The 1999 Yankees beat the 1961 Yankees four out of six games in their series to go back over .500 at 34-32. The '61 Yankees fell to 19-17.
This series went back-and-forth. After the '61 Yankees won the first game 6-4, the '99 Yankees blasted their way to a 18-3 win in Game Two. They massed 20 hits, including four homeruns. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Paul O’Neill all drove in four RBIs. Game Three was an epic back-and-forth affair. The '99 Yankees took and early 2-0 lead on a Tino Martinez homer. He would hit another homer after the '61 Yankees tied the game to build a 5-2 lead. Mickey Mantle tied the game on a three-run homer. The '61 Yankees took an 8-6 lead going into the 8th. The '99 Yankees came back to win 9-8 on a walk-off two run single by Ricky Ledee in the 9th. The '61 Yankees evened the series in Game Four 7-5 after trailing 5-0. The '99 Yankees took Game Five 6-4. David Cone struck out 10 batters in seven innings. The '99 Yankees clinched the series in the final game 2-1 in 10 innings, a game where all the runs were scored on homeruns. Yogi Berra gave the '61 Yankees a 1-0 lead. WIlliams tied the game with a tater of his own. Scott Brosius hit the go-ahead homerun in the 10th for the win.
O’Neill hit .375 with five RBI in the series. He leads the team in hitting at .338. Chuck Knoblauch leads the team in runs scored with 52 despite hitting only .210. Williams hit .391 in the series with two homeruns and five RBI. He raised his average to .300 and leads the team in homeruns with 20 and RBI with 62. Mariano Rivera picked up a couple of saves to give him 16 for the season with a 2.40 ERA.
Elston Howard leads the '61 Yankees in hitting at .361. Mantle is hitting .318 while leading the team in homeruns (16), runs scored (35) and RBI (35). Whitey Ford is 4-2 with a 2.95 ERA. The '61 Yankees will take on the 27-33 1996 Yankees in the next series.