80 Fun Facts About New York Yankees

How many World Series championships have the Yankees won, the most of any MLB team?

The 27th came in 2009, the first season in the new stadium, and no other franchise has more than 11.

Which nickname was attached to the original Yankee Stadium when it opened in 1923?

Sportswriter Fred Lieb coined it because Ruth's home runs had doubled attendance and effectively paid for the place.

What was George Steinbrenner's famous nickname as Yankees owner?

He earned it as a famously hands-on owner from 1973 until his death in 2010, hiring and firing managers at a furious pace.

How many consecutive games did Joe DiMaggio hit safely in during his famous 1941 streak?

The streak ran from May 15 to July 16 and is still widely regarded as the record least likely ever to be broken.

How many home runs did Aaron Judge hit in 2022 to set a new American League single-season record?

The record-breaker came on October 4 against Texas, ending Roger Maris's 61-year hold on the AL mark.

The Yankees' franchise rights were purchased in 1903 from which defunct American League club?

Frank Farrell and Bill Devery bought the rights and moved the operation to upper Manhattan; the original Orioles had folded after the 1902 season.

What was the team known as during its first decade in New York, from 1903 to 1912?

The name nodded to the team's hilltop ballpark and possibly to president Joseph Gordon and the Gordon Highlanders regiment.

Which closer's number 42 did the Yankees retire in 2013, making him the last major leaguer to wear it full time?

MLB had retired 42 league-wide for Jackie Robinson in 1997, but a grandfather clause let him keep it for 16 more seasons.

Whose version of "New York, New York" plays at Yankee Stadium after home games?

For years the Liza Minnelli original was played after losses until she complained, and the team switched to Ol' Blue Eyes regardless of the score.

The 1919 sale of Babe Ruth to New York gave rise to which superstition about the Boston Red Sox?

Boston did not win another title for 86 years, and columnist Dan Shaughnessy's 1990 book of the same name made the phrase famous.

Aaron Judge became the team's 16th captain in December 2022, the first since which player retired in 2014?

The captaincy came bundled with a nine-year contract that was, at the time, the largest free-agent deal in MLB history.

In the sitcom Seinfeld, which character spent several seasons working for Steinbrenner's Yankees?

The real Steinbrenner refused a cameo and asked that no Yankees pennant appear on the show, which used the pennant anyway.

The closer nicknamed "Sandman" grew up in the fishing village of Puerto Caimito in which country?

He was an amateur playing on rough fields when the Yankees signed him in 1990; his father captained a fishing boat.

The Yankees' 1979 season was shattered when captain Thurman Munson died in what kind of accident?

He was practicing touch-and-go landings in his own jet; his locker was kept empty in the clubhouse and later moved to the new stadium's museum.

In which year did the Yankees blow a 3-0 ALCS lead to Boston, MLB's only such collapse?

Boston then swept St. Louis for its first title since 1918, and no other team has ever come back from 0-3 in a postseason series.

In June 2019 the Yankees and Red Sox played the first MLB games ever held in Europe, in which city?

The two-game series was staged in a converted Olympic Stadium and produced a 17-13 slugfest in the opener.

Who hit three homers on three straight pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series?

The performance cemented the nickname "Mr. October" and delivered the club's first title in 15 years.

In what year did the Yankees modify their long-standing appearance policy to permit well-groomed beards?

The clean-shaven rule dated to 1973 and was enforced by Steinbrenner's sons for years after his death.

Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs, which stood until 1961, was set in which season?

That was the Murderers' Row year, when the club spent every day of the season in first place and won 110 games.

Which shortstop's homer over the Green Monster decided the 1978 one-game playoff at Fenway?

He was a light hitter with five homers all year, which is why Boston fans still attach a profane middle name to him.

Who threw the only perfect game in World Series history, in Game 5 of the 1956 Series against Brooklyn?

Two years earlier he had gone 3-21 for Baltimore; Yogi Berra leaping into his arms became one of baseball's iconic photos.

From 1913 to 1922 the Yankees shared which ballpark with the National League's Giants?

The Giants evicted them after Ruth's arrival made the Yankees the bigger draw, so the club built its own park across the Harlem River.

Since September 2001, which song has been played at Yankee Stadium during the seventh-inning stretch?

For years it was Kate Smith's recording, dropped in 2019 after some of her other songs drew accusations of racism.

Which team beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series after Rivera blew the save?

It ended a run of three straight titles; Luis Gonzalez's bloop single over a drawn-in infield did the damage.

How many World Series titles did Yogi Berra win as a player, more than anyone in MLB history?

He appeared in 14 World Series in all, also a record, and caught the only perfect game ever thrown in one.

Where did the Yankees play home games in 1974 and 1975 while their stadium was renovated?

The Mets had refused to share until the city, which owned both parks, forced the issue; the NFL Jets and Giants were also tenants.

