Greatest American League
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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.
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The 1953 Yankees defeated the 1961 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '53 Yankees improved their record to 36-24 while the '61 Yankees dropped to 59-67 with five series left to play.
The '61 Yankees won the first game 11-3; Whitey Ford got the win on the mound and delivered three RBI at the plate. The '53 Yankees won the next three games in the series. In Game Three, they overcame a 3-1 deficit when Gene Woodling hit a three-run homer in the third for a 4-3 win. Ed Lopat pitched a two-hit shutout in Game Four for a 2-0 win. The '61 Yankees won a thrilling Game Five 8-6 in 10 innings; it was a game that featured five lead changes and multiple two-run dingers. Roger Maris hit a two-run blast in the 3rd inning to give them a 2-1 lead. Yogi Berra countered with a two-run tater of his own in the 5th to retake the lead for the '53 Yankees 3-2. The '61 Yankees have a Berra too, and he hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run 6th inning to give the '61 Yankees the lead back at 5-3. The '53 Yankees came back with three runs in the 8th inning, two by a pinch hit two-run blast by Don Bollweg to retake the lead again 6-5. That lead didn’t last long as Maris hit a sac fly in the bottom of the inning to tie the game 6-6. The '61 Yankees walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with another Berra blast, yes another two-run homer, for the 8-6 win. There was no drama in the final game as the '53 Yankees won 9-0 on a Jim McDonald five-hit shutout.
Woodling is hitting .332 with a .957 OPS. Mickey Mantle is hitting .323 with 16 homeruns, 52 RBI, 52 runs scored, and a .980 OPS. Hank Bauer is hitting .308 with 12 homeruns, 52 runs scored, and a .918 OPS. Berra has 11 homeruns and 51 RBI while hitting just .231. Lopat’s shutout improved his record to 7-1 with a 3.31 ERA. McDonald’s shutout improved his record to 6-3 with a 4.44 ERA.
Elston Howard leads the '61 Yankees in hitting at .332 with 32 homeruns, 87 RBI, 89 runs scored and a .941 OPS. Mickey Mantle is hitting .326 with 48 homeruns, 100 RBI, 115 runs scored, 105 walks, and a 1.140 OPS. Moose Skowron is hitting .245 with 24 homeruns and 84 RBI. Roger Maris is hitting .241 with 53 homeruns, 116 RBI, 95 runs scored, and a .967 OPS. Whitey Ford is 13-7 with a 3.81 ERA. Closer Luis Arroyo has 30 saves to go with a 4-5 record and a 3.08 ERA. The '61 Yankees will take on the 26-16 2009 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1961 Yankees defeated the 2009 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '61 Yankees improved their record to 63-69 with four series remaining. The 2K9 Yankees fell to 28-20, 10th best by winning percentage.
The '61 Yankees won this series on the strength of their pitching. In their four wins, they only allowed seven runs. One game in which they put it all together was in Game Five, a 10-2 blowout. Whitey Ford pitched a complete game and struck out 10 batters while Johnny Blanchard went 3-5 with two homeruns, three RBI, and three runs scored at the plate. The 2K9 Yankees scored 19 runs in their two wins. Nick Swisher hit two doubles and drove in four RBI in Game Two for a 6-4 win. Andy Pettitte pitched a five-hit shutout in a 13-0 Game Three win.
Elston Howard raised his average to .334 and now has 92 runs scored. Ford is now 14-7 with a 3.74 ERA and 154 strikeouts. Luis Arroyo picked up a couple of more saves to give him 32 for the season with a 3.34 ERA.
Derek Jeter leads the 2K9 Yankees in hitting at .326 with 11 homeruns, 12 stolen bases, and a 1.004 OPS. Jorge Posada is hitting .285 with 10 homeruns and a .926 OPS. Pettitte’s shutout evened his record to 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA. The 2K9 Yankees will face the 49-59 1952 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1952 Yankees beat the 2009 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '52 Yankees improved their record to 53-61 while the 2K9 Yankees dropped to 30-24.
The '52 Yankees scored nine runs or more in three of their four wins: 10-4 in Game One, 9-6 in Game Three, and 12-8 in Game Five. The 2K9 Yankees came back from 7-0 down in Game Six to tie the game on a three run homerun by Robinson Cano. Alex Rodriguez homered in the 9th to give them a 9-8 win.
