For the New York Yankees, the 1980s and early 1990s represented a drought. But thanks to his estate, a more measured way of competing and the arrival of veterans like Paul O’Neill, David Cone and even Wade Boggs, they began to take a turn. In 1995, they returned to the postseason, although it is possible that they would have been champions in 1994, if a World Series had been played that year.
But it was in 1996 that everything fell into place. In fact, although the Yankees had good teams in 1994 and 1995, those editions have been forgotten. Before 1996, the Bombers had Bernie Williams, left-hander Andy Pettitte and, for 10 starts in 1995, Mariano Rivera of Panama. But neither Joe Torre nor Derek Jeter were there. Therefore, the 1996 edition was the first of those Yankees that we remember.
The 1996 Yankees weren’t the best version of the club’s dynasty. They started the season playing under snow. They won just 92 games. None of his hitters hit 30 home runs and none of his starters had an ERA better than 3.80. But I bet many Yankees fans would say that of the five titles the franchise won from 1996 to 2009, the first was the one they enjoyed the most.
The additions of Torre and Jeter weren’t the only reasons the Yankees were crowned in 1996, nor were they the main ones. But they made a difference and the beginning of a new era. Torre was coming off being fired by the Cardinals after two losing seasons and six without making the playoffs.
In reality, the Yankees shouldn’t have been favorites heading into the 1996 postseason. The Indians had won seven more games in the regular season and had much more playoff experience. The Braves were coming off winning the World Series the year before. Even the Rangers had a MVP, Puerto Rican Juan “Igor” González. But the Yankees had a certain vibe. They looked like champions before they were.
That team featured old-time veterans, including Dwight Gooden, Mariano Duncan, Cecil Fielder, Darryl Strawberry and Tim Raines. But it was the young players who set the spark: Jeter, Pettite, Puerto Rican catcher Jorge Posada, Rivera, and Williams. After trailing 2-0 in the World Series and 6-0 in Game 4, they battled for the crown.
The Yankees have been, for better or worse, MLB’s flagship team for the past 25 years. Since 1996, they have been in the middle of it all.
Here are some other facts that stood out from the 1996 season:
1. Jeter was recognized as Rookie of the Year in 1996 only because Rodriguez, who was just 20 years old, had played too many games in 1995, a total of 48, with 149 at-bats. Therefore, he was no longer considered a rookie. It was a good thing for Jeter, as A-Rod had better numbers in 1996: batting average of .358, 36 home runs and 54 doubles. Rodriguez even finished second in the Young Circuit MVP voting. The A-Rod / Jeter rivalry would take many forms over the next two decades, but the seed was there from the beginning.
2. Another name that would dominate baseball for the next decade: Barry Bonds. In 1996, the gunner reached 300 career home runs, set a career-high with 151 walks (a number that would exceed more than three times in his career) and became the second player in history with at least 40 home runs and 40 bases. stolen in one season. He also won his sixth Golden Glove.
3. The National League MVP in 1996 was Ken Caminiti, who had been called up to only one All-Star Game before breaking out with the Padres at age 33, in part for reasons we would learn about later. Caminiti hit 40 home runs with 130 RBIs in 1996 and also won a Gold Glove for a San Diego team that captured the NL West title and made the playoffs for the first time since reaching the World Series in 1984.
4. Those who beat the Padres in the 1996 National League Division Series were the Cardinals, a team that was making the playoffs for the first time in nine years. St. Louis had replaced Torre with Tony La Russa, who came from Oakland. La Russa would be in the cave of the Cardinals for 14 seasons, in which he won two World Series.
5. The 1996 season began with a tragedy: On Opening Day in Cincinnati, referee John McSherry suffered a heart attack on the field and could not be resurrected.
6. Because the Oakland Coliseum was being remodeled, the Athletics began their campaign in Las Vegas. It was also the final year at Atlanta’s Fulton-County Stadium where Hank Aaron hit his historic 715 home run to break Babe Ruth’s then-all-time record.
7. Two baseball legends said goodbye in 1996, prematurely, due to health reasons. Kirby Puckett was coming off a terrific season in 1995. At 35, he had been called up to the All-Star Game before a fastball from Nicaraguan Dennis Martinez broke his jaw, ending his season. Puckett was hitting .344 in spring training in 1996 before being diagnosed with glaucoma, a condition for which he lost sight in his right eye. He ended up retiring in June of that year. That same month, Tommy Lasorda, who suffered a heart attack in June, also retired. Four years later, he would guide the United States Olympic team to the gold medal.
8. The 1996 season was the last of Roger Clemens’ 13 seasons in Boston, and it wasn’t a very memorable one: “El Rohete” was 10-13 with a 3.63 ERA and worst walk rate. of his career up to that point. The Red Sox left Clemens to sign in the winter with Toronto, where he would win two Cy Young Awards. In one of his last starts for Boston, Clemens struck out 20 batters in a win over the Tigers.
9. Cal Ripken Jr. had beaten Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games the previous year. The streak would continue for another two years, but was in jeopardy in 1996. While preparing to take his American League team photo for the All-Star Game, White Sox closer Roberto Hernández slipped and with his left arm he accidentally struck Ripken in the face, breaking his nose. However, Ripken’s streak remained intact. The shortstop even saw action in that Mid-Season Classic.
10. One aspect of baseball that started in 1996 and still lives on: Games broadcast on FOX. The network signed a five-year contract with Major League Baseball. (GG) (Taken MLB. Com)