankees defeated Boston, 4-1. In the fall of 1923, Yankee Stadium hosted its first World Series when the Yankees took on the Giants for the third consecutive season, and also its first of a record 26 World Series Championships.

On June 1, 1925, during a game the Yankees would eventually lose, 5-3, to Washington, Yankees manager Miller Huggins inserted a 21 year old rookie firstbaseman into the game as a pinch-hitter. This was the first of a then record 2,130 consecutive games played by Lou Gehrig.

After missing the World Series in both 1924 and 1925, the Yankees returned to the fall classic in 1926, matching up with the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite losing the Series on an ill-timed stolen base attempt by Babe Ruth, this marked the beginning of the famous "Murderers Row" Yankees, who completed World Series sweeps in both 1927 and 1928. In 1927, Babe Ruth hit sixty homeruns, a record which would stand for 34 years. In his 15 year Yankee career, Ruth won 12 American League homer titles and led in RBI's six times.

Following the 1934 season, Ruth's last in New York, the Yankees purchased the contract of outfielder Joe DiMaggio from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. DiMaggio sparked the Yankees to four consecutive World Championships from 1936 to 1939. This time frame also saw one of the great righty/lefty pitching duos in history with southpaw Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing, both future Hall of Famers. Both pitchers were four time 20 game winners with Gomez chipping in with a perfect 6-0 World Series record.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak came to an end after being diagnosed with a debilitating disease. On July 4, the Yankees honored their ill star with a celebration in which his uniform #4 became the first to be permanently retired. Gehrig died on June 2, 1941 at the age of 37.

The Yankees at this point were now DiMaggio's team. In his 13 seasons in New York, the Yankees won 11 pennants and 10 World Series titles. Among his great accomplishments was his record 56 game hitting streak set in 1941, a record which still stands and is unlikely to be broken. When DiMaggio retired following the 1951 season at the age of 37, the team transitioned first to an established group of veterans led by Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto, and then to a younger group of star players such as Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle. During the decade of the fifties, the Yankees won eight AL pennants and six World Series titles with their five consecutive championships from 1949-1953 being a record and no other team winning four.

Despite serious injuries to both legs by his rookie season, the switch-hitting Mantle became one of the most complete players in Major League history. He hit 536 career homers, batted over .300 10 times in his 18 year career, and played in twelve World Series.

The lefthanded Whitey Ford finished his career with a 236-106 record and the highest winning percentage (.690) of any 20th century hurler. Ford still holds many World Series career pitching records, including wins (10), strkeouts, (94) and consecutive scoreless innings, (33).

The decade was highlighed by an unknown, righthanded pitcher Don Larsen. In the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Larsen pitched a perfect game, which today is the only no-hitter in postseason history.

After missing the postseason in 1959, the Yankees began the 1960's by winning five consecutive pennants. In the 29 seasons spanning 1936-1964, the Yankees won 22 pennants and 16 World Series titles. In 1961, the Yankees won 109 games with the highlight being a season long race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's season record of 60 homers. Injuries ended Mantle's quest in September and he ended the season with 54, but Maris passed Ruth on October 1 against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Maris won his second consecutive AL MVP award following the Yankees five game World Series win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Trades, retirements and age caught up with the Yankees following the 1964 season, they would finish in the first division only once in the next nine seasons and in 1966 actually finished in last place for the first time since 1914.

The franchise began a turnaround on January 2, 1973, when CBS Broadcasting sold the Yankees to a group headed by Cleveland shipping entrepeneur George M. Steinbrenner III. With important personnel obtained through trades including Ed Figueroa, Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers and Chris Chambliss combined with a strong nucleus led by Thurman Munson and baseball's first significant free agent signing in Catfish Hunter, the Yankees returned to the postseason in 1976 for the first time in 12 seasons. In a now preliminary American League Championship Series, the Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 3 games to 2 on a walk-off homerun by Chris Chambliss and played the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

After being swept in the 1976 Series by Cincinnati, Steinbrenner signed All-Star outfielder Reggie Jackson to a free agent contract. Jackson led the Yankees again past the Royals and into the Series against the Dodgers, which he capped off on October 18th with a three homer game, giving the Yanks their first World Series title since 1962.

In 1978, the Yankees rode the left arm of Ron Guidry, who posted one of the great pitching seasons in history. He went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and posted a then club record 274 strikeouts and tied the American League record for lefty pitchers with nine shutouts. Guidry was then honored unanimously as the AL Cy Young Award Winner. Following a furious comeback, the Yankees and Red Sox ended the season tied for first and a one game playoff was held at Fenway Park. Behind shortstop Bucky Dent's three run homer, the Yankees again defeated Kansas City and the Dodgers to win another championship.

