New York Yankees

s|alt=Closeup shot of a gold ring with "NY" in the middle. The Yankees have won 27 World Series in 41 appearances, the most in Major League Baseball in addition to major North American professional sports leagues. The Yankees have lost 14 World Series which is tied for the most in MLB with the Dodgers. The Yankees have faced the Dodgers in 12 World Series, going 8–4 overall. Among North American major sports, the Yankees' success is approached by only the 24 Stanley Cup championships of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. The Yankees have played in the World Series against every National League pennant winner except the Houston Astros (who now play in the American League), the Colorado Rockies, and the Washington Nationals. Through 2025, the Yankees have an all-time regular season winning percentage of .569 (a 10,872 – 8,216 record), the best of any team in MLB history. On June 25, 2019, they set a new major league record for homering in 28 consecutive games, breaking the record set by the 2002 Texas Rangers. The streak would reach 31 games, during which they hit 57 home runs. With the walk-off solo home run by DJ LeMahieu to win the game against the Oakland Athletics on August 31, 2019, the Yankees ended the month of August that year now holding a new record of 74 home runs hit in the month alone, a new record for the most home runs hit in a month by a single MLB team. ==World Series championships==

The Yankees have won a record 27 World Series championships. Their most recent one came when the new stadium opened in 2009; they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games under manager Joe Girardi. ==Team nicknames==

The team has acquired different nicknames over the years by both baseball personalities and the media. Sportswriter Fred Lieb, in a 1922 story for the Baseball Magazine, said he will call the club "the Yanks" in his articles. By 1935, the name had caught on among sportswriters around the country. A less used nickname is "the Pinstripes" or "Pinstripers", in reference to the iconic feature on their home uniforms. The term "Murderers' Row" has historically been used to refer to both the 1920s Yankees and the team altogether. Critics often refer to the team and the organization as "the Evil Empire", a term applied to the Yankees by Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino in a 2002 interview with The New York Times after the Yankees signed pitching prospect José Contreras. Ironically, Yankee fans and supporters refer to their team as the "Evil Empire" as a badge of honor and in fact enjoy having their team play the villain. The team also embraced the label as well, with the stadium playing "The Imperial March" from Star Wars, the song associated with antagonist Darth Vader, at home games. A term from the team's tumultuous late 1970s, "the Bronx Zoo", is sometimes used by detractors, as well as the "Damn Yankees", after the musical of the same name. ==Logos and uniforms==

The Yankees logo and uniform design has changed throughout the team's history. During the inaugural Highlanders season in 1903, the uniform featured a large "N" and a "Y" on each breast. In 1909, the "N" and "Y" were combined and was added to both the left breast and caps. The current cap look, a navy blue hat with the white interlocking "NY" letters, was adopted in 1932. New York Yankees Primary Logo.svg|Primary logo NewYorkYankees caplogo.svg|Cap insignia NewYorkYankees JerseyLogo.svg|Jersey insignia New York Yankees logo.svg|Print insignia New York Yankees Script Wordmark 2.png|Wordmark logo Merchandise with the Yankees logo, such as baseball caps, is popular worldwide, including in countries where the sport of baseball is not popular. According to a 2023 New York Times report, for instance, Yankees caps (mostly counterfeit) are "viral" in Brazil. Customers there mostly do not know that the logo represents a baseball team, but think of it as "a classic piece of Americana, a status symbol, or a generic—perhaps chic—emblem of the West". ==Popularity==

Fan support " holding one of his signs near the bleachers entrance before a game between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers|alt=Full body shot of fan Freddy Sez, holding a pan with a shamrock and a sign that says "SCREAM-WHISTLE, KEEP UP NOISE!, IT HELPS YANKS!". With their recurring success since the 1920s, the Yankees have since been one of the most popular teams in the world, with their fan base coming from much further than the New York metropolitan area. The Yankees typically bring an upsurge in attendance at all or most of their various road-trip venues, drawing crowds of their own fans, as well as home-town fans whose interest is heightened when the Yankees come to town. The Yankees have consistently been the most attended MLB games. The first 1 million-fan season was in 1920, when more than 1.2 millions fans attended Yankee games at the Polo Grounds. According to Baseball-Reference.com, the 2008 season saw the most fans per game in Yankees history, with an average of 53,000 per game. The Yankees were the league leaders in "road attendance" each year from 2001 through 2006. Some Yankees superfans have become notable in their own right. One famous fan was Freddy Schuman, popularly known as "Freddy Sez." For over 50 years, he came to the Yankees' home games with a baseball cap, a Yankees' jersey (which on the back bears his own name), and a cake pan with a shamrock painted on it, which was connected to a sign inscribed with words of encouragement for the home team. Schuman died on October 17, 2010, at the age of 85. The popularity of the Yankees also extended internationally. According to a Major League Baseball executive, the Yankees logo is considered a "sign of quality" despite many people not knowing the team. The Bleacher Creatures |alt=A black shirt with a skull in the middle with the text "Bleacher Creatures" on top and "Bronx, New York" below. The "Bleacher Creatures" are a group of fans known for their strict allegiance to the Yankees and are often merciless to opposing fans who sit in the section and cheer for the road team. They occupied Section 39 in the right-field bleachers at the old Yankee Stadium and occupy Section 203 in the new stadium. The Bleacher Creatures are known for their use of chants and songs, with the "roll call" at the beginning of each home game being the most prominent. The "creatures" got their nickname from New York Daily News columnist Filip "Flip" Bondy, who spent the 2004 season sitting in the section for research on his book about the group, Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium, published in 2005. Throughout the years both at the old and new stadiums, the Bleacher Creatures have attracted controversy for the use of derogatory and homophobic chants and rowdiness aimed at both opposing fans and players. The Judge's Chambers at Yankee Stadium In 2017, team management ordered the creation of a special cheer section in Section 104, "the Judge's Chambers", for fans of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, a young superstar. They were the second AL team to create a special cheering section, after the Seattle Mariners' "King's Court" for pitcher Félix Hernández. The section's 18 seats are given to lucky ticketholders and their families, along with black judicial robes with the team logo on the front and Judge's 99 jersey number on the back; before the addition of the section, fans were wearing white wigs and judicial robes to games. Occasionally, community organizations, charities and Little League teams are given precedence when selecting participants. The seats, which are close to his position in right field, are surrounded by mahogany wood to emulate the appearance of the city's courthouses. Team ownership The Yankees baseball club is owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, a holding company in turn majorly owned by the Steinbrenner family. Yankee Global Enterprises also has a majority stake in the YES Network, the Yankees main television network. Since purchasing the team from CBS in 1973, George Steinbrenner was involved in daily team operations, including player and manager signings. Steinbrenner retired from day-to-day team operations in 2005, handing over control to Steve Swindal, his then son-in-law. Swindal was bought out in 2007 with George's son Hal Steinbrenner becoming chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises and the team's managing partner. George Steinbrenner, citing declining health, formally handed control of the team to both Hal and brother Hank in October 2007. George Steinbrenner died in 2010 and Hank died ten years later, leaving Hal as the main managing partner. In 2008, the Yankees announced a joint venture with the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys to form the basis for a partnership in running food and beverage, and other catering services to both teams' stadiums. The Yankees has consistently been one of the most valuable sport teams in the world. In 2013, Forbes magazine ranked New York Yankees as the fourth most valuable sports team in the world, behind association football clubs Real Madrid of La Liga, Manchester United of the Premier League and Barcelona of La Liga, a value of $2.3 billion. In 2017, Forbes magazine ranked the Yankees as the second most valuable sports team at $3.7 billion behind the Dallas Cowboys, up 9% from 2016. In 2019, Forbes magazine again ranked the Yankees as the most valuable MLB team at $4.6 billion, up 15% from 2018, behind only the Dallas Cowboys. In 2022, the Yankees were again ranked as the second most valuable team behind the Cowboys, valued at $6 billion. The team's value rose again in 2023, rising 17% from 2022 to $7.1 billion, and keeping the Yankees as the second most valuable sports team in the world behind the Cowboys. In 2024 the team's value rose to $7.55 billion, but the team fell to fourth overall in the ranking with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Rams passing the Yankees. Criticism With the long-term success of the franchise and a large Yankee fanbase, many fans of other teams have come to dislike the Yankees. When the Yankees are on the road, it is common for the home fans to chant "Yankees Suck". According to the opinion poll and analytics website FiveThirtyEight, the Yankees were MLB's least liked team, with 48% of fans expressing an "unfavorable" view of the team. Their payroll was around $200 million at the start of the 2008 season, the highest of any American sports team. In 2005, the team's average player salary was $2.6 million with the Yankees having the five highest paid players in MLB. During his tenure as team owner, George Steinbrenner attracted controversy for his public criticism of players and managers and for high personnel turnover. Manager Billy Martin was hired and fired a total of five times under Steinbrenner. ==Fight and theme songs==

