Truly Great, All-Time Teams Won The 3 Yankees/Reds World Series

The three game inter-league Yankees at Cincinnati Reds series (the Yankees, who had lost 9 of 12 games “salvaged” in the third) evoked memories of three great, great teams, arguably the three greatest baseball teams, when you consider their more than one year status, sweeping the at “Cincy” portions of three World Series, contested between the Yankees and Reds.

In 1939 an unbelievable, record setting Yankees team, albeit in a year the great Lou Gehrig fell ill and would die two years later, tragically young at age 38, swept the Reds in 4 straight games, the last two at “Cincy” in the World Series. (Joe DiMaggio, in his 4th season, all title seasons, as in my opinion the 1936-1939 Yankees were the greatest of all baseball teams/eras, alas as Joe said, “I played in 10 World Series and we won 9 of them,” something he was more proud of then hitting in 56 straight games and maybe even marrying Marilyn Monroe, had a famous hook slide, scoring in the clinching game).

Certainly for one season (1961) and they did win 5 straight pennants (’60-’64), part of an incredible 14 in 16 seasons (’49-’64) and repeated as title winners in ’62, those Yankees rate with anyone, among baseball’s greatest teams.

In ’61, greats Roger Maris (yes he was great and sadly there are boos directed at him, not overwhelming but discernible, when he is being introduced before a tilt vs “Det” in ’62) and Mickey Mantle each threatened the immortal George “Babe” Ruth’s single season home run mark set in 1927 (of course that ’27 Yankees team (they repeated in ’28 is among and often considered the greatest), Roger doing so 61 to 60, Mick finishing with 54 and the Yankees denied in 7 games by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, won it all, going to Cincinnati in a (1-1) series and winning all 3 to title. Johnny “Bells” Blanchard had a huge game tying, 8th inning pinch-hit home run in pivotal game 3.

Last, but nowhere least and with all due respect to the Oakland Athletics (’71-’75, with titles in ’72 and I just realized wins at “Cincy” in the first two tilts of the ’72 World Series–speaking of two, Fury “Gene” Tenace, the eventual W.S. MVP that season homered in his first two at bats in game 1 at Cincy and Oakland, now sadly no longer “there” (ode to Gloria Stein), won #’s 1,2 and 7 in Cincy for the crown) the Cincinnati Reds of certainly ’75 and ’76, having been just a bit too young to have seen the ’61 Yankees, are the best baseball team I ever saw.

In 1976, they swept the Yankees, who would win the next 2 titles, with another superb version as were/are the lesser era, Joe Torre managed teams that “quantity’d” 4 titles in 5 seasons, (’96-2000, and 3 straight ’96-’98), winning the first two games at Cincy.

Joe Morgan, arguably baseball’s greatest second baseman ever (I opt for Roger “Rajah” Hornsby, a right hand batter,who “only” batted .358 lifetime, however “Little Joe” is close, so great and sadly no longer alive) set the tone with a first inning home run while John Bench, probably by consensus, baseball’s greatest catcher, won Series MVP, capping it with 2 game 4 home runs.

I cited others including an Oakland A’s team that also won the first two World Series tilts at Cincinnati, however, back to the undefeated, “at Cincy” (the A’s lost in #6 there in ’72), in said World Series and the ’39 Yankees season and era, ’61 Yankees season and era and ’76 Reds seasons, rank with any team, perhaps a tad better!

The above referenced Blanchard pinch home run tied game 3 at Cincy (T8), before Roger Maris hit the tie breaking, go ahead to stay game winning home run, called by the great Mel Allen and shown above.