The decade ended tragically for the Yankees as team leader and captain Thurman Munson was killed on August 2, 1979. Munson, who was 32, was trapped in his plane which crashed while he was practicing takeoffs and landings at the Canton, Ohio airport. Following the loss of their leader, the Yankees would have regular season success but would not return to the postseason for 17 years, the longest drought in team history.

With the exception of 1981, the decade of the eighties was without a postseason team but did produce one of the Yankees greatest players and fan favorites, Don Mattingly. In a career ended early by injury in 1995, Mattingly posted a lifetime .307 average, won an AL batting title and MVP award and is considered the best defensive first baseman in history. The Yankees in 1981 signed free agent outfielder and future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. In his eight seasons in New York, Winfield hit 205 homers and won 5 Gold Glove awards.

The Yankees returned to the postseason in 1995, and lost a disappointing Division Series to the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees dismissed manager Buck Showalter and hired former New York Mets and Atlanta Braves manager and 1971 NL MVP as a player, Joe Torre to manage. Beginning with Torre's first season in 1996, the Yankees returned to the World Series and would win four of the next five Championships. The Yankees have continued with their practice of obtaining key players through trades and free agency to compliment their long line of All-Stars produced through the farm system. From Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, David Cone, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill to farm grown Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, the Yankees are consistently in the postseason.

Looking forward, the Yankees are constructing a modern, brand new Stadium across the street from the current location and will move into the "new" Yankee Stadium in 2009.

Retired Numbers

 * 1 Billy Martin 2nd Baseman/Manager, Retired number in 1986
 * 3 Babe Ruth Right Field, Retired in 1948
 * 4 Lou Gehrig 1st Baseman, Retired in 1939
 * 5 Joe DiMaggio Center Field, Retired in 1952
 * 7 Mickey Mantle Center Field, Retired in 1969
 * 8 Yogi Berra Catcher/Manager, Retired in 1972
 * 8 Bill Dickey Catcher, Retired in 1972
 * 9 Roger Maris Right Field, Retired in 1984
 * 10 Phil Rizzuto Shortstop, Retired in 1985
 * 15 Thurman Munson Catcher, Retired in 1979
 * 16 Whitey Ford Left-Handed Pitcher (Starter), Retired in 1974
 * 23 Don Mattingly 1st Baseman, Retired in 1997
 * 32 Elston Howard Catcher, Retired in 1984
 * 37 Casey Stengel Manager, Retired in 1970
 * 42 Jackie Robinson 2nd Baseman, Retired around baseball in 1997
 * 44 Reggie Jackson Right Field, Retired in 1993
 * 49 Ron Guidry Left-Handed Pitcher (Starter), Retired in 2003

Owners
Baltimore Orioles
 * Calvin Chan (1901-1902)

New York Yankees
 * William Devery, Frank Farrell (1903-1915)
 * Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston, Jacob Ruppert (1915-1923)
 * Jacob Ruppert (1923-1939)
 * Ed Barrow (1939-1945)
 * Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping, Del Webb (1945-1947)
 * Dan Topping, Del Webb (1948-1964)
 * Columbia Broadcasting System, (1964-1973)
 * George Steinbrenner, (1973-current)

Managers

 * John McGraw (1901-02)
 * Wilbert Robinson (1902)
 * Clark Griffith (1903-1908)
 * Kid Elberfeld (1908)
 * George Stallings (1909-1910)
 * Hal Chase (1910-1911)
 * Harry Wolverton (1912)
 * Frank Chance (1913-1914)
 * Roger Peckinpaugh (1914)
 * Wild Bill Donovan (1915-1917)
 * Miller Huggins (1918-1929)
 * Art Fletcher (1929)
 * Bob Shawkey (1930)
 * Joe McCarthy (1931-1946)
 * Bill Dickey (1946)
 * Johnny Neun (1946)
 * Bucky Harris (1947-1948)
 * Casey Stengel (1949-1960)
 * Ralph Houk (1961-1963)
 * Yogi Berra (1964)
 * Johnny Keane (1965-1966)
 * Ralph Houk (1966-1973)
 * Bill Virdon (1974-1975)
 * Billy Martin, (1975-1978)
 * Dick Howser (1978)
 * Bob Lemon (1979)
 * Billy Martin (1979)
 * Dick Howser (1980)
 * Gene Michael (1981)
 * Bob Lemon (1981-1982)
 * Clyde King (1982)
 * Gene Michael (1982)
 * Billy Martin (1983)
 * Yogi Berra (1984-1985)
 * Billy Martin (1985)
 * Lou Piniella (1986-1987) (1988)
 * Dallas Green (1989)
 * Bucky Dent (1989-1990)
 * Stump Merrill (1990-1991)
 * Buck Showalter (1992-1995)
 * Joe Torre (1996-2007)
 * Joe Girardi (2008-)

Minor League Teams
AAA- Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees

AA- Trenton Thunder

High A- Tampa Yankees

A- Charleston Riverdogs

Low A- Staten Island Yankees

R- Gulf Coast Yankees