The 2001 New York Yankees season was the 99th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 95–65 finishing 13.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. Roger Clemens had sixteen straight wins, tying an American League mark shared by Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Schoolboy Rowe, and Smoky Joe Wood. Clemens would finish the season with the AL Cy Young Award and become the first pitcher to win six Cy Young Awards.
Another chapter was written in the story of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry when, on September 2, 2001, Mike Mussina came within one strike of a perfect game before surrendering a bloop single to Carl Everett. This was Mussina's third time taking a perfect game to or beyond the 8th inning. Coincidentally, it would have been the 3rd perfect game for the Yankees in a span of 4 seasons and could have been the 4th perfect game in franchise history.
In the emotional times of the fall of 2001 in New York City, following the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center, the Yankees defeated the Oakland A's three games to two in the ALDS, and then the Seattle Mariners, who had won 116 games, four games to one in the ALCS. By winning the pennant for a fourth straight year, the 1998–2001 Yankees joined the 1921–1924 New York Giants, and the Yankee teams of 1936–1939, 1949–1953, 1955–1958 and 1960–1964 as the only dynasties to reach at least four straight pennants. The Yankees had now won eleven consecutive postseason series over a four-year period. However, the Yankees lost the World Series in a dramatic 7-game series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, when Yankees star closer Mariano Rivera uncharacteristically lost the lead – and the Series – in the bottom of the ninth inning of the final game. With the loss, this marked the second time in five years that a team lost the World Series after taking a lead into the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 (following the Cleveland Indians in ).
Despite the loss in the series, Derek Jeter provided one bright spot. Despite a very poor series overall, batting under .200, he got the nickname, "Mr. November", for his walk-off home run in Game 4, though it began October 31, as the game ended in the first minutes of November 1. In calling the home run, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said "See ya! See ya! See ya! A home run for Derek Jeter! He is Mr. November! Oh what a home run by Derek Jeter!" He said this after noticing a fan's sign that said "Mr. November".
Also, during the emotional times following the attacks, Yankee Stadium played host to a memorial service, just before the Yankees played their first home game following the attacks. The service was titled "Prayer for America".
Offseason November 21, 2000: Joe Oliver was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. November 30, 2000: Mike Mussina was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. December 7, 2000: Dwight Gooden signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees.Dwight Gooden Statistics Baseball-Reference.com December 7, 2000: Luis Sojo was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. December 11, 2000: Brandon Knight was drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the New York Yankees in the 2000 rule 5 draft. February 15, 2001: Henry Rodriguez was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. March 21, 2001: Drew Henson was traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Michael Coleman to the New York Yankees for Wily Mo Pena. March 28, 2001: Glenallen Hill was traded by the New York Yankees to the Anaheim Angels for Darren Blakely (minors).Glenallen Hill Statistics Baseball-Reference.com March 28, 2001: Brandon Knight was returned (earlier draft pick) by the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees. March 30, 2001: Brandon Knight was released by the New York Yankees.
