1982–1994
The Wilderness
Don Mattingly carries the franchise through its longest championship drought. The most beloved Yankee of his era never reaches the postseason. Steinbrenner's revolving door of managers defines the period.
Donnie Baseball
Don Mattingly→KEY PLAYERS
The Stars of The Wilderness
Don Mattingly
Wilderness
Dave Winfield
AVG: .290
Wilderness
Wade Boggs
AVG: .313
Wilderness
Willie Randolph
AVG: .275
Wilderness
Mike Pagliarulo
AVG: .229
Wilderness
Randy Velarde
AVG: .261
Wilderness
Roberto Kelly
AVG: .278
Wilderness
Rickey Henderson
AVG: .288
Wilderness
Pat Kelly
AVG: .251
Wilderness
Rick Cerone
AVG: .249
Wilderness
Buck Showalter
G: 581
Wilderness
Jim Leyritz
AVG: .263
Wilderness
Dave Righetti
ERA: 3.11
Wilderness
Mel Hall
AVG: .273
Wilderness
Steve Sax
AVG: .294
Wilderness
Matt Nokes
AVG: .249
Wilderness
Butch Wynegar
AVG: .259
Wilderness
Alvaro Espinoza
AVG: .255
Wilderness
Mike Stanley
AVG: .285
Wilderness
Danny Tartabull
AVG: .252
Wilderness
SEASONS
1982–1994 Season by Season
5th in AL East · Mgr: Bob Lemon / Gene Michael / Clyde King
3rd in AL East · Mgr: Billy Martin
3rd in AL East · Mgr: Yogi Berra
2nd in AL East · Mgr: Yogi Berra / Billy Martin
2nd in AL East · Mgr: Lou Piniella
4th in AL East · Mgr: Lou Piniella
5th in AL East · Mgr: Billy Martin / Lou Piniella
5th in AL East · Mgr: Dallas Green / Bucky Dent
7th in AL East · Mgr: Bucky Dent / Stump Merrill
5th in AL East · Mgr: Stump Merrill
T-4th in AL East · Mgr: Buck Showalter
2nd in AL East · Mgr: Buck Showalter
1st in AL East · Mgr: Buck Showalter
HISTORIC MOMENTS
Defining Moments of The Wilderness
Reggie Jackson Homers in His Return to Yankee Stadium
On April 27, 1982, Reggie Jackson walked into the visitors' dugout at Yankee Stadium wearing a California Angels uniform, and 30,000 people lost their...
The 1982 Yankees' 79-83 Losing Season
The 1982 New York Yankees finished 79-83, and the number meant more than a record. It was the franchise's first losing season since 1966 -- ending a...
1982 Yankees: Three Managers in One Season
Before the 1982 season began, George Steinbrenner made a promise: "There will be no change this year. I wouldn't care how the team is doing." The...
Dave Winfield Carries the Losing 1982 Yankees
Dave Winfield hit .280 with 37 home runs, 106 RBI, and a .560 slugging percentage during the 1982 season. He won the Gold Glove in the outfield, the...
Bobby Murcer Retires and Joins the Broadcast Booth
Bobby Murcer played his final game as a Yankee on June 11, 1983, and announced his retirement nine days later on June 20. The outfielder who'd been the...
Don Mattingly Called Up for Good in 1983
In June 1983, a 22-year-old first baseman from Evansville, Indiana, took the roster spot that Bobby Murcer's retirement had opened and began a quiet...
Dave Righetti's Fourth of July No-Hitter
On July 4, 1983 -- George Steinbrenner's birthday -- Dave Righetti stood on the mound at Yankee Stadium with two outs in the ninth inning, a 4-0 lead...
The Pine Tar Game
On July 24, 1983, George Brett stepped into the batter's box at Yankee Stadium in the top of the ninth inning with two outs, a runner on first, and the...
Yogi Berra Returns as Yankees Manager
Yogi Berra walked back into the Yankees dugout in November 1983, exactly 20 years after the last time he'd managed the team. In 1964, Berra had led the...
Graig Nettles Traded to the Padres
On March 30, 1984, the Yankees traded Graig Nettles to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Dennis Rasmussen and a player to be named later (Darin...
Mattingly Edges Winfield for the 1984 Batting Title
On September 30, 1984, Don Mattingly stepped to the plate against the Detroit Tigers with the American League batting title on the line. His teammate...
Rickey Henderson Traded to the Yankees
On December 5, 1984, the Yankees traded five players -- Tim Birtsas, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, Eric Plunk, and Jose Rijo -- to the Oakland Athletics for...
Billy Martin and Ed Whitson Brawl in Baltimore
September 22, 1985. The Cross Keys Inn, Baltimore. The Yankees had just lost their sixth straight game, falling out of the AL East race they'd been...
Rickey Henderson's 80-Steal, 146-Run 1985 Season
Rickey Henderson didn't just join the 1985 Yankees -- he detonated the top of their lineup. Acquired from Oakland in a December 1984 trade, Henderson...
