The Yankees have had many World Series champs, and many more All-Star players and all-time lineups. The 1927 Yankees pretty much set the bar for everyone else to follow, but there were some other memorable ones, too. The '36 Yanks, the first year of Joltin' Joe, and the last great one from Lou Gehrig, along with typically solid contributions by Bill Dickey, Tony Lazzeri and the usual cast of star Yankees.
Modern fans will point to the '98 squad, the quintessential working-man's team, with solid contributions up and down the lineup, and Jeter and Williams at their peaks, last hurrahs from Paui O'Neill and Daryl Strawberry and unusual contributions from Scott Brosius, plus the new addition of Knoblauch, before he was doomed by the Yankee Yips that ended his career.
Sometimes lost in the shuffle were the 1961 Yankees, probably because most people recall Maris and Mantle battling to overtake the Babe. But the rest of that team was equally solid--Elston Howard behind the dish, Yogi Berra in one of his last, best seasons, Whitey Ford and Ralph Terry twirling brilliant seasons on the mound. But dig a little deeper and you get to the infield. Can you name them?
I was reminded by their greatness recently when my brother gave me what has become my prized possession: a signed photograph of that 1961 infield, who witnessed Maris' 61 (and Mantle's 54), 103 wins and a 4-1 Series victory over the Cincinatti Reds, where Whitey Ford tossed fourteen scoreless innings, winning two of the four games and the Series MVP.
Who were the guys who watched all this from the top step of the dugout, contributing in their own workmanlike fashion, with a combined 50 HRs, 239 RBIs and sparkling defense? For the next four days, I'm gonna tell you about them, so hopefully next time someone asks you who was strong up the middle for Ford and Terry, or who hit in front of Maris, Mantle and the rest, getting on base for their mammoth clouts, or who hit behind them, protecting opposing pitchers from pitching around Howard or Berra.
Stay Tuned for more of the Unsung Heroes of the 1961 Yankees . . .
Keywords: 1927 Yankees, 1936 Yankees, 1961 Yankees, 1961 Yankees infield, Bernie Williams, best Yankees teams ever, Bill Dickey, Chuck Knoblauch, Daryl Strawberry, Derek Jeter, Elston Howard, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, Paul O'Neill, Ralph Terry, Roger Maris, Scott Brosius, Tony Lazzeri, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra
