With reasonable arguments available on either side, the New York Yankees can be viewed as baseball’s iconic franchise or as merely The Evil Empire.
Either way, with the Yankees visiting Seattle this weekend, it’s a worthy time to present 20 factoids about the sport’s winningest franchise:
1, Sometime in the not-too-distant future, no Yankee will be allowed to wear a uniform number lower than 11.
When Derek Jeter (No. 2) and Joe Torre (No. 6) have their numbers retired, they will join Billy Martin (No. 1), Babe Ruth (No. 3), Lou Gehrig (No. 4), Joe DiMaggio (No. 5), Mickey Mantle (No. 7), Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey (both No. 8), Roger Maris (No. 9), and Phil Rizzuto (No. 10).
New York also has retired eight other numbers.
2, Jeter is the Yankees’ all-time leader in hits with 2,845.
3, In 1978, Bucky Dent hit what proved to be a game-winning homer in a one-game playoff against the Red Sox. Dent’s name is usually uttered with an expletive by Boston fans.
4, Although he has spent only seven of his 17 seasons with the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez is tied for seventh on the franchise’s home run list with 252. That is the most he has hit with any team.
5, Babe Ruth holds the franchise record for single-season batting average, hitting .393 in 1923. He also holds the franchise career record, with a mark of .349 during his time as a Yankee.
6, The Yankees’ 27 World Series titles are more than the next three teams combined. They are followed by the Cardinals with 10, the Athletics with nine, and the Red Sox with seven.
7, New York’s payroll of $206 million this year is more than the lowest four teams combined — the Pirates, Padres, Athletics, and Rangers.
8, In 2009, manager Joe Girardi wore uniform No. 27 because the Yankees were seeking their 27th championship. This year, he’s No. 28.
9, Girardi became the ninth manager to lead the Yankees to a title, along with Miller Huggins, Joe McCarthy, Bucky Harris, Casey Stengel, Ralph Houk, Billy Martin, Bob Lemon and Joe Torre.
10, The Yankees’ all-time leader in wins is Whitey Ford with 236. Nine current franchises have had a pitcher with more victories: The Orioles, White Sox, Twins, Indians, Athletics, Braves, Phillies, Cardinals, and Giants.
11, The Yankees adopted their iconic logo with an interlocking N and Y in 1909. The famous pinstripes on the home uniforms became a fixture in 1915.
12, New York has had 43 players or managers who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, not necessarily for what they did with the Yankees. By comparison, the Mariners have had three in their relatively short history: Gaylord Perry, Rich Gossage, and manger Dick Williams.
Surprisingly, the Yankees’ total is not the highest among all teams. The Giants have the most with 55, followed by the Dodgers and Braves. But all three of those National League teams predate the Yankees by at least 17 years.
13, Proof that it’s good to be a Yankee: As a backup catcher behind Yogi Berra, Charlie Silvera appeared in one World Series game but was a member of six championship teams.
14, The Yankees came into existence in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles. After two seasons, they moved to New York and became the Highlanders because their ballpark sat atop one of the highest points in Manhattan. In 1913, they officially became the Yankees.
15, New York won its first pennant in 1921. It won its first World Series title in 1923.
16, New York bought Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox prior to the 1920 season. Legend has it that Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to finance the Broadway play, “No, No, Nanette.”
17, In 2003, Aaron Boone hit a walk-off homer in the 12th inning to beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS. Boone’s name is usually uttered with an expletive by Boston fans.
18, Rickey Henderson is the Yankees’ career leader in stolen bases with 326 during his 4½ seasons with the club.
19, From 1926-64, New York had 39 straight winning seasons.
20, And finally, here’s one man’s all-time Yankee team, based only on what a player did while with New York:
C—Yogi Berra
1B—Lou Gehrig
2B—Willie Randolph
3B—Alex Rodriguez
SS—Derek Jeter
LF—Charlie Keller
CF—Mickey Mantle
RF—Babe Ruth
SP—Whitey Ford
SP—Red Ruffing
SP—Ron Guidry
SP—Lefty Gomez
RP—Mariano Rivera
RP—Rich Gossage
Question or comment for By the Numbers? You can reach Greg Jayne, Sports editor of The Columbian, at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
