Greatest Yankee season(s) in your lifetime

DJnVa · Jul 7, 2021

2004.

bankshot1 · Jul 7, 2021

1998-the motherfuckers never lost

Those were dark, dark days.

Murderer's Crow · Jul 7, 2021

2009 was an insanely fun season with so many comebacks, but since I'm 34 I only have memory of the late 90s til now to judge. I think 2001 gets the nod for my favorite season of all time. As a Yankees fan, I want more championships but I've seen so many of them that I can safely say the most memorable and important season and subsequent postseason of my lifetime was the loss to the Diamondbacks. In many ways it was the peak(ed) Yankees doing their absolute best to win against a superior team and they almost fucking did it. With the weight of the world's eyes on NY after 9/11 and the best closer in history, they lose it in game 7 on a bloop.

I'll never appreciate sports heartache more and nothing since then has even come close to the emotional heights of what this sport can mean. I know, I know...I get a lot of shit from Sox fans who can't possibly believe 2001 was a worse feeling than 2004. But sorry, it's not even close.

SoxJox · Jul 7, 2021

In my lifetime, there is only one season that to me is the greatest.

1961.

WS 4-1 over Cincy, who fielded a very solid team with Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, and who had 3 solid starters in Jim O'Toole (18-9), Joey Jay (21-10) and Bob Turley (16-10)

Mantle.

Maris - season MVP

Ford - WS MVP. And Cy Young with a 25-4 record.

And just a great bunch of ballers: Elston Howard, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, and "Hey Boo Boo" Berra.

bsj · Jul 7, 2021

Funny I was just talking to someone about this.

1998. Best baseball season Ive ever seen out of ANY team in my lifetime.

Wingack · Jul 7, 2021

2001 for me too. Only season I ever had season tickets, so it was the most games I ever attended.

And I was at those unreal World Series games.

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

Another thread where we miss Coup and his first-person tales of 1927.

The obvious answer is 1998, the best team in my baseball watching lifetime (runners up: 1986 Mets and 2018 Sox), but I’m going with 2001 even though they lost at the end. I’ve written up my take on that season here before:

“Losing in 2001 was actually probably more enjoyable a playoff run for me than winning in 1999 or 2000 because of the two historically great teams they beat (Oakland had the best second half record of any team ever, and Seattle won 116 games) and the third they almost beat (Schilling/Johnson with maybe the best two man pitching performance in postseason history). Getting through that gauntlet, including those ridiculous come from behind wins in the WS, and taking it to the final few outs of game 7, was as enjoyable a non-title performance as I can imagine.”

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

Oh, nice, some other people voted 2001 too while I was typing.

54thMA · Jul 7, 2021

jon abbey said:
Another thread where we miss Coup and his first-person tales of 1927.

The obvious answer is 1998, the best team in my baseball watching lifetime (runners up: 1986 Mets and 2018 Sox), but I’m going with 2001 even though they lost at the end. I’ve written up my take on that season here before, I’ll find that and edit it in.

The fact that you and other Yankee fans can say 2001 shows a lot about your character, so kudos to you and them.

ThePrideofShiner · Jul 7, 2021

1995 and 1996 were a blast. 1995's ending of course sucked, but living in Seattle and going to all three of the playoff games - plus the rivalry those two teams enjoyed complete with wild brawls was pretty fun.

I went down a YouTube wormhole on the 96 team recently and man what a crazy collection of old school talent. I mean, Fielder, Strawberry, Boggs, Cone, Key! All kinds of old dudes coming through combined with seeing Bernie and Jeter in their extreme youth.

As far as the best team, well I think 1998 is the easy answer. The 2001 team was very fun, but man that Game 7 loss took me a few years to get over. 2009 was great, but I'm also a huge ARod apologist so that one had special meaning for me.

SoxJox · Jul 7, 2021

jon abbey said:
Another thread where we miss Coup and his first-person tales of 1927.

