Greatest American League
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The 2009 Yankees beat the 1923 Yankees four games to two in their six game series to improve their record to 50-58. The '23 Yankees dropped to 34-26.
The pitching for the 2K9 Yankees was they key to winning this series; they gave up only 14 runs in their four wins, including a 14-9 shootout win in Game Four. Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam as part of an 11 run (!) 5th inning. The '23 Yankees scored 18 runs in their two wins. In Game Two, they scored at least one run in each of the first six innings for an 11-5 win. Six of their runs scored were unearned thanks to FIVE 2K9 Yankee errors. In Game Five, Bob Shawkey pitched a complete game and struck out 10 batters for a 7-1 win.
Robinson Cano leads the 2K9 Yankees in hitting at .283 with 17 homeruns. Jorge Posada has taken over the team lead in homeruns with 23 while hitting .276 with 85 RBI. C.C. Sabathia won both of his starts to improve his record to 12-7 with a 3.38 ERA. Mariano Rivera picked up his 20th save with a 2.74 ERA.
Babe Ruth maintained his .411 average but had homeruns “stolen” from him three times, so he is stuck on 26 for the season with 66 RBI, 65 runs scored and a 1.485 OPS. Waite Hoyt picked up his first loss of the season; he is now 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA. The '23 Yankees will battle with the 63-39 1961 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1961 Yankees beat the 1923 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '61 Yankees improved their record to 67-71 while the '23 Yankees dropped to 36-30.
This series featured the most impressive offensive performance I have seen in the 45 years I have been playing APBA, boards or GO. In Game Two, the '61 Yankees released hell on the '23 Yankees to the tune of a 25-5 beating. They had 29 hits, including 10(!!!) homeruns. Yogi Berra and Tony Kubek each hit three. Roger Maris hit two, including a grand slam as part of a 15 run 7th inning. Elston Howard, who batted 6-6, and Clete Boyer rounded out the ten spot. Berra and Maris each drove in seven RBI. Howard also led a ninth inning rally in Game One in which his two-run triple led to four runs to break a 3-3 tie for a 7-3 win. Kubek committed an error in Game Three that led to four runs for the '23 Yankees in the 5th inning for a 4-3 loss, but he reverted back to hero mode in the final game with two more homeruns, including a walk-off tater in the 11th for a 3-2 win.
Howard hit .345 with a homer and seven RBI to raise his team-leading average to .334 with 33 homeruns, 94 RBI, 99 runs scored, and a .934 OPS. Mantle hit .346 in the series to raise his average to .325 with 49 homeruns, 106 RBI, 121 runs scored, and a 1.116 OPS. Kubek hit .482 with six homeruns and seven RBI to raise his average to .265 with 10 homeruns. Maris hit three more homeruns to give him 56 for the season with 21 games left.Whitey Ford picked up his 15th win in this series.
Babe Ruth is still hitting above .400 at .402 but went homerless for the second straight series. Waite Hoyt picked up his second straight defeat to fall to 8-2 but still has a stingy 1.83 ERA. The '23 Yankees face the 45-45 1941 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1941 Yankees defeated the 1923 Yankees four games to two in their six game series by winning the final three games. The '41 Yankees went over .500 at 49-47 while the '23 Yankees drifted back towards .500 at 38-34.
Waite Hoyt led the '23 Yankees in a 5-4 Game One win with getting the win on the mound and going 2-2 with two RBI at the plate. The '41 Yankees evened the series in Game Two with a wild 11-8 slugfest in 10 innings. The '23 Yankees led early 4-0 on the strength of two Babe Ruth solo homeruns. The '41 Yankees came back and went ahead 6-5 in the 9th on a two-run dinger by Joe Dimaggio. Elmer Smith tied the game in the bottom of the 9th with a pinch-hit solo homerun. The '41 Yankees struck back in the 10th with five runs and held on for the win. The '23 Yankees retook the series lead in Game Three with another high scoring affair, 13-8. Amazingly, all of the runs were driven in by the 6-9 hitters. Wally Schang, subbing for the injured Fred Hoffman 3-3 with five RBI. The '41 Yankees won the final three games, including a thrilling 8-7 contest in the last game. They trailed 6-1 in the 8th when Joe Dimaggio hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to 6-4. Lou Gehrig hit a pinch-hit solo homerun in the 9th to extend the '23 Yankees lead to 7-4, but Ken Silvestri countered for the '41 Yankees in the bottom of the 9th with a pinch-hit walk-off three run homer for the win.
