78 Fun Facts About New York Yankees

Through the 2009 season, how many World Series championships had the Yankees won?

27 is the total through 2009, when the Yankees beat the Phillies in the first season at the new stadium; no other franchise had reached a dozen.

Which nickname was attached to the original Yankee Stadium when it opened in 1923?

The House That Ruth Built was sportswriter Fred Lieb's coinage: Ruth's home runs had sent attendance soaring and, in effect, paid for the 1923 stadium.

What was George Steinbrenner's famous nickname as Yankees owner?

The Boss was the name George Steinbrenner earned as a famously hands-on owner from 1973 until his death in 2010, hiring and firing managers at a furious pace.

How many consecutive games did Joe DiMaggio hit safely in during his famous 1941 streak?

56 straight games with a hit, from May 15 to July 16, 1941; the streak ended in Cleveland when third baseman Ken Keltner made two fine plays on DiMaggio.

How many home runs did Aaron Judge hit in 2022 to set a new American League single-season record?

62 home runs: the record-breaker came on October 4, 2022, at Texas off Jesús Tinoco, passing the 61 Roger Maris hit in 1961 for the American League mark.

The Yankees' franchise rights were purchased in 1903 from which defunct American League club?

Baltimore Orioles of the American League folded after 1902, and Frank Farrell and Bill Devery paid $18,000 for a franchise that began play in 1903 in upper Manhattan.

What name did the club use before it became the Yankees?

Highlanders was the club's name for its first ten seasons in New York, a nod to its hilltop ballpark and perhaps to club president Joseph Gordon and the Gordon Highlanders regiment.

Which Yankee was the last major leaguer to wear number 42 full time, until 2013?

Mariano Rivera kept 42 under a grandfather clause after MLB retired it league-wide for Jackie Robinson in 1997; the Yankees retired it for him in 2013, his final season.

Whose version of "New York, New York" plays at Yankee Stadium after home games?

Frank Sinatra's 1980 recording of the Kander and Ebb song, written for Liza Minnelli in the 1977 film New York, New York, closes every Yankees home game.

The 1919 sale of Babe Ruth to New York gave rise to which superstition about the Boston Red Sox?

The Curse of the Bambino followed Boston's sale of Ruth after the 1919 season; the Red Sox went decades without a title, and Dan Shaughnessy's 1990 book of that name made the phrase famous.

Aaron Judge became the team's 16th captain in December 2022, the first since which player retired in 2014?

Derek Jeter, captain from 2003 until his 2014 retirement, was the 15th; Judge's appointment came with a nine-year, $360 million contract, then the largest free-agent deal in MLB history.

In the sitcom Seinfeld, which character spent several seasons working for Steinbrenner's Yankees?

George Costanza worked as assistant to the travelling secretary for the Yankees from the 1994 season; Larry David voiced the unseen Steinbrenner, whose own filmed cameo was cut.

The closer nicknamed "Sandman" grew up in the fishing village of Puerto Caimito in which country?

Panama is where the Sandman grew up; he was playing on rough amateur fields in Puerto Caimito when the Yankees signed him in 1990, and his father captained a fishing boat.

The Yankees' 1979 season was shattered when captain Thurman Munson died in what kind of accident?

Plane crash: Munson was practising touch-and-go landings in his own Cessna Citation jet at Akron-Canton airport on August 2, 1979; his locker stayed empty and later went to the new stadium's museum.

In which year did the Yankees blow a 3-0 ALCS lead to Boston?

2004 was the year Boston won four straight after trailing the ALCS 3-0, then swept St. Louis for its first title since 1918.

In June 2019 the Yankees and Red Sox played the first MLB games ever held in Europe, in which city?

London hosted the two games at the converted Olympic Stadium in Stratford on June 29 and 30, 2019; the Yankees won the opener 17-13 and swept the series.

Who hit three homers on three straight pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series?

Reggie Jackson homered off Burt Hooton, Elias Sosa and Charlie Hough on consecutive pitches in Game 6 on October 18, 1977, sealing the title and the nickname 'Mr. October'.

In what year did the Yankees modify their long-standing appearance policy to permit well-groomed beards?

2025 brought the change: on February 21, Hal Steinbrenner announced that well-groomed beards would be allowed, ending a facial-hair ban his father George had imposed in the 1970s.

Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs, which stood until 1961, was set in which season?

1927 was the Murderers' Row season: Ruth hit 60, Gehrig 47, and the club won 110 games while spending every day of the year in first place.

Which shortstop's homer over the Green Monster decided the 1978 one-game playoff at Fenway?

