<P> The 1980 season brought more changes to the Yankees . Billy Martin was fired once again and Dick Howser took his place . Chris Chambliss was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Rick Cerone . Thanks to Howser's no - nonsense attitude, Reggie Jackson hit . 300 for the only time in his career with 41 homers, and finished 2nd in the MVP voting to Kansas City's George Brett . The Yankees won 103 games and the AL East by three games over the 100 - win Baltimore Orioles, but were swept by the Royals in the 1980 ALCS . </P> <P> After the season ended, the Yankees signed Dave Winfield to a 10 - year contract . The Yankees fired Howser and replaced him with Gene Michael . Under Michael, the Yankees led the AL East before a strike hit in June 1981 . In the second half of the season, the Yankees struggled under Bob Lemon, who replaced Michael . Thanks to the split - season playoff format, the Yankees faced the second - half winner Milwaukee Brewers in the special 1981 American League Division Series . After narrowly defeating Milwaukee in five games, they breezed through Billy Martin and the Oakland Athletics in a three - game ALCS . In the World Series, the Yankees got off to a hot start by winning the first two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers . But the Dodgers fought back and stunned the Yankees by winning the next four games to clinch their first World Series title since 1965 . </P> <P> Following the team's loss to the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series, the Yankees began their longest absence from the playoffs since 1921 . Following the example set by the St. Louis Cardinals and the Big Red Machine that had defeated his team in the 1976 World Series, George Steinbrenner announced his plan to transform the Yankees from the Bronx Bombers into the "Bronx Burners", increasing the Yankees' ability to win games based on speed and defense instead of "waiting around for a 3 run home run". As a first step towards this end, the Yankees signed Dave Collins from the Cincinnati Reds during the 1981 off season . Collins was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1982 season in a deal that also included future All - Stars Fred McGriff and Mike Morgan . In return the Yankees got Dale Murray and Tom Dodd . </P> <P> The Yankees of the 1980s were led by All - Star first baseman Don Mattingly . In spite of accumulating the most total wins of any major league team, they failed to win a World Series (the first such Yankees team since the 1910s) and had only 1 playoff appearance . Although they consistently had a powerful offense--Mattingly at various times was teammate to Dave Winfield (whom Mattingly battled for the AL batting title throughout most of the 1984 season), Rickey Henderson, Don Baylor, Ken Griffey, Sr., Mike Pagliarulo, Steve Sax, and Jesse Barfield, and the Yankees led the majors in runs scored for the decade--the Yankees teams of the 1980s lacked sufficient starting pitching to win a championship . After posting a 22--6 record in 1985, arm problems caught up with Ron Guidry, and his performance declined over the next three years . Of the remaining mainstays of the Yankees' rotation, only Dave Righetti stood out, pitching a no - hitter on July 4, 1983, but he was moved to the bullpen the next year where he helped to define the closer role . Despite the Yankees' lack of pitching success during the 1980s, they had three of the premier pitchers of the early 1990s on their roster during these years in Al Leiter, Doug Drabek and José Rijo . All were mismanaged and dealt away before they could reach their full potential, with only Rijo returning much value--he was traded to the Oakland A's in the deal that brought Henderson to New York . </P>

Who played left field for the yankees in 1998