1999 Yankees

The 1998 New York Yankees won 114 regular-season games, rolled through October without breaking a sweat, and made the whole thing look boring. So naturally, the question heading into 1999 was: can they do it again? The answer -- spoiler -- was yes. But this time the Yankees had to earn it the hard way, grinding through 98 wins, personal tragedy, and a whole lot of adversity that the '98 team never had to deal with. And honestly? That might be why this one hits different.

The Season

The 1999 Yankees went 98-64, which sounds great until you remember what they'd done the year before. But here's the thing -- this team was never really about the record. They were about surviving.

Joe DiMaggio died on March 8. The Yankee Clipper, the last living link to that pre-war dynasty, gone at 84. Steinbrenner ordered the flags at the Stadium flown at half-staff, and the whole spring felt heavier for it.

Ten days later, Joe Torre got diagnosed with prostate cancer. The skipper -- the guy who'd held this whole thing together since '96 -- was heading into surgery instead of Opening Day. Don Zimmer, 68 years old and a baseball lifer if there ever was one, took over as acting manager and went 21-15 in Torre's absence. Zim held the fort. Torre came back on May 18 to a standing ovation that shook the Stadium, and the team never looked back.

Then there was Darryl Strawberry. Straw had beaten colon cancer over the winter, came back to hit .327 in 24 games, and then tested positive for cocaine in August. A lengthy suspension followed. His career was effectively over. Torre, who'd always been in Strawberry's corner, handled it with the kind of grace you'd expect from him. The rest of us just felt gutted.

Derek Jeter was a machine. He hit .349, led the American League in hits (219) and runs (134), and finished second in MVP voting behind Ivan Rodriguez. He was 25 years old. At 25, most of us were still figuring out our commute. Jeter was putting up an OPS pushing .990 and running a dynasty.

Bernie Williams hit .342 with 25 homers and 115 RBI. Mariano Rivera saved 45 games with a 1.83 ERA and a WHIP that was barely above 0.80 (freakin' absurd). Roger Clemens, acquired from Toronto in February in a package centered on David Wells (Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd went north too), went 14-10 with a 4.60 ERA that had us all asking what the hell we traded for -- but we'll get to October in a minute.

The Perfect Game

July 18, 1999. Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium. If you wrote this as fiction, your editor would send it back and tell you to tone it down.

Yogi Berra hadn't set foot in Yankee Stadium since 1985. Steinbrenner had fired him 16 games into the season and didn't even tell him face-to-face (sent a team official instead -- real classy). The feud lasted 14 years. It finally ended when Steinbrenner flew to Yogi's museum in Montclair to apologize in person. Yogi accepted, because that's who Yogi was.

So July 18 was the homecoming. And as part of the ceremony, Don Larsen -- the man who threw the only perfect game in World Series history back in 1956 -- threw out the first pitch. To Yogi Berra. Who had been his catcher for that perfect game 43 years earlier.

Then David Cone went out and threw a perfect game of his own.

Twenty-seven up. Twenty-seven down. Ten strikeouts. Eighty-eight pitches. Yankees 6, Montreal Expos 0. The final out -- Orlando Cabrera popping up to Scott Brosius at third -- and Cone dropped to his knees on the mound, arms outstretched, looking like a man who couldn't believe what just happened. Because he couldn't.

Cone was 36 years old. He'd been the ace of this staff for years, and you could feel the decline creeping in. But on that Sunday afternoon, with Larsen and Yogi watching from the seats, Cone was untouchable. It's the most surreal single afternoon in Yankee Stadium history, and I don't think anything's going to top it.

October

The postseason started with a three-game sweep of Texas in the ALDS. The Rangers barely scored. It wasn't competitive.

The ALCS against Boston was the real fight. The Red Sox had Pedro Martinez -- 23-4, 2.07 ERA, 313 strikeouts, maybe the best single season any pitcher has ever had. The Yankees won the first two at the Stadium, got absolutely obliterated in Game 3 at Fenway (we don't talk about Game 3), then closed it out with wins in Games 4 and 5. Clemens pitched into the seventh at Fenway against his former team, getting booed with every pitch and handling it like a pro. El Duque was dominant and took home ALCS MVP. The Yankees beat the best pitcher on the planet and his team in five games. That's dynasty baseball.

The World Series against Atlanta was a sweep. Again. Four games, four wins -- the Braves' loaded rotation (Glavine, Smoltz, Millwood) had no answers. Chad Curtis hit a walk-off homer in Game 3's tenth inning. Mo was unhittable -- 3 appearances, 4.1 innings, zero earned runs, 2 saves, World Series MVP. The man was from another planet.

Game 4, the clincher at Turner Field, gave us one of those moments you never forget. The final out, and Joe Torre -- the guy who'd beaten cancer to get back to this dugout -- lifting the trophy. Third title in four years. Twenty-five in franchise history.

Key Moments

I can't believe it. I'm almost 37 years old and I just threw a perfect game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the 1999 Yankees win the World Series?

Yes. The 1999 Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves in a four-game sweep to win their 25th World Series championship and third title in four years. Mariano Rivera was named World Series MVP after posting a 0.00 ERA with 2 saves across 3 appearances.

When was David Cone's perfect game?

David Cone threw a perfect game on July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium against the Montreal Expos, winning 6-0 with 10 strikeouts on 88 pitches. The game occurred on Yogi Berra Day, with Don Larsen -- who threw the 1956 World Series perfect game -- throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi Berra.

What was the 1999 Yankees record?

The 1999 Yankees finished 98-64 and won the AL East. They swept Texas in the ALDS, beat Boston 4-1 in the ALCS, and swept Atlanta in the World Series. Derek Jeter led the AL in hits (219) and runs (134) while hitting .349.

Who was the 1999 World Series MVP?

Mariano Rivera won the 1999 World Series MVP. He appeared in 3 of 4 games against Atlanta, pitching 4.1 innings with 0 earned runs and 2 saves. Rivera also led the AL with 45 saves during the regular season with a 1.83 ERA.