The obvious answer is 1998, the best team in my baseball watching lifetime (runners up: 1986 Mets and 2018 Sox), but I’m going with 2001 even though they lost at the end. I’ve written up my take on that season here before:

“Losing in 2001 was actually probably more enjoyable a playoff run for me than winning in 1999 or 2000 because of the two historically great teams they beat (Oakland had the best second half record of any team ever, and Seattle won 116 games) and the third they almost beat (Schilling/Johnson with maybe the best two man pitching performance in postseason history). Getting through that gauntlet, including those ridiculous come from behind wins in the WS, and taking it to the final few outs of game 7, was as enjoyable a non-title performance as I can imagine.”

No changing the goalposts. You asked, "in your lifetime." You make your answer sound like we all have the same lifetime. I'm guessing mine extends deeper into the earlier part of the 20th century than yours does.

54thMA · Jul 7, 2021

terrynever said:
Yeah, 2001 coming so close on the heels of 9/11 was the most memorable postseason for the Yankees. We have this argument all the time with Sox fans because they think 2004 hurt more than 2001. Well, 2004 was embarrassing. Yankees of 2001 did retain their dignity in defeat. Game 7 2001 lingered for years. 2004 was like, forget about it.

As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I was not rooting for the Yankees in the 2001 WS, but I honestly took no joy in seeing how they lost, that was a soul crushing way to lose a World Series, heartbreaking really considering what the city and people of New York had gone through on 9/11, cruel really and reinforcing that there is no sports God.

I also hated that Rivera was on the mound for that loss; he is one of if not my favorite Yankee players, his tip of the cap on opening day in 2005 was one of the classiest and funniest sports related happenings ever, the man is a total class act, not to mention a tremendous closer.

The part that really got me is the Yankees or the City of NY had flown out a number of Yankee fans who if I am not mistaken had lost loved ones on 9/11, or maybe some of them were first responders for game 7.

Like I said; cruel is the word that comes to mind.

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

SoxJox said:
No changing the goalposts. You asked, "in your lifetime." You make your answer sound like we all have the same lifetime. I'm guessing mine extends deeper into the earlier part of the 20th century than yours does.

I don't understand this response. I didn't start the thread (understandable confusion since I start most threads in this section) but I literally said 'in my baseball watching lifetime'. Maybe you meant to quote one of Terry's posts?

Edit: Oh, maybe you mean my jokey 1927 response, that is just because we used to have a poster in this section who we teased about being very old, but he's banned now.

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

54thMA said:
As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I was not rooting for the Yankees in the 2001 WS, but I honestly took no joy in seeing how they lost, that was a soul crushing way to lose a World Series, heartbreaking really considering what the city and people of New York had gone through on 9/11, cruel really and reinforcing that there is no sports God.

I also hated that Rivera was on the mound for that loss; he is one of if not my favorite Yankee players, his tip of the cap on opening day in 2005 was one of the classiest and funniest sports related happenings ever, the man is a total class act, not to mention a tremendous closer.

The part that really got me is the Yankees or the City of NY had flown out a number of Yankee fans who if I am not mistaken had lost loved ones on 9/11, or maybe some of them were first responders for game 7.

Like I said; cruel is the word that comes to mind.

I think the best way to understand is via the prism of recent Patriots fandom, or sixties Celtics fandom if you were around back then. Once your team wins a bunch (and by 2001, I was 34 years old and had seen the Yankees win six titles, including the previous three in a row), it becomes more about style points and the road travelled. I have written here before that I personally didn't find either 2001 or 2004 painful, but I'm a weirdo/outlier in many ways.

jmcc5400 · Jul 7, 2021

jon abbey said:
Oh, nice, some other people voted 2001 too while I was typing.

How Yankee fans feel about the 2001 team is a little like how Celtics fans of a certain age feel about the 1987 Celtics. Aging champions that went down scratching and clawing. And, of course, you have the added resonance of 9.11.

EvilEmpire · Jul 7, 2021

Looking back, I'd have to give 2001 the slightest of nods over 1998. But it is close.

54thMA · Jul 7, 2021

jon abbey said:
I think the best way to understand is via the prism of recent Patriots fandom, or sixties Celtics fandom if you were around back then. Once your team wins a bunch (and by 2001, I was 34 years old and had seen the Yankees win six titles, including the previous three in a row), it becomes more about style points and the road travelled. I have written here before that I personally didn't find either 2001 or 2004 painful, but I'm a weirdo/outlier in many ways.