Phil Niekro Wins His 300th Game
October 6, 1985. The final day of the regular season. The Yankees had already been eliminated from the division race, and the Toronto Blue Jays had...
Don Mattingly's MVP Season
Don Mattingly wins the AL MVP award, hitting .324 with 35 home runs and 145 RBI in his iconic 1985 campaign.
Dave Righetti's Record-Setting 46th Save
October 4, 1986. Fenway Park. The Yankees' season was already over -- second place again, 5.5 games behind Boston, no October baseball for the fifth...
The 1986 Yankees: Hot Start, Cold Finish
By Memorial Day 1986, the Yankees were 28-15 and looked like the best team in the American League East. They'd ripped off a 10-4 start, beaten the...
Don Mattingly's 53 Doubles and 238 Hits in 1986
Don Mattingly didn't break Lou Gehrig's record with a dramatic swing in a spotlight moment. He broke it the way he did everything -- quietly...
Don Mattingly Homers in Eight Straight Games
July 8, 1987. Yankee Stadium. Don Mattingly stepped into the box against the Minnesota Twins and launched two home runs. Nothing unusual there --...
The 1987 Yankees' Aging Rotation
The 1987 Yankees had one of the most productive offenses in baseball. They also had one of the oldest pitching rotations in modern history. Tommy John...
Don Mattingly's Six Grand Slams in 1987
Here's a stat that doesn't make any sense, no matter how many times you read it: Don Mattingly hit six grand slams in the 1987 season. He hit zero...
Billy Martin Fired for the Fifth and Final Time
Billy Martin's fifth stint as Yankees manager began the way the first four had: with fire, with wins, and with the unmistakable sense that it was all...
Don Mattingly Speaks Out Against the Yankees
August 22, 1988. Don Mattingly broke his silence. The Yankees' captain -- the man who'd spent his career saying the right things, keeping his head...
Rickey Henderson Steals 93 Bases in 1988
Rickey Henderson stole 93 bases for the 1988 Yankees. Ninety-three. It's a franchise record that still stands nearly four decades later, and it...
Rickey Henderson Traded Back to Oakland
June 21, 1989. The Yankees traded Rickey Henderson to the Oakland Athletics for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk, and Luis Polonia. Read that sentence again...
Dallas Green Fired as Yankees Manager
Dallas Green lasted 121 games as Yankees manager. That's it -- 121 games and a 56-65 record before George Steinbrenner fired him on August 18, 1989...
Bucky Dent Fired at Fenway Park
June 6, 1990. Fenway Park, Boston. George Steinbrenner fired Bucky Dent as manager of the New York Yankees before a game against the Red Sox. The...
Andy Hawkins's No-Hit Loss to the White Sox
July 1, 1990. Old Comiskey Park, Chicago. Andy Hawkins took the mound for the last-place Yankees and did something no pitcher should ever have to...
Fay Vincent Bans George Steinbrenner
July 30, 1990. Commissioner Fay Vincent walked into a press conference and announced that George Steinbrenner -- the most powerful, most controversial...
Yankees Draft Brien Taylor First Overall
June 1991. The New York Yankees held the first overall pick in the MLB Draft for the first time in franchise history, and they used it on a kid who...
Don Mattingly Benched Over His Haircut
August 15, 1991. Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees were 20 games out of first place, slogging through a 71-win season that nobody would remember...
Scott Sanderson's 1991 All-Star Season
April 10, 1991. Tiger Stadium, Detroit. Scott Sanderson stood on the mound in his first start as a Yankee and proceeded to carry a no-hitter into the...
Life Without Steinbrenner: The 1991 Yankees
The Boss was gone, and nobody quite knew what to do about it. On July 30, 1990, Commissioner Fay Vincent banned George Steinbrenner from day-to-day...
Yankees Draft Derek Jeter Sixth Overall
June 1, 1992. A conference call linking all 28 major league front offices, the kind of unglamorous logistics that decides franchises' fates. Five picks...
Yankees Trade Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill
November 3, 1992. The Yankees traded Roberto Kelly to the Cincinnati Reds for Paul O'Neill. It was an outfielder-for-outfielder swap that barely made...
Jim Abbott's No-Hitter Against Cleveland
On September 4, 1993, Jim Abbott took the mound at Yankee Stadium against the Cleveland Indians and threw a no-hitter, walking five, striking out...
Jimmy Key's 1993 Ace Season
April 5, 1993. Cleveland Stadium. The final Opening Day at the historic ballpark, and 73,290 fans braved 36-degree weather to watch the Yankees' newest...
The Yankees' September 1993 Collapse
On August 26, 1993, the Yankees were 74-55. Nineteen games over .500. Closing in on Toronto. Meaningful baseball in the Bronx for the first time in...
Mike Stanley's 1993 Breakout Season
Nobody saw it coming. Mike Stanley walked into spring training in 1993 as a career backup catcher -- a 30-year-old with a .249 lifetime batting average...