Among the 25 World Series champions since 2000, how did the 2000 Yankees land in this spot?
The 2000 Yankees are an odd team. You can only critique them so much, given that they ended up winning the World Series, but they are a victim of their own success. Or, rather, a victim of their success in the years surrounding 2000.
The 2000 Yankees won just 87 regular-season games, the second fewest of any team in these rankings not counting the 2020, pandemic-shortened Dodgers. The 1996 Yankees won 92 games and the World Series. The ‘98 squad is one of the greatest teams of all time, not just of the Yankees’ dynasty: They won 114 games and the World Series. The ‘99 team repeated, and did so with 98 regular-season victories.
Meanwhile, the 2000 Yankees didn’t come all that close to cracking 90 wins, and it wasn’t a bad-luck thing, either, as they outscored their opponents by just 57 runs. The 1998 team’s run differential was plus-309.
It wouldn’t take much of an argument to convince anyone that the 2001 Yankees, with 95 wins and a much more respectable run differential, were better than 2000 team, but alas, that 2001 team lost the World Series. The 2000 Yankees did win the World Series. They did seal a three-peat. Sometimes, you just have to count da rings, and this one counts just as much as any of New York’s other ones.
And again, it’s not like this Yankees’ squad was no good — it’s just being measured against 24 other clubs whose seasons ended the same way. Derek Jeter was great, batting .339 while posting an .896 OPS. Bernie Williams was just as good, slashing .307/.391/.566 with a team-leading 30 home runs and a Gold Glove. Jorge Posada had what was, to that point in his career, his best season. A catcher hitting .287/.417/.527 over 151 games was absurd, even in this high-offense era. David Justice, added in late June in a four-player trade with Cleveland, was the other offensive standout for the team.
What caused problems for this iteration of the Yankees, at least relative to the surrounding seasons, was that the pivotal players of 1996-1999 weren’t up to their usual standards. Tino Martinez produced a line that wouldn’t fly now, never mind when offensive numbers were sky-high. Chuck Knoblauch got on base plenty, but did little else at the plate. Ricky Ledee, Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neill all struggled to varying degrees.
And yet! A rotation led by Roger Clemens, with Andy Pettitte and Orlando Hernandez behind him, made up the difference even as David Cone struggled. The bullpen was vital, too, even in a year in which closer Mariano Rivera looked mortal — well, for Mariano Rivera. Most relievers would take a 2.85 ERA against 2000’s lineups, but he had been under two runs per nine for three years running.
Still, even with their issues, the Yankees would win the Subway Series against the Mets, 4-1, somehow their least-stressful matchup of the entire postseason.
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