Any discussion of the 1939 Yankees requires a quick review of the era in order to apply some context and properly set the stage.
From 1936 through 1938, the Yankees won the World Series each season, and posted an average record of 101-52, good for a .660 three-year winning percentage. They captured the American League pennant by an average of a ridiculous 14 games per season and went 12-3 in World Series contests. If their success stopped there, they’d be in the discussion of the best Yankee dynasties of all-time.
Yet somehow, in 1939, they improved.