1920–1935
Murderers' Row
Babe Ruth arrives and everything changes. The Yankees build Yankee Stadium, dominate the American League, and win four World Series titles between 1923 and 1932.
The Sultan of Swat
Babe Ruth→KEY PLAYERS
The Stars of Murderers' Row
Bill Dickey
Murderers' Row
Babe Ruth
Murderers' Row
Lou Gehrig
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Tony Lazzeri
AVG: .295
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Earle Combs
AVG: .327
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Waite Hoyt
ERA: 3.52
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Herb Pennock
ERA: 3.65
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Wally Pipp
AVG: .284
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Bob Meusel
AVG: .316
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Aaron Ward
AVG: .269
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Ben Chapman
AVG: .307
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Joe Dugan
AVG: .288
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Mark Koenig
AVG: .288
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Wally Schang
AVG: .299
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Bob Shawkey
ERA: 3.26
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Lyn Lary
AVG: .278
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Everett Scott
AVG: .258
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Myril Hoag
AVG: .287
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Whitey Witt
AVG: .303
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Joe Sewell
AVG: .283
Murderers' Row
SEASONS
1920–1935 Season by Season
Ruth's first Yankees season: 54 home runs, first million-fan attendance, but tragedy strikes when Carl Mays fatally beans Ray Chapman
Mgr: Miller Huggins
Ruth's .378/59 HR season wins first franchise pennant, but Giants take best-of-nine World Series
Mgr: Miller Huggins
Second consecutive pennant but Giants sweep World Series with one tie game in final Polo Grounds October
Mgr: Miller Huggins
First Championship, New Stadium
Mgr: Miller Huggins
Ruth wins his only batting title at .378, but Washington edges the Yankees by two games for the pennant
Mgr: Miller Huggins
The bellyache heard round the world -- Ruth collapses, the team finishes seventh, and Gehrig's iron man streak begins
Mgr: Miller Huggins
Seventh-to-first turnaround behind Gehrig's breakout, but Ruth caught stealing ends Game 7
Mgr: Miller Huggins
The Greatest Team Ever Assembled
Mgr: Miller Huggins
A Second Sweep
Mgr: Miller Huggins
Uniform numbers debut, the Athletics dethrone the dynasty, and Miller Huggins dies in September -- ending an era
Mgr: Miller Huggins / Art Fletcher
Bob Shawkey's one season as manager, Ruth hits 49, nine Hall of Famers on the roster -- and it still isn't enough
Mgr: Bob Shawkey
Ruth and Gehrig both hit 46 home runs, the offense sets records, but the Athletics win 107 and nobody catches them
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
The Called Shot
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
91 wins, the first MLB All-Star Game, Van Atta's record debut, and Gehrig's streak survives an ejection scare
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
Gehrig wins the Triple Crown, Gomez wins the pitching Triple Crown, Ruth plays his last game as a Yankee -- 94 wins aren't enough
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
First season without Ruth since 1919 -- Gehrig named captain, pitching staff leads AL, foundation laid for 1936-39 dynasty
Mgr: Joe McCarthy
HISTORIC MOMENTS
Defining Moments of Murderers' Row
Babe Ruth Sold to the Yankees
The Boston Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000, launching the greatest dynasty in sports history.
Ray Chapman's Fatal Beaning
Carl Mays's pitch killed Cleveland's Ray Chapman -- the only on-field fatality in MLB history.
Babe Ruth's 54 Home Runs in 1920
Ruth shattered his own single-season record with 54 home runs in his first Yankees season.
Yankees Draw Over 1 Million Fans for First Time
The 1920 Yankees became the first team in MLB history to draw over 1 million fans in a season.
Babe Ruth's Historic 1921 Season
Ruth hit .378 with 59 home runs, 171 RBI, and a .846 slugging percentage in 1921 -- numbers that remain among the greatest single seasons in baseball history.
Yankees Win First Pennant in 1921
The 1921 pennant was the first in franchise history -- a 98-55 record that launched the greatest dynasty in sports and validated Miller Huggins' vision.
1921 World Series: Yankees vs. Giants
The first Subway Series and last best-of-nine World Series -- all eight games at the Polo Grounds, the first broadcast on radio, and the Yankees' first October heartbreak.
Babe Ruth's 1922 Discipline Crisis
Ruth's suspensions and stripped captaincy defined a turbulent 1922 season.
1922 Yankees-Browns Pennant Race
The Yankees edged the St. Louis Browns by one game in one of the tightest AL pennant races ever.
1922 World Series: Giants Sweep Yankees
The Giants swept the Yankees for the second consecutive October at the Polo Grounds.
Original Yankee Stadium Opens
Yankee Stadium opens in the Bronx. Babe Ruth christens "The House That Ruth Built" with a home run.
Lou Gehrig's Yankees Debut
Lou Gehrig made his major league debut as a pinch hitter for the Yankees on June 15, 1923, beginning one of the greatest careers in baseball history.
Babe Ruth's 1923 Season
Babe Ruth hit .393 with 41 home runs in 1923, winning his only MVP award and leading the Yankees to their first World Series championship.
Yankees-Giants: Three Consecutive World Series
The Yankees and Giants met in three consecutive World Series (1921-1923) -- the only time the same two teams have faced each other in three straight Fall Classics.
Yankees Win First World Series
The Yankees win their first World Series championship, defeating the Giants in six games.
The Forfeited Game in Detroit
A June 13, 1924, game in Detroit was forfeited after a crowd disturbance.