Bucky Dent, a light-hitting shortstop, lifted a three-run homer off Mike Torrez in the seventh inning on October 2, 1978, earning a profane middle name from Red Sox fans.

Who threw a perfect game against Brooklyn in Game 5 of a World Series?

Don Larsen needed 97 pitches to set the Dodgers down in order through nine innings; Yogi Berra leaping into his arms afterward became one of baseball's iconic photographs.

From 1913 to 1922 the Yankees shared which ballpark with the National League's Giants?

Polo Grounds, the Giants' home in upper Manhattan, housed the Yankees for ten seasons; once Ruth made the tenants the bigger draw, the Giants served notice and the Yankees built their own park across the Harlem River.

Since September 2001, which song has been played at Yankee Stadium during the seventh-inning stretch?

God Bless America has been played at the stretch since the September 11 attacks; for years it was Kate Smith's recording, dropped in 2019 after other songs of hers drew accusations of racism.

Which team beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series after Rivera blew the save?

Arizona Diamondbacks won Game 7 on November 4, 2001, when Luis Gonzalez's bloop single over a drawn-in infield scored Jay Bell, ending the Yankees' run of three straight titles.

How many World Series titles did Yogi Berra win as a player, more than anyone in MLB history?

10 rings as a player, between 1947 and 1962; Berra appeared in 14 World Series in all, also a record, and was the catcher for a World Series perfect game.

Where did the Yankees play home games in 1974 and 1975 while their stadium was renovated?

Shea Stadium, the Mets' home in Queens, took in the Yankees for 1974 and 1975 while the city rebuilt their Bronx park; the NFL Jets and, in 1975, the Giants were tenants too.

Which broadcaster called Yankees games on the radio for 36 seasons, from 1989 to 2024?

John Sterling was the radio voice from 1989 until his retirement in April 2024; his trademark was a drawn-out home run call and a personalised catchphrase for every hitter.

In which year did the club officially drop its original name and become the Yankees?

1913 is when the club officially adopted 'Yankees', a name New York sportswriters had been using informally since 1904.

In 1973 George Steinbrenner's group bought the Yankees for $10 million from which company?

The Cleveland shipbuilder later admitted the deal included two parking garages CBS bought back, making the true net price about $8.8 million.

How many times was Billy Martin hired and fired as Yankees manager by Steinbrenner over a 13-year span?

Five stints, beginning in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1985 and 1988; the most famous exit followed his 1978 line that his star slugger and the owner 'deserve each other', one a born liar and the other convicted.

Which pitcher signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in December 2019?

Gerrit Cole signed the deal in December 2019, then the richest ever for a pitcher; he won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award with a league-best 2.63 ERA.

Who was named MVP of the 2024 ALCS after hitting four home runs against Cleveland?

Giancarlo Stanton hit four home runs in the series against the Guardians, and the series win delivered the franchise's 41st pennant, its first since 2009.

Which former Red Sox owner sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 plus a $300,000 loan?

Harry Frazee, a theatre producer, sold Ruth in a deal announced in January 1920; the accompanying loan was secured by a mortgage on Fenway Park itself.

Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown in which season?

1956: Mantle hit .353 with 52 homers and 130 RBI, leading the majors in all three, and later called it his favourite summer.

How many regular-season games did the 1998 Yankees win, a then-American League record?

114 wins against 48 losses, then an American League record; the team went 11-2 in the postseason and swept San Diego in the World Series.

Aaron Judge played college baseball for which program before the Yankees drafted him in 2013?

Fresno State was Judge's college program from 2011 to 2013; a three-sport star at Linden High School, he went to the Yankees 32nd overall in the 2013 draft.

Which Yankee was named MVP of the 2009 World Series win over Philadelphia?

Hideki Matsui, the designated hitter, homered off Pedro Martínez and tied the single-game World Series RBI record in the clinching Game 6 on November 4, 2009, then signed with the Angels that December.

The Yankees' all-time hits leader grew up and played high school ball in which Michigan city?

Kalamazoo is where the future captain grew up after an early childhood in New Jersey; he starred at Kalamazoo Central High School and went sixth overall in the 1992 draft.

Which pitcher, the franchise leader in career wins, was nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board"?

Whitey Ford won 236 games for the club between 1950 and 1967, and his 33 2/3 consecutive scoreless World Series innings set a record that stood for decades.

Which first baseman sat out with a headache in June 1925 and lost his job to Lou Gehrig for good?

