Yankees' World Series Three-Peat Wins Greatest Moment in Franchise History in 'The Bronx Bracket'

'The Bronx Bracket' came to an end on Sunday and the Yankees' World Series three-peat (from 1998-2000) was the final moment standing. Here's a breakdown of how the tournament transpired.
Yankees' World Series Three-Peat Wins Greatest Moment in Franchise History in 'The Bronx Bracket'
Yankees' World Series Three-Peat Wins Greatest Moment in Franchise History in 'The Bronx Bracket' /

Yankees fans have spoken. 

New York announced on social media on Sunday that the club's three consecutive World Series titles – from 1998 through 2000 – was the winner of 'The Bronx Bracket.'

Launched exactly one month ago, on what would have been Opening Day of the 2020 regular season, the bracket-style tournament was designed to provide fans with a forum to relive and vote on the greatest moment in Yankees' franchise history. 64 viable options were slowly narrowed down, with voting taking place each day on the Bombers' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels. 

Content is unavailable

As you can imagine, with the most storied franchise in baseball history, there were several contenders to be the final moment standing. Iconic performances, historic memories and all-time feats were dispersed across the entire bracket. Nonetheless, there could only be one.

The final round – with a total of 35,861 votes on all social pages – was a photo finish. The Yankees' three-peat edged out Lou Gehrig's emotional and profound farewell speech in 1939 by only 151 votes. Yup, it was that close.

Here's the entire bracket with all matchups filled out with each round's winners: 

Evidently the body of work that went into those three championships just over 20 years ago was enough to clinch the victory. How can you not vote for the Core Four's proudest achievement?

Interestingly, the Yankees' five-peat (from 1949-1953) didn't even make it past the Round of 16. That "moment" – which was billed as a No. 5 seed – fell to Don Larsen's World Series perfect game in 1956, a performance that earned a trip to the Final Four. 27 up and 27 down for Larsen couldn't upset Gehrig's speech.

As is the case in most March Madness brackets, there are always upsets. 

Derek Jeter's "The Flip" play also made a run to the Final Four, as an eight seed, taking down several historic moments in the quadrant of the bracket featuring all that's transpired from 2001 to the present day. "The Flip" outlasted Jeter's walk-off base hit in his final game at Yankee Stadium – a No. 2 seed – in the Elite Eight.

Mariano Rivera's scoreless innings streak in the postseason – 33 1/3 frames without a run allowed in the playoffs – was this bracket's cinderella story. A No. 14 seed lasted all the way to the Elite Eight, even upsetting Reggie Jackson's iconic three-homer game in the 1977 World Series. 

Not only was 'The Bronx Bracket' an exciting exercise and perfect way to highlight the franchise's rich history, but it also provided Yankees fans with daily entertainment during baseball's ongoing hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Yankees have been active on social media, posting all kinds of content including at-home workout tips for quarantine, demonstrated by general manager Brian Cashman.

Players have stayed busy as well, sharing their own workout clips, reacting to the latest rumors on whether or not there will be a season this year and giving back to the community during these unprecedented times.

To keep up with all of Inside The Pinstripe’s coverage, click the "follow" button at the top right-hand corner of this page.

For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees


Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.