The successive version of this newsletter is counting the 50 greatest baseball clubs ever (A/k/a is the 50 best), and here is my new book ranking The best team in baseball. Today’s entries are concentrated on the 1962 New York Yankees No. 32.
Here is a quick boilerplate note attached to each story I have in this series:
I compiled the best 50 by analyzing 2,544 major league teams from 1903 to 2024. (The historical percentile for a given club is the percentage of its other 2,543 teams.)
Please refer to my book to explain my TS calculations. The book also offers a separate breakdown of the best and worst clubs every decade, along with a comprehensive overview of the best 50 (including a position-by-position lineup and more information than you will find in this newsletter), and a similar summary of the 10 worst teams of all time.
Now enter today’s profile.
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Team: 1962 New York Yankees
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Team Score: 86.401 points
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Ranking History: 32 of 2,544
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Historical percentile: 98.78%
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Seasonal record: 96-66 (.593)
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Season position: No. 1 in the American League
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Final identity: World Champion
The Yankees in 1962 lacked the panic of their direct seniors. They ranked third in home runs and seventh in 20 major league teams. New York ranked first and second in 1961 respectively.
The Yankees won only 33 games in the first 61 games in 1962, winning the game in fourth place in the American League. manager Ralph Houk Refuse to surrender. He roared on June 23: “We have 100 games to play. We won’t quit.”
The Yankees, regardless of their limitations, still know how to win. They accelerated their record 32-11 over the next six weeks, and as of August 3, they were 6.5 games ahead of their closest followers. The AL match is actually over.
A new hero appears in that hot extension. pitcher Ralph Terry The result was 8-2 in the mid-weeks of these six trends. He became the trump card of New York – replaced the great White Ford – And won 23 league-leading wins.
Get a complete low in 50 greatest (and 10 weakest) clubs of all time
The National League game ended at the pace of death, forcing the playoff series between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Giants appeared with hard food.
New York Times Columnist Arthur Daley argued that the Giants were “exhausted emotionally and physically” in the playoffs. He couldn’t imagine them beating numerous Yankees in the World Series.
However, the two clubs traded three times – first in New York, then San Francisco. The seventh scene is nails. The Yankees clutched the lead 1-0 and had two outs at the bottom of the ninth inning. The Giants are in second and third place. slugger in San Francisco Willie McCovey He bit a line – “I hit the hardest ball,” he said later – but the second baseman Bobby Richardson Spin it as the 20th World Championship to save the Yankees.
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The Yankees’ total home count returned to Earth in 1962. Roger Maris Leading the club 33, not the 61 people who quickly became famous in 1961. Mickey Mantle Hit 30 instead of 54. The entire team ended with 199 home runs instead of the 240 records from the previous season.
Maris also ranked the highest with 100 RBI, although his performance is generally considered a disappointing one. He won the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League in 1960 and 1961, but he did not receive a single vote in the 1962 vote.
Journalist Til Ferdenzi wrote that Mantle appeared to have suffered an end-of-season injury when he ran a ground on May 18. Mantle initially worried that his knee would be blown out, but the doctor eventually diagnosed a torn thigh muscle. He was eliminated for a month.
Bobby Richardson helped fill the gap, hitting .308 in 25 games. The second baseman is a straight arrow, and he has always been more skilled than the bat. “He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t chew, he won’t stay late, he still won’t call .250.” Casey Stengel Once moaning. Richardson shocked his critics by leading AL with 209 hits in 1962.
Another surprise was pitcher Ralph Terry, who surrendered to lose his home run in the 1960 World Series. Terry rebounded 23-12 in 1962, adding two playoff wins. “Thank God for a second chance,” he said after locking in Game 7 of the 62 Series.
