Yanks Go Yard
FanSided

Yankees: 4 Best NYY Teams That Didn’t Win the World Series

By Adam Weinrib

Hideki Matsui (L) of the New York Yankees congratulates teammate Robin Ventura after Ventura hit a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins 08 April, 2003, at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. AFP PHOTO/Don EMMERT (Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
Hideki Matsui (L) of the New York Yankees congratulates teammate Robin Ventura after Ventura hit a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins 08 April, 2003, at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. AFP PHOTO/Don EMMERT (Photo by Don EMMERT / AFP) (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Yankees
Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees. (Photo by Jeff Carlick/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

1. 1994 Yankees

The 1994 Yankees should’ve been Don Mattingly’s ticket to the World Series.

The 1994 Yankees are the only team on this list that exists in no man’s land. The others tried, and failed, to win a World Series. The ’94 Yanks never got to try, and will forever exist in a box like Schrodinger’s Cat.

While the work stoppage may have hurt the fans of Montreal more — after all, they lost their franchise in its wake — New York lost the second-to-last chance of Don Mattingly’s career to extend him into postseason play, and they were absolutely dominant, sitting at 70-43.

This offense was merciless — Wade Boggs hit .342, Paul O’Neill hit .359, and Mike Stanley hit an even .300 with 17 bombs from behind the plate. Mattingly slashed .304/.397/.411 — his trademark power was gone, but the man could still wake up and hit .300, if his back allowed.

Would the rotation have held up? Jimmy Key was 17-4 with a 3.27 mark, a bonafide ace. Scott Kamieniecki also had an ERA under 4.00, and would’ve been your Game 2 starter. Melido Perez posted a 4.10, Jim Abbott a 4.55, and Terry Mulholland was totally useless, but…they had Games 1-3 relatively settled, along with a nails closer in Steve Howe.

Next. 3 NYY Rookie of the Year Winners You Probably Forgot. dark

The bottom line here? I can conclude anything about the 1994 Yanks. You’ll never know. And since they’re the only option on this list without a defined conclusion, I can safely say they’re the best bet for World Series speculation. After all, they never lost one, and they absolutely bashed. It’s a shame we didn’t get to finish following the journey.

Home/Yankees History