I was around in the 1960's but too young to remember those championships.

I guess a comparison is Red Sox fans; 1967/1972/1974/1975/1978 were just the opening acts for 1986, loss after loss just crushes you, just like a number of wins for the Yankees makes losing easier.

Regarding the Patriots, 2008 bothered me because they lost out on the perfect season, losing to the Giants again in 2012 also bothered me because that was two in a row and they hadn't won one since 2004, but the Eagles in 2018 was a nothingburger for me because as you said, they had won two more in the meantime.

For you, losing the 2004 ALCS after being up 3-0 was like for me losing to the Flyers as a Bruins fan after being up 3-0 in the conference semi finals, it really didn't bother me.

It's all about perspective.

Not meaning to derail the thread, but thanks for the discussion.

NYCSox · Jul 7, 2021

No love for the Alvaro Espinoza era?

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

NYCSox said:
No love for the Alvaro Espinoza era?

He was amazing defensively, maybe the best defensive NY SS of my lifetime?

SemperFidelisSox · Jul 7, 2021

I still think Brosius had a play at 1st on the bunt by Bell for two outs. Maybe Womack still hits the double to tie, or things play out differently with two outs.

luckiestman · Jul 7, 2021

2001 is the romantic answer but I’m going with 98. That was some good baseball.

bankshot1 · Jul 7, 2021

I can understand how some might answer, 1961, 1978, or 1998 as being the greatest Yankee year, but other than beating a very good Mariners team, I'm not sure why 2001 and the loss to the D-backs makes the greatest list.

'61 was the Maris-Mantle HR race, a juggernaut and a bounce back WS win over the Reds.

'78 we know about 14 games out, Bucky, yada, x3, and that you hope for a '78 redux in '21 (we know)

'98-they almost literally never lost and maybe the best team I've seen along with the mid 70s Reds or late 60s O's that easily come to my mind.

'01 I get the 9/11 connection, (I worked downtown) and the come from behind wins in the WS, (poor B.H. Kim) but I'm not getting the greatest aspect.

Maybe favorite or most sentimental, but greatest?

ThePrideofShiner · Jul 7, 2021

2001 was pretty crazy throughout the playoffs. Down 2-0 to Oakland and rallying with the Jeter flip. Taking down the 116-win Mariners, including Clemens' 1-hit masterpiece and then the insane World Series.

I don't remember anything about the regular season, though.

jon abbey · Jul 7, 2021

bankshot1 said:
I can understand how some might answer, 1961, 1978, or 1998 as being the greatest Yankee year, but other than beating a very good Mariners team, I'm not sure why 2001 and the loss to the D-backs makes the greatest list.

'61 was the Maris-Mantle HR race, a juggernaut and a bounce back WS win over the Reds.

'78 we know about 14 games out, Bucky, yada, x3, and that you hope for a '78 redux in '21 (we know)

'98-they almost literally never lost and maybe the best team I've seen along with the mid 70s Reds or late 60s O's that easily come to my mind.

'01 I get the 9/11 connection, (I worked downtown) and the come from behind wins in the WS, (poor B.H. Kim) but I'm not getting the greatest aspect.

Maybe favorite or most sentimental, but greatest?

1961 was before my time, 1978 I remember but I was only 11. 1998 is the obvious answer but the caliber of playoff opposition NY faced in 2001 in all three series was probably even better than the Sox in 2018, as I mentioned before. It was truly remarkable that they got two outs away from a fourth straight title.

ALDS: NY faced Oakland, who had just finished a 63-18 second half, the best second half ever. OAK won the first two games in NY, then game 3 in OAK was the famous Mussina game with Jeter's shuffle pass to get Jeremy Giambi at the plate. NY won game 4 in OAK and game 5 at home and survived.

ALCS: NY faced Seattle, who were 116-46 in the regular season, again the best record any of us has ever seen. NY won the first 2 and then SEA crushed in game 3, 14-3. Game 4 was scoreless through 7, then SEA scored in the top of the 8th (Bret Boone HR off Ramiro Mendoza). NY answered with 1 in the 8th (Bernie HR off Arthur Rhodes) and 2 in the 9th (Soriano HR off Sasaki). That gave NY a 3-1 series lead and took the steam out of SEA, NY finished the series with a 12-3 win the next day.