Notable transactions April 1, 2001: Brandon Knight was signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. June 5, 2001: John Ford Griffin was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1st round (23rd pick) of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed June 14, 2001.John-Ford Griffin Statistics Baseball-Reference.com June 5, 2001: Bronson Sardinha was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1st round (34th pick) of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed June 13, 2001.Bronson Sardinha Statistics Baseball-Reference.com June 19, 2001: Henry Rodríguez was released by the New York Yankees. June 20, 2001: Joe Oliver was released by the New York Yankees. July 4, 2001: Bobby Estalella was traded by the San Francisco Giants with Joe Smith (minors) to the New York Yankees for Brian Boehringer.Bobby Estalella Statistics Baseball-Reference.com July 30, 2001: Sterling Hitchcock was traded by the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees for Brett Jodie and Darren Blakely (minors).Sterling Hitchcock Statistics Baseball-Reference.com August 31, 2001: Randy Velarde was traded by the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees for players to be named later. The New York Yankees sent Randy Flores (October 12, 2001) and Rosman Garcia (October 11, 2001) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
Season standings
Season summary
Record vs. opponents
Detailed records
American League Opponent W L WP AL East Baltimore Orioles 13 5 104 89 Boston Red Sox 13 5 68 50 New York Yankees Tampa Bay Devil Rays 13 6 99 60 Toronto Blue Jays 11 8 108 93 Total 50 24 379 292 AL West Anaheim Angels 3 4 28 31 Oakland Athletics 3 6 30 44 Seattle Mariners 3 6 43 55 Texas Rangers 3 4 31 53 Total 12 20 132 183 AL Central Chicago White Sox 5 1 38 19 Cleveland Indians 5 4 64 45 Detroit Tigers 5 4 51 56 Kansas City Royals 6 0 46 19 Minnesota Twins 2 4 13 13 Total 23 13 212 152 National League Atlanta Braves 1 2 14 18 Florida Marlins 1 2 9 24 Montreal Expos 2 1 19 11 New York Mets 4 2 26 20 Philadelphia Phillies 2 1 13 13 Total 10 8 81 86 Season Total 95 65 804 713
Month Games Won Lost Win % April 26 14 12 131 116 May 25 15 10 120 99 June 27 16 11 147 125 July 28 19 9 158 132 August 29 15 14 141 141 September 18 12 6 83 77 October 7 4 3 24 23 Total 160 95 65 804 713 Games Won Lost Win % Home 79 51 28 422 330 Away 81 44 37 381 382 Total 160 95 65 804 713
Roster 2001 New York Yankees Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches (Bullpen) (Hitting) (First Base) (Third Base) (Pitching) (Bench)
Game log Regular season Legend Yankees Win Yankees Loss Game postponed
|- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || April 2 || Royals || 7–3 || Clemens (1–0) || Suppan (0–1) || — || Yankee Stadium || 55,814 || 1–0 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 2 || April 4 || Royals || 8–2 || Pettitte (1–0) || Stein (0–1) || — || Yankee Stadium || 26,499 || 2–0 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 3 || April 5 || Royals || 1–0 || Mussina (1–0) || Reichert (0–1) || Rivera (1) || Yankee Stadium || 26,696 || 3–0 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 4 || April 6 || Blue Jays || 4–13 || Loaiza (2–0) || Parker (0–1) || — || Yankee Stadium || 29,606 || 3–1 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 5 || April 7 || Blue Jays || 2–3 || Michalak (1–0) || O. Hernandez (0–1) || Koch (2) || Yankee Stadium || 30,487 || 3–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 6 || April 8 || Blue Jays || 16–5 || Clemens (2–0) || Parris (0–2) || — || Yankee Stadium || 31,970 || 4–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 7 || April 9 || @ Royals || 13–4 || Pettitte (2–0) || Stein (0–2) || — || Kauffman Stadium || 24,411 || 5–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 8 || April 10 || @ Royals || 9–5 || Mendoza (1–0) || R. Hernandez (0–1) || — || Kauffman Stadium || 16,338 || 6–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 9 || April 11 || @ Royals || 8–5 || Williams (1–0) || Meadows (0–2) || Rivera (2) || Kauffman Stadium || 19,175 || 7–2 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 10 || April 13 || @ Red Sox || 2–3 || Lowe (1–2) || Rivera (0–1) || — || Fenway Park || 33,124 || 7–3 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 11 || April 14 || @ Red Sox || 3–2 || Stanton (1–0) || Schourek (0–1) || Rivera (3) || Fenway Park || 33,396 || 8–3 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 12 || April 15 || @ Red Sox || 4–5 || Garces (1–0) || Pettitte (2–1) || Arrojo (2) || Fenway Park || 32,127 || 8–4 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 13 || April 16 || @ Red Sox || 1–4 || Castillo (1–1) || Mussina (1–1) || Beck (1) || Fenway