Hank Bauer leads the '52 Yankees in hitting at .304. Mickey Mantle is hitting .303 with 13 homeruns, 12 triples, 83 RBI, 81 runs scored, and a .907 OPS. Gene Woodling is hitting .301 with 89 runs scored and a .407 OBP. Joe Collins is hitting .280 with 28 homeruns, 107 RBI, 75 runs scored, 10 triples, and a .929 OPS. Yogi Berra is hitting .235 with 19 homeruns and 86 runs scored. Allie Reynolds leads the pitching staff with a 16-5 record and 2.65 ERA.
Jorge Posada hit .375 in the series with seven RBI to raise his overall average to .296 with 11 homeruns and a .938 OPS. Mariano Rivera is 2-0 with 12 saves and a 1.04 ERA. The 2K9 Yankees will face the 42-42 1941 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1941 Yankees earned a split in their six game series with the 2009 Yankees by winning the final two games. The '41 Yankees stay at .500 at 45-45 while the 2K9 Yankees stay six games over at 33-27.
Offense was plentiful in this series, starting with Game One won by the 2K9 Yankees 12-10. It took 12 innings for them to win Game Two 5-4. Jorge Posada hit two homeruns, and Johnny Damon won the game with a two-out walk-off single in the 12th. The '41 Yankees picked up their first win in a wild 11-10 shootout that featured six homeruns. They scored five runs in the 2nd to take an early lead, but the 2K9 Yankees countered with five runs of their own to take a 9-7 lead. The '41 Yankees stormed back with three runs to take an 11-9 lead before holding on for dear life to win. After dropping Game Four 5-2, the '41 Yankees scored 23 runs in the final two games to even the series. In Game Five, they scored an amazing eight runs in the 5th inning, all with TWO outs; Johnny Sturn hit a RBI single, George Selkirk hit a pinch hit three run homer and Tommy Henrich and Charlie Keller both hit two-run blasts. Keller added another homerun and drove in six RBI in a 15-9 win. In Game Six, Marius Russo pitched a complete game and struck out 10 in an 8-4 win. Buddy Rosar went 2-3 with four RBI at the plate.
Joe Dimaggio leads the '41 Yankees in hitting at .327 with 30 homeruns, 84 RBI, 75 runs scored, and a 1.067 OPS. Keller hit .458 in the series with 11 RBI to raise his average to .282 with 23 homeruns and a .981 OPS. Russo is 10-9 with a 3.27 ERA.
Posada continued his hot streak, raising his average to .298 and hitting three more homeruns to give him 14 for the season with 53 RBI and a .959 OPS. Alex Rodriguez hit .348 in the series with three homeruns and seven RBI to raise his average to .258 with 14 homeruns, 51 RBI, and 51 runs scored. C.C. Sabathia picked up his 8th win while A.J. Burnett has an alarming 8.02 ERA in 12 starts. The 2K9 Yankees will battle with the 38-34 1947 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1947 Yankees dominated their six game series with the 2009 Yankees, winning five of six games. The '47 Yankees improved their record to 43-35 while the 2K9 Yankees dropped to 34-32.
The '47 Yankees offense was cooking early as they tagged 17 hits in Game One for an 11-2 win in Game One. They trailed 6-2 in Game Two until they scored five runs in the 7th and went on to win 9-6. Tommy Henrich went 2-5 with a double, homerun, three RBI, and two runs scored. The 2K9 Yankees won their only game of the series in Game Three 9-3. Robinson Cano went 4-4 with a double, homerun, three runs scored and two RBI. The '47 Yankees won the final three games of the series. Joe Dimaggio hit two homeruns in Game Four with four RBI and three runs scored to lead them to a 8-3 win. They won two one-run games to finish the series 4-3 and 5-4. Game Six featured six times the score was tied or the lead changed hands.
George McQuinn leads the '47 Yankees in hitting at .294 with 55 runs scored. Phil Rizzuto is hitting .293 with 13 stolen bases. Dimaggio is hitting .290 with 11 homeruns and 60 RBI. Allie Reynolds won again to improve his record to 14-3 with a 2.46 ERA. Joe Page picked up a couple of saves to give him 25 on the season with a 1.79 ERA.
Jorge Posada hit two more homeruns in this series to give him 16 for the season while hitting .296 with 58 RBI and a .957 OPS. The 2K9 Yankees will take on the 38-34 1999 Yankees in the next series.
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For the second straight series, the 2009 Yankees lost five of six, this time to the 1999 Yankees. The '99 Yankees improved their record to 43-35 while the 2K9 Yankees dropped below .500 at 35-37.