Wally Pipp sat on June 2, 1925, and Gehrig then played 2,130 consecutive games through 1939; 'being Wally Pipped' became shorthand for losing a job by taking a day off.

In 1987 "Donnie Baseball" set a major league record by hitting how many grand slams in a single season?

Six grand slams in 1987 set the single-season record, since tied by Travis Hafner in 2006; oddly, they were the only grand slams of Don Mattingly's career.

The Yankees' 2000 World Series against the Mets was the first Subway Series in how many years?

44 years: the previous all-New York World Series had been against the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Yankees beat the Mets 4-1 in 2000.

Which manager guided the Yankees to a record five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953?

Casey Stengel arrived in 1949 with a reputation as a clown who managed bad teams and won ten pennants and seven World Series between 1949 and 1960.

Which Red Sox president labeled the Yankees "the Evil Empire" after they signed Jose Contreras?

Larry Lucchino, Boston's president and CEO, told the New York Times in December 2002 that 'the Evil Empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America' after Contreras chose New York.

Who was the first African-American player to appear for the Yankees?

Elston Howard, a catcher, debuted on April 14, 1955, eight years after Jackie Robinson, and won the 1963 AL MVP award.

Before his baseball career, Yogi Berra served as a Navy gunner's mate in which World War II operation?

The Normandy landings found the 19-year-old Berra aboard a rocket-firing landing craft off Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, serving as a Navy gunner's mate.

Which star pitcher did Steinbrenner sign from Oakland after 1974, starting the free-agent era?

Catfish Hunter signed with New York on December 31, 1974, after arbitrator Peter Seitz voided his A's contract over a missed insurance-annuity payment, making him the first big-money free agent.

Which president pardoned George Steinbrenner in January 1989 for his 1974 felony conviction?

Ronald Reagan granted the pardon on January 19, 1989, one of his last acts in office; the 1974 conviction stemmed from illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign disguised as bonuses to shipyard employees.

Steinbrenner was banned from day-to-day operations in 1990 for paying a gambler to dig up dirt on which of his players?

Dave Winfield was the target: the feud began over a contract clause funding his foundation, Howard Spira got $40,000 for dirt, and commissioner Fay Vincent imposed the ban on July 30, 1990.

Lou Gehrig studied engineering at which university before signing with the Yankees in 1923?

Columbia was where Gehrig studied engineering and played fullback; on April 18, 1923, the day the original stadium opened, he struck out 17 Williams batters for the Lions.

Tiffany & Co. designed the interlocking "NY" logo for an 1877 medal of valor honoring which group?

Police officers were the honorees: the 1877 Medal of Valor went to John McDowell, an NYPD officer shot in the line of duty; the club adopted the design in 1909.

How did the Yankees assign uniform numbers when they made them permanent in 1929?

By batting order: Ruth wore 3 and Gehrig 4 because they hit third and fourth when the numbers went on permanently in 1929.

Which owner's 1915 purchase of the club was soon followed by pinstripes becoming permanent?

Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast Huston bought the club in January 1915, and pinstripes became permanent that season; the tale that they were added to slim Babe Ruth is false, since they first appeared in 1912.

Which manager was honored with the very first Monument Park monument, erected in center field in 1932?

Miller Huggins, who died in office in September 1929, got the first monument on May 30, 1932; those to him, Gehrig and Ruth stood in fair territory in center field for decades.

Roughly how long did it take to build the original Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923?

Eleven months, about 284 working days, took the $2.5 million project from groundbreaking in May 1922 to opening day on April 18, 1923; it was the first three-tiered ballpark in the country.

What was the reported construction cost of the new Yankee Stadium that opened in 2009?

$2.3 billion was the reported total, the most for any stadium at the time; a Red Sox fan on the construction crew buried a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete, which the team dug out in April 2008.

The 2006 groundbreaking for the new Yankee Stadium was deliberately held on the anniversary of what?

Babe Ruth's death on August 16, 1948 was 58 years to the day before the August 16, 2006 ceremony, attended by Steinbrenner, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki.

The public park built on the site of the demolished original Yankee Stadium is called what?

Heritage Field opened in April 2012 on the footprint of the old stadium, whose demolition had finished in May 2010; its three ballfields sit across 161st Street from the new park.

Why did sports editor Jim Price coin the nickname "Yankees" as early as 1904?

It fit in headlines: the club's original name was too long for a newspaper column, so Jim Price of the New York Press shortened it to 'Yankees' and other writers followed.

Which world leader got a Monument Park plaque in 2014 for his 1990 Yankee Stadium visit?

