The New York Yankees is the most successful franchise in the Major League baseball. The Yankees joined the American League in 1903 but had to struggle a lot during their first two years. Initially the Yankees were named "The Highlanders" as their ballpark was built in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan. Clark Griffith was the first manager of the Highlanders. But as the team's performance dropped in 1908, Arthur Norman Elberfeld was made their new manager and the team was renamed to New York Yankees. Wee Willie" Keeler and Jack Chesbro were the outstanding players of the team in 1904. Birdie Cree, Hal Chase, Roger Peckinpaugh, and Wally Pipp were the other leading players of Yankees till 1920. The Yankees won their first World Series after two since they were formed. In the 1920s New York Yankees relied on home run hitter Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth was traded to Yankees from Boston Red Sox in 1919. Lou Gehrig also joined the Yankees and together with Babe Ruth piloted the league to many wins. Babe Ruth had posted 714 home runs, 2,174 runs, 2,210 RBI, 2,056 walks, a .342 average and a huge .690 career slugging average in his tenure with the New York Yankees. Lou Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive games for New York and performed at an MVP level every year of his streak. Joe DiMaggio was seen on the Yankees roster in the 1930s posting a batting average of .323 in his first season, with 29 homers and 125 RBI. Nicknamed, “The Yankee Clipper” DiMaggio won his first batting title in 1939 posting an average of .381. DiMaggio was a multitalented player and led his team in homers in 1937, 1948, RBI in 1941, 1948 and runs scored in 1937. The New York Yankees won four straight titles from 1936 to 1939 led by Gehrig, DiMaggio and pitchers Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing. Mickey Mantle replaced DiMaggio in the early 1950s. Mantle won the Triple Crown posting 52 homers, 130 RBI and a .353 average in 1956. The Yankees played against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, beating them three of four times in the 1950s. The team won World Series title from 1949 to 1953, a record that is unmatched till date. The Yankees roster also featured ace players like Yogi Berra, Johnny Mize, and Phil Rizzuto at that time. A new owner, George Steinbrenner, took over the New York Yankees in the early 1970s. In 1977 and 1978, the Yankees conquered their old rivals, the Dodgers, in the World Series. Free agents Reggie Jackson Catfish Hunter, trade-acquisitions Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph, Rich Gossage, Ed Figueroa, Sparky Lyle, and Lou Piniella, and homegrown stars Thurman Munson, Roy White, and Ron Guidry fueled the Steinbrenner Yankees. The team exchanged many players and managers from 1982 to 1991. Buck Showalter finally brought stability in the team in 1992. The team went on to win World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. In 2001 the Yankees won yet another AL East flag. The league further won their sixth straight AL East title in 1996 and also confronted the Major League Baseball by taking their team salary up over the $160 million mark.