The 2000 New York Yankees, the reigning, two-time defending, undisputed champions of the world, were the kings of baseball. Winners of three of the past four World Series, the Bronx Bombers were a seasoned, battle-tested group. After scraping through the regular season with 87 wins to capture the American League East crown, their experience came in handy.
First, they needed all five games to dispatch the AL West champion Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. Then, six games were required to vanquish the Seattle Mariners, who had upset the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series.