Of all the New York Yankees championship teams, the 1947 club seemed the least likely. Bridging the gap between the dynasties of Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel, the team, managed by Bucky Harris, was coming off three non-pennant-winning seasons and given little chance to unseat the defending American League champion Boston Red Sox. And yet, led by Joe DiMaggio, this un-Yankees-like squad of rookies, retreads, and a few solid veterans easily won the pennant over the Detroit Tigers and the heavily favored Red Sox, along the way compiling an American League-record nineteen-game winning streak. They then went on to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a dramatic seven-game World Series that was the first to be televised and the first to feature an African American player.

Bridging Two Dynasties commemorates this historic club-the players, on the field and off, and the events surrounding their remarkable season. Along with player biographies, including those of future Hall of Famers DiMaggio, Bucky Harris, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto, the book features a seasonal timeline and covers pertinent topics such as the winning streak, the Yankees' involvement in Leo Durocher's suspension, and the thrilling World Series.

Commemorates the 1947 New York Yankees championship team - the players, on the field and off, and the events surrounding their remarkable season.

About the Author
Lyle Spatz's many books include 1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York (with coauthor Steve Steinberg), winner of the 2011 Seymour Medal, and The Team That Forever Changed Baseball and America: The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, both published by the University of Nebraska Press.

Reviews
"1947 was something else. Being twenty-one and in my first season, it felt marvelous to be on the Yankees, playing in Yankee Stadium with all those guys. Then winning the World Series against the Dodgers-that was awfully exciting."-Yogi Berra
"For all people interested in baseball and the Yankees, this book should be an enjoyable one. Virtually all these players were products of 'The Greatest Generation.' The vast majority of us were in the service of our country in World War II. . . . It was a team without rancor or discord. Ownership consisting of Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping, and Del Webb were supportive and balanced effectively the needs of being accessible but not intrusive. . . . It was a terrific Yankee year."-Robert W. "Bobby" Brown, MD, former Yankees player and president of the American League 1984-94
"[Bridging Two Dynasties is] an intense and evocative study. . . . The pieces are written in the lively voices of writers deeply instilled with Yankees lore. Fans of the historical Yankees are likely to love this. For every Yankees collection."-Library Journal
"This is a well-researched, informative book that puts a pivotal year of Yankees history into proper perspective. New York had flashier stars, better pitchers and hitters and gaudier statistics in other years, but the 1947 squad deserves some respect, too."-Bob D'Angelo, Tampa Tribune
"An exceptional piece of work."-C70 at the Bat



Book Information
ISBN 9780803240940
Author Lyle Spatz
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint University of Nebraska Press
Publisher University of Nebraska Press