Highlanders of Past, Present and Future: The New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are the most popular professional baseball team, not only in the American League (AL) but also in the Major League baseball (MLB). The team started their journey as New York Highlanders, when the club moved from Baltimore Maryland to
New York City, in 1903.
It all started in the late 1900 when the club was originally formed in Baltimore. Due to political pressure, the National League did not allow the American League to make a team in New York. Hence, the Baltimore Oriels came into being.
The team though, has been playing in New York ever since they moved to the city. New York Highlanders - known as Yankees, after New York Press Sports Editor, Jim Price, gave them the name - have won 27 World Series, 40 AL pennants, and 16 East Division titles.
The team also became popular with nicknames such as, The Bronx Bombers, The yanks, The Pin Stripers and The Bronx Zoo.
Yankees got their first major victory in 1921 by winning AL pennant. This victory started a never-ending era for the Yankees, as they won their first World Series in 1923 and up until now, have 27 World Series titles.
1920s is considered to be the golden era for The Yanks, as they possessed some of the best players of the world at that time. The list of players included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
Babe Ruth is regarded as the New York Yankees' greatest ever player. He featured for the Yankees between 1914 to 1935 and has earned the title of the best baseball player in history of the club. Ruth made history when he hit 60 home runs in one season, a
record that Hank Aaron broke in 1974. However, Ruth’s score of 714 homers at his retirement is still a world record. During his tenure with the New York based team, the Yanks won seven pennants and four World Series. Babe Ruth was also the most expensive player
of his time, the proof of which was his $15,000 million trade in 1919.
Out of 34 managers for the Yankees, Casey Stengel proved to be most successful. Stengel managed the team to win seven World Series, five of which were consecutive victories from 1949 to 1953. Casey was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. The Yanks
have a total of 54 Hall of Fame inductees including, Wade Boggs who was nominated consecutively for five years from 1994 to 1997.
Turning our attention to baseball rivalries, the Yankees are involved in arguably the biggest rivalry in baseball, with the Boston Red Sox completing the equation. Both teams have met three times on the field in 1904, 1949 and 1978. Red Sox were in a commanding
position in 1904 and won the match, while in 1949 the Yankees came out on top. The third game ended up in a draw.
Like any other team in the world though, the New Yorkers went through a torrid patch as well. The year 1908 was nightmare for the Yanks and for the first time in the history of franchise, they dropped to the last place with a shameful record of 51-103. Kid
Elberfeld, the manager at that time, was dismissed after a horrible season.
Yankees’ motto of courage, tradition and heart made them very popular among the fans. The team wears Navy Blue, Red and a White uniform. The interlocking NY sign on the front part of the team’s uniform is universally recognized.
Yankees have the history of introducing top players in the game. Not only do they dominate the baseball fields, the Yankees are also heavily involved in charity work. In 2002, YES Network television channel was launched in order to portray a positive image
of the team and enhance their media coverage.
Yankees were a team of the Past, are a team of the Present, and will be the team of future.
Tags: