The 1954 Yankees won 103 games and finished second. Huh? The 54 Cleveland Indians won 111. Yogi Berra was the MVP. He hit .307 with 22 homers and 125 driven in. Mantle, now 22, hit .300 with 27 homers and 100 driven in. 3B Andy Carey hit .302. But SS Phil Rizzuto, now 36 hit under the Mendoza line. Young first baseman, Bill Skowron hit .340 in his 87 games in the majors. Younger players were on their way. The pitching was led by Bob Grim 20-6, Whitey Ford 16-8 and bullpen ace, Allie Reynolds 13-4, 7 saves. 36-year-old Johnny Sain won 6 and saved 27. For the first time in the 50’s, the Yankees were not in the World Series. Cleveland ended up losing to the cross-town NY Giants by getting swept. 
In 55, the Yankees won the pennant again, this time beating Cleveland by 3 games. Berra won his second straight MVP award, but the star of the team was Mantle. Mantle had a 9.5 WAR. He led the league in triples, homers, bases on balls, OPS, Slug, OBP and OPS+. Bill Skowron became the full time first baseman and hit .319. Regular second baseman, Billy Martin was injured and only played in 20 games. 
Ford led the pitching staff with 18 wins, rookie Bob Turley, who had been acquired in a huge 13 player trade with the Orioles that also netted Don Larsen and Billy Hunter for the Yankees, won 17, 35-year-old Tomy Bryne won 16, Larsen 9 and Lopat 4. Bullpen was anchored by former whiz kid, Jim Konstanty, 7-2 12 saves, and Tom Morgan, 7-3 11 saves. They would once again meet Brooklyn in the World Series, but this time, it was the Dodgers who prevailed. 
The Yanks won the first two games at Yankee Stadium, 6-5 and 4-2. The teams moved to Ebbets Feild, and the Dodgers won the next 3, 8-3, 8-5, and 5-3. Back at Yankee Stadium, the Yanks won game six 5-1 behind Ford, who won his second game of the series. That set up game 7 with Johnny Podres going for Brooklyn, and Bryne starting for the Yankees. The Dodgers would score in the fourth and sixth innings, and Podres, despite allowing 8 hits, walking 2, kept the Yankees scoreless. He was aided by a catch by Sandy Amoros on a drive down the left field line that was turned into a double play. When Pee Wee Reese fired the ball to Hodges for the final out, Brooklyn had their first ever championship under Walter Alston, who had replaced Dressen after the 53 season, and all of Brooklyn went nuts. For Stengel and the Yanks, it was his first World Series loss.
The Yankees won the AL again in 1956, beating Cleveland by 9 games in the standings. And this was the year Mickey Mantle really arrived. Mantle won the triple crown, leading the league in hitting, .353, HRs, 52 and RBIs, 130. He also led the league in runs, 132, slugging, .705 and OPS 1.169. He was the MVP of the AL. Skowron hit .308 and McDougald .311. Yogi added 30 homers and 105 RBIs. Skowron had 23 homers and drove in 90. Hank Bauer hit 26 homers and drove home 84. They hit .270 as a team and had 190 homers. 
Ford won 19, Kucks 18, Larsen 11, Sturdivant 16 and Turley 8. Morgan won 6 and saved 11 out of the pen. Bryne saved 6 and won 7. They would face the Dodgers again, and this time, the roles were reversed. Dodgers won the first two games, 6-3 and 13-8. Yankees swept them in Yankee Stadium, 5-3, 6-2, then 2-0 on the strength of Don Larsen’s perfect game. Brooklyn won game six behind Clem Labine who threw a 1-0 shutout to tie the series. But game 7, the Yankees blew the Dodgers out 9-0 to win the series. Casey’s sixth series win.
Yankees won their third pennant in a row in 1957. They finished 8 games ahead of the White Sox. Mantle hit .365 and won his second MVP award. Skowron was the only other regular over .300 at .304. Mantle hit 34 homers and Berra 24. Mantles 94 RBIs topped the team. Sturdivant 16, Ford 11, Turley 13, Shantz 11 and Larsen 10, were the teams starters and wins leaders. Bob Grim won 12 and saved 19. Shantz had been acquired in a big trade with the A’s. 
This time their opponent in the World Series was the Milwaukee Braves. The Braves had moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953. They would move again in 1966 to Atlanta. They split the first two games in the Bronx, 3-1 Yanks in game 1, 4-2 Braves in game 2. They went to County Stadium in Milwaukee for game 3. Braves starter Bob Buhl lasted two thirds of an inning. Yankees were up 7-1 by the 4th inning and ended up winning 12-3. Tony Kubek, the Yankees new SS hit 2 homers. Mantle also homered and Hank Aaron hit the only Braves homer. Braves won game 4, 7-5, and then won game 5, 1-0 as Lew Burdette pitched a complete game shutout beating Ford. Back in NY, the Yanks won 3-2 behind Bob Turley. Game 7 pitted Larsen against Lew Burdette. Burdette won his third game of the series, shutting out the Yankees 5-0. And the Braves had their first, and what would be their only World Series title in Milwaukee.
Yankees won the pennant again in 58, this time finishing 10 games ahead of the White Sox. They had a new left fielder, Norm Sieburn, who had come over in a trade with the A’s. Berra was slowing down some at age 33 and his backup was Elston Howard. Andy Carey was at 3rd and Kubek, just 22 was the starting SS. Mantle led the team with a .304 average and Sieburn hit .300. Mantle had 42 homers to lead the AL, Berra hit 22. Six other players hit double figures in homers. Mantles 97 RBIs topped the team.
Bob Turley won 21 games and was the Cy Young award winner. Ford with 14 was the only other Yankee pitcher with double figure wins. Ryne Duren also acquired from the A’s saved 19 and won 6. Art Ditmar won 9 and saved 4. They faced the Braves again in the World Series. They lost the first two, 4-3 to Spahn, and 13-5 to Burdette. They won game three in NY, 4-0 behind Larsen. Braves took game 4 to go up 3-1 in the series, 3-0 as Spahn beat Ford. Yankees shut out the Braves in game 5, 7-0 as they finally beat Burdette. The series shifted back to Milwaukee with the Braves needing only a win to take the series. Game six went 10 innings, and NY won 4-3 over Spahn. Game seven Turley against Burdette, but the Yankees bested him again winning 6-2. Casey’s seventh win as the manager. It would be his last. Turley was named the MVP of the series. Bauer had 4 homers and 8 driven in.
1959 was the Yankees worst finish since 1948. They finished in 3rd place, 15 games behind the White Sox. They won only 79 games, their lowest total since 1925 when they only won 69 games. They had some new faces. Hector Lopez came over from the A’s in May with Ralph Terry for Kucks, Sturdivant and Lumpe. He was the new 3rd baseman. Terry joined the rotation. Bobby Richardson was the new second baseman at 22 years of age. He was the only Yankee with a .300 average. Mantle led the team with 31 homers. Berra, Skowron, Lopez, Sieburn and Bauer all hit double figures in homers. Ford had 16 wins, Maas 14, another A’s castoff, Ditmar 13. Duren saved 14. Rookie Jim Coates went 6-1 out of the pen.
The Yankees rebounded in 1960 and won 97 games. They finished 8 games in front of the Orioles. Roger Maris, another A’s castoff, led the AL in RBIs with 112. He also slammed 39 homers, one behind Mantle’s league leading 40. Mickey drove in 94. Lopez took over in left, Clete Boyer, Ken’s younger brother, took over at third. Elston Howard replaced Berra as the everyday catcher. Ditmar, 15, Ford, 12, Coates, 13, and Terry, 10, were the staff leaders. Shantz was moved to the pen and saved 11. Duren chipped in 8 saves. Luis Arroyo, a 33-year-old journeyman lefty, won 5, lost 1 and saved 7. 
The National League, for the third season in a row, had a new champion, the Pittsburgh Pirates. This would be a memorable series for many reasons. The Pirates home park, Forbes Field, had some huge dimensions and maybe the largest outfield space in baseball. 457 to dead center.408 to right center and 406 to left center. The Yankees would outscore the Pirates 55-27. And still lose the series. They hit 10 homers to the Pirates 4. But the Pirates last homer won the game and the series.
Pirates won game 1, 6-4 with Vern Law beating Ditmar. Maris and Howard homered for the Yankees, and Mazeroski homered for the Bucs. Yankees crushed them 16-3 in game 2 behind Turley, beating Bob Friend. Mantle crushed 2 homers in that game. Back home for game 3, Yankees scored 6 in the first off of Vinegar Bend Mizell and cruised to a 10-0 win behind Ford. Richardson and Mantle homered. Game 4, the Pirates scored 3 in the fifth and held on for a 3-2 win over Terry. Skowron homered for the Yanks.
