<P> The 1957 Yankees reached that year's World Series, but lost in seven games to the Milwaukee Braves . Following the Series, the Giants and Dodgers left New York City for California, leaving the Yankees as New York's only MLB team . Despite their status as the sole New York City - based franchise, the Yankees' 1958 attendance decreased from previous seasons as the team could not attract bereft Giants and Dodgers fans . In the 1958 World Series, the Yankees had an opportunity to avenge their defeat to the Braves . The Yankees fell behind by losing three of the first four games, but won the final three games of the Series to claim another championship . The Yankees were unable to defend their AL and World Series championships in 1959, as they ended up with a 79--75 record, their worst record since 1925, good for third place . </P> <P> When Arnold Johnson (a friend of Topping and Yankees general manager George Weiss) became the owner of the Kansas City Athletics in 1955, his new team made many transactions with the Yankees . From 1956 to 1960, the Athletics traded many young players to the Yankees for cash and aging veterans . The trades strengthened the Yankees' roster, but brought criticism from rival clubs . Before their 1960 season, the Yankees made one such trade with the Athletics in which they acquired outfielder Roger Maris . In his first Yankees season, Maris led the league in slugging percentage, RBIs, and extra base hits, finished second with 39 home runs, and won the AL MVP Award . The 1960 Yankees won the AL pennant for the 10th time in 12 years under Stengel, and outscored the Pirates 55--27 in the seven World Series games . However, the team lost four of them, falling short of a Series championship after Bill Mazeroski hit a walk - off home run in the final game, ending a contest that Appel called "one of the most memorable in baseball history ." The season turned out to be Stengel's last as Yankees manager; he indicated that his age played a role in the team's decision, saying, "I'll never make the mistake of being seventy again ." </P> <P> Ralph Houk was chosen to replace Stengel . During the 1961 season, both Mantle and Maris chased Ruth's single - season home run record of 60, and the pair attracted much press attention as the year progressed . Ultimately, an infection forced Mantle to leave the lineup and bow out of the race in mid-September with 54 home runs . Maris continued, though, and on October 1, the final day of the season, he homered against Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard into the right field stands of Yankee Stadium, breaking the record with 61 . Commissioner Ford Frick decreed that two separate records be kept, as the Yankees played a 154 - game schedule in 1927 (beginning in 1961, AL teams played 162 games to accommodate the league's expansion to 10 teams). MLB did away with the dual records 30 years later, giving Maris sole possession of the single - season home run record before it was broken in 1998 by Mark McGwire . The Yankees won the pennant with 109 regular season wins, at the time the club's second - highest single - season total, and defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games to win the franchise's 19th World Series . The team hit 240 home runs to break the MLB single - season record . Maris won another AL MVP Award, while Whitey Ford captured the Cy Young Award, having posted a 25--4 record . The team gained a reputation as one of the strongest the Yankees had fielded, along with the 1927 and 1939 Yankees . New York returned to the World Series in 1962, facing the San Francisco Giants . After exchanging victories in the first six games of the Series, the Yankees won the decisive seventh game 1--0 to clinch the title . </P> <P> The Yankees again reached the World Series in their 1963 campaign, but were swept in four games by the Los Angeles Dodgers . Houk left the manager's position to become the team's general manager and the newly retired Berra was named manager . After dealing with player injuries and internal dissension, the Yankees rallied from third place late in the 1964 season and won the AL pennant by one game over the White Sox . It was their fifth straight World Series appearance and fourteenth in the past sixteen years . The team faced the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that included a walk - off home run by Mantle to end the third game . Despite Mantle's game - winning hit, the Yankees were defeated by the Cardinals in seven games, and Berra was fired . </P>

What is the history of the new york yankees