New York Yankees

The franchise began as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901 before moving to New York in 1903 as the Highlanders, eventually becoming the Yankees. The franchise's transformation from afterthought to dynasty began with a single transaction: the purchase of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox in January 1920.

Ruth didn't just change the Yankees - he changed baseball. His prodigious home runs (60 in 1927, a record that stood for 34 years) transformed the sport from a low-scoring game of strategy into a power-driven spectacle. The 1927 Yankees, with Ruth and Lou Gehrig forming the heart of "Murderers' Row," are widely considered the greatest team in baseball history. They won 110 games and swept the Pirates in the World Series.

Gehrig's consecutive games streak of 2,130 games and his heartbreaking farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939 - "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" - delivered one of the most poignant moments in American sports. The Yankees won 11 pennants and seven World Series between 1921 and 1943, establishing the dynasty that would define the franchise forever.

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 remains one of baseball's most unbreakable records, and his elegance on the field made him a cultural icon who transcended the sport. After World War II, DiMaggio led the Yankees to more titles before passing the torch to Mickey Mantle, the switch-hitting Oklahoman whose combination of power and speed was unlike anything baseball had seen.

Under manager Casey Stengel, the Yankees won five consecutive World Series from 1949 to 1953 - a feat that will almost certainly never be matched. The franchise appeared in 14 of 16 World Series from 1949 to 1964, winning nine of them. Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Roger Maris (who broke Ruth's single-season home run record with 61 in 1961) kept the dynasty rolling.

The Stengel and subsequent Ralph Houk years established the Yankees as the gold standard of professional sports. Winning wasn't just expected - it was required. The pinstripes became a symbol of excellence, and Yankee Stadium was the sport's most hallowed ground.

George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973 and immediately transformed the franchise with his aggressive spending and demanding personality. "The Boss" made the Yankees must-see entertainment, and his willingness to sign the biggest names in baseball - most notably Reggie Jackson, "Mr. October" - restored the franchise to the top of the sport.

The 1977 and 1978 Yankees won back-to-back World Series, with Jackson's three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 Series becoming one of baseball's signature moments. The "Bronx Zoo" Yankees, managed by Billy Martin (hired and fired five times by Steinbrenner), were as entertaining off the field as on it, their internal drama captivating the New York tabloids.

The 1980s and early 1990s were fallow years by Yankee standards, with no pennants from 1982 to 1995. Steinbrenner's meddling, managerial instability, and poor drafting contributed to the drought. But the farm system was quietly producing Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada - the "Core Four" who would power the next dynasty.

The 1996 Yankees began a dynasty that would produce five World Series titles in nine years. Derek Jeter, the rookie shortstop, became the face of the franchise and one of the most iconic athletes in New York history. Mariano Rivera established himself as the greatest closer who ever lived, his cut fastball virtually unhittable in the biggest moments.

The 1998 team won 114 regular season games and swept the Padres in the World Series, and is considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled. They repeated in 1999 and again in 2000 - defeating the Mets in the Subway Series - before falling to the Diamondbacks in a dramatic seven-game 2001 World Series. The 2009 team, in their first year at the new Yankee Stadium, won the franchise's 27th championship.

Jeter's career embodied everything the Yankees stood for: clutch performances, winning, and a dignity that elevated him beyond the sport. His final game at Yankee Stadium in 2014 - a walk-off single - was a fitting farewell for the Captain.