In 2017 Aaron Judge became the first rookie ever to win which event?

He hit 52 homers that year, briefly the rookie record, and was a unanimous Rookie of the Year.

Which broadcaster called Yankees games on the radio for 36 seasons, from 1989 to 2024?

His trademark was a booming, drawn-out home run call and a personalised catchphrase for every hitter on the roster.

In which year did the club officially drop its original name and become the Yankees?

The press had used "Yankees" unofficially since 1904, and the old name faded once the club moved to the Polo Grounds.

In 1973 George Steinbrenner's group bought the Yankees for $10 million from which company?

The Cleveland shipbuilder later admitted the deal included two parking garages CBS bought back, making the true net price about $8.8 million.

How many times was Billy Martin hired and fired as Yankees manager by Steinbrenner over a 13-year span?

The most famous exit followed his 1978 line that Jackson and the owner "deserve each other", one a born liar and the other convicted.

Asked about the new Yankee Stadium in 1923, Babe Ruth reportedly replied with which three words?

He had just christened the place with a three-run homer against his old Red Sox teammates in a 4-1 win.

Which pitcher signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in December 2019?

He would win the AL Cy Young Award in 2023 with a league-best 2.63 ERA.

Who was named MVP of the 2024 ALCS after hitting four home runs against Cleveland?

The five-game win delivered the franchise's 41st pennant, its first since 2009.

Which former Red Sox owner sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 plus a $300,000 loan?

The loan was secured on Fenway Park itself; the theatre producer was selling stars to bankroll his Broadway productions.

Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown in which season, the only switch-hitter ever to do so?

He hit .353 with 52 homers and 130 RBI, and later called it his favorite summer.

How many regular-season games did the 1998 Yankees win, a then-American League record?

They then went 11-2 in the postseason, sweeping San Diego in the World Series.

Aaron Judge played college baseball for which program before the Yankees drafted him in 2013?

He was a three-sport star at tiny Linden High School and won the College Home Run Derby in 2012.

Which Yankee was named MVP of the 2009 World Series win over Philadelphia?

The Japanese designated hitter drove in six runs in the clinching Game 6 and left as a free agent weeks later.

The Yankees' all-time hits leader grew up and played high school ball in which Michigan city?

He was born in New Jersey and idolised Dave Winfield, then was taken sixth overall in the 1992 draft.

Which pitcher, the franchise leader in career wins, was nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board"?

The Astoria native won 236 games and still holds World Series records for wins and consecutive scoreless innings.

Which first baseman sat out with a headache in June 1925 and lost his job to Lou Gehrig for good?

The name became shorthand for anyone who loses a job by taking a day off; Gehrig then played every game until 1939.

In 1987 "Donnie Baseball" set a major league record by hitting how many grand slams in a single season?

Oddly, those were the only grand slams of Don Mattingly's entire career.

The Yankees' 2000 World Series against the Mets was the first Subway Series in how many years?

The previous one was 1956 against Brooklyn; the Yankees won in five games.

Which manager guided the Yankees to a record five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953?

He arrived with a reputation as a clown who managed bad teams, and won ten pennants in twelve seasons.

Which Red Sox president labeled the Yankees "the Evil Empire" after they signed Jose Contreras?

Yankee fans adopted the insult as a badge of honour, and the team has leaned into playing the villain ever since.

Who was the first African-American player to appear for the Yankees?

The catcher debuted in 1955, eight years after Jackie Robinson, and later became AL MVP in 1963.

Before his baseball career, Yogi Berra served as a Navy gunner's mate in which World War II operation?

He was aboard a rocket-firing landing craft off Omaha Beach and later confirmed he was sent to Utah Beach as well.

Which star pitcher did Steinbrenner sign from Oakland after 1974, starting the free-agent era?

An arbitrator had voided his A's contract over a missed insurance payment, making him the first big-money free agent.

Which president pardoned George Steinbrenner in January 1989 for his 1974 felony conviction?

The conviction stemmed from illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign funneled through bonuses to his shipyard employees.

Steinbrenner was banned from day-to-day operations in 1990 for paying a gambler to dig up dirt on which of his players?

The feud began over a contract misunderstanding; Howard Spira got $40,000, and Fay Vincent handed down the ban.

Lou Gehrig studied engineering at which university before signing with the Yankees in 1923?

He also played fullback for the football team, and struck out 17 batters the very day the original stadium opened.

Tiffany & Co. designed the interlocking "NY" logo for an 1877 medal of valor honoring which group?

The medal went to John McDowell, an officer shot in the line of duty; the club adopted the design in 1909.

How did the Yankees assign uniform numbers when they made them permanent in 1929?

That is why Ruth wore 3 and Gehrig 4: they hit third and fourth in the lineup.

