The Yankees have had great teams over the years, and this nearly two-decade run may have been their best.
After three sub-par seasons in 1944, 45, and 46, the Yankees were back at full strength in 1947 under the leadership of Bucky Harris. Harris took over as the Yankee skipper after Joe McCarthy resigned at the end of the 1945 season. McCarthy managed the Bronx Bombers from 1931 to 1945 and led the team to seven World Championships.
After missing three seasons due to the war, Joe DiMaggio was back in form in 1947, hitting .315, belting 20 home runs, and earning his third MVP award. Outfielder Tommy Henrich led the team in RBIs with 98. In a hard-fought series, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers four games to three to win their eleventh World Series trophy.
After finishing 2 1/2 games out of first place in 1948, the team’s new ownership fired Buck Harris and replaced him with Casey Stengel. The Bombers beat the Dodgers again in 1949, winning four of five games to capture another World Championship. Joe DiMaggio missed the first 65 games of the season due to a foot injury, but he still led the team in batting average, hitting .346. Tommy Henrich moved to first base and led the team in home runs with 24, while catcher Yogi Berra led the team in RBIs with 91. Pitcher Vic Raschi won 21 games.
The Yankees kept winning in 1950 with yet another World Series victory–this time a sweep–of the Philadelphia Phillies. Yogi Berra led the team with 124 RBIs, while Joe DiMaggio smashed 32 home runs. Shortstop Phil Rizzuto was extraordinary on defense and also led the team in batting average — .324. For his efforts, he was voted the AL MVP.
The indomitable Yogi Berra (photo, Business Insider)
The Yankees continued to dominate in 1951, winning their fourteenth World Series, defeating the Giants four games to two. Yogi Berra had 27 home runs and 88 RBIs and won the AL MVP. Rookie infielder Gil McDougall led the team in batting average, hitting .306, and won the AL Rookie of the Year award. Pitchers Vic Raschi and Eddie Lopat won a combined 42 games.
The Yankee train kept rolling in 1952 as they defeated the Dodgers in the World Series four games to three. Yogi Berra led the team again with 30 home runs and 98 RBIs. Micky Mantle, who took over at centerfield after Joe DiMaggio retired, led the team in batting average, hitting .311. Allie Reynolds was the Yankees’ top pitcher with 20 wins and a 2.06 ERA.
In 1953. the Yankees won an unprecedented fifth World Series in a row, defeating the Dodgers again. They are the only team in Major League Baseball history to win five World Championships in a row. Yogi Berra proved he was the best catcher in the American League, belting 27 home runs and knocking in 108 RBIs. Outfielder Gene Woodling led the team in batting average, hitting .306.
The Yankees won 103 games in 1954, the most regular season games they had won since 1942. It wasn’t enough as the Cleveland Indians won 111 games to claim the pennant. Yogi Berra won his second AL MVP award.
The Yankees were back in the World Series in 1955, facing the Brooklyn Dodgers for the sixth time. But unlike the other five times, the Dodgers beat the Yankees to claim their first World Championship in team history. Yogi Berra once again led the team in runs batted in with 108. Mickey Mantle blasted 37 home runs, and first baseman Bill Skowron batted .319 on the season.
Don Larsen (photo, Forbes)
The Yankees avenged their loss to the Dodgers by defeating them in 1956, four games to three. It was their 17th World Championship. In game five, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Mickey Mantle won the triple crown, leading the league in home runs — 52, RBIs — 130, and batting average — .353. He also won the AL MVP.
The Yankees won their 23rd pennant in 1957 but lost the World Series to the Milwaukee Braves in a hard-fought seven-game series. Mickey Mantle won the AL MVP for the second year in a row. Mantle batted .365, hit 34 home runs, and batted in 94 runs. Tony Kubek won the Rookie of the Year award.
The Yankees avenged their loss to the Braves in 1958 to win World Championship # 18. Mickey Mantle hit 42 home runs and drove in 97 runs. Elston Howard led the team in batting average, hitting .314.
The Yankees finished the 1959 season with a 79–75 record, their worst record since 1925, but they bounced back in 1960, winning their 25th pennant. In the World Series, the Yankees outscored the Pittsburgh Pirates 55–27 but lost in seven games. Bobby Richardson became the only player from the losing team to win the series MVP. Mickey Mantle hit 40 home runs, Roger Marris had 112 RBIs and won the AL MVP, and Bill Skowron batted .309.
Manager Casey Stengel, who had guided the team to ten pennants and seven World Series victories, was fired after the series, supposedly due to his advanced age. Upon being fired, Stengel said, “I’ll never make the mistake of being 70 again.”
Under the leadership of new manager Ralph Houk, 1961 proved to be one of the best teams the Yankees ever had and one of the best teams in MLB history. Six players hit over twenty home runs as the team won 109 games. Elston Howard led the team in batting average with .348. Mickey Mantle had one of his best seasons, belting 54 home runs, driving in 128 runs, and batting .317.
What a pair of sluggers! Roger Maris (l) and Mickey Mantle (photo, NY Post)
A season like that would usually win you an MVP award, but that award went to teammate Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record with 61 dingers while driving in 141 runs. Pitcher Whitey Ford won 25 games while losing only four, earning him the Cy Young award. The result was another World Series victory, this time over the Cincinnati Reds.
Although not quite as good as the 1961 team, the 1962 Yankees repeated as World Series Champions, defeating the SF Giants in seven games. It was the seventh time the two teams faced each other in the World Series. Roger Maris again led the team in home runs with 33 and RBIs with 100. Mickey Mantle won his second MVP award and led the team in batting average, hitting .321. Pitcher Ralph Terry won 23 games. Shortstop Tom Tresh won the rookie of the year award.
The Yankees had another great season in 1963, winning 104 games. First baseman Joe Pepitone led the team in RBIs with 89. Catcher Elston Howard won the AL MVP award with a .287 batting average, 28 home runs, and 85 RBIs. Pitcher Whitey Ford went 24–7 with a 2.74 ERA. Jim Bouton went 21–7 with a 2.53 ERA. But the Yankees were swept by the LA Dodgers in the World Series. After the series, Ralph Houk resigned as manager and took the front office job of General Manager.
The Yankees won their 29th pennant in 1964 under new Manager Yogi Berra but lost a tough-fought World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three. Mickey Mantle led the team with 35 home runs and 111 RBIs. Elston Howard led in batting average, hitting .313. The team went 102–67 on the season and came within one game of winning another World Series. Despite this, Manager Yogi Berra was fired.
The Yankees would not win another pennant until 1976, but that’s a story for another time.
