In 1901, when Ban Johnson made the move to give his American League major league status, he decided to drop a few existing teams and add some others; Baltimore was selected as one these expansion/replacement cities.  John McGraw, one of the most contentious, controversial and, allegedly, dirty player/managers of the era, became a minority investor and the manager of the new Baltimore Orioles of the American League.  

​

The Orioles' two seasons were marked with controversy - most of it generated, often purposely, by McGraw.  He raided other teams for players, got into a stand-off with rival baseball interests and city marshals over possession of the land on which the Orioles would play, and, most importantly, challenged Johnson's desire for a "clean" league by routinely baiting, arguing, and even fighting with umpires and opposing teams.  On June 18th, 1902, McGraw met secretly with New York Giants' owner Andrew Freedman as part of a scheme which eventually freed him from his contract and enabled him to go and manage the Giants.  The scheme enabled him to get most of the Baltimore players to go with him, with the result that the team was forced to forfeit a game to the Red Sox on June 28.  Johnson drafted cast-offs from his other seven teams to finish out the Orioles' season.    For 1903, Johnson found a New York backer to buy out the Orioles' remaining interests and the franchise was transferred to that city.

​

Initially known as the Highlanders (they played in Hilltop Park, situated on one of the highest elevations on Manhattan's upper west side), they became more or less known universally as the Yankees in 1913 coincident with a move to using the rival Giants' Polo Grounds for their own home schedule.  In 1923, they christened a brand new park across the river in The Bronx, Yankee Stadium, and won their first championship.

​

Enough has been said elsewhere about the Yankees' storied history, so suffice it to say here that over many decades with different owners, players, rules and economic realities, the Yankees have consistently found a way to win.  For that alone they must be admired as a franchise.   

​

One final note: for years in the 19th and early 20th century, no one questioned the fact that baseball had evolved from earlier English games. Then (stay with me here) in 1907 in a fit of patriotism, if not American chauvinism, a formal "commission" ruled that  in fact the game was uniquely American, a creation of Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, NY.   Flash forward to the beginning of the 21st century.  No one ever questioned that today's Yankees began in Baltimore as the Orioles.  However, when trying to account for the team's 100th anniversary, all-time team records and other errata, a movement was born that sought to remove Baltimore from the Yankees' lineage and instead insist the team was born in New York.  Call it New York chauvinism, and it's had the sad effect of the Baseball Reference web site removing the Orioles' records from the Yankees' history.  Bullshit.  The Yankees are the Orioles as much as the Brewers are the Pilots, the Orioles are the Browns and the Nationals are the Expos.  

​

The main purpose of this page is to illustrate those players, managers and coaches who have been the most prominent in the franchise's history.  Links below will take you to galleries highlighting each, by position.  Generally, an individual is included if he spent at least 2 full seasons (consecutive or cumulative) as a starter, relief pitcher, closer or manager. For coaches, I've generally used 5 years of service as the bar.  None of this is scientific, though, so there are exceptions.  Where possible and practical, I used pictures of actual baseball cards because that it is the medium through which I, and I suppose many others, first discovered the game. Where necessary, I designed my own images.  Images of actual baseball cards were obtained at the Card Cyber Museum, and for my own designs I used photos found at host of different sites, but none moreso than the wonderful forum at Out of the Park Developments.  

I claim no rights to, or ownership of, any of the photographic images I've used on these pages.   You are welcome to use them yourself.  All I ask is that that if you use any of my personal creations, you give credit to this site.