"|alt=Wide shot of the ground crew on the baseball field dancing. The official fight song for the Yankees is "Here Come the Yankees", written in 1967 by Bob Bundin and Lou Stallman. The song was used extensively in radio and television broadcast introductions. The song, however, did not catch on with fans and has been rarely used past the 1990s. This is contrasted to other, more popular fight songs such as "Meet the Mets", which is played at every Mets home game. Another song strongly linked to the team is "New York, New York", which is played in the stadium after home games. George Steinbrenner started having the song played during the 1980 season. The Frank Sinatra cover version was traditionally played after victories, and the Liza Minnelli original version after losses. However, due to a complaint from Minnelli, the Yankees began playing the Frank Sinatra version after all home games, regardless of the result. The song was also played following their 2003 World Series loss at home. A wide selection of songs are played regularly at the stadium, many of them live on the Stadium's Hammond organ. One of the popular songs is "God Bless America", which has been played during the seventh-inning stretch since September 11. The version typically played for many years since 2001 was an abbreviated version of Kate Smith's rendition. In 2019 the Yankees stopped playing Smith's rendition to allegations of racism in some of her songs. The team switched to a live version by the stadium organist during the stretch in the interim. In 2021, the organ version was replaced by a recording of the Robert Merrill cover of the song. Merrill was the national anthem singer in the old Yankees Stadium for Opening Day and other special events before dying in 1998. During the 5th inning, the grounds crew grooms the field while the Village People song "Y.M.C.A." plays. During the song's chorus, the crew members stop working and do the "YMCA" poses. Former Yankees executive Joseph Molloy said that he saw fans dancing to the song during a spring training game in the mid-1990s. Molloy told Steinbrenner, who started to play the song at the stadium. ==Radio and television==

, Paul O'Neill, Ken Singleton, and Ryan Ruocco in the YES Network broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium in 2009|alt=Wide shot of the Yankees television broadcast booth with Michael Kay to the left, Paul O'Neill and Ken Singleton in the center, and Ryan Ruocco to the right. The Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network was launched in 2002 and serves as the primary home of the New York Yankees. As of 2026, Michael Kay is the play-by-play announcer with David Cone, Joe Girardi, and Paul O'Neill working as commentators as part of a three-man, or occasionally two-man, booth. Bob Lorenz hosts both the pre-game and the post-game shows with Jack Curry, and Meredith Marakovits and Nancy Newman are the on-site reporters. Select games are available streaming only on Amazon Prime in the New York metropolitan area; these games formerly aired on WPIX and WWOR-TV. Radio broadcasts are on the Yankees Radio Network, the flagship station being WFAN 660 AM, with Dave Sims as the play-by-play announcer and Suzyn Waldman providing the commentary. Spanish-language broadcasts are on WADO 1280 AM, with Rickie Ricardo calling the games. Past announcers • Mel Allen was the team's lead announcer from 1948 to 1964. He was known as "The voice of the Yankees." • Russ Hodges had a brief stint with Mel Allen before he took over as the lead announcer with the New York Giants. • Red Barber called Yankees games for 13 seasons, from 1954 to 1966. • Jerry Coleman called Yankees games from 1963 to 1970. Coleman was the Yankees second baseman from 1949 to 1957. • Joe Garagiola called Yankees games from 1965 to 1967. • Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White teamed together in the 1970s and 1980s. Rizzuto, with 40 years in the broadcast booth, was the longest-serving broadcaster in the history of the club. Messer and White each worked nearly two decades for the Yankees, with White notably moving on to become president of the National League in 1989. • Bobby Murcer also called games for over twenty years, and continued with the YES Network until shortly before his death from brain cancer in 2008. • John Sterling called Yankees games on radio from 1989 to 2024, and also hosted select team-related programs on the YES Network. ==Personnel==

