David Fischer - Miracle Moments in New York Yankees History: The Turning Points, the Memorable Games, the Incredible Records

Copyright 2017 by David Fischer

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit: Associated Press

ISBN: 978-1-61321-998-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-002-7

Printed in China

TO THE PLAYERS AND COACHES OF THE 2010 12U NEW JERSEY BANDITS BASEBALL TEAM; YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE A TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE, AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MEMORABLE GAMES YOU PLAYED AND THE INCREDIBLE RECORDS YOU SET. WHOOSH!

Contents

Part One:
Birth of a Dynasty

Part Two:
The Bronx Bombers

Part Three:
Mickey, Casey, Whitey, and Yogi

Part Four:
The Bronx Zoo

Part Five:
The Core Four

INTRODUCTION

The New York Yankees have won more World Series championships than any other major league club. They are, by far, the most successful franchise in sports history.

The Yankees won their first pennant in 1921. It was their first of twenty-nine pennants and twenty World Series championships in the forty-four seasons between 1921 and 1964. Yankee players recorded some of baseballs most memorable streaks, records and achievements during this era. Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927, a mark that stood for thirty-four years until 1961 when another Yankee slugger, Roger Maris, swatted 61 long flies. Lou Gehrig had an ironman streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, a record for fifty-six years. And Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games in 1941, a record that still stands seventy-five years later.

The Yankees had an abundance of talent starting with Ruth, a player many consider the greatest ever to play the game. His most memorable home run was his called-shot in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Still unclear is Ruths intention; did he point to a spot in centerfield where his shot would land or to the Cubs bench to answer their relentless taunting? Ruth played two more seasons after that with New York, but by the early 30s Lou Gehrig was New Yorks greatest player.

Gehrig is generally regarded as the greatest first baseman in history, and would be so noted even if not for his incredible durability. When Gehrig was finally forced out of the lineup early in 1939 due to an incurable disease, the Yankees declared July 4, 1939, as Lou Gehrig Day, and honored him between games of a double-header. His moving speech will never be forgotten.

Another major turning point for the Yankees franchise was the arrival of Joe DiMaggio onto the team in 1936. He was one of the top three players of his generationand one of the best and most graceful outfielders of all time. The Yankees won the World Series in each of his first four seasons. Years later, when DiMaggios career began to decline due to age and a series of heel injuries, a young center fielder named Mickey Mantle was ready to assume his place in the dynasty. Mantle was the best switch-hitter of all time, and possessed the rare combination of power and speed.

But the Yankees didnt just feature great sluggers. Pitcher Whitey Ford anchored the staff throughout the 1950s and early 60s. And a journeyman, Don Larsen, would pitch a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Other perfect games and no-hitters would follow, but no Yankees pitcher enjoyed as dominant a season as Ron Guidry did in 1978.

Following a tough seven-game loss to the Cardinals in the 1964 World Series, the franchise slid into the second division and languished there for nearly a decade. But in 1973, a Cleveland shipbuilder named George Steinbrenner bought the team from CBS for less than $10 million. The Yankees went on to win pennants in 1976, 1977, and 1978, winning the World Series in both 77 and 78. After losing the 1976 World Series, Steinbrenner signed free-agent slugger Reggie Jackson. Jackson added a turbulent mix to the clubhouse, but the move paid off when he hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. The Yankees came from 14 games behind Boston to catch the Red Sox in 1978. The Yankees lost their captaincatcher Thurman Munsonto a plane crash in August of 1979. After winning 103 games and losing in the A.L.C.S. in 1980, the Yankees went to the World Series once again in 1981.

The Yankees didnt return to the postseason until 1995, but only because the 70-43 Yankee team in 1994 had their season suspended by the player lockout. The Yankees made the postseason in 1995, the first of 13 consecutive postseason appearances. New York won the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. These teams were led by relief ace Mariano Rivera, perhaps the greatest closer in baseball history; and by shortstop Derek Jeter, one of the biggest stars of his generation.

Throughout its illustrious history, the New York Yankees have produced some of the most memorable highlights in baseball annals. Jack Chesbros 41 wins in a season, Tony Lazzeris 11 RBIs in a game, Derek Jeters amazing Flip Play, and Aaron Boones walk-off homer to propel the Yankees into another World Series. Most Yankees fans have seen newsreel footage of Yogi Berras unorthodox swing, and watched highlights of a young Don Mattingly, and have heard the story of Phil Linzs harmonica playing. But what makes the Yankees the worlds most celebrated sports franchise goes beyond sheer headlines: it is the stories of the men behind the headlines who have thrilled and enchanted New York fans since 1903.

BIRTH OF A DYNASTY

Batting practice at Hilltop Park, 1911 (George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress)

1903

From Highlanders to Yankees

The New York Yankees were born in 1903, but under a different name.. The team was transplanted from Baltimore to give the upstart American League a team in New York to compete with the more established National Leagues New York Giants. The original home of the Yankees was Hilltop Park, a small, hastily built, wooden ballpark with a grandstand to seat 15,000 fans and a centerfield fence 560 feet away from home plate. The park was located in Manhattan along upper Broadway between 165th and 168th Streets, at one of the highest spots in New York City.

This new American League team still needed a name. At first, the team was going to be called the Americans, but then most people called them the Highlanders because of their home ballparks high elevation. Newspapers introduced the nickname Yankees to reference the clubs locationto the north of the Giants. A majority of sportswriters at the time were loyal to the Giants and viewed the new competition as the enemy. By 1904 Yankees was already popular in the papers and commonly abbreviated as Yanks, but the name was not yet official.