Timeline - 2000s
Oct. 26, 2000: Yankees win their 26th World Championship in 5 vs. New York Mets. It was the first "Subway Series" since 1956.
Nov. 4, 2001: In one of the most exciting editions of the World Series, the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in seven games. Luis Gonzalez lined a Series-winning single off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 7.
Dec. 13, 2001: Jason Giambi, the runner-up in the AL MVP balloting, signs a seven-year contract with the Yankees. Giambi's deal includes a club option for an eighth year. More > Oct. 25, 2003 Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.
May 17, 2002: Jason Giambi hits a 14th-inning walk-off grand slam to lift the Yankees to a 13-12 win over the Minnesota Twins, joining Babe Ruth as the only Yankees in history to hit a walk-off grand slam with New York down by three runs.
Sept. 21, 2002: The Yankees defeat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 at Comerica Park to clinch their fifth straight AL East title. It is New York's sixth title in seven seasons under manager Joe Torre, their 41st overall.
Oct. 5, 2002: The Yankees drop a 9-6 decision to the eventual World Champion Anaheim Angels in Game 4 of the ALDS to lose the series, marking New York's earliest postseason exit since 1980.
June 13, 2003: Roger Clemens became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1990 to reach the 300 mark. The Rocket also joined another fraternity on that June 13th night at Yankee Stadium, striking out the 4,000th batter of his career. Only Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) have more strikeouts than Clemens.
Oct. 16, 2003: Aaron Boone, who didn't start the game, led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run to left field off Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, delivering the Yankees' 39th American League pennant in Game 7 of the ALCS, propelling the Yanks to the World Series against the Marlins.
Oct. 25, 2003: Florida's Josh Beckett pitches the Marlins to a 2-0 win in Game 6 of the World Series, marking the first time since 1981 that New York has been eliminated from the postseason at Yankee Stadium.
April 11 & 14, 2004: Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown record their 200th victories in back-to-back games, becoming the first teammates in Major League history to do so.
July 1, 2004: Derek Jeter makes a spectacular catch against the Red Sox, diving into the stands. John Flaherty wins the game with an RBI single in the 13th inning, leading New York to a three-game sweep in one of the more memorable regular-season games in the Bronx in years.
Sept. 30, 2004: Bernie Williams launches a walk-off home run against the Twins at Yankee Stadium, clinching the Yankees' seventh consecutive American League East crown, as New York advanced to the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.
Oct. 20, 2004: After defeating the Twins in a four-game ALDS and taking a 3-0 lead over the Red Sox in the ALCS, the Yankees drop their fourth consecutive game, becoming the first team in baseball history to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games.
Jan. 11, 2005: The trade to bring Randy Johnson to New York becomes official, as the Yankees deal Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey and Dioner Navarro to Arizona for the five-time Cy Young winner. Johnson would go 17-8 in his first season with the Yankees, though he was roughed up in his one postseason start against the Angels.
April 3, 2005: Johnson and the Yankees defeat the defending World Series champion Red Sox in MLB's season opener.
May 2, 2005: New York shakes up its roster, calling up Robinson Cano to take over the starting second base job from Tony Womack, who moved to center field in place of Bernie Williams. Chien-Ming Wang is also inserted into the rotation around this time, as a youth movement helps the Yankees recover from their 11-19 start.
June 9, 2005: Alex Rodriguez bashes two home runs against the Brewers in Milwaukee, becoming the youngest player in Major League history to reach the 400-homer plateau.
Aug. 30, 2005: A-Rod hits his 40th homer of the season, becoming the first Yankees right-handed hitter since Joe DiMaggio in 1937 to reach that mark. A-Rod went on to hit 48 homers and drive in 130 runs, earning his second career AL MVP award.
Oct. 1, 2005: In the 161st game of the season, the Yankees defeat the Red Sox at Fenway Park to clinch their eighth consecutive AL East crown.
Dec. 23, 2005: The Yankees make a move to bolster their own lineup while hurting the rival Red Sox, as they sign center fielder Johnny Damon to a four-year, $52 million contract -- the same contract they gave to Hideki Matsui just a month earlier.
2006: The Yankees won their ninth consecutive AL East title in 2006, finishing with a record of 97-65, their sixth straight year with 95 or more victories. New York boasted four All-Star selections - Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano - and their powerhouse offense led the Major Leagues with 930 runs scored before an early playoff exit in the Division Series at Detroit.
2007: The Yankees secured the American League Wild Card with a record of 94-68, running their playoff streak to 13 consecutive seasons - 12 under manager Joe Torre. It wasn't all smooth sailing, however: the Yankees were a season-low eight games under .500 on May 29 but went 73-39 down the stretch, leading the Majors in wins and winning percentage. Led by American League MVP Alex Rodriguez, who led the circuit with 54 home runs, 156 RBIs, 143 runs and 376 total bases, New York's 968 runs led the Majors and were the most scored by a big league team since 2000, even as the Yankees used an AL-high 28 pitchers. A-Rod, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada represented the Yankees in the All-Star Game, Chien-Ming Wang led the staff with 19 runs and Joba Chamberlain emerged as a late-season phenom before the Yankees fell in four games to the Indians in the AL Division Series.
2008: Under new manager Joe Girardi for the final season at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees' run of postseason success came to a halt, ending a string of 13 consecutive campaigns with at least a playoff appearance. Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Star Game in July, but the Yankees' own season was held back by injuries and inconsistency, managing 89 wins for third place in the AL East. The big bats of Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez were slowed, while Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera both regressed. But it was the pitching that hurt most - Chien-Ming Wang, 8-2 at the time, was lost to a foot injury in June, and the Yankees were forced to look elsewhere as prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy finished winless. Mariano Rivera converted 39 of 40 save opportunities and Mike Mussina logged 20 wins for the first and last time in his big league career. Ready to look ahead, the home slate finished with an emotional sendoff in the Bronx on Sept. 21, with Derek Jeter taking the microphone behind the mound and promising to help bring the memories across the street for the new Yankee Stadium in 2009.
April 3-4, 2009: The Yankees play their first exhibition games in the current Yankee Stadium, defeating the Chicago Cubs, 7-4 and 10-1, respectively. Chien-Ming Wang tosses the first pitch in the April 3 contest.
April 16, 2009: The Yankees play the first regular season game in Yankee Stadium history, falling to Cleveland, 10-2, and snapping their all-time record 11-game home-opener winning streak. CC Sabathia tosses the Stadium's first official pitch, Johnny Damon records the first hit (first-inning single off Cliff Lee) and Jorge Posada hits the first home run (fifth-inning off Lee).
May 14 - June 1, 2009: The Yankees set an all-time Major League mark with 18 consecutive errorless games, safely handling 660 chances over the stretch.
Sept. 11, 2009: Derek Jeter breaks Lou Gehrig's all-time franchise mark of 2,721 hits with a single off Baltimore's Chris Tillman at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig had held the mark since 9/6/37.
Oct. 4, 2009: Alex Rodriguez hits a three-run home run and a grand slam in the sixth-inning of the season finale at Tampa Bay, setting an all-time AL mark with 7RBI in an inning.
Nov. 4, 2009: The Yankees win their 27th World Championship, defeating Philadelphia in Game 6 of the World Series, 7-3. Hideki Matsui ties Bobby Richardson's all-time World Series mark (1960 Game 3 vs. Pittsburgh) with 6RBI. Andy Pettitte records the win, becoming the first pitcher to start and record the win in the clinching game in all three rounds of a single postseason. Manager Joe Girardi joins Billy Martin and Ralph Houk as the only individuals in franchise history to win a World Series with the Yankees as a player and as a manger.