Virtual Yankees Win First World Series Title

In the end, the struggles of the Yankees during the 1910s were worth it.

The first half of the 1910s were a disaster for the New York Yankees. The team finished above .500 once from ’10-’15 and were nowhere near contenders. However, the second half of the decade would be the best stretch in franchise history, with a pair of trips to the World Series and the first title in franchise history.

New York’s record in the first six years of the decade was 395-528, a .427 winning percentage. The Yankees were the laughing stock of the league, getting trampled year after year.

Then, the switch flipped, and New York quickly found themselves in the pennant race for the remainder of the decade. The Yankees posted a record 376-226 (.609) from 1916-1919.

The franchise was able to obtain its first World Series in 1919, a year before the Great Bambino is set to join the Yankees. In reality, New York would win its first championship four years later, but the head start by the virtual squad bodes well for the success New York could enjoy in the next decade.

The grueling nine-game set allowed the Yankees to take revenge on the St. Louis Cardinals who swept them two years earlier, with three wins coming in walk-off fashion.

From a hardware perspective, Frank ‘Home Run’ Baker won his second MVP Award in 1919, adding to his laundry list of accolades. The 33-year-old has four championships, winning his first three with Philadelphia before adding a fourth ring alongside his MVP season with New York. Baker finished with a .349 average with six homers (love the Home Run moniker in the Dead Ball Era) in the regular season.

However, Baker was at his best during the World Series, taking home Series MVP honors. Baker posted a .429/.459/.600 line with seven RBI in the best of nine series. He topped it all off with the walk-off single to bring the title home to the Bronx for the first time.

1910: 70-84

1911: 65-89

1912: 51-103

1913: 80-74

1914: 56-98

1915: 73-80

1916: 88-66 (2nd Place finish)

1917: 98-56 AL Pennant (Lost WS, 4-0)

1918: 102-52 (2nd Place finish)

1919: 88-52 (World Series Champions)

Check back soon as we prepare for the arrival of the Great Bambino. And hopefully, more virtual rings. We are Yankees fans, after all!