1936 New York Yankees

 Most teams have a "That Guy", the person a team can't win the big one without him. It's not just a baseball concept. You think of Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Wayne Gretzky and know they're the key to the success for the Colts, Patriots, Bulls, Lakers or Oilers. We all know that most sports, especially baseball, are team oriented, but without the one guy it can be harder no matter what the supporting cast looked like. On the other hand, it sure helps to have another "That Guy" to pass the baton to like it seemed to be the case for the Yankees. The truth is, the only way to become "That Guy" is to win and prove the casual observers wrong.

Babe Ruth was without question "That Guy" and credited with putting the Yankees on the map with titles in 1923, '27, '28 and '32. In 1935, Ruth was out of New York and was retired by 1936, and the question for many fans was can the Yankees win without him. Lou Gehrig was an elite talent, but without a Ruth-less championship, he would never be known as another "That Guy". And it wasn't just for Gehrig to prove, the difference for the Yankees would fall in their ability to win without Ruth. A dynasty does not exist if it's only because of one man. It is a string of "That Guys".

In 1936, Joe McCarthy took his team to battle in search of that Ruth-less title. The American League pennant was no contest, as the Yankees blew away the competition, ending the season 19.5 games over the defending champion Tigers in 2nd place. What sure helped was that the Yankees didn't have just one "That Guy" leading them in Lou Gehrig, but they also now had a kid named DiMaggio.

The Giants were back in the World Series as well in '36 and there was a lot at stake in this series. Both teams entered this series tied with 4 titles each, the Giants still won more head-to-head WS matchups against the Yankees 2-1 and the Yankees had a record 12 game winning streak in the World Series on the line.

The Giants struck first in Game 1, winning the game and snapping the Yankees' historic streak. The Yankees, however, struck back hard, taking the next three games. The Giants forced a Game 6 and it was there that the Yankees poured on the runs and took the series with a 13-5 blowout victory. From here the New York Yankees as the world now knows them were born. 1936 was the first of 4 straight titles and the baton from Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio was established and wouldn't end there.

To the dismay of Yankee-Haters everywhere and in the future, the dynasty had begun.

Lou Gehrig was out to prove that he could lead the Yankees to greatness on his own. The formerly anonymous guy batting behind Ruth took center stage with the MVP, leading baseball with 49 Home Runs, 167 Runs and a team high 152 RBI.

With Babe Ruth gone, I'm sure a lot of people hoped the Yankees would fade away over time without another generational Hall of Fame talent immediately showing up on the scene. Enter: Joe DiMaggio. If there was a Rookie of the Year award back then, Joe would've been the easy pick with his 29 Home Runs, 123 RBI and a league leading 15 Triples.

Always nice to win the World Series with half of your lineup comprised of Hall of Fame talent. Both men continued to provide solid offensive contributions at premium defensive positions.

If Lou Gehrig was under pressure to be the leader on a post-Ruth Yankees team, Selkirk was feeling twice the heat as the Yankees Rightfielder and also wearing the legendary #3 on his back. And step up he did when it mattered most. In the World Series, he batted .333 and launched 2 Home Runs while scoring 6 Runs.

The other regulars in the Yankee infield. Great defense and solid charts highlight their contributions to a dominant regular season.

Ben Chapman had been the regular for the Yankees in the previous title run of 1932. In '36, with diminished skill and the arrival of DiMaggio, Chapman's use to the cause was at it's end and the Yankees traded him off for Powell, who would be the speedy outfielder needed to round out the lineup.

A typical bench of the time, not a lot of eye popping contact or charts. A lot of defensive versatility for the most part, allowing the rest for the regulars during the long easy season.

The championship rotation. Doesn't need to be elite with such a high powered offense, but it still helped that they had the best ERA in the league. Ruffing led the staff with 20 Wins, with Pearson following with a solid 19. Future Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez was still building himself back up to a pitching triple crown form, but he was the guy in the clinching World Series game to keep the Giants at bay before the Yankees began the Game 6 blowout.

The bullpen was starting to show signs of being for something other than the worst pitchers on the team. No "Closer" role yet, but Malone led the league with 9 Saves. Future "Closer" Murphy also had 5 and both men got a Save in the World Series, with Murphy delivering the final pitch.