When the 1953 MLB season began, the New York Yankees stood on the precipice of baseball history. The organization had just won its fourth-straight World Series the previous October, and was gearing up for a fifth consecutive championship run.
Since 1903, several teams had managed to repeat as World Series champions. The Cubs, Athletics, Red Sox, and Giants had all accomplished the feat before the Yankees won their first Fall Classic in 1923. New York won back-to-back titles for the first time in 1927 and 1928. After DiMaggio joined the club in 1936, the Bronx Bombers won four-straight rings to close out the 1930s.