Park || 33,373 || 8–5 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 14 || April 17 || @ Blue Jays || 5–6 || Loaiza (3–0) || Keisler (0–1) || Koch (4) || SkyDome || 20,019 || 8–6 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 15 || April 18 || @ Blue Jays || 2–7 || Michalak (3–0) || O. Hernandez (0–2) || — || SkyDome || 19,770 || 8–7 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 16 || April 19 || @ Blue Jays || 6–5 || Choate (1–0) || File (0–1) || Mendoza (1) || SkyDome || 24,684 || 9–7 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 17 || April 20 || Red Sox || 6–1 || Pettitte (3–1) || Nomo (2–1) || — || Yankee Stadium || 54,366 || 10–7 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 18 || April 21 || Red Sox || 3–8 || Castillo (2–1) || Mussina (1–2) || — || Yankee Stadium || 55,483 || 10–8 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 19 || April 22 || Red Sox || 4–3 || Rivera (1–1) || Lowe (1–3) || — || Yankee Stadium || 55,278 || 11–8 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 20 || April 24 || Mariners || 5–7 || Garcia (3–0) || Stanton (1–1) || Sasaki (10) || Yankee Stadium || 29,522 || 11–9 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 21 || April 25 || Mariners || 5–7 || Charlton (1–0) || Pettitte (3–2) || Sasaki (11) || Yankee Stadium || 23,684 || 11–10 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 22 || April 26 || Mariners || 3–7 || Moyer (4–0) || Mussina (1–3) || Rhodes (1) || Yankee Stadium || 30,218 || 11–11 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 23 || April 27 || Athletics || 3–2 || Choate (2–0) || Mulder (2–2) || Rivera (4) || Yankee Stadium || 35,170 || 12–11 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 24 || April 28 || Athletics || 7–6 || Lilly (1–0) || Hudson (2–3) || Rivera (5) || Yankee Stadium || 38,422 || 13–11 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 25 || April 29 || Athletics || 3–1 || Clemens (3–0) || Zito (3–2) || Rivera (6) || Yankee Stadium || 50,572 || 14–11 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 26 || April 30 || @ Twins || 1–2 || Radke (5–0) || Pettitte (3–3) || — || Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome || 24,629 || 14–12
|- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 27 || May 1 || @ Twins || 4–0 || Mussina (2–3) || Milton (3–2) || — || Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome || 24,505 || 15–12 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 28 || May 2 || @ Twins || 2–4 || Mays (4–1) || O. Hernandez (0–3) || Hawkins (9) || Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome || 36,825 || 15–13 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 29 || May 3 || @ Orioles || 7–5 || Mendoza (2–0) || Paronto (1–1) || Rivera (7) || Oriole Park at Camden Yards || 40,218 || 16–13 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 30 || May 4 || @ Orioles || 6–5 || Stanton (2–1) || Paronto (1–2) || Rivera (8) || Oriole Park at Camden Yards || 43,133 || 17–13 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 31 || May 5 || @ Orioles || 5–2 || Pettitte (4–3) || Roberts (4–1) || Boehringer (1) || Oriole Park at Camden Yards || 47,726 || 18–13 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 32 || May 6 || @ Orioles || 2–1 || Mussina (3–3) || Trombley (1–1) || Rivera (9) || Oriole Park at Camden Yards || 47,740 || 19–13 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 33 || May 8 || Twins || 0–2 || Milton (4–2) || O. Hernandez (0–4) || — || Yankee Stadium || 29,326 || 19–14 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 34 || May 9 || Twins || 2–0 || Clemens (4–0) || Mays (4–2) || Rivera (10) || Yankee Stadium || 23,280 || 20–14 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 35 || May 10 || Twins || 4–5 || Guardado (2–0) || Rivera (1–2) || Hawkins (11) || Yankee Stadium || 29,100 || 20–15 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 36 || May 11 || Orioles || 14–5 || Mussina (4–3) || Roberts (4–2) || Mendoza (2) || Yankee Stadium || 40,433 || 21–15 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 37 || May 12 || Orioles || 8–5 || Stanton (3–1) || Towers (1–1) || Rivera (11) || Yankee Stadium || 48,288 || 22–15 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 38 || May 13 || Orioles || 5–10 || Ryan (2–0) || Rivera (1–3) || — || Yankee Stadium || 39,819 || 22–16 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 39 || May 15 || @ Athletics || 2–3 || Guthrie (2–0) || Mendoza (2–1) || — || Network Associates Coliseum || 24,351 || 22–17 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb" | 40 || May 16 || @ Athletics || 3–4 || Guthrie (3–0) || Boehringer (0–1) || — || Network Associates Coliseum || 43,932 || 22–18 |- bgcolor="ffbbbb"