Yes, Virginia, the Yankees Once Were A Bad Team
It seems like ancient history but it wasn't that long ago. The Yankees really did have some awful seasons for long stretches at a time. From 1965 until 1976 the Yankees won nothing and for many of those years they were really bad. The hard times arrived suddenly but in retrospect they should have been anticipated.
After losing the World Series to the Dodgers in 1963 and then to the Cardinals in 1964, the Yankees collapsed completely in 1965. Age, injuries, and poor management ended the Yankees dominance. The stars were aging, the farm system had been allowed to deteriorate and the scouting staff was cut severely.
Mickey Mantle was 33, Whitey Ford and Elston Howard were 36, and Hector Lopez was 35. Mantle, Maris, Howard, and Tony Kubek, the players who were the heart of the team, suffered serious injuries that kept them out of the lineup for substantial periods and hampered their effectiveness when they did play.
After a typical Mantle season in 1964, when he batted .303 with 35 home runs and 111 RBIs, Mickey appeared in only 122 games in 1965. The fact that he always hustled actually hurt him because he tried as hard as he could with a body that injury and neglect had almost destroyed. On June 22 he severely injured his hamstring muscle trying to score from second base on a wild pitch which cost him three weeks in an injury plagued season. Finishing with only 19 home runs and a .255 batting average, he was no longer Mickey Mantle.
Elston Howard had been the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He followed that with a great 1964 season, batting .313 with 15 home runs and 84 RBIs, but that would be it. Ellie's elbow was bothering him and the greatest defensive catcher in Yankees' history needed surgery in May of 1965. It was the end of his career as a great catcher. His knowledge and leadership remained but he no longer was Elston Howard.
Roger Maris was unappreciated by everyone except his teammates and opponents. He played the game as hard as anyone did, including Mantle and just as with Mantle, Roger's hustle cost him. Batting in a game in June 1965, Roger felt something pop in his right hand while swinging at a pitch. Hampered by the injury, Maris still attempted to play but he appeared in only 46 games the entire season, hitting .239 with 8 home runs and 27 RBIs.
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