It seems Giancarlo Stanton found his Herculean swing to start this season, and if Stanton posts a fair facsimile of his last year in Miami, the Yankees will be even better than the team that has reached the ALCS two of the last three seasons.
With a fast start even more crucial in this 60-game slate, let's look back at some of the best 10-game starts in Yankees history, and who helped get them there. To qualify, the team had to win at least seven games, and here are seven such clubs, listed in chronological order, with their starts and then how they fared for the season.
1923The Yanks beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-2, on April 27, to go 7-3 over the first 10 games in their first season at Yankee Stadium. After those 10 games, Babe Ruth was hitting .367 to go with a .545 on-base percentage and 10 RBI. Over the next few months, the Bombers would gallop to a 98-54 record and cap their maiden season in the House that Ruth Built by beating the New York Giants in the World Series, putting trophy number one of 27 (and counting) in the case. And, The Babe did it without wingman Lou Gehrig, who had yet to replace Wally Pipp at first base.
1928 Another 7-3 start, and while you could pick your poison on a team with Ruth and Gehrig and Lazzeri, it was left fielder Bob Meusel who carried the lumber early in '28. Meusel was batting .400 and had 12 RBI after the Yanks beat the Senators, 12-4, at Yankee Stadium on April 25. Though these Bombers were playing in the shadow of the '27 Bombers - the Murderers Row club many consider the best ever - the '28 club went 101-53 before sweeping the Cardinals in the Fall Classic.
1939Again, the Yanks surged out to a 7-3 mark after beating the Detroit Tigers, 10-6, in Game 10. At that point, Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey was batting .394 with a .512 OBP and a 1.118 OPS, carrying the load as the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio, hadn't played half of those games. These Yanks went 106-45 with Joe D playing just 120 games (and he still won the AL MVP!), and of course, the Bronx Bombers swept the Reds in the World Series, bagging their fourth title in four years.
1953After winning each World Series from 1949 through 1952, the '53 team galloped to an 8-2 start. On a club with Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle, it was light-hitting left fielder Gene Woodling leading the way early, batting .448 with a muscular .543 OBP and a sky-high 1.301 OPS through the team's first 10 contests. These Bombers went on to a 99-52 record, and became the only team in MLB history to win five straight Fall Classics when they beat the Brooklyn Dodgers four games to two in the World Series.
1956After losing the Fall Classic to the Dodgers in 1955, the '56 club dashed out to an 8-2 start after toppling the Red Sox, 5-2, on April 27. Elston Howard, Moose Skowron, and Yogi Berra were off to fine starts, but through 10 games, Mickey Mantle was batting .378 with 13 RBI and a robust .456 OBP. This would be Mantle's finest year as a baseball player, as he won the Triple Crown (.353-52-130 line) while helping the Yankees cruise to a 97-57 record, the AL pennant, and instant revenge on the Dodgers in the '56 Fall Classic. Oh, and the pitcher who beat the BoSox in Game 10? Don Larsen, who also had a pretty good October. A perfect one, some might say.
1976In their first year back at Yankee Stadium after a two-year detour at Shea, these Yanks were 7-3 after they beat the Texas Rangers, 1-0, on April 12. The home cooking in the refurbished ballpark was especially tasty for Lou Piniella, who had 16 hits in those 10 games, good for a .432 BA, to go with 10 RBI. The club went 97-62 and made its first playoff appearance since 1964, and won the pennant in heart-pounding style on the bat of Chris Chambliss, who clubbed the ALCS-winning homer in Game 5. They were swept by the Big Red Machine in the World Series, but as we all know, bigger and better days were ahead for this group.
2003These Yanks, on the back end of the Joe Torre dynasty, rolled to a 9-1 start. Bernie Williams, also entering his later years, led the way with 17 hits and 9 RBI in 10 games, posting a .425 average and a 1.200 OPS. Williams was dialed in for sure, also sporting 10 walks against just two strikeouts after the Yanks beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-4, on April 12. The '03 Bombers tied the Atlanta Braves for the best record in baseball (101-61) and won the AL pennant in cinematic style, on the bat of current manager Aaron Boone, before being upended by Josh Beckett and the Marlins in a six-game World Series.
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