Okay, let me walk you through how I dug into that legendary ’99 Yankees roster today. Wanted to break down who really carried the team beyond just the big names.
Starting Point Was Pure Nostalgia
Honestly, I just rewatched that ’98 World Series documentary last night. Got me thinking – how did the ’99 squad actually compare stats-wise? Grabbed my dusty MLB Encyclopedia from the shelf first thing this morning. Thing weighs like five pounds, pages yellow as hell.
The Hunt For Legit Numbers
Cracked open that encyclopedia to the Yankees section. Annoying thing stops at ’98 though! Of course. Hopped online instead, searched “1999 Yankees official stats” but kept hitting paywall sites. Remembered baseball-reference exists – scrolled past all the ads to find the barebones numbers table.
Spotting The Real Workhorses
Quickly eyeballed the pitching column. Cone’s ERA jumped out – dude had a crazy 2.12? Checked twice thinking misprint. Then Rivera’s saves… 45 with that 1.91 ERA. Insane. Position players took longer – Jeter’s .349 average made me whistle. But Posada surprised me – 24 homers catching every day? Didn’t remember that.
Pulling It Together
Dumped all these into my notes app:
- Bernie Williams: .342 BA – carried that damn outfield
- O’Neill: 100+ RBIs again – machine
- Martinez: 24 wins?? No way I’d forgotten that
Saw Hernandez had near-.400 OBP too – role players mattered big time. Wanted to highlight the unsung guys.
Final Realization
Stared at the numbers. Knew they were stacked but damn – five guys hitting .285+? Four pitchers sub-4 ERA? That’s just unfair. Stats don’t lie – this wasn’t a team, it was a damn assembly line crushing everyone.
Posted my handwritten notes with coffee stains and all. People love seeing the raw hunt – makes stats feel human, y’know?