Which owner's 1915 purchase of the club was soon followed by pinstripes becoming permanent?

The legend that pinstripes were added to slim down Babe Ruth is false: they first appeared briefly in 1912, years before he arrived.

Which manager was honored with the very first Monument Park monument, erected in center field in 1932?

The monuments to him, Gehrig and Ruth stood in fair territory for decades, and long drives occasionally rolled behind them.

Roughly how long did it take to build the original Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923?

The $2.5 million project was the first three-tiered ballpark in North America and was paid for entirely by owner Jacob Ruppert.

What was the reported construction cost of the new Yankee Stadium that opened in 2009?

About $1.2 billion of that came from public subsidies, and a Red Sox fan on the crew buried a David Ortiz jersey under the visitors' dugout as a hex.

The 2006 groundbreaking for the new Yankee Stadium was deliberately held on the anniversary of what?

August 16, 2006 was 58 years to the day; Steinbrenner, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki all wore Yankees hard hats.

The public park built on the site of the demolished original Yankee Stadium is called what?

Demolition finished in May 2010 and the park opened in 2012, restoring about 40 percent of the parkland the new stadium had taken.

Why did sports editor Jim Price coin the nickname "Yankees" as early as 1904?

The name only became official in 1913, once the club had left its hilltop park and the old name fell out of use.

Which world leader got a Monument Park plaque in 2014 for his 1990 Yankee Stadium visit?

During that visit he famously donned a Yankees cap and jacket and told the crowd, "I am a Yankee."

Mantle's father named him after which Hall of Fame catcher?

Mutt Mantle also drilled his son to switch-hit from toddlerhood, pitching righty while the grandfather threw lefty.

Which Red Sox pitcher surrendered Roger Maris's record 61st home run in 1961?

Fan Sal Durante caught the ball in the right-field bleachers, and Maris hit all 61 within a 151-game span despite the asterisk debate.

The 1927 lineup's nickname "Murderers' Row" is said to come from a cell block in which Manhattan institution?

The Tombs housed a specific block for accused murderers, and writers borrowed the phrase for the batting order of Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel and Lazzeri.

Which team was on the wrong end of David Wells's perfect game on May 17, 1998?

Wells later claimed he pitched it hung over; David Cone repeated the feat 14 months later against Montreal.

The nickname "Bronx Bombers" was first used in 1928 by a writer for which newspaper?

Frank Wallace used it in a July 5 article, and it remains the club's most common alternate name.

Which two-word tabloid headline greeted Joe Torre's hiring in November 1995?

He had never won a playoff series as a manager; four titles in five years turned the headline into a punchline.

The Yankees retired No. 8 in 1972 for two catchers, Yogi Berra and which other Hall of Famer?

The elder catcher mentored Berra, so the shared number was a fitting tribute; it was done on Old-Timers' Day.

The four-game September 1978 Fenway sweep nicknamed the 'Boston Massacre' had what combined score?

The Yankees had trailed by 14 games in July; the sweep pulled them level and set up the one-game playoff.

In 1904, which pitcher set the modern single-season record for wins, a mark that still stands?

His 41 victories came with a spitball; cruelly, his wild pitch on the last day handed the pennant to Boston.

The Captain's 3,000th career hit was a home run off which Tampa Bay pitcher on July 9, 2011?

He went 5-for-5 that day, only the second player ever to do so on his 3,000th-hit day after Craig Biggio.

The "Judge's Chambers", where fans sit in robes and wigs, occupies which section at Yankee Stadium?

Its 18 seats go to selected ticketholders; the Bleacher Creatures, by contrast, hold court in Section 203.

In which Upper Manhattan neighbourhood did the Highlanders' Hilltop Park stand?

It sat between 165th and 168th Streets on one of the island's highest points, one theory for the Highlanders name.

What were the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox nicknamed around 1920 for trades that angered Ban Johnson?

The three-club détente paid off handsomely for New York, which used it to boost its payroll.

Which novelist coined the phrase 'The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant' about 1954?

His novel of that name became the musical Damn Yankees; Cleveland had taken the pennant with a then-AL record 111 wins.

Which Yankee in 2002 became the first second baseman with 30 homers and 30 steals in a season?

The revamped Yankees went an AL-best 103-58 that year before losing the ALDS to the eventual champion Angels.

Where in the new Yankee Stadium do the Bleacher Creatures sit?

They sat in Section 39 of the old stadium's right-field bleachers; Daily News columnist Flip Bondy coined their name.

Which Cleveland shortstop died after being hit by a Carl Mays fastball in 1920, seeding a rivalry?

Cleveland rallied after the tragedy to win its first World Series that year.

How many times have the Yankees and Dodgers met in the World Series, a record for any two clubs?

Seven of those meetings came while the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn, before their 1958 move to Los Angeles.