The Yankees headed into 1961 coming off the disappointment of losing the 1960 World Series in devastating walk-off fashion. They had seemingly dominated on the field in that Fall Classic, but the Pirates hung tough and outlasted them in Game 7 on the bat of Bill Mazeroski.
Yankees owners Dan Topping and Del Webb then implemented a mandatory retirement age as a way to move on from long-time manager Casey Stengel. In the Ol’ Perfesser’s place stepped former Yankees third-string catcher Ralph Houk, who had become minor league manager and assistant coach ahead of 1961.