Nelson Mandela addressed a rally at the stadium on June 21, 1990, four months after his release, wearing a Yankees cap and jacket and telling the crowd, 'I am a Yankee.'

Mantle's father named him after which Hall of Fame catcher?

Mickey Cochrane, the Philadelphia Athletics' catcher, was Mutt Mantle's favourite player when his son was born in 1931; Mutt taught the boy to switch-hit, pitching right-handed while the grandfather threw left.

Which Red Sox pitcher surrendered Roger Maris's record 61st home run in 1961?

Tracy Stallard threw the pitch on October 1, 1961, the season's final day; fan Sal Durante caught the ball in the right-field seats and Maris finished with 61.

The 1927 lineup's nickname "Murderers' Row" is said to come from a cell block in which Manhattan institution?

A jail, the Tombs in lower Manhattan, had a cellblock for accused murderers that writers called Murderers' Row; the phrase was borrowed for the batting order of Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel and Lazzeri.

Which team was on the wrong end of David Wells's perfect game on May 17, 1998?

Minnesota Twins were set down in order through nine innings on May 17, 1998; Wells later claimed he pitched it hung over, and David Cone repeated the feat 14 months later against Montreal.

Which Yankee pitcher threw a no-hitter against Boston on July 4, 1983?

Dave Righetti no-hit the Red Sox 4-0 at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1983, striking out Wade Boggs for the final out on owner George Steinbrenner's birthday.

Which two-word tabloid headline greeted Joe Torre's hiring in November 1995?

Clueless Joe was a tabloid back page when Torre, who had never won a playoff series as a manager, was hired in November 1995; four titles between 1996 and 2000 made it a punchline.

The Yankees retired No. 8 in 1972 for two catchers, Yogi Berra and which other Hall of Famer?

Bill Dickey, who had mentored Berra as his catching coach, shared the honour on Old-Timers' Day, July 22, 1972; both men wore 8.

The four-game September 1978 Fenway sweep nicknamed the 'Boston Massacre' had what combined score?

42–9 was the aggregate of the 15-3, 13-2, 7-0 and 7-4 wins over four days from September 7, 1978; the Yankees, 14 games back in July, left Fenway tied for first.

In 1904, which pitcher set the modern single-season record for wins?

Jack Chesbro won 41 games in 1904 with his spitball; cruelly, his ninth-inning wild pitch on the season's final day handed the pennant to Boston.

The Captain's 3,000th career hit was a home run off which Tampa Bay pitcher on July 9, 2011?

David Price threw the pitch the Captain drove into the left-field seats on July 9, 2011; he went 5-for-5, and only Craig Biggio had collected as many hits in his 3,000th-hit game.

The "Judge's Chambers", where fans sit in robes and wigs, occupies which section at Yankee Stadium?

Section 104, in the right-field stands below Judge's position, holds the 18 seats of the Judge's Chambers, opened in May 2017 for fans picked by the club.

In which Upper Manhattan neighbourhood did the Highlanders' Hilltop Park stand?

Washington Heights, between 165th and 168th Streets on Broadway, held Hilltop Park, the club's first home; its perch on one of Manhattan's highest points is one theory for the early nickname.

What were the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox nicknamed around 1920 for trades that angered Ban Johnson?

The Insurrectos was the press label for the three clubs after the 1919 Carl Mays affair, when Boston sold the pitcher to New York and Johnson tried to block the deal.

Which novelist wrote the 1954 book 'The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant'?

Douglass Wallop published the novel in 1954, the year Cleveland actually took the pennant with a then-AL record 111 wins; it became the musical Damn Yankees in 1955.

Which Yankee in 2002 became the first second baseman with 30 homers and 30 steals in a season?

Alfonso Soriano hit 39 homers and stole 41 bases in 2002; the 103-58 Yankees, best in the AL, then lost the Division Series to the eventual champion Angels.

Where in the new Yankee Stadium do the Bleacher Creatures sit?

Section 203, in the right-field bleachers, is the Creatures' home in the new park; in the old stadium they held Section 39, and columnist Filip Bondy gave them their name.

Which Cleveland shortstop died after being hit by a Carl Mays fastball in 1920, seeding a rivalry?

Ray Chapman was struck in the head in New York on August 16, 1920, and died the next morning; Cleveland went on to win its first World Series that autumn.

Through 2024, how many times had the Yankees and Dodgers met in the World Series?

Twelve meetings through 2024, the most for any two clubs; seven came while the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, before their 1958 move to Los Angeles.