WS: NY faced Arizona, who wasn't a great team but had the best two man pitching combo in postseason history in Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Those two started 5 of the 7 games plus Johnson came into game 7 in relief on no days rest. Both were close to unhittable, ARI won games 1 and 2 behind them (NY only scoring 1 run in the two games combined), then NY won game 3 2-1. Game 4 was Schilling on 3 days rest, 1-1 through 7. ARI went up 3-1 in the 8th, and NY was down to their last out in the 9th before Tino went deep off Kim to tie it and then Jeter homered in the 10th (Mr. November!) to win it, series tied at 2. Game 5 saw ARI up 2-0 in the 9th and NY down to their last out before Kim blew another one, this time a two run HR to Brosius and eventually a game-winning single in the 12th by Soriano.

So NY was up 3 games to 2 and heading back to Arizona, who had home-field advantage in this series where all seven games were won at home despite NY having a better regular season record. They got crushed in game 6 and game 7 was 1-1 through 7. Soriano hit a deeply impressive HR off Schilling in the 8th to put NY up 2-1 and with Rivera coming in for six outs, it looked like NY was going to win their fourth straight title, before ARI came back and they didn't. For the series, ARI outscored NY 37-14 and still came two outs away from losing.

So yeah, I think there is an argument for greatest, although really I was answering 'favorite' in Terry's actual post more than 'greatest' in his title.

SoxJox · Jul 7, 2021

jon abbey said:
I don't understand this response. I didn't start the thread (understandable confusion since I start most threads in this section) but I literally said 'in my baseball watching lifetime'. Maybe you meant to quote one of Terry's posts?

Edit: Oh, maybe you mean my jokey 1927 response, that is just because we used to have a poster in this section who we teased about being very old, but he's banned now.

Apologies, as you were not the OP. I just miss being young.

nolasoxfan · Jul 8, 2021

terrynever said:
With the Yankees floundering and Boston in first place, I figured it would be okay to post this thread in the Yankees’ forum so that our handful of suffering Yankee fans could take their minds off 2021.
My favorite seasons were 1977-78 because the Yankees fought among themselves, got their manager fired, and still won the World Series in both seasons. Beating out a ~~very strong~~ better Red Sox team that deserved to win a World Series in the primes of Rice, Lynn and Fisk.

FTFY.

moretsyndrome · Jul 8, 2021

terrynever said:
With the Yankees floundering and Boston in first place, I figured it would be okay to post this thread in the Yankees’ forum so that our handful of suffering Yankee fans could take their minds off 2021.
My favorite seasons were 1977-78 because the Yankees fought among themselves, got their manager fired, and still won the World Series in both seasons. Beating out a very strong Red Sox team that deserved to win a World Series in the primes of Rice, Lynn and Fisk.

I don't know. I loved the '78 Sox, but they were 4-6 vs KC in '78 and 1-4 at KC. Even if Yaz catches Dent's lazy fly ball, they would have had their hands full and having to travel for the 1st 2 games of the ALCS would have put the Sox at a huge disadvantage. Plus their manager was an absolute idiot. NYY, with the dominant ace, some speed in the outfield and a functioning third baseman, matched up slightly better vs KC.

jmcc5400 · Jul 8, 2021

terrynever said:
Functioning third baseman?

You had Nettles, we had Hobson who was a catastrophe.

Edit: Putting some numbers on the catastrophe: 43 errors at third base; .245/.298/.342 in the second half.

Archer1979 · Jul 8, 2021

Comparing '98 with '78 is apples and oranges. '98 was wire to wire dominance. '78 was a disaster for NY until August 14(?) (I distinctly remember Hawk Harrleson chuckling at the standings in pre-game and remarking that the Yankees are done at the 14 .5 game deficit). That they won the one game playoff was the difference between World Series Champions and choking the season themselves (they were up on Boston by as much as three games in late September).

ronlt40 · Jul 8, 2021

1996 for me. I was too young to remember 77-78. The regular season, the ALCS vs the orioles (the Jeffrey Maier game, the bernie walk off), the day after Mike & the mad dog shows, then the WS vs the braves. So many good memories. The Yanks had been mediocre for so long you began to question whether they'd ever win again. The other years 98, 01 were great but nothing beats the first time.

