The Not So Modest Yankees
Manager Joe McCarthy Declared His 1938 Team Was the Greatest Ever
After the Yankees won Game 4 in 1938, Joe McCarthy said, "The best club won. We had everything. We are the greatest ball club ever assembled.
On September 18, 1938, the Yankees lost a doubleheader to the lowly St. Louis Browns to win their third consecutive pennant and to become the first team in major league history to win three consecutive pennants on their different occasions. Before the Yankees-Browns games even started, the Yankees knew that they had clinched the pennant because the Boston Red Sox-Chicago White Sox double header in Chicago had been rained out, which made it impossible for the second place Red Sox to catch the Yankees. The games would not be rescheduled. They were gone forever.
Yankees Like to Think They Are Modest
The Yankees like to think of themselves as modest, non-braggarts, but the modern Yankees are far from humble, as any fan who has been told repeatedly about the team’s 26 World Championships knows. After winning the 1938 pennant, Yankees’ manager Joe McCarthy, in a statement that would make Hank Steinbrenner proud, declared his Yankees the greatest team of all time. Of course, many disagreed, citing the 1927 Yankees as a better team, which is true.
Three Consecutive World Championships
The 1938 Yankees swept the Chicago Cubs in the World Series to become the first team to win three consecutive World Championships. The first Yankees’ streak of three straight pennants was from 1921-1923, but the New York Giants beat them in 1921 and 1922, with the Yankees finally breaking through for their first World Championship in 1923. The second streak of three occurred from 1926-1928, with the Cardinals beating the 1926 Yankees, but then in 1927, the Yankees swept the Pirates and in 1928, avenged 1926 by sweeping the Cardinals.
The Greatest Ball Club Ever Assembled
After the Yankees won Game 4 in 1938, Joe McCarthy said, “The best club won. We had everything. We are the greatest ball club ever assembled. We had the pitching, the power, and the defensive play. We outclassed the Cubs at every turn. The only regrettable part of it is that a grand guy like Gabby Hartnett (Cubs manager) should be the victim.”
The "Modest" Yankees Celebrate
Bill Dickey kissed Red Ruffing while Frank Crosetti, Joe Gordon, Lefty Gomez, Johnny Murphy, Joe Glenn, Bill Knickerbocker, Monte Pearson, Joe DiMaggio, and almost every other Yankee screamed, sang and celebrated. Lou Gehrig sat in front of his locker, quietly smiling as he watched the celebration. After the Cubs’ players showered and dressed, they entered the Yankees’ clubhouse to congratulate their conquerors. Yankees’ catcher Bill Dickey said to Hartnett, “I’m only sorry the two of us couldn’t win, Gab.” Some of the Cubs complained that their poor defensive play gave the Yankees the series. Dizzy Dean put things into perspective. “I think the best club won. They took advantage of every break we gave them.”
Little Other Teams Could Do
After the Yankees’ convincing victory, baseball “experts” declared that there was little baseball’s other teams could do to stem the Yankees. The Yankees had an amazing system of organization. They followed the rules and had the will and resources to excel. They would win another World Championship in 1939 before baseball would finally change the rules to stop the Yankees.
The 1938 Yankees were a great team, but they were far from the greatest team of all time in 1938, and since then, solid arguments could be made for the 1953 Dodgers, the 1961 Yankees, the 1975 Reds, and the 1998 Yankees as better teams. Only the 1998 Yankees among these four teams was part of three consecutive championships.
References:
- Dawson, James P. "Two Records Made As Yanks Win Flag; Club First in Circuit to Capture Ten Pennants and Three Straight Three Times." New York Times. 19 September 1938, p. 23.
- Dawson, James P. "McCarthy Calls Yankees Best Ever as Victors Celebrate With Song." New York Times. 10 October 1938, p. 23.
- Drebinger, John. "No Means in Sight for Halting Yanks; 15 Rival Big League Teams Seemed Doomed to Remain in Shadow of Champions." New York Times. 11 October 1938, p. 29.
- Kieran, John. "Sports of the Times; The Yankees: The Best Ever in Baseball in Rebuttal Close at Second." New York Times. 20 September 1938, p.30.
