New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are the most successful franchise in the sport’s history and are a name synonymous with Major League Baseball. Although based in the Bronx, the Yankees have a global brand and fan base. The Yankees play their home games at the Yankee Stadium, sporting their iconic pinstripe uniform.

History

As a result of a dispute with the New York Giants at the start of the 20th century, the team was initially established in Baltimore under the name the Orioles. With issues between the New York Giants ironed out, the Orioles moved to New York in 1903 at Hilltop Park, Upper Manhattan. It wasn’t until 1913 that the name was officially changed to the New York Yankees and 10 years later that they would move to their current home in the Bronx.

Current Roster

The Yankees have an exciting roster, including Gerrit Cole, who in December 2019 signed the largest pitcher contract of all-time, a nine-year contract valued at $324 million. They also boast sluggers Aaron Judge, who was selected as 2017 Rookie of the Year, and Giancarlo Stanton, the 2017 NL MVP. Second baseman Gleyber Torres is another strong player in the Yankees lineup. The 23 years old Venezuelan made his MLB debut in April 2018 and he soon became the youngest Yankee to hit a homer since 1969.

Long time general manager Brian Cashman has been with the Yankees since 1998 and has overseen four World Series championships. Since joining as an intern in 1986, Cashman has risen through the ranks right to the top of the organization. Former Yankee infielder Aaron Boon became the team’s manager in December of 2017. He’s made a strong start to his managerial career with an overall record of 219 wins in 346 games, including multiple playoff appearances.

Major Trades

Of course, we have to start with the Bambino himself, George Herman Ruth Jr., more commonly known as Babe Ruth. On January 3rd, 1920, the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth for $125,000 and a $300,000 dollar loan. A small price to pay given the way Ruth would perform for the Yankees, inspiring them to 7 pennants and four championships. This trade was also cited as the beginning of the Curse of the Bambino, as the Red Sox didn’t win a World Series from 1918 to 2004, an 86 year period filled with heartbreak for Red Sox fans.

On the player acquisition front, the Yankees got the better of the Sox again in 2004 when they secured the services of MVP Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers. The Yankees gave up Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias in the trade, but A-Rod hit the ground running with MVP seasons in 2005 and 2007 and then a World Series in 2009.

Major Achievements

The Yankees success supersedes baseball and places them in the conversation as one of the greatest American sports teams in history. New York has won an unrivaled 27 World Series Championships between 1923 and 2009 and has 52 inductees in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Recent Team Stats

In the 2020 season so far, the Yankees have seen good success offensively. DJ LaMahieu is second overall in batting average at .359 (as of September 13) and Luke Voit is tied for the AL lead in home runs with 16. They currently sit at third place in the division at 26-21, four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

In 2019, season the Yankees clinched the American League East Division but fell short in the playoffs, losing to the Houston Astros. Between 2010 and 2019 the Yankees failed to make a World Series appearance for the first time since the 1910s.

Famous Players

The aforementioned Babe Ruth was the Yankees’ most famous superstar, but there have been countless players who have followed in his footsteps for the Yankees. Micky Mantle averaged 40 home runs a season between 1955 and 1962. Despite suffering from a number of injuries the Oklahoma native achieved All-Star status 16 times. Lou Gehrig was a two time AL MVP and an All-Star on seven occasions, finishing with over 150 RBIs in seven different seasons. Gehrig and Ruth formed perhaps the most feared offensive duo in baseball history.

Between 1936 and 1951, Joe DiMaggio had an illustrious baseball career despite missing three crucial years during World War II. DiMaggio won 9 World Series Championships and smacked 361 home runs. He also holds the record for the longest hitting streak in MLB history, hitting safely in 56 straight games in 1941. Most baseball historians and analysts expect this record will never be broken. In 1955, unsurprisingly, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.