History of the New York Yankees facts for kids
The history of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball (MLB) team goes back more than 100 years! It all started when Frank J. Farrell and William Stephen Devery bought a baseball team in New York City in 1902. This team joined the American League (AL).
The team became known as the Yankees in 1913. For a while, they weren't very good. But then, something big happened! After the 1919 season, they got an amazing outfielder named Babe Ruth. With Ruth on the team, the Yankees won their first AL title in 1921. Then, in 1923, they won their first ever World Series championship!
Babe Ruth and first baseman Lou Gehrig were part of a super-powerful group of hitters called "Murderers' Row". This team won a record 110 games in the AL and another World Series in 1927. They won again in 1928, and then in 1932 under manager Joe McCarthy.
The Yankees kept winning! They won the World Series every year from 1936 to 1939. This team had stars like Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio even had a record-breaking hitting streak during their 1941 championship season.
New York set a major league record by winning five championships in a row from 1949 to 1953. They also played in the World Series nine times between 1955 and 1964. Famous players like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford played for the Yankees during this time. After 1964, the team started to struggle. They didn't have enough new, strong players to replace the older ones.
Contents
A New Era: Steinbrenner and the 1970s
In 1973, George Steinbrenner bought the team. He spent a lot of money to get top players, especially through free agency. Yankee Stadium was also updated and reopened in 1976. The Yankees became a strong team again. They reached the World Series four times between 1976 and 1981. They won the championship in 1977 and 1978.
The Yankees kept trying to sign free agents in the 1980s, but it didn't work as well. After 1981, the team wasn't as successful for a while.
Building a New Dynasty: The 1990s and 2000s
In the early 1990s, the team started to get better. They built their team around young players from their own minor league system. These young stars included Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees made the playoffs in 1995.
Then, they became champions again! The Yankees won four of the next five World Series. The teams from 1998 to 2000 were the last in MLB to win three World Series titles in a row.
As the 2000s continued, the Yankees had a big rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. They played each other many times in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Yankees won in 2003, and the Red Sox won in 2004. The Yankees often made the playoffs, but sometimes lost in the early rounds.
In 2009, the Yankees opened a brand new Yankee Stadium. In the same year, they won the World Series for the 27th time! This is an MLB record. During the 2010s, the Yankees reached the ALCS four times but didn't win the pennant.
The "Baby Bombers" Era: 2017 to Today
The 2017 Yankees had many exciting young players. Fans called them the "Baby Bombers." Some of these players were outfielder Aaron Judge, catcher Gary Sánchez, pitcher Luis Severino, and first baseman Greg Bird.
Aaron Judge had an amazing year. He hit 52 home runs, which was the most ever by a rookie. He was almost the AL MVP and won the AL Rookie of the Year award. These new players brought a lot of excitement and helped the team play much better.
The Yankees made the playoffs in 2017. They beat the Twins in the AL wild card game to reach the ALDS. They were down two games to none against the Indians but came back to win three games in a row! They then went to the ALCS. They lost to the Astros in seven close games.
After 10 years, manager Joe Girardi was replaced by Aaron Boone. The Yankees then got Giancarlo Stanton, who was the 2017 NL MVP, in a trade. In 2018, Stanton hit 38 home runs. The team set a new MLB record with 267 home runs that season! They made the playoffs again but lost to their rivals, the Red Sox, in the ALDS.
In 2019, the Yankees won 103 games and the AL East championship. They hit 306 home runs, breaking their own record from the year before! They swept the Twins in the ALDS. Then, they faced the Houston Astros again in the ALCS. The Astros won in game six with a walk-off home run by José Altuve. This was the third time in five years the Astros knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs. The 2010s were the first decade since the 1910s that the Yankees didn't win an AL pennant.
Before the 2020 season, which was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team signed pitcher Gerrit Cole to a big contract. The Yankees made the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. However, they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. The 2021 Yankees made the playoffs as a wild card team. They won 92 games but lost the AL wild card game 6–2 to the Red Sox.
Yankees Records and Legacy
As of 2021, the Yankees have won 27 World Series championships. This is 16 more than the St. Louis Cardinals, who have the second-most titles in MLB. The Yankees have won more championships than any other team in a major North American professional sports league! The National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens are second with 24 Stanley Cup wins.
The Yankees have won 40 AL pennants, which is 17 more than the Cardinals. The Giants and Dodgers are the only other teams with 20 or more pennants. Many famous players and managers who wore the Yankees' pinstripes have been honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Forbes magazine has said the Yankees are the most valuable team in baseball every year since 1998. In 2020, the team was worth an estimated $5 billion.
In a book about the Yankees, author Glenn Stout wrote:
More often than not, they have shown just how the game of baseball is supposed to be played. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Mattingly, Jeter, and dozens of other players impossible to forget have worn their uniform. Yankee Stadium has been their stage. The very definition of a dynasty, they have created the collective memories that make friends of strangers, given their city a face, and displayed its heart and soul.
Images for kids
-
Babe Ruth in 1920, the year he joined the Yankees.
-
Lou Gehrig was part of the Yankees' 1927 Murderers' Row lineup.
-
Alex Rodriguez was named the 2005 and 2007 American League MVP.
-
New Yankee Stadium on Opening Day of the 2009 season.
