1936–1951
The DiMaggio Era
Joe DiMaggio takes the torch from Ruth and Gehrig. Nine championships in 16 seasons. The 56-game hitting streak. The greatest sustained run of dominance in baseball.
The Yankee Clipper
Joe DiMaggio→KEY PLAYERS
The Stars of The DiMaggio Era
Joe DiMaggio
DiMaggio Era
Phil Rizzuto
DiMaggio Era
Bill Dickey
AVG: .313
DiMaggio Era
Joe Gordon
AVG: .272
DiMaggio Era
Red Ruffing
ERA: 3.60
DiMaggio Era
Lefty Gomez
ERA: 3.45
DiMaggio Era
Frankie Crosetti
AVG: .247
DiMaggio Era
Tommy Henrich
AVG: .282
DiMaggio Era
Red Rolfe
AVG: .289
DiMaggio Era
Charlie Keller
AVG: .287
DiMaggio Era
Snuffy Stirnweiss
AVG: .274
DiMaggio Era
George Selkirk
AVG: .291
DiMaggio Era
Johnny Lindell
AVG: .275
DiMaggio Era
Billy Johnson
AVG: .276
DiMaggio Era
Gene Woodling
AVG: .287
DiMaggio Era
Nick Etten
AVG: .277
DiMaggio Era
Bobby Brown
AVG: .277
DiMaggio Era
Johnny Murphy
ERA: 3.53
DiMaggio Era
Bud Metheny
AVG: .247
DiMaggio Era
Johnny Mize
AVG: .265
DiMaggio Era
SEASONS
1936–1951 Season by Season
DiMaggio Arrives
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Back-to-Back Championships
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Three-Peat
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Four Straight World Series Titles
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
DiMaggio wins batting title at .352 but the four-year dynasty ends with a September collapse
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
DiMaggio's 56-Game Streak
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
103 wins and four players with 100+ RBI, but the Cardinals stunned baseball's best team in five games
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Wartime Champions
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Wartime Yankees with Stirnweiss batting title and the tri-cornered game, but the Browns win the only pennant in franchise history
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
The wartime nadir -- new ownership, stars still overseas, Stirnweiss wins the batting title, and McCarthy's grip loosens
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Stars return from war, first night game at Yankee Stadium, Berra debuts, Reynolds acquired -- rebuilding for the dynasty to come
Mgr: Joe McCarthy / Bill Dickey / Johnny Neun
Bevens, Gionfriddo, and a Seven-Game Classic
Mgr: Bucky Harris
94 wins but third place in a three-way race -- Ruth's death, Harris fired, Stengel hired to build the next dynasty
Mgr: Bucky Harris
Stengel's Dynasty Begins
Mgr: Casey Stengel
DiMaggio's comeback, Ford's rookie debut, and a World Series sweep of the Whiz Kids
Mgr: Casey Stengel
DiMaggio's farewell, Mantle's arrival, and a third straight championship
Mgr: Casey Stengel
HISTORIC MOMENTS
Defining Moments of The DiMaggio Era
Joe DiMaggio's 1936 Rookie Debut
Joe DiMaggio debuted for the Yankees on May 3, 1936, and hit .323 with 29 home runs and 125 RBI as a rookie, starting a dynasty.
Five 100-RBI Players on the 1936 Yankees
The 1936 Yankees featured five players who drove in 100 or more runs -- Gehrig, DiMaggio, Dickey, Lazzeri, and Selkirk -- a feat never matched.
1936 World Series: Subway Series
The Yankees beat the Giants in six games in the 1936 World Series -- the first Subway Series since 1923 -- despite Carl Hubbell's Game 1 mastery.
1936 Yankees Dynasty Begins
The 1936 World Series victory launched the greatest dynasty run in baseball -- four consecutive pennants, four consecutive championships, a 16-3 October record.
Lou Gehrig's 1936 MVP Season
Lou Gehrig won his second AL MVP in 1936, hitting .354 with 49 home runs and 152 RBI, leading the Yankees to their first championship since 1932.
1937 World Series: Error-Free Excellence
The 1937 Yankees beat the Giants in five games without committing a single error -- 179 chances, zero mistakes -- the first error-free World Series.
Gomez and Ruffing: 1937 Pitching Dominance
Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing combined for 41 wins in 1937, anchoring a pitching staff that carried the Yankees to their second straight championship.
Joe DiMaggio's 1937 Breakout
Joe DiMaggio hit .346 with 46 home runs and 167 RBI in his second season, establishing himself as the best player in baseball.
