After winning four World Series in the past five seasons, the 1996-2000 New York Yankees deserve a place near the sport’s summit.
But where?
Are they better than their pinstriped predecessors or the Philadelphia Athletics juggernauts of Connie Mack? What about Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” or the three-in-a-row Oakland A’s of the 1970s?
Let’s set a few rules for our dynastic discussion. Only a team that has won at least two straight World Series, or a Series winner that played in three straight Fall Classics is eligible.
Winning is not enough. Our top teams need to dominate over a period of years, the longer the better. A winning percentage of at least .600 is a good idea. So is a high run differential.
Not quite making the cut are the 1912-18 Boston Red Sox, the 1921-24 New York Giants, the 1947-56 Brooklyn Dodgers and the 1976-81 Yankees.
Our dynastic dozen represents every decade of the 20th Century except the 1980s, when nine different teams won championships.
1) 1936-1942 New York Yankees
701-371, .654
Five world championships (1936-39, 1941), six AL pennants (1936-39, 1941-42).
Run differential: + 1.82
Marquee names: Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, Lou Gehrig (1936-1939), Joe McCarthy (manager).
Record to remember: The 1936-39 Yankees led the AL in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed an unprecedented four straight seasons.
No dynasty showed more sustained excellence than the 1936-42 Yankees, particularly the four-time champs of 1936-39. In the World Series of 1936-39 and 1941, the Yankees were 20-4. During the six pennant seasons, their average margin over the AL second-place team was 14 games. For seven seasons, including the subpar 1940 campaign (88-68), they averaged 100 victories in what amounted to a 153-game schedule because of rainouts.
The 1939 team, which General Manager Ed Barrow called superior to the more publicized ’27 crew, was the best of the best. The Yankees outscored the opposition by an astonishing 411 runs, a record 2.7 per game. Despite the tragic loss of Gehrig early in the season and DiMaggio missing 31 games with a muscle injury, the Yankees finished 106-45, then swept Cincinnati in the Series.
When World War II broke up the dynasty, and stalwarts like DiMaggio, Ruffing and Phil Rizzuto joined the service, the remaining Yankees were good enough to win the 1943 Series.
2) 1949-1953 New York Yankees
487-280, .635
Five world championships (1949-53), five AL pennants (1949-53).
Run differential: + 1.32
Marquee names: Yogi Berra, Allie Reynolds, Eddie Lopat, Joe DiMaggio (1949-51), Mickey Mantle (1951-53), Casey Stengel (manager).
Record to remember: Only team to win five straight World Series.
No single season stands out for the 1949-53 Yankees. No team won 100 games, although the five-year winning percentage of .635 would equal 103 victories per season over 162 games. Only the ’53 team won the pennant by more than five games or led the AL in runs scored.
But for five years, the Yankees won every crucial game. They repelled AL challenges from Boston, Detroit and Cleveland. Three times in the World Series they played and defeated an outstanding Brooklyn team, including the ’52 Series when the Yankees had to win Games 6 and 7 at a raucous Ebbets Field. Stengel was brilliant, juggling lineups with an innovative platoon system and being unafraid to use starting pitchers like Reynolds and Vic Raschi in relief.
So deep was the talent that some of the older players contributed to the 1947 world championship, while youngsters like Berra, Mantle and Whitey Ford continued to win titles into the 1960s.
3) 1996-2000 New York Yankees
487-322, .602
Four world championships (1996, 1998-2000), four AL pennants (1996, 1998-2000), four division titles (1996, 1998-2000) one wild-card (1997).
Run differential: + 1.01
Marquee names: Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre (manager).
Record to remember: 14 straight World Series victories in 1996 and 1998-2000.
Aside from an American League-record 114 victories in 1998, these Yankees were not a great regular-season team. The 1996 champions won 92 games and the 2000 champs just 87. Only the ’98 team led the AL in runs scored and fewest runs allowed. But the 1996-2000 Yankees were a postseason marvel. They won 12 of 13 playoff series and their 46-15 record (22-3 in 1998-99) includes 13 victories when they trailed after six innings. Since losing Game 2 of the ’96 Series to Atlanta, the Yanks have won 16 of 17 games in the Fall Classic.
Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau says it’s “unlikely we’ll see that kind of postseason domination again in our lifetime.”
Much to the horror of Yankees haters, this dynasty’s run may not be over.
4) 1906-10 Chicago Cubs
530-235, .693
Two world championships (1907-08), four NL pennants (1906-08, 1910).
Run differential: + 1.48
Marquee names: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, “Wildfire” Schulte, Johnny Evers, Joe Tinker, Frank Chance (player-manager).
Record to remember: The 1906 Cubs won a major-league record 116 games.
Just like schoolchildren in Spain learn that their country was a world power in the 16th Century, it’s good for generation after generation of Cubs fans to learn that their favorite team was a baseball power early in the 20th Century. The 1906-10 Cubs’ five-year winning percentage of .693 is a major league record, the equivalent in a 162-game season of 112 victories per year. Four times these Cubs led the NL in fewest runs allowed and in fielding percentage.
Dead ball or not, this was a great team. In 1909, the one season the Cubs didn’t win the pennant, they still won 104 games. The 1907 team ERA was a record 1.73, with Brown leading the way at 1.39. An upset loss to the White Sox in the ’06 World Series is this dynasty’s major blemish.
5) 1970-76 Cincinnati Reds
683-443, .607
Two world championships (1975-76), four NL pennants (1970, 1972, 1975-76), five division titles (1970, 1972-73, 1975-76).
Run differential: + 1.14
Marquee names: Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan (1972-76), Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Sparky Anderson (manager).
Record to remember: The 1976 Reds went 7-0 in the postseason, the only unbeaten team in 31 years of multi-round playoffs.
The Reds, not counting a disastrous ’71 season (79-83), were a good team between 1970 and 1974 but not a great one. Despite their “Big Red Machine” reputation, the 1970-74 Reds never led the NL in scoring and were upset by the Reggie Jackson-less A’s in the ’72 Series and the 82-win Mets in the ’73 NLCS. The `70s Reds never led the league in fewest runs allowed, despite having the NL’s best defense.
Cincinnati finally reached its full potential beginning in May 1975, going 41-9 after a slow start then holding off the Red Sox in a classic World Series. The ’76 Reds were in a league of their own, leading the NL in every major offensive category, then sweeping the playoffs.
6) 1926-28 New York Yankees
302-160, 654
Two world championships (1927-28), three AL pennants (1926-28).
Run differential: + 1.60
Marquee names: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs, Waite Hoyt, Miller Huggins (manager).
Record to remember: The 1927-28 Yanks were the first team to sweep back-to-back World Series.
Ranking a dynasty that includes the ’27 Yankees (110-44) sixth seems like a crime against baseball. The ’27 powerhouse outhomered opponents by a record 116 and outscored the opposition by 2.44 runs per game. But the Murderers’ Row Yankees of legend had a relatively short run at the top. Ruth and Gehrig won only three World Series and four pennants in nine full seasons as teammates.
The ’26 Yankees are the only team in franchise history to blow a 3-2 lead in the Series, losing Games 6 and 7 at home to the underdog Cardinals.
7) 1929-31 Philadelphia Athletics
313-147, .680
Two world championships (1929-30), three AL pennants (1929-31).
Run differential: + 1.57.
Marquee names: Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Connie Mack (manager).
Record to remember: ’29 team rallied from an 8-0 deficit to score 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh and beat the Cubs 10-8 in Game 4 of the Series.
Hall of Famers Foxx, Cochrane and Simmons were outstanding but the A’s shining star was Grove who went 79-15 during the three-year run. Philly led the AL in fielding all three years and twice in fewest runs allowed. An upset seven-game loss to the Cardinals in the 1931 Series and a brief stay at the top keep Mack’s second dynasty from a higher rating.