Dimaggio hit .550 with four homeruns and 12 RBI in the series to raise his overall average to .339 with 34 homeruns, 96 RBI, 85 runs scored, and a 1.128 OPS. Charlie Keller is hitting .282 with 24 homeruns, 79 RBI and a .975 OPS. Tommy Henrich is hitting .238 with 21 homeruns and 79 runs scored. Marius Russo and Red Ruffing each have 10 wins.
Ruth hit .458 in the series with three homeruns to raise his average to .407 with 29 homeruns, 72 RBI, 74 runs scored, and a 1.430 OPS. Hoyt’s win improved his record to 9-2, but his ERA went above 2 and 2.16. The '23 Yankees will take on the 43-35 1947 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1923 Yankees and 1947 Yankees split their six game series. The '23 Yankees remain four games over .500 at 41-37 while the '47 Yankees stay eight games over at 46-38.
The '23 Yankees won the first two games on back-to-back shutouts. The first was by Herb Pennock who pitched a three-hitter in a 5-0 win. The other was by Bob Shawkey who scattered seven hits and struck out nine in a 6-0 win. The '47 Yankees got the offense going and won the next two games. Joe Dimaggio homered and drove in three RBI in Game Three for a 5-1 win. They cranked out 19 hits in Game Four for a 13-2 pounding. Babe Ruth led the '23 Yankees to a 5-4 win in Game Five with a triple, homerun, and three RBI. The '47 Yankees earned a series split with a 7-1 win in the final game. Yogi Berra broke the game open with a grand slam in the 4th inning.
Dimaggio is hitting .289 with a team leading 13 homeruns and 65 RBI. George McQuinn is hitting .288 and leads the team in runs scored with 58. Allie Reynolds picked up his 15th win; he is 15-4 with a 2.37 ERA.
Ruth picked up his 30th homerun of the season in this series; he is hitting .399 with 76 RBI, 79 runs scored, and a 1.418 OPS. Shawkey’s shutout improved his record to 8-7 with a 4.38 ERA. Pennock is now 8-4 with a 3.87 ERA. The '23 Yankees will battle the 43-35 1956 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1923 Yankees beat the 1956 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. As a result, both teams have identical 45-39 records.
Game One was a pitching duel that went nine scoreless innings. After a Wally Pipp triple, Joe Dugan hit a walk-off single to give the '23 Yankees a 1-0 win. The '56 Yankees evened the series emphatically in Game Two with a 9-1 win. Enos Slaughter led the way, going 3-4 with a triple, homerun, three RBI, and three runs scored. The '23 Yankees retook the lead in the series with a 4-1 win in Game Three. Babe Ruth’s three-run homer made the difference in that one. Don Larsen helped even the series again with a three-hit shutout in a 4-0 Game Four win. The '23 Yankees won the final two games 4-3 and 5-4. Carl Mays had some sloppy outings in those two games but still racked up a win and three saves in the series.
Ruth’s average dropped to .390 with 31 homeruns, 81 RBI, 82 runs scored, and a 1.377 OPS. Whitey Witt is hitting .265 with 51 runs scored. Aaron Ward is hitting .249 with 50 RBI. Sam Jones and Waite Hoyt have ERAs below 3 at 2.92 and 2.54 respectively. Mays is now 2-5 with eight saves and a 5.02 ERA.
Mickey Mantle leads the '56 Yankees in hitting at .292 with 22 homeruns, 56 RBI, 65 runs scored, and a .939 OPS. Gil McDougald is hitting .275 with 52 runs scored. Bill Skowron is hitting .270 with 18 homeruns and 62 runs scored. Yogi Berra is hitting .266 with 13 homeruns, 66 RBI, and 57 runs scored. Hank Bauer has 12 homeruns and 51 RBI. Larsen’s shutout improved his record to 6-5 with a 3.61 ERA. The '56 Yankees also have two starters with ERAs under 3 with Johnny Kucks (2.94) and Whitey Ford (2.24). The '56 Yankees will face the 34-26 1951 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1956 Yankees dominated their six game series with the 1951 Yankees, winning five of six. The '56 Yankees improved their record to 50-40 while the '51 Yankees fell to 35-31.
The '51 Yankees won the first game 6-2. The '56 Yankees won the final five games in a row. In Game Two, Yogi Berra and Andy Carey both hit two homeruns and drove in six runs for a 7-4 win. In Game Three, Don Larsen pitched a three-hit shutout, and Mickey Mantle hit two homeruns with four RBI for a 8-0 win. It was Larsen’s second shutout in consecutive starts. It took them 11 innings to win Game Four 4-2. Billy Martin’s sac fly with the bases loaded put them ahead. Game Five was a wild 13-12 slugfest. Carey drove in five RBI. They won Game Six 7-2; Mantle went 2-4 with a homerun and three RBI.