Game 5 the Pirates beat Ditmar, 5-2 and headed back to Pittsburgh up 3-2. Maris hit the only homer. Game 6 in Pittsburgh was all Yankees as they pounded out a 12-0 win behind Whitey Ford. Amazingly, they did not hit a homer. That set up game 7 which would be an epic battle. Pirates scored 2 in the first and 2 in the second to jump out 4-0. They knocked Turley out in the first inning. Rockey Nelson hit a 2-run homer. Yanks were quiet until the fifth when they scored 1. Skowron hit a homer off of Law for the first run. 
In the top of the 6th, the Yankees rallied, knocking Law out of the game, Face came in to relieve him and gave up a 2-run shot to Berra, the Yankees 10th homer of the series. 2 of the runs were charged to Law. Yanks scored 2 in the top of the 8th to go up 7-4. The Yankee pitching imploded in the bottom of the 8th. Shantz, who had pitched 5 scoreless innings was touched up for 3 runs. He was relieved by Jim Coates, who gave up a 3-run homer to Hal Smith and was replaced by Ralph Terry who got the last out. Bucs were up 9-7. The Yankees rallied for 2 in the top of the 9th off of Friend and Haddix. Terry went back out to face the Pirates in the 9th. Second baseman, Bill Mazeroski was the first hitter. Maz ended the suspense with a solo homer over the left field wall, and Pittsburgh defeated the Yankees.
On October 18th, the Yankees announced that Stengel would not be retained as manager. Not long afterwards, Ralph Houk was named the new manager. The Yankees bounced back and won the pennant again in 1961. Houk’s team finished 8 games in front of the Tigers. This was the year of the great HR race between Mantle and Maris. Both were on pace to pass Ruth’s 60. Mantle would eventually succumb to a severe abscessing septic infection on his hip. The result of a so-called miracle shot he had been given by physician Max Jacobson at the recommendation of announcer Mel Allen. It was discovered years later that the miracle shot contained several substances including amphetamines and methamphetamines. Jacobson was exposed as a fraud and stripped of his medical license.
But all through the summer, up until Mantle was hospitalized, the M&M Boys as they were dubbed, battled back and forth. To the writers, the Yankees were Mantles team, Maris was nothing more than an interloper. The chase was so stressful on Maris that he began losing his hair. He had a hard time dealing with the New York press, meanwhile, Mantle’s buddy, Whitey Ford, helped him look more favorable in the eyes of the NY writers. When the dust finally settled, Maris had 61 homers, and Mantle finished with 54. But the commissioner’s office said that since Maris did not break the record in 154 games, that an asterisk would be attached to the record. As a team, the Yankees hit 240 homers that year. Elston Howard had the highest BA on the team at .348. Mantle was the only other hitter with a .300 average, hitting .317. Maris led the league in homers and RBIs with 141. Mantle drove in 128. Maris would win the MVP award.
Ford won 25 games and earned his only Cy Young award. Stafford 14, Terry and Sheldon 11, led the starters. Arroyo 15 wins and 29 saves was the closer. Jim Coates won 11 and saved 5. For the fourth straight year, the NL had a new champion, this time it was the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were led by star RF, Frank Robinson who earned the NL MVP award. Their other big star was 22-year-old CF, Vada Pinson, who batted .343. Their pitching was led by Joey Jay, a 21-game winner and 19 game winner, lefty Jim O’Toole. 
Ford beat O’Toole, 2-0 in the opener at Yankee Stadium. The Reds won game 2 behind Joey Jay, who bested Ralph Terry, 6-2. The series moved to Crosley Field in Cincinnati and the Yankees finished off the Red by sweeping the next 3 games, 3-2 with Arroyo getting the win in relief over Bob Purkey, 7-0, Fords second shutout of the series, and 13-5 in game 5 behind Bud Daley. Houk had a championship in his first year. Whitey Ford was the series MVP. Yankees hit 7 homers to the Reds 3.
The American League expanded in 1961, so in 1962, the Yankees won the pennant by 5 games over the former Washington Senators who had moved to Minneapolis and become the Twins. Mantle hit .321 with 30 homers and 89 RBIs and won the AL MVP. Maris hit 33 homers and drove in 100. Rookie SS, Tom Tresh, won the ROY and contributed 20 homers and 93 driven in. Elston Howard,21 and Bill Skowron 24, also hit 20 or more. Yogi Berra played in 86 games and only hit .224.
Terry 23, Ford 17, Stafford 14, were the top starters. Marshall Bridges took over as the closer winning 8 and saving 18. Four bullpen pitchers had 7 wins, Bouton, Daley, Sheldon and Coates. For the fifth straight year, a new team was the NL champ, this time it was the San Francisco Giants, who had to beat the Dodgers in a 3-game playoff to win the title. The Giants were led by Willie Mays, slugger, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. 24 game winner Jack Sanford was their ace.