8) 1960-64 New York Yankees
505-296, .630
Two world championships (1961-62), five AL pennants (1960-64).
Run differential: + 0.99 per game.
Marquee names: Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard.
Record to remember: 1961 team won a record 65 home games.
This favorite of New York Baby Boomers was the final installment of the Yankees monarchy that won 29 pennants between 1921 and 1964. The Mantle-Maris Yanks included one great team, the 1961 world champions that won 109 games, and four very good ones. But this team lost three World Series, including seventh games to Pittsburgh in 1960 and to St. Louis in 1964. The 1960-64 Yanks led the AL just twice in runs scored and only once in fewest allowed.
9) 1969-74 Baltimore Orioles
586-374, .610
One world championship (1970), three AL pennants (1969-71), five division titles (1969-71, 1973-74).
Run differential: + 1.06.
Marquee names: Frank Robinson (1969-71), Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Earl Weaver (manager).
Record to remember: 318 victories in three consecutive seasons (1969-71), an American League record.
The only dynasty on this list with one World Series crown, the Orioles of 1969-71 were nonetheless a terrific team. If Baltimore had not been stunned by the Mets in the 1969 Series or blown a 2-0 lead to Pittsburgh in 1971, there would be no debate about the Orioles’ merits. The 1969-74 Orioles led the AL five times in fewest runs allowed and twice in runs scored.
Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein, in their 2000 book “Baseball Dynasties” rank the ’70 Orioles among the sport’s top three teams. Merv Rettenmund, who played for both the ’70 Orioles and the ’75 Reds, says Baltimore would have beaten Cincinnati over a full season and called the Orioles “the best defensive team I’ve ever seen.”
10) 1971-75 Oakland Athletics
476-326, .594
Three world championships (1972-74), three AL pennants (1972-74), five division titles (1971-75).
Run differential: + 0.88
Marquee names: Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi.
Record to remember: Only non-Yankees team in history to win three straight World Series.
On the surface a team that wins three consecutive World Series should rank higher but the A’s of the early 1970s were more opportunistic than great. Their .594 winning percentage is the lowest of the 12 dynasties, as is their run differential. Only twice did Oakland have the best record in the American League and it led the AL just once in runs scored and once in fewest runs allowed.
The 1971-75 A’s playoff record was only 21-18 and both the ’72 and ’73 teams won the World Series despite being outscored.
11) 1942-46 St. Louis Cardinals
509-263, .659
Three world championships (1942, 1944, 1946), four National League pennants (1942-44, 1946).
Run differential: + 1.42
Marquee names: Stan Musial (missed 1945), Enos Slaughter (missed 1943-45), Mort Cooper, Marty Marion, Billy Southworth (manager 1942-45).
Record to remember: 1942 Cardinals were the only team in 16 World Series between 1927 and 1953 to beat the Yankees.
The Cardinals of the early 1940s suffer in memory because they played their best baseball during World War II when rosters throughout the major leagues were depleted. The Cardinals were luckier than most, losing Musial for only one season and keeping Marion and Cooper for the duration of the war. But when all the teams were at full strength for the 1946 season, St. Louis still won its third title in five years.
The ’42 Cards staged a memorable comeback, going 43-8 over the final two months of the season, including 13-1 in one-run games, to pass the 104-win Brooklyn Dodgers for the NL pennant.
12) 1910-14 Philadelphia Athletics
488-270, .644
Three world championships (1910-11, 1913), four American League pennants (1910-11, 1913-14).
Run differential per game: + 1.37
Marquee names: Eddie Collins, “Home Run” Baker, Eddie Plank, Jack Coombs, Connie Mack (manager).
Record to remember: First team to win three World Series over a four-year period.
The first of Mack’s two powerhouses, the 1910-14 Athletics were a superbly balanced team. They led the American League five times in fielding, four times in fewest runs allowed and twice in runs scored. Until the shocking four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Braves in the 1914 World Series, the A’s were 12-4 in the Fall Classic.
