New York Yankee Greats

Arguably the greatest New York Yankee was outfielder Babe Ruth, acquired from the Boston Red Sox in 1920. That trade kicked off an 86-year shutout from the championship for the Red Sox, which eventually became known as the "Curse of the Bambino." When the Yankees began outdrawing their landlords, the New York Giants, they were told to move out of the Polo Grounds and find their own stadium. They moved into the new Yankee Stadium in 1923, built on
the promise of the Babe's home-run hitting status. Yankee Stadium became known as "The House that Ruth Built."

Ruth batted out 60 home runs in 1927, a record that would remain unbroken for 34 years. 1927 was a very good year for the Yankees. Their powerhouse lineup was known as "Murderer's Row." Earle Combs was the lead off, followed by Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel, Tony Lazzeri, Joe Dugan, John Grabowski, and Waite Hoyt. The 1927 Yankees won the American League pennant by 19 games, an AL record.

Ruth left the Yankees in 1934, giving Gehrig his chance to shine. With the help of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, the Yankees swept the World Series from 1936 through 1939, the year that Gehrig resigned for health reasons. The Yankees retired his number 4, the first time any baseball player was so honored. Just as DiMaggio was retiring in 1951, a young Mickey Mantle stepped up to the plate.

The Yankees won the World Series five consecutive times from 1949 to 1953 with the help of such well-known players as pitcher Whitey Ford and catcher Yogi Berra. In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only no-hitter in World Series history. Roger Maris joined the team in 1960. Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson joined in 1976.