54thMA · Jul 8, 2021

moretsyndrome said:
I don't know. I loved the '78 Sox, but they were 4-6 vs KC in '78 and 1-4 at KC. Even if Yaz catches Dent's lazy fly ball, they would have had their hands full and having to travel for the 1st 2 games of the ALCS would have put the Sox at a huge disadvantage. Plus their manager was an absolute idiot. NYY, with the dominant ace, some speed in the outfield and a functioning third baseman, matched up slightly better vs KC.

That would have been so pre 2004 Red Sox to atone for blowing a huge division lead, actually falling behind the Yankees in the standings, pulling even with them, then winning a dramatic playoff game only to lose to the Royals.

Seemed like every time they played the Royals in KC, it was 200 degrees out, the players baked on that crappy phony turf they played on, Willie Wilson would lead off the bottom of the first with a drag bunt, steal second, advance to third on an infield ground out and score on a sacrifice fly, 1-0 Royals in the blink of an eye.

I went to Bentley College 1978-1982, after they blew the division and the playoff game, I remember one night a bunch of us were going into Boston on a weekend, one of my friends lived in Watertown and we had to go to the house of a high school buddy of his to pick him up. When we got there, his Father let us in and we went to his bedroom..............it was a fucking shrine to the NYY, wall to wall posters, newspaper clippings, memorabilia....................I wanted to strangle the kid.

Oh and his last name was Mazzarotti; yup, he was the cousin of that pimple on the ass of humanity who sits opposite that oxygen thief Felger from 2-6 on 98.5.

moretsyndrome · Jul 8, 2021

terrynever said:
Nettles was right next to Brooks Robinson when it came to defending third base. I objected to the adjective functioning. Hobson ran out of gas in the second half. He had a bum elbow that made every throw an adventure. I forget what other options Boston had at third base in 1978 but I am sure they could have done something to get Butch off the field.

The term functioning wasn't meant as a slight to Nettles, who was at the top of his game at the time. It was, as jmcc pointed out, a direct reference to the fact that Hobson was toast and they had nothing but utility men like Jack Brohamer and Frank Duffy to play third. It was a factor that would have further hampered the Sox had they gone on to face KC.

aminahyaquin · Jul 22, 2021

terrynever said:
With the Yankees floundering and Boston in first place, I figured it would be okay to post this thread in the Yankees’ forum so that our handful of suffering Yankee fans could take their minds off 2021.
My favorite seasons were 1977-78 because the Yankees fought among themselves, got their manager fired, and still won the World Series in both seasons. Beating out a very strong Red Sox team that deserved to win a World Series in the primes of Rice, Lynn and Fisk.

Yes, and they did it with the help of the only Yankee that I ever truly loved, and still respect madly, Mr October himself, the brilliant Reggie Martinez Jackson. Though I am from Massachusetts I lived and worked in NYC for 27 years. Those are my two favorite seasons as well, and I agree with you we had a red Sox team merveilleux . I will also give a shout out to the 2004 season, since beating the Yankees that year, and in that fashion, made me so happy that I truly felt a joy that allowed me to feel that i could die happy, and satisfied with my tenure on this earth and that lasted for many years just that pure glow of WOW! what a karmic BOOM

aminahyaquin · Jul 22, 2021

SoxJox said:
In my lifetime, there is only one season that to me is the greatest.

1961.

WS 4-1 over Cincy, who fielded a very solid team with Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, and who had 3 solid starters in Jim O'Toole (18-9), Joey Jay (21-10) and Bob Turley (16-10)

Mantle.

Maris - season MVP

Ford - WS MVP. And Cy Young with a 25-4 record.

And just a great bunch of ballers: Elston Howard, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, and "Hey Boo Boo" Berra.

AMAZING team. WOW! Yogi. another treasure that transcends the Yankee label ( i know i am a ringer on this thread) but also Whitey -- another genius on the field in a year that featured a full team of them

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