|  The New York Yankees is the professional team based in The Bronx, New York City , New York . The Yankees have won 26 World Series in 39 appearances; the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics franchise are tied for second with 9 World Series victories each, and the Dodgers franchise is second in World Series appearances with 18. The team began playing as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901, they were managed by John McGraw. In 1903-1912, the team was known as the New York Highlanders and played their first game in Washington , on April 22, 1903 , unfortunately they lost. The Highlanders enjoyed success only twice, finishing in second place in 1904 and 1910; but otherwise, much of their first fifteen years in New York was spent in the cellar.
In 1913, the New York Highlanders changed their name to the New York Yankees. From 1913 to 1922 the team would play in the Polo Grounds, a park owned by their National League rivals, the Giants. New York has won an AL pennant and appeared in a World Series in every decade since the 1920s. The legendary Yankees dynasty of the 1920s and 1930s won 11 pennants and 8 World Series championships, with players such as outfielders Babe Ruth, Earle Combs, and Joe DiMaggio; first baseman Lou Gehrig; infielder Tony Lazzeri; and pitcher Waite Hoyt. New York Yankees continued to achieve success from 1941 to 1947 as they won 4 pennants and 3 World Series titles. In 1948 the team came on 3 rd place with 94-60 record as the manager Bucky Harris was replaced by Casey Stengel. He guided the team from 1948 to 1960. During this period the club won ten AL pennants and seven World Series championships, including five straight championships from 1949 to 1953, a major league record. The team won the AL pennant from 1961 to 1964 and World Series crowns in 1961 and 1962. In 1961 Whitey Ford won 25 games and the Cy Young, en-route to leading the team to 109 wins, as the Yanks won the pennant by 8 games over the Detroit Tigers.
In 1962 the Yankees led by 23 wins form pitcher Ralph Terry and another MVP year from Mickey Mantle won 96 games to earn their 3rd straight World Series appearance. The Yanks dominated the AL , winning the pennant with 104 wins in 1963 session. The period of 1970s is a period of greatness as Businessman George Steinbrenner bought the franchise and hired former Yankee shortstop Billy Martin as manager. The Yankees won three straight pennants from 1976 through 1978, going on to win the World Series in 1977 and 1978. The Yankees won another AL pennant in 1981. After a relative dry spell, the franchise returned to dominance in the late 1990s, winning the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. New York won AL championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003. The club won four World Series titles during this span, including a victory over the cross-town rival New York Mets in 2000—a “Subway Series”. |
