WFAN Favorite Teams Poll: #2 -- 1998 Yankees
Editor's Note: As part of WFAN's 30th anniversary celebration, from April 3-14, we asked you to vote on your favorite local teams over the past 30 years. Over the course of two weeks, we are revealing the top-10 vote getters. To see the others, click here.
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Even among a franchise steeped in tradition and loaded with championships, the 1998 Yankees are special.
Not only did the Bronx Bombers win their second World Series in three years, they broke records in the process. The Yankees finished the regular season with an incredible 114-48 record, at the time an American League record. By the time they swept the Padres in the Fall Classic, they had racked up 125 victories on the season, a record that still stands today.
New York swept Texas in three games in their Divisional Series and then beat Cleveland in six in the ALCS.
The signature moment of the postseason came in Game 1 of the World Series against San Diego when Tino Martinez hit a grand slam off Mark Langston to break a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning, sending the Yankee Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
The Yankees had few weaknesses in '98. They led all of baseball in runs scored (965) and were second in the American League in batting average (.288) and fourth in home runs (207). Their offense was led by Bernie Williams (.339 batting average, 26 home runs, 97 RBIs), Derek Jeter (.324, 19 homers, 84 RBIs) and Paul O'Neill (.317, 24 homers, 116 RBIs).
Meanwhile, New York had the American League's best ERA (3.82). David Cone went 20-7 with a 3.55 ERA, while David Wells, who pitched a perfect game that season, was 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA.
