by Jack Curry
First published 2023
Jack Curry examines the 1998 New York Yankees, who won 125 games and swept the San Diego Padres to claim their 24th World Series title. The author, who covered that team as a reporter, returns twenty five years later to investigate whether this squad ranks as the greatest in baseball history. Owner George Steinbrenner declared them the best team ever as champagne flowed in the visiting clubhouse after their World Series sweep. Curry conducted new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives from that roster, including stars like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and Tino Martinez. Pitcher David Cone argues that no team had more talent from top to bottom, with every player understanding his role perfectly. Coach Don Zimmer, whose career began with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, told colleagues there would never be another team like these Yankees. Through behind the scenes stories and fresh perspectives, Curry builds the case for why this club achieved something unprecedented in baseball.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, baseball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, sports
Setting: New York, San Diego
Period: 1998, 2023
288 pages · Hardcover · Twelve