The 1996 Yankees beat the 1956 Yankees four games to two to improve their record to 45-51. The '56 Yankees dropped to 27-21.
The '96 Yankees won the first three games of the series. Their pitching held the '56 Yankee offense to three runs over those games. In Game One, Tino Martinez hit a two-run homer in the 5th which was all the offense they needed in a 2-1 win. Ramiro Mendoza scattered nine hits for a complete game shutout for a 1-0 win in Game Two. The offense for the '56 Yankees finally opened up in Game Four with five runs in the first inning, including a three-run homerun by Hank Bauer and a solo balst by Billy Martin. They went on to win 7-3. Tom Sturdivant starred on the mound for the '56 Yankees in Game Five, a 1-0 win, as he pitched a one-hit shutout and drove in the only run of the game with a single. The '96 Yankees won the final game 5-4 to take the series.
Mariano Duncan’s average fell slightly to .294 but crossed the 70 RBI plateau for the season. Mendoza’s shutout gave him his first win of the season; he is 1-4 with a 6.89 ERA. Andy Pettitte picked up his 12th win and John Wetteland saved three games to give him 22 for the season with a 1.81 ERA.
Mickey Mantle leads the '56 Yankees in hitting at .315 with 10 homeruns and a .963 OPS. Yogi Berra is hitting .298 and leads the team in RBI with 43. Sturdivant’s shutout improved his record to 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA. The '56 Yankees will battle the 30-30 1941 Yankees in the next series.