Ruth's Only Batting Title
Ruth won the only batting title of his career in 1924, hitting .378.
Washington Senators Dethrone the Yankees
The Senators won the 1924 pennant by two games over the Yankees, ending their three-year reign.
The Bellyache Heard 'Round the World
Ruth collapsed at a train station in April 1925, missing weeks with a mysterious illness.
Lou Gehrig's Consecutive Games Streak Begins
Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp at first base on June 1, 1925, beginning a streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
The 1925 Yankees Seventh-Place Collapse
The Yankees fell from pennant winners to seventh place in a single season, their worst finish in years.
1926 World Series: Ruth Caught Stealing to End It
Ruth hit three home runs in Game 4, then was caught stealing second base to end Game 7 -- the only World Series ever to end on a caught stealing.
1926 Yankees: Seventh to First Turnaround
Miller Huggins rebuilt the Yankees from 69-85 seventh place in 1925 to a 91-63 pennant in 1926 -- inserting Koenig and Lazzeri, saving the dynasty before it died.
Lou Gehrig's 1926 Breakout Season
At 22 years old, Gehrig hit .313 with 47 doubles, 20 triples (AL-leading), 16 home runs, and 112 RBI -- announcing himself as Ruth's equal and the franchise's future.
1928 World Series Sweep
The Yankees swept the Cardinals in the 1928 World Series, outscoring St. Louis 27-10 across four games for back-to-back championship sweeps.
1928 Yankees Overcome Adversity
The 1928 Yankees won 101 games despite injuries to Pennock, Combs, Lazzeri, and Gehrig -- then swept the World Series anyway.
1928 Yankees Pitching Trio
Pipgras (24-13), Hoyt (23-7), and Pennock (17-6) combined for 64 wins in 1928, then pitched all 36 World Series innings without a reliever.
Babe Ruth's 1928 World Series Three Home Runs
Babe Ruth hit three home runs in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series as the Yankees completed a sweep of the Cardinals.
Lou Gehrig's 1928 Breakout Season
Lou Gehrig hit .374 with 27 home runs and 142 RBI in 1928, then dominated the World Series with a .545 average and 4 home runs.
Yankees Debut Permanent Uniform Numbers
The Yankees became the first team to permanently wear uniform numbers on April 16, 1929.
The Death of Miller Huggins
Yankees manager Miller Huggins died at age 50 on September 25, 1929, shocking the baseball world.
The 1929 Yankees Managerial Succession
After Huggins' death, Art Fletcher managed the final games before Bob Shawkey was hired for 1930.
Babe Ruth's Three-Homer Game at Shibe Park
Ruth hit three home runs in a single game at Shibe Park on May 21, 1930.
The Waite Hoyt Trade
The Yankees traded Waite Hoyt, signaling the end of the 1920s pitching staff.
Bob Shawkey's One Season as Yankees Manager
Former Yankees pitcher Bob Shawkey managed for one season in 1930, going 86-68 before being replaced by Joe McCarthy.
1931 Opening Day Sound Film at Yankee Stadium
The 1931 Yankees Opening Day was captured on one of the earliest sound films of a baseball game.
1931: Record Offense, Second-Place Finish
The 1931 Yankees scored a record 1,067 runs but finished 13.5 games behind Philadelphia.
Ruth and Gehrig Both Hit 46 Home Runs in 1931
Ruth and Gehrig each hit 46 home runs in 1931, tying for the AL lead.
1932 Yankees Pitching Dominance
Lefty Gomez (24-7), Red Ruffing (18-7), and rookie Johnny Allen (17-3) anchored a 1932 Yankees rotation that powered 107 wins.
Nine Hall of Famers on the 1932 Yankees
The 1932 Yankees carried nine future Hall of Famers on their roster -- the most ever assembled on a single team in baseball history.
Lou Gehrig's Four Home Run Game
Lou Gehrig became the first modern-era player to hit four home runs in a single game on June 3, 1932, in Philadelphia.
Babe Ruth's Called Shot
Babe Ruth pointed outward and then hit a home run over the center field wall at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series -- baseball's most debated moment.
1932 World Series Sweep
The Yankees swept the Cubs 37-19 in the 1932 World Series, a four-game demolition defined by the Called Shot and Joe McCarthy's revenge.
Russ Van Atta's Record-Setting Debut
Rookie Russ Van Atta threw a shutout and went 4-for-4 in his MLB debut on April 25, 1933.
Gehrig's Ejection -- Iron Man Streak Survives
Gehrig was ejected at Fenway Park but his consecutive games streak of 1,249 continued.
The First MLB All-Star Game
Ruth's home run won the first All-Star Game on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park.
Babe Ruth's Final Game as a Yankee
Ruth played his last game as a Yankee on September 30, 1934, ending a 15-year era.
Lou Gehrig's 1934 Triple Crown
Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934, leading the AL in average (.363), home runs (49), and RBI (165).
Lefty Gomez's 1934 Pitching Triple Crown
Gomez led the AL in wins (26), ERA (2.33), and strikeouts (158) in 1934.
Babe Ruth Leaves the Yankees
Ruth was released to the Boston Braves, ending a 15-year Yankees career that defined the franchise.
Lou Gehrig's 1935 Captain Year
Gehrig was named Yankees captain and responded with a .329/30/119 season as the undisputed franchise leader.
1935 Yankees Pitching Staff Leads the American League
The 1935 pitching staff posted the AL's best ERA and laid the foundation for four consecutive championships.
CHAMPIONSHIPS