Mantle hit three homeruns and drove in eight RBI in the series to give him 25 homeruns and 64 RBI to go with a .290 average and .947 OPS. Carey drove in 10 runs from the 8th spot to give him 31 for the season. Berra is hitting .273 with 18 homeruns, 73 RBI and 67 runs scored. Moose Skowron is hitting .265 with 19 homeruns, 53 RBI and 66 runs scored. Larsen is now 7-5 with a 3.31 ERA.
Mantle leads the '51 Yankees in hitting at .282. Berra is hitting .259 with a team-leading 14 homeruns and 55 RBI. Vic Raschi picked up the team’s only win in the series; he is now 11-4 with a 1.95 ERA. The '51 Yankees will battle the 49-47 1941 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1941 Yankees defeated the 1951 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '41 Yankees improved their record to 53-49 while the '51 Yankees dropped to 37-35.
Three of the first four games went into extra innings. '41 Joe Dimaggio gave his team a 2-0 lead in Game One with a homerun. That lead lasted until the 9th inning when Phil Rizzuto tied the game with a two out bases loaded single. It was one of only two hits the '51 Yankees had in the game. '41 Dimaggio hit a solo Dimaggio dinger in the 10th as part of a three run rally for an eventual 5-3 win. The '51 Yankees evened the series in Game Two with a 4-3 11 inning win. Jackie Jensen won the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly. After losing Game Three 5-4, the '41 Yankees won the last three games of the series, starting with a 14 inning 5-4 win in Game Four. Like Game One, the '41 Yankees led 2-0 in the 9th until Gene Woodling tied the game with a two run homer. The teams exchanged two runs apiece in the 11th inning. Buddy Rosar gave the '41 Yankees the win in the 14th with a walk-off single. They won Game Five 6-4 thanks to a five run rally in the 3rd. Tommy Henrich hit two homeruns in the final game, the second gave them a 3-2 lead in the 7th, which became the final score. Every game was decided by two runs or less.
'41 Dimaggio leads the team in hitting at .347 with 38 homeruns, 104 RBI, 92 runs scored, and a 1.164 OPS. Charlie Keller is hitting .274 with 24 homeruns, 81 RBI, and a .945 OPS. Henrich is hitting .238 with 24 homeruns, 77 RBI and 85 runs scored. Johnny Murphy blew a couple of saves and picked up a couple of more. He is 3-5 with 23 saves and a 4.24 ERA.
Yogi Berra raised his average slightly to .260, but he is stuck on 14 homeruns with 57 RBI. The '51 Yankees will face the 45-39 1923 Yankees in the next series.
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The 1951 Yankees ended their brief skid by defeating the 1923 Yankees in their six game series four games to two. The '51 Yankees improved their record to 41-37 while the '23 Yankees fell to 47-43.
Phil Rizzuto had no homeruns going into this series. He hit two in Game One. The first one helped build a 4-2 lead. The '23 Yankees rallied to tie the game in the top of the 9th. The scooter hit his second of the game to walk off with the win. The '23 Yankees evened the series in Game Two with a 5-0 win. Joe Bush pitched a four-hit shutout and hit a solo homerun. The '51 Yankees bounced back with a 15-0 pounding in Game Three. Spec Shea pitched a three-hit shutout. Yogi Berra went 4-6 at the plate with a homerun and five RBI. Mickey Mantle went 4-5 with a double, homerun, and four RBI. After losing Game Four 5-4, the '23 Yankees won Game Five 3-2 in 10 innings. Whitey Witt hit a walk-off homerun for the victory. The '51 Yankees clinched the series with an 8-4 win. The game was scoreless until the 8th inning when they scored six runs and held on for the win. Bobby Brown led the attack, going 2-5 with a homerun, three RBI, and two runs scored.
Berra hit .393 in the series with a homerun and six RBI to raise his average to .272 with 15 homeruns and 63 RBI. Shea’s shutout improved his record to 4-5 with a 5.68 ERA. It was his first complete game of the season.
Babe Ruth leads the '23 Yankees in hitting at .388 with 31 homeruns, 85 RBI, 85 runs scored, and a 1.359 OPS. Bob Meusel is hitting .295 with 51 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Witt is hitting .264 with 56 runs scored. Aaron Ward is hitting .248 with 53 RBI. Bush’s shutout improved his record to 7-11 with a 3.28 ERA. The '23 Yankees will take on the 43-35 1999 Yankees in the next series.
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After dropping their first two games, the 1923 Yankees took out the 1999 Yankees by winning the final four games in a row. The '23 Yankees improved their record to 51-45 while the '99 Yankees fell to 45-39.