Joe McCarthy's Push-Button Management
Joe McCarthy was dismissed as a 'push-button manager' riding great talent. The truth -- matchup analysis, platoons, workload management -- was decades ahead of its time.
Lou Gehrig's 1937 Twilight Brilliance
Lou Gehrig hit .351 with 37 home runs and 159 RBI in 1937, his final truly great season before ALS symptoms began to appear.
Joe Gordon's 1938 Rookie Season
Joe Gordon replaced Tony Lazzeri at second base and set an AL record with 25 home runs for a second baseman in his rookie year.
Joe DiMaggio's 1938 Holdout
Joe DiMaggio held out for $40,000, settled for $25,000, missed the first 12 games, then hit .324 with 32 home runs to silence the boos.
Lou Gehrig's 1938 Decline and Redemption
Lou Gehrig hit .295 with 29 home runs in 1938 -- his worst full season in 13 years -- while reaching his 2,000th consecutive game, foreshadowing the ALS diagnosis.
1938 World Series Sweep of the Cubs
The Yankees swept the Cubs in the 1938 World Series for their third consecutive championship, the first modern three-peat.
Red Ruffing's 1938 World Series Mastery
Red Ruffing threw two complete-game victories on three days' rest in the 1938 World Series, capping a 21-7 regular season.
Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech
Lou Gehrig delivers his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech at Yankee Stadium after his ALS diagnosis.
Buddy Rosar Hits for the Cycle
Yankees catcher Buddy Rosar hit for the cycle on July 19, 1940.
1940: Dynasty Ends with September Collapse
The Yankees' four-year championship run ended with a third-place finish after a September fade.
DiMaggio's 1940 Batting Title
DiMaggio won his second batting title with a .352 average in the dynasty's final season.
Joe DiMaggio's 56-Game Hitting Streak
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak comes to an end. The record still stands as one of the most unbreakable in sports.
Gomez and Ruffing: 1941 Pitching Rotation
Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing each won 15 games in 1941 -- their last effective season together -- while Ernie Bonham emerged with a staff-best 2.98 ERA.
1941 World Series: Yankees vs. Dodgers
The Yankees beat the Dodgers in five games in the first Yankees-Dodgers World Series, remembered for Mickey Owen's dropped third strike in Game 4.
Charlie Keller's 1941 Power Season
Charlie Keller hit 33 home runs in 1941 -- a career high -- leading a lineup where four players hit 24 or more.
Tiny Bonham's 1942 Pitching Crown
Bonham went 21-5 with a 2.27 ERA and six shutouts in 1942, leading the AL in winning percentage and establishing himself as the staff ace before wartime disrupted everything.
1942 World Series: Cardinals Stun the Yankees
The Cardinals won four straight after dropping Game 1, ending the Yankees' streak of eight consecutive World Series victories with Kurowski's ninth-inning Game 5 homer.
Joe Gordon's 1942 MVP Season
Gordon won the 1942 AL MVP with 100+ RBI, anchoring a lineup with four players over the century mark -- the last great season before DiMaggio left for war.
Wartime Yankees: 1943 Organizational Depth
The 1943 Yankees lost DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Ruffing, and Henrich to military service but still won 98 games through organizational depth.
Charlie Keller's 1943 Power Season
Charlie Keller hit 31 home runs with 106 walks in 1943, leading the AL in OPS while anchoring the wartime lineup.
Nick Etten's 1943 RBI Production
Nick Etten drove in 107 runs in 1943 after arriving from the Phillies, providing steady first-base production for the wartime roster.
1943 World Series: Yankees vs. Cardinals
The Yankees beat the Cardinals in five games in the 1943 World Series, avenging their 1942 upset loss behind Chandler's two complete-game victories.
Spud Chandler's 1943 MVP Season
Spud Chandler went 20-4 with a 1.64 ERA in 1943, becoming the first Yankees pitcher to win the AL MVP award.
The 1944 Tri-Cornered Baseball Game
The Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers played a unique three-team exhibition game for war bonds.
Browns Clinch 1944 AL Pennant Over Yankees
The St. Louis Browns won their only pennant in franchise history, beating out the wartime Yankees.
Snuffy Stirnweiss's 1944 Batting Title
Stirnweiss won the AL batting title as a wartime replacement player.
Topping, Webb, and MacPhail Buy the Yankees
Dan Topping, Del Webb, and Larry MacPhail purchased the Yankees for $2.8 million in January 1945.
