History of the New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are hands down the most successful franchise in professional baseball. They became the modern day goliath in every facet of the game. However, it hasn’t always been like that. The team originated in the late 1800’s in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1899, the Minneapolis team moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where they became the Baltimore Orioles. Minneapolis and Baltimore both failed to realize the behemoth that was to become the Yankees. In 1903, the team moved to New York City, and became the New York Highlanders. The New York Highlanders built a stadium at 168th and Broadway, and called it Hilltop Park.

After losing their first game against Washington, they won their first home game, against the same Washington team. This is when their uniforms developed the famous pin stripes. In 1913, the team moved to the Polo Grounds and officially became the New York Yankees. The Yankees acquired many players from the Boston Red Sox because the owner of the Red Sox refused to pay high salaries. George Herman Ruth Jr. , known to sports fans as Babe Ruth was the most notable acquisition in 1919. In the 1920’s the Yankees won 3 world championships, and started their rise to worldwide fame.

In 1923 the Yankees Stadium was built in the heart of the Bronx, in New York City. This stadium became the home of the Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008 essay writer cheap. The stadium’s nickname, “The House That Ruth Built”, has the most history, from the dozens of Hall of Famers that played in the pinstripes type my essay online, to all the World Series titles. The Yankees stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. Many baseball historians consider the 1927 Yankees team to be the best assembled of all time. In the World Series, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This Yankee team is known for their feared lineup, which was nicknamed “Murderers’ Row”. In the 1930’s the winning continued with Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig, and they won four straight titles. From the 1940’s to the 1950’s the winning ways continued, as the Yankees won five more World Series titles. This was the era of Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. In 1956, starting pitcher Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Larsen’s gem during the 1956 World Series was the first and only perfect game to occur during the postseason and World Series.

The Yankees would close the decade of the 1950’s winning a total of seven World Series titles. In 1964, CBS bought the Yankees for 11. 2 million dollars. In 1973, CBS sold the Yankees to George Steinbrenner for 10 million dollars. This would go down as one of the worst deals in sports history for CBS. While the Yankees stadium was refurbished in 1974 and 1975, they played their home games in Shea stadium, home of the New York Mets. Yankees off and on again coach Billy Martin held the position five different times, and led the team over the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 1977 World Series.

This is the World Series Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a single game, and how he earned his nickname “Mr. October. ” The 1980’s were lean times in which they did not win one World Series title. Don Mattingly was the best known Yankee during the 80’s. In 1983, Dave Righetti pitched the 6th no-hitter in Yankee’s history. 1983 also marked the famous “pine tar game” with the Kansas City Royals. The 1990’s started as the 1980’s ended. A breakthrough happened in 1996 when the Yankees hired Joe Torre, and then went on to win the World Series that same year. Torre brought the winning edge of previous decades to the new age Yankees.

Derek Jeter would go on to become the next Yankees legend. The Yankees went on to win the 1998, 1999, and 2000 World Series, to complete the historic three-peat. The 2008 season was the last season played at historic Yankee Stadium. To celebrate the final year and history of Yankee Stadium, the 2008 MLB All-Star Game was played there on July 15, 2008. It wouldn’t take long for their next World Series title, as they won it all in 2009 with manager Joe Girardi at the helm. In all, the Yankees have 27 championships, more than any other team in any American sport.

In pursuit of winning World Series titles, the franchise has utilized a large payroll to recruit star talent, particularly under former owner George Steinbrenner. Individual names are never put on the back of a Yankee’s uniform, because you are not an individual, you are a Yankee. The New York Yankees have inducted 36 players into the Hall of Fame, with more to come in the future. Playing for the Yankees is a huge desire for many kids and professional baseball players. Putting on those pinstripes represents history and pride. Hall of famer Joe DiMaggio put it best when he said, “I’d like to thank the good lord for making me a Yankee. ”