The series opened at Candlestick Park with lefties Billy O’Dell and Whitey Ford squaring off. The Yankees scored 5 runs off of O’Dell in 7.1 innings and won 6-2. Game two featured Sanford against Terry. Sanford shut out the Yanks 2-0. The series moved to New York and the Yankees beat former White Sox ace, Billy Pierce 3-2 with Stafford getting the win. Juan Marichal started game four against Ford. Neither pitcher was involved in the decision. Ford left after 6 innings with the game tied at 2. Marichal went 4 innings without allowing a run. Bobby Bolin came in and gave up 2. The Giants scored 4 runs off of Coates and Bridges in the top of the 7th. They would score another in the 9th. The Yanks could only score 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Don Larsen. the former Yankee got the win pitching 1/3rd of an inning. 
Game five the Yankees bounced back with a 5-3 win over Sanford. Back to SF for game 6. Billy Pierce outdueled Ford and the Giants won, 5-2. Game seven would be a classic. Especially for the way it ended. Ralph Terry faced Jack Sanford. Sanford went 7 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 walks, but only 1 run. O’Dell took over and pitched 2 perfect innings. Ralph Terry went all 9 for the Yankees. The only run of the game had scored when Tony Kubek hit into a double play in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the 9th, Matty Alou led off with a bunt single. Terry then struck out Felipe Alou and Chuck Hiller. Mays then doubled to right field, but Maris played the carom well and fired the ball home. Alou, aware of Maris’s strong throwing arm stopped at third. McCovey came to the plate, and rather than walk him and face slugging Orlando Cepeda, Terry decided to pitch to McCovey. His second pitch handcuffed McCovey, but he still managed to adjust, and he hit a bullet that second baseman Bobby Richardson caught for the final out. The Yankees won their 20th title. It would be their last for 15 years. Terry got the series MVP.
The Yankees won again in 1963 and once again they faced a familiar foe, The Dodgers. The 63-team won 104 games, finishing 10.5 games in front of the White Sox. There were a lot of changes though. Skowron had been traded to the Dodgers for Stan Williams. Mantle was injured most of the year and played in only 65 games. He did manage to hit .314 and had 15 homers. Rookie Joe Pepitone was the new first baseman and C, Elston Howard was the AL MVP. Ford won 24 games, the second and last time in his career he would win 20 or more. Jim Bouton won 21. Ralph Terry, 17, and Al Downing, 13, were the only other pitchers with double digit wins. Hal Reniff was the closer winning 4 and saving 18.
But this time, the Yankees were outgunned in the pitching staff. Koufax, Drysdale and Podres kept the Yanks bats quiet. Koufax struck out 15 in his game 1 win. Podres went 8.1 innings and Perranoski pitched the other 2/3rds in game 2. The only appearance by a Dodger relief pitcher in the series. The Dodgers won both games by 3 runs, 5-2 in game one and 4-1 in game 2. Back at Dodger Stadium for game three, Drysdale pitched a 1-0 gem. Koufax came back and on the strength of a homer off Ford by Howard in the 5th, and an unearned run in the seventh on a Pepitone error, held the Yankees to two hits, one of them a homer by Mantle, and the Dodgers won the series with a 2-1 win. So far, it is the only deciding World Series win at Dodger Stadium. Every title since has been won on the road, or in the case of 2020, at a neutral site.
The Yankees would win the pennant again in 1964, but once again they were defeated, this time by the St. Louis Cardinals. But Houk left the Yankees after the 63 season, Yogi Berra was their manager in 1964. The Yanks went down to defeat in 7 games. The Yankees were older now. Mantle would play until 1968. His legs had been bothering him since 1951. His once blazing speed was long gone. Berra only managed that one season. Johnny Keane, the Cardinal manager in 64 took over for two years.
In 1966 the Yankees had their worst finish ever, last in the AL. Houk returned and managed them from 67-73 with a second-place finish in 1970 their best effort. Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973. It was pure chaos under George. Even though they won 3 pennants in a row, 76-78, he changed managers like you would change your shorts. 15 different managers between 73-89. They got back to the series in 81 and lost to the Dodgers. It would be 14 years before they got back and finally won again in 1996. They won three more in a row from 98-2000. It would be 2009 before they won #27. They were competitive from 2010-23. But they did not make it back to the series until this year. Steinbrenner’s son runs the team now, but the dynasty is long over. The Yankees are competitive, but not the juggernaut they used to be.
