The New York Yankees won 40 American League championships in the 89 years from 1921 through 2009, and compiled a .585 record over that span (including inter-league games and games against American League expansion franchises). Here’s how Yankees teams fared against traditional rivals in that span:
The Yankees’ traditional rivals won 40 league championships altogether. Only the Athletics managed to win more championships (9) to the Tigers’ 7 during the 89-year span. The Orioles/Browns also won 7, followed by the Red Sox and Twin/Senators with 6 each, the Indians with 3, and the White Sox with 2. Expansion franchises won the other 9 championships.
Fittingly, the Tigers’ Frank Lary was the leading Yankee-killer among pitchers who had at least 20 decisions against the Yankees during 1921-2009:
All statistics presented in this post are derived from Baseball-Reference.com and that site’s Play Index (a subscription service).
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Some related posts:
Baseball Trivia for the Fourth of July
All-Time Hitter-Friendly Ballparks
Competitiveness in Major-League Baseball
Baseball: The King of Team Sports
The End of a Dynasty (the Yankees’ dynasty, that is; updated here)
The American League’s Greatest Hitters: Part II (with a link to Part I)
Politics and Prosperity 