Active roster Retired numbers The Yankees have retired 22 numbers for 24 individuals, the most in Major League Baseball. CC Sabathia's No. 52 will become the 23rd number retired by the Yankees on September 26, 2026. The retired numbers were displayed behind the old Yankee Stadium's left-field fence and in front of the opposing team's bullpen, forming a little alley that connects Monument Park to the left-field stands. When the franchise moved across the street to the new stadium, the numbers were incorporated into Monument Park that sits in center field between both bullpens. The 21 numbers are placed on the wall in chronological order, beginning with Lou Gehrig's number 4. This was retired soon after Gehrig left baseball on July 4, 1939, the same day he gave his famous farewell speech. His was the first number retired in Major League Baseball history. Beneath the numbers are plaques with the names of the players and a descriptive paragraph. Players who wore No. 42 at the time were allowed to continue to wear it until they left the team with which they played on April 15, 1997; Mariano Rivera was the last active player covered under that grandfather clause. In 1972, the number 8 was retired for two players on the same day, in honor of catcher Bill Dickey and his protege, catcher Yogi Berra. Berra inherited Dickey's number in 1948 after Dickey ended his playing career and became a coach. The numbers 37 and 6, retired for Casey Stengel and Joe Torre respectively, are the only numbers retired by the Yankees for someone who served solely as manager of the team. Stengel managed the Yankees to ten pennants and seven world championships between 1949 and 1960, including a record five consecutive world championships from 1949 through 1953. Joe Torre managed the Yankees from 1996 to 2007, winning six pennants and four World Series championships. On May 14, 2017, the Yankees retired number 2 in honor of Derek Jeter. This leaves 0 as the only single-digit number available for future Yankees. CC Sabathia will have his #52 retired by the New York Yankees on September 26. Hall of Famers ==Rivalries==

