2005 New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have had the most consistent run at the top of their division of any team in major league history. Now, they can claim a unique collapse under pressure, as they blew a 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Division Series. True to form, the Yankees finished 2004 atop the American League East Division, and they expect to win the 2005 World Series. Such a great team deserves good fan support, and you can be sure that tickets to Yankees games are at a premium.

The Yankees franchise originated as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901, but it moved to Manhattan Island in 1903 because AL president Ban Johnson wanted an AL team in New York City. Named the Highlanders for the elevated ground on which its stadium was built, the franchise struggled in its new home. In 1913 the club moved to the Polo Grounds, a stadium it shared with the National League's New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants).

The Yankees struggled until 1920, when they purchased Babe Ruth's contract from the Boston Red Sox. The club had Ruth drop pitching and concentrate on his hitting, with spectacular results: He hit 54 home runs during his first year in New York, more than any other team in the league hit during that year. In 1921 Ruth led the Yankees to their first pennant. His .378 batting average, 59 home runs, and 171 runs batted in (RBIs) remains one of the best seasons of any hitter in major league history.

The club moved in 1923 to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where the first Yankee dynasty was born. The Yankees won four more pennants and three World Series during the 1920s, and the 1927 team is widely considered the most powerful team in baseball history. Ruth hit 60 home runs that year. By the time he retired in 1935, Ruth had hit 714 home runs. His career home run record stood for 39 years until broken by Hank Aaron.

The Yankees failed to win a pennant from 1965 to 1975. A group headed by George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973 and restored the team's competitive edge. In 1977 the Yankees won their first World Series in 15 years with a lineup starring Reggie Jackson, catcher Thurman Munson, and third baseman Graig Nettles. New York repeated as champion in 1978, with pitcher Ron Guidry compiling a 25-3 record.

The Yankees missed postseason play from 1982 until 1995. After hiring veteran manager Joe Torre at the end of 1995, the Yankees' 17-season championship drought ended in 1996 with a World Series victory over the Atlanta Braves. In 1998 the Yankees compiled a 114-48 regular-season record and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

In the 1999 World Series they swept the Braves. In 2000, despite a late-season slump, the Yankees reached the World Series again and faced off against their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets. The Yankees won the series, 4 games to 1, to become the first team to win three straight titles since the Oakland Athletics did so from 1972 to 1974. In 2001 New York again reached the World Series, but the Yankees lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4 games to 3.

In 2003, New York won yet another American League pennant but lost to a relentless Florida Marlins team during the World Series 4-2.