2019 Yankees: Shades of Record-Breaking 1998 Squad
In the last 60 years, only one version of the New York Yankees has gotten off to a better 50-game start than the one we're currently watching. After winning the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, the Yankees improved to 33-17. Only the record-setting 1998 Yankees had a better record at the 50-game mark. The eventual World Series champs that season started 37-13.
Are there comparisons to be drawn? Is Luke Voit a right-handed Tino Martinez? Can Gio Urshela turn into a World Series MVP like Scott Brosius? Is Domingo German busting onto the scene the way Orlando Hernandez did?
In the last 24 hours, I've had three people tell me they don't want the players currently on the Injured List for the Yankees to come back. They were kidding. I think. They had to have been kidding right? We're talking about a former MVP, a couple of 50-plus HR guys, a Cy Young finalist a couple of years ago and one of the filthiest relievers when he's right. But could this group of at-one-time-nameless players now exponentially gaining fan base popularity actually be a better collection of players than a fully healthy roster constructed with a win-now mentality?
The gold-standard franchise in MLB has seen only one 50-game start better than this one. Will the finish compare to the 125 total wins compiled more than twenty years ago?