As baseball bickers its way into toxic waters, they leave us with nothing to like, love, or report on other than history. To that end, we've pounded out a series of lists, which are often good for debate in the absence of actual play today, and this one is next: a look at the five greatest seasons ever produced by players in pinstripes. The two qualifications are that the players must have spent at least half of their career with the Bombers, and may not appear more than once on this list.
5. Don Mattingly, 1985Given one of the best handles in history - Donnie Baseball, so named by Kirby Puckett - Mattingly tore up the AL in '85, leading the league in RBI (145), doubles (48), and total bases (370) on his way to winning AL MVP. Mattingly also sported a .324 batting average, blasted 35 homers, and won a Gold Glove. Donnie Baseball was slightly better in 1986, leading the league in seven stats - including hits, doubles, slugging, and OPS - but he finished second behind Roger Clemens in the MVP voting. Mattingly is, sadly but clearly, the best Yankee to never win a World Series ring. His balky back is the only thing that kept has so far kept him out of the Hall of Fame.
4. Joe DiMaggio, 1937DiMaggio's 1941 season Bogarts the bold ink because of his 56-game hitting streak, but the truth is he should have lost the MVP vote to Ted Williams, who batted .406 that year. Not to mention that DiMaggio had many better seasons than '41, such as '37. The Yankee Clipper led MLB as a whole in runs scored (151), homers (46), slugging (.673), and total bases (418) that year, and also drove in 167 runs and totaled a career-best 215 hits. And just as Williams was robbed in 1941, Joe D was robbed in 1937, finishing second in the MVP voting to Charlie Gehringer, who finished with fewer runs, fewer hits, 32 fewer homers, and 71 fewer RBI than Joltin’ Joe.
3. Lou Gehrig, 1936Gehrig had so many great seasons, it's hard to pluck one diamond from the bunch. But in 1936, Gehrig led both leagues in runs scored (167), home runs (49), walks (130), on-base percentage (.478), slugging (.696), and OPS (1.174) – and didn’t win the batting title, despite hitting .354. He also drove in 152 runs, and true to his “Iron Horse” moniker, Gehrig played 155 games back when they played 154. He was robbed of the MVP in 1931 when he lost to pitcher Lefty Grove, but he was just too good in 1936, winning the MVP for the second and final time of this career.
Lost in the fact that Gehrig died too young - and delivered the sport's most famous speech shortly before - was that much of his career was lost in Babe Ruth's hulking shadow. Gehrig led MLB in RBI five times, runs scored four times, home runs three times, and walks three times, and if not for Ruth, we may have considered the Iron Horse the greatest Yankee of all.
2. Mickey Mantle, 1956Perhaps the greatest set of accomplishments in a single season in pinstripes came courtesy of Mantle in ’56, as he won not just the AL Triple Crown, but led MLB overall, by hitting .353 with 52 home runs and 130 RBI. His monster season gave him the MVP award to go with his Triple Crowne and World Series ring, and he also led both leagues in runs scored, slugging, and OPS.
Mantle won the MVP again in 1957 and a third time – largely on his name – in 1962, but while his self-destructive proclivities cost him a shot at Ruth and Gehrig for the greatest Yankee ever, The Mick was, in 1956, the King of New York, and the baseball world.
1. Babe Ruth, 1921Everyone fawns over the 1927 season, when the Bambino belted a record 60 homers, yet Ruth lost the MVP Award to teammate Lou Gehrig that year. Six earlier, though, Ruth put up arguably the most dominant season in the history of baseball. The Sultan of Swat led both leagues when he bashed 59 homers, notched 168 RBI, and recorded 145 walks, a .512 on-base percentage, an .846 slugging percentage, a 1.359 OPS, and 457 total bases. Oh, and Ruth posted a .378 batting average, too, with his 204 hits marking the second-most in his career.
Finding Babe Ruth's best baseball season is a bit like picking Rembrandt's best painting. But, consider this about 1921: Ruth's 59 homers were more than the total hit by eight different teams, and by today's metrics, that would be like a batter blasting 200-plus home runs in a single year. And, even after the era of PEDs possibly stomping on the record books, Ruth still has the all-time career records for slugging, OPS, and OPS+.