The 1986 New York Yankees season was the 84th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 90–72, finishing in second-place, 5.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Lou Piniella. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
Offseason
November 7, 1985: Bob Geren was signed as a free agent by the Yankees.[1]
December 14, 1985: Roger Maris, the Yankees record holder for most home runs in one season died from lymphatic cancer.[5]
February 13, 1986: Neil Allen, Scott Bradley, Glen Braxton (minors), and cash were traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Hassey, Matt Winters, Chris Alvarez (minors) and Eric Schmidt (minors).[3]
Don Mattingly became the sixth player in Major League history to have at least 230 hits, 100 RBIs, and 30 home runs in a season. He holds the distinction of being the first American Leaguer to reach that milestone.
Don Mattingly became the first Yankee since Lou Gehrig to have three consecutive seasons of 200 hits.
Dave Winfield became the first Yankee since Joe DiMaggio to achieve five straight 100 RBI seasons. DiMaggio did it from 1936 to 1942.
Willie Randolph became the all-time Yankee leader for games played at second base. The previous record holder was Tony Lazzeri. Lazzeri held the record with 1,446 games.
Mark McGwire made his Major League debut on August 22, 1986, in a game versus the Yankees. He had three at-bats and no hits.[7]
Notable transactions
May 2, 1986: Tommy John signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees.[8]
July 30, 1986: Ron Hassey, Carlos Martínez and a player to be named later were traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Kittle, Wayne Tolleson, and Joel Skinner. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Bill Lindsey to the White Sox on December 24.[3]
Season standings
This was the first season since 1904 that the Yankees finished second in the standings to the Red Sox.[14] Then, the Yankees were known as the Highlanders and the Red Sox were the Americans.
On August 10, 1986, the Yankees retired Martin's uniform number 1 and dedicated a plaque in his honor for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque contains the words, There has never been a greater competitor than Billy. Martin told the crowd, "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I am the proudest."
On May 24, 1986, on the season finale of Saturday Night Live, co-host Martin was "fired" by executive producerLorne Michaels for being "drunk" in a skit, slurring his lines. During the goodnights, Martin "sets fire" to the dressing room in retaliation.[15] (Only three cast members would be re-hired the next season.) In 1988, on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, comedian Dennis Miller opened the sports with, "In Calgary tonight, Katarina Witt won the gold medal in figure skating, prompting Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to fire manager Billy Martin."
Player stats
= Indicates team leader
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
^Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN978-0-96-371897-6.