The '99 Yankees won the first three games, scoring double figures in two of them. In Game Two, Joe Girardi went 2-5 with a double, homerun, three RBI, and two runs scored in an 11-2 win. They led 12-2 in Game Three and held off a furious rally by the 2K9 Yankees ,who scored nine runs in the 8th and 9th innings, and escaped with a 12-11 win. Paul O’Neill hammered two homers scored four runs and drove in three RBI. After the 2K9 Yankees won Game Four 7-4, the '99 Yankees won the final two games 9-3 and 7-3. Scott Brosius went 4-4 with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored in Game Five. Game Six was determined by the 3rd inning when they scored five runs, capped off by a three run homerun by Derek Jeter to give them a 6-3 lead, a lead they would not let get away.
Jeter leads the '99 Yankees in hitting at .335 with 10 homeruns, 25 doubles, 60 runs scored, and a .951 OPS. O’Neill is hitting .322 with 53 RBI. Bernie Williams is hitting .305 with 21 homeruns, 72 RBI, 51 runs scored, and a .971 OPS. Orlando Hernandez won his start to improve his record to 11-5 with a 3.01 ERA.
Robinson Cano has taken over the team lead in hitting for the 2K9 Yankees at .294 with 10 homeruns. Jorge Posada drove in five more RBI to give 63 season while hitting .292 with 17 homeruns. The 2K9 Yankees will try to end the slide when they compete with the 39-33 1956 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1956 Yankees beat the 2009 Yankees four games to two to improve their record to 43-35. The 2K9 Yankees fell further under .500 at 37-41.
The '56 Yankees won a pair of 12 inning games to start the series. In Game One, Johnny Kucks took a 3-0 no hitter to the 9th inning. Both disappeared as Johnny Damon began the rally with a single, and Nick Swisher finished it with a game-tying three run homerun. The '56 Yankees went back ahead for good in the 12th on a Gil McDougald RBI single for a 4-3 win. In Game Two, Swisher helped the 2K9 Yankees come back late again, this time leading off the 9th with a triple while trailing 1-0. He scored on a Mark Teixera single to send the game again to extras. Once again, the '56 Yankees went back ahead for good thanks to a bases-loaded single by Enos Slaughter for a 3-1 win; it was Slaughter’s fifth hit of the game. The 2K9 Yankees won 7-6 in Game Three after relinquishing a 4-1 lead. The '56 Yankees scored five unanswered runs, capped by a Mickey Mantle two-run homerun in the 7th to give them a 6-4 lead. The 2K9 Yankees came back in the bottom of the inning with three runs on a Hideki Matsui two-run double and a Robinson Cano single to retake the lead for good. The '56 Yankees won Game Four 6-4 in another back-and-forth affair. Jorge Posada gave the 2K Yankees an early 2-0 lead with a homerun. The '56 Yankees came back with two runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to take a 4-2 lead. The 2K9 Yankees scored two in the 7th to tie the game, but Billy Martin gave the '56 Yankees the lead back for good in the 8th with a two-run homer. Damon tried to single-handedly win Game Five for the 2K9 Yankees. He tied the game 2-2 with a two-run homer in the 7th then gave them a 3-2 lead in the 9th on a RBI single. The '56 Yankees came from behind for the win off closer Mariano Rivera with a walk-off pinch hit bases loaded double by Norm Siebern for a 4-3 win. The 2K9 won the final game with a whupping, a 12-2 win in which Cano went 3-4 with two homeruns, four RBI, and three runs scored.
Mantle leads the '56 Yankees in hitting at .302 with 21 homeruns, 55 RBI, 61 runs scored, and a .978 OPS. McDougald is hitting .279 with 51 runs scored. Bill Skowron is hitting .271 with 18 homeruns and 62 runs scored. Yogi Berra is hitting .264 with 11 homeruns, 63 RBI, and 52 runs scored. Whitey Ford leads the pitching staff with an 8-3 record and a 2.34 ERA. Tom Morgan picked up his 10th save with a 1.45 ERA.
Cano leads the 2K9 Yankees in hitting at .296 with 12 homeruns. Posada is hitting .285 with 19 homeruns, 69 RBI, and a .922 OPS. C.C. Sabathia pitched a complete game win to up his record to 10-6 with a 3.57 ERA. Even with the blown save, Rivera is 2-1 with 15 saves and a 1.54 ERA. The 2K9 Yankees will battle with the 37-29 1939 Yankees in the next series.