The 1996 Yankees defeated the 1953 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '96 Yankees improved their record to 65-85 with one more series left to play while the '53 Yankees dropped to 32-22.
The '96 Yankees needed 13 innings to win Game One. They had a 2-0 lead in the 8th until Yogi Berra hit a two-run homer to tie the game. The two teams exchanged runs in the 12th inning. Finally, they put across three runs in the 13th to prevail 6-3; two of the runs came on a two-out Tino Martinez double. The '53 Yankees evened the series in Game Two 8-5 despite two homeruns by Tim Raines. They overcame a 4-0 deficit with six runs in the 6th inning, three coming on a bases-clearing triple by pinch hitter Don Bollweg. The '96 Yankees won Game Three 3-2, ruining a gem by Whitey Ford who struck out 13 batters in 8 innings. Doc Gooden scattered eight hits in Game Four in a 3-0 shutout. The '53 Yankees came back to win Game Five in a 9-4 slugfest that featured a total of six homeruns. Once again, Raines hit two homeruns in a losing cause thanks to Mickey Mantle who also went double taters. The '96 Yankees clinched the series in the final game with a resounding 9-1 win. Martinez and Paul O’Neill hit two run homers as part of a five run 4th inning.
Mariano Duncan leads the '96 Yankees in hitting at .298 with 55 doubles and 110 RBI. Andy Pettite won one of his two starts to improve his record to 17-7 with a 2.97 ERA. John Wetteland picked up a couple of more saves to give him 34 for the season with a 2.27 ERA.
Mantle leads the '53 Yankees in hitting, .327, and homeruns. 14. Ed Lopat, Vic Raschi, and Johnny Sain have combined to win 18 of their 30 starts. The '53 Yankees will face the 57-63 1961 Yankees in the next series.