The '23 Yankees put on a dominant pitching performance in this series, giving up only 11 runs in regulation. 10 of those runs were scored in Game Two in a 10-6 win by the '99 Yankees Tino Martinez hit a homerun and drove in four RBI. They won Game One 5-0 in 11 innings, but all of those runs were scored in the 11th; Martinez hit a two-run dinger after Derek Jeter opened the floodgates with a three run shot. After they scored their only run in the 5th inning of Game Three, a 2-1 loss, the '99 Yankees did not score another run for the remaining 31 innings of the series. Waite Hoyt got the win and scored the go-ahead run on a Babe Ruth double. Herb Pennock, Bob Shawkey, and Joe Bush pitched shutouts in wins of 4-0, 4-0, and 3-0 in the final three games. For Bush, it marked his 27th straight scoreless inning covering his last three starts.
Ruth hit .474 in the series to raise his average to .393 with 32 homeruns, 89 RBI, 88 runs scored, and a 1.363 OPS. Bob Meusel maintained his .295 average and drove in six RBI to give him 57 for the season. Bush reduced his ERA to 2.87 while improving his record to 8-11. Shawkey and Pennock picked up their 10th wins with their shutouts; Shawkey’s ERA dropped to 3.92 and Pennock’s fell to 3.44.
Jeter leads the '99 Yankees in hitting at .330 with 12 homeruns, 52 RBI, 63 runs scored, and a .945 OPS. Paul O’Neill is hitting .315 with 54 RBI. Bernie Williams is hitting .309 with 21 homeruns, 74 RBI, 52 runs scored, and a .962 OPS. Chuck Knoblauch is hitting just .226 but has 12 homeruns, 13 stolen bases, and 69 runs scored. El Duque Hernandez had two quality hard-luck starts with no run support to leave him with a 11-6 record and a 2.84 ERA. The '99 Yankees will face the 53-49 1941 Yankees in the next series.
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After a run scoring drought in their last series, the 1999 Yankees bounced back to win their series with the 1941 Yankees four games to two. The '99 Yankees improved their record to 49-41 while the '41 Yankees fell to 55-53.
After scoring only 16 runs in their last series (11 in regulation), the '99 Yankees doubled that output with 32. That said, the first few games were low scoring. In Game One, David Cone pitched a three hit shutout as the '99 Yankees prevailed 2-0. The '99 Yankees scoreless streak ended at 32 innings after Paul O’Neill’s two run double in the second, which would be the only runs scored in the game. They hit four homeruns as a team in Game Two for a 5-4 win. Chuck Knoblauch hit two of them, the second gave them a 5-4 lead in the 8th. The '41 Yankees won a tight Game Three 4-1; Tommy Henrich and Joe Dimaggio hit back-to-back homeruns in a three run 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie. The final three games were dominated by Bernie Williams. Over Games Four, Five, and Six, Williams hit safely in 10 consecutive at bats! His heater started in Game Four, a 7-5 win by the '99 Yankees. Williams and O’Neill homered to give them an early 3-0 lead. The '41 Yankees came roaring back with five runs on six hits in the 5th inning to take a 5-3 lead. The '99 Yankees struck back in the 7th with three runs to go back out in front; Williams tripled in the tying run and scored on a sac fly. In Game Five, Williams was a perfect 5-5 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored in a 10-7 win. He ended the series with a 3-5, homerun, three RBI and three runs scored performance in a losing cause as the '41 Yankees won the final game 8-6.
Williams hit a ridiculous .625 in the series (15 for 24) with three homeruns and 11 RBI. He raised his average 21 points to .330 with 25 homeruns, 85 RBI, 63 runs scored, and a 1.026 OPS. Derek Jeter held steady at .328 with 13 homeruns, 56 RBI, 69 runs scored, and a .941 OPS. O’Neill raised his average to .317 with 11 homeruns and 61 RBI. Knoblauch now has 15 homeruns and 73 runs scored. Mariano Rivera picked up three saves to give him 21 for the season. Cone’s shutout improved his record to 9-8 with a 4.50 ERA.
Dimaggio leads the '41 Yankees in hitting at .354 with 39 homeruns, 107 RBI, 97 runs scored, and a 1.164 OPS. Charlie Keller is hitting .279 with 25 homeruns, 89 RBI, 78 runs scored, and a .959 OPS. Henrich is hitting .239 with 25 homeruns, 80 RBI, and 92 runs scored. Johnny Murphy picked up his 25th save in this series. The '41 Yankees will battle the 46-38 1947 Yankees in the next series.