The Yankees' Stars at War: 1945 Military Service
DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Henrich, and others remained in military service for the third straight season.
Stirnweiss and Etten's 1945 Wartime Breakout
Stirnweiss won the batting title and Etten led the league in home runs during the final wartime season.
First Night Game at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium hosted its first night game on May 28, 1946.
Yogi Berra's Major League Debut
Berra debuted on September 22, 1946, beginning a Hall of Fame career.
The Allie Reynolds Trade
The Yankees acquired Allie Reynolds from Cleveland, building the rotation that won six titles.
1947 Yankees 19-Game Winning Streak
The 1947 Yankees won 19 consecutive games from June 29 to July 18, expanding their lead from 4.5 to 11.5 games.
Yogi Berra's First Pinch-Hit Home Run in World Series History
Yogi Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history during Game 3 of the 1947 Fall Classic.
1947 World Series: Bill Bevens's Near No-Hitter
Bill Bevens took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of Game 4, only for Cookie Lavagetto to break it up with a walk-off double.
1947 World Series: Gionfriddo's Catch
Al Gionfriddo made a one-handed catch at the bullpen fence to rob Joe DiMaggio in Game 6, prompting DiMaggio's famous dirt kick.
Joe DiMaggio's 1947 MVP
Joe DiMaggio won his third AL MVP by a single vote over Ted Williams, 202-201, in one of the closest MVP races in history.
The Ed Lopat Trade
The Yankees acquired Lopat from the White Sox in a trade that completed the dynasty's pitching rotation.
Babe Ruth's Final Bow and Death
Ruth made his last appearance at Yankee Stadium on June 13 and died of cancer on August 16, 1948.
Casey Stengel Hired as Yankees Manager
The Yankees hired the 58-year-old Stengel despite his mediocre record -- he'd go on to win five straight titles.
DiMaggio's Bone Spur Comeback
Joe DiMaggio missed 69 games with a bone spur, then returned to go 5-for-11 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI in his first three games back.
Rizzuto's 1949 Breakout Season
Phil Rizzuto hit .275 with 110 runs scored and finished second in AL MVP voting after Casey Stengel moved him to the leadoff spot.
1949 Pennant-Clinching Game
The Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-3 on the final day of the season to clinch the pennant in a winner-take-all showdown at Yankee Stadium.
Henrich's First World Series Walk-Off Home Run
Tommy Henrich hit the first walk-off home run in World Series history, a ninth-inning blast off Don Newcombe in Game 1.
Casey Stengel's First Yankees Season
Casey Stengel was hired as a punchline and won the World Series in his first year, beginning a dynasty of five consecutive championships.
Whitey Ford's 1950 Rookie Debut
Ford went 9-1 with a 2.81 ERA after his July call-up, then started and won the World Series clincher -- a 21-year-old announcing a Hall of Fame career.
1950 World Series Sweep
The Yankees swept the Phillies' Whiz Kids with a 0.73 pitching ERA -- three games decided by one run, two won in the final inning.
Casey Stengel's 1950 Dynasty Foundation
Stengel navigated DiMaggio's injuries, integrated Whitey Ford, and developed Berra -- winning his second consecutive title and building the foundation for five straight.
Joe DiMaggio's 1950 Comeback Season
DiMaggio overcame heel surgery and a .220 average in mid-May to finish .301/32/122 with a league-leading .585 SLG, then hit .308 in the World Series sweep.
Yogi Berra's 1950 Breakthrough
Berra hit .322 with 28 home runs and 124 RBI in 1950, establishing himself as one of baseball's elite catchers and the Yankees' offensive cornerstone.
Mickey Mantle's Knee Injury in the 1951 World Series
Mantle's cleat caught a drain cover chasing a fly ball in Game 2. DiMaggio called him off and made the catch. The 19-year-old's right knee was never the same.
1951 World Series: Yankees vs. Giants
The Yankees beat the Giants in six games for their third straight title -- DiMaggio's last Series, Mantle's first, and Willie Mays' introduction to October.
Yogi Berra's 1951 Breakout Season
Berra led the Yankees with 27 home runs and hit .294 as the team's offensive anchor, surpassing the declining DiMaggio as the lineup's driving force.
Joe DiMaggio's Retirement
DiMaggio retired at 37 after hitting .263 -- his career low -- choosing to walk away rather than diminish his legacy. Thirteen seasons, nine championships, one standard.
CHAMPIONSHIPS