The New York Yankees are one of the most influential teams in major league baseball. Their humble beginnings sparked a revolution in baseball and started a team that would take the league by storm for years to come.
The Beginning
The Yankees were not officially considered the Yankees until 1913. Before then from 1904, the team had frequently been referred to as “Yanks” in local newspapers in New York. The Yankees played in several leagues in the early years. The federal league and the American league were interchangeable for the Yankees early on. Between years 1914 and 1920, the new Yankees had significant trades with other teams to build their roster. The famous trade in 1920 is what changed the streak and overall prowess of the New York Yankees. Babe Ruth was traded to the NY Yankees from the Red Sox in 1920. In 1919, Ruth broke the single-season home run record with twenty-nine home runs in a season. The trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 would go down in history as one of the most significant trades in baseball. Ruth’s attitude and demeanor changed the perspective to baseball fans everywhere. Ruth was loved by many and brought thousands of more people to the New York Yankees’ games. The franchise was becoming profitable and would remain so for another decade.
World Series
Between the years of 1921 and 1928, the New York Yankees had several attempts at the World Series and several other close calls of making it to the World Series. They Yankees were playing at an all-time high and were winning more games than ever before. In 1921 and 1922 the Yankees faced their same state counterparts, the Giants, in the world series. Each encounter with the Giants in the world series resulted in a loss. The very next year in 1923, the Yankees squared off with the Giants once more in the World Series. This time, they came back with a vengeance. With the help of Babe Ruth, the Yankees were able to secure their first World Series title in 1923. The Yankees did not return to the World Series in the following two years but made significant upgrades to their roster with the addition of Lou Gehrig in 1925.
Lasting Success
The Yankees went on to recruit a dominant team of power hitters for their 1927 lineup. The lineup launched them to one of the most dominant teams in baseball history. The Yankees secured two World Series wins in 1927 and 1928 with their new team and were faced scrutiny from other teams for their dominance.The Yankees would go on to be on of the most winningest teams in major league baseball history.