When most of us here were kids, there were no divisions and no playoffs. So the Yankees didn’t have to run a gauntlet while they created their dynasties.
So what’s a dynasty now?
The Dodgers have won–what is it?–about seven of eight Western Division titles. I may be wrong, but didn’t the Dodgers rack up their most wins ever in the same year that the Giants beat them by a game? I guess we can all this a mini-dynasty.
Here’s a couple of goals for our Dodgers:
–First, become the first NL team to win back-to-back championships since the Big Red Machine of 75-76.
–Next, become the first team since the Yankees of ’98,’99 and ’00 to win three in a row.
That would be impressive, and certainly the Dodgers have the core to make it happen–a core that will surely be improved over the winter.
Reflecting on the past season, it occured to me how much the Big Three meant to the Dodgers success.
First, it was Mookie, taking over SS and battling Shohei for MVP attention until a pitch broke his hand.
Then Shohei stepped up to another level, taking over the leadoff spot and running wild on the bases en route to his epic 50-50 MVP season. (Thirty-six of his 59 steals came in 65 games after the all-star break.)
And then,of course, Freddie took over in the postseason, copping the WS MVP with an epic performance of his own.
It’s time for the Dodgers to press their advantage.
Good article as usual Bear. To be fair as it’s much harder to get to the World Series because of the playoff system, it’s much easier to win a division title. Not taking anything away from what the Dodgers accomplished, the fact that you have to win more than four teams versus 14 teams can’t be denied. We are living in the golden age of Dodger baseball. With this front office and ownership, we will always be a contender.
Just perusing the current roster on Fangraphs and a few observations leap off the page:
The Dodgers have a lot of players whose ages begin with the number 3, with Freddie being over 35. Not cause for alarm I suppose but it’s something to consider.
We have four of our best young starting pitchers, Hurt, Ryan, Sheehan and Stone unavailable due to surgery. We have others. May, Gonsolin, Ohtani, Miller, Glasnow at various stages of recovery. There’s Graterol out. Even Yamamoto sounds a bit questionable. 26 year old $300 million super star starter pitched 90 innings last year.
And looking at the Projected Level minor league position players I see over 20 of them have C or 1B listed as positions. Who are the replacement players down there? Rushing? Lipcius? Cartaya? Feduccia? It seems every year we A and A+ players listed as top prospects. I haven’t bought that in years. If they aren’t banging AA, and they aren’t, they are trade bait.
I think Rushing has a chance this year. I don’t believe anyone else does. Not this year. The Dodgers aren’t rebuilding, they are retooling and I believe they will do that with proven Major League players and hopefully some who are still in the middle of their prime years.
Excellent article Bear. Thanks again. I was too young to experience the Yankees glory years but read about them with much interest and admiration as I was and still am a history buff. As a kid I liked Mickey Mantle as did most kids of little league age.
Baseball has changed dramatically with free agency, divisions, expanded playoffs, and the amateur draft. And of course now, analytics.
I think the parity of modern day baseball is better for the game than having one team be so dominate for such a long time.
Thanks for the interesting article, Bear. I remember lying in the nurses office of my elementary school after bumping heads with another kid playing flag football and the nurse had game six of the Yankee/Pirates game on her radio. Everyone seemed to be locked into the WS in those days. One comment based on the dimensions of Forbes Field: I always thought it was weird how the old parks with the crazy dimensions never changed them. The Polo Grounds come to mind. Not real fair for hitters but the quirks are what made the ballparks so memorable .
USC actually won a close game yesterday behind new QB, Jayden Malava who threw three TD passes. Rams beat New England 28-24 for their fifth win.
A RHRP (closer) that I have been high on (and I believe STB has been as well) since his Seattle days is Paul Sewald. He was the Arizona closer for much of 2023 (after the trade from Seattle) and 2024. Started out unbelievable in 2024 (.054 ERA thru June), and then something happened. Injury? He has recently stated that he wants to remain a closer, except if he signs with the Dodgers. He would be more than happy to join Phillips, Kopech, and others as pitchers pitching in the 9th.
Yes, Tanner Scott would be my first choice, but I do not believe AF/BG will offer the years other teams will. That is not what I would prefer, but that is the MO for relievers AF/BG have signed. I would also prefer Blake Treinen, but if Treinen wants more than the Dodgers are willing to offer, Sewald could be an alternative.
There are a plethora of quality relievers that will be available. Just how much will AF/BG offer in terms of years and $$$?
Shocker (😜) – Nick Martinez is going to accept the Cincinnati QO ($21.05).