The Yankees have multiple rivalries, most notably with the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have rivalries with former crosstown National League teams the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, and current crosstown rivals the New York Mets. The storied Dodgers–Yankees rivalry dates to the Dodgers' tenure in Brooklyn. The two teams have met in the World Series 12 times, including five since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. More recently, the Yankees have formed a rivalry with the Houston Astros after multiple postseason meetings and the revelations of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Intraleague Boston Red Sox The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous, and fiercest rivalries in professional sports. The inaugural game between the two teams occurred in 1903, when the Yankees (then known as the Highlanders) hosted the Red Sox (then named the Americans) at Hilltop Park. The rivalry gave rise to the Curse of the Bambino: after Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees in 1920, the Red Sox did not win a World Series until 2004, 86 years later. The rivalry can be a heated subject, especially in the Northeastern United States. Since the inception of the wild card team and an added Division Series, the rivals have met in the playoffs five times (the Yankees won the 1999 and 2003 American League Championship Series; the Red Sox won in the 2004 American League Championship Series, 2018 American League Division Series, and the 2021 American League Wild Card Game). The teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the AL pennant: in 1904 (when the Red Sox won) and in 1949 (when the Yankees won). The teams finished tied for first in 1978, when the Yankees, down 14 games to the Sox midway through the season, won a high-profile tie-breaker playoff for the AL East division title. Similarly, the 2004 ALCS saw the Yankees, who led the series 3 games to 0, lost the next four games and the series Cleveland Guardians A long-standing rivalry between the Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians (formerly known as the Cleveland Indians) developed in the 1920s, when Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman died on the field after Yankees pitcher Carl Mays hit Chapman in the head with a fastball. Cleveland would rally following the incident, winning their first World Series title in , but the Yankees' subsequent dynastic run between and prevented Cleveland from attaining further success, other than another World Series title in and several winning seasons that followed. As a result, animosity ensued between the two franchises, pitting the perennially free-spending and dominant Yankees against the more conservative and underdog Indians. George Steinbrenner would also be involved in the rivalry, in which he nearly purchased the Indians in the early 1970s; instead, he acquired majority ownership of the Yankees and led the team to seven World Series titles under his ownership. Since the advent of divisional playoffs in , both teams faced off in seven postseason series, most recently in the 2024 American League Championship Series, with the Yankees winning five of the seven meetings. Houston Astros The Yankees' rivalry with the Astros emerged after the latter team moved to the American League in 2013 and eventually ascended to title contenders. The two teams have met in four postseason rounds, all of which were won by Houston. However, like the Astros' rivalry with the Dodgers, animosity grew immediately after the Astros were revealed to have stolen signs during their 2017 championship season, as well as the Yankees' inability to overcome Houston in the playoffs despite fielding equally strong rosters. Both teams are tied all-time with 43 wins apiece, but the Astros own a 13–5 postseason record. Interleague Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers and the Yankees have met 12 times in the World Series, more than any other two teams from the American and National Leagues. The rivalry began when the Dodgers played in Brooklyn, and the two teams faced each other in seven Subway Series in the 1940s and 1950s. After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in , the rivalry continued as the teams represented two of the largest cities on each coast of the United States. Fan support has added to the notoriety of the series as both teams are supported by two of the largest fanbases in North America. Although the rivalry's significance arose from the two teams' numerous World Series meetings, the Yankees and Dodgers did not meet in the World Series between and . Nevertheless, games between the two teams have drawn sellout crowds. New York Mets: Subway Series The Subway Series is a series of games played between teams based in New York City. The name originates from the New York City Subway and the accessibility of the each team's stadium within the subway system. Historically, the term "Subway Series" referred to games played between the Yankees and either the New York Giants or the Brooklyn Dodgers. Since the Dodgers and Giants have moved to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, the New York Mets were established as an expansion team in 1962. The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams. The Yankees have appeared in all Subway Series games as they have been the only American League team in the city, and have compiled an 11–3 record in the 14 championship Subway Series. The most recent World Series between the two New York teams was in 2000, when the Yankees defeated the Mets in five games. Since 1997, the term "Subway Series" has also been applied to interleague play during the regular season between the Yankees and National League New York Mets. San Francisco Giants Though in different leagues, the Yankees have also been historical rivals of the New York Giants, who have since moved to San Francisco for the 1958 season. Before the institution of interleague play in 1997, the two teams had little opportunity to play each other except in seven World Series: , , , , , and , the Yankees winning last five of the seven Series. The teams have met five times in regular season interleague play: In 2002 at the old Yankee Stadium, in 2007 at Oracle Park (then known as AT&T Park), in 2013, 2016, and 2023 at the current Yankee Stadium, and in 2019 at Oracle Park. The teams' next regular season meetings will occur yearly, with the advent of the balanced schedule format introduced in 2023. In his July 4, 1939, farewell speech ending with the renowned "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth", Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 consecutive games, declared that the Giants were a team he "would give his right arm to beat, and vice versa". ==Minor league affiliations==

The New York Yankees farm system consists of six minor league affiliates. == See also ==