The New York Yankees are the most successful professional sports franchise in the four major sports. In their 123 seasons, they’ve made the playoffs 60 times, the World Series 41 times, and they have 27 world championships. But the last one was 16 years ago and that created a bit of a firestorm earlier this week when the Toronto Blue Jays knocked them out of the playoffs.
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Aaron Boone has been the Yankees manager for 8 seasons. He’s made the playoffs 7 times, reaching the ALCS three times and the World Series once. But yet there are calls for his job. It got me wondering, how does the Yankees’ current drought stack up to the rest of our New York teams?
56 — The New York Jets shocked the world, winning Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969. In the last 56 years they’ve advanced to the AFC Championship game four times but never made it back to the big game. Jets have just one championship in 65 years.
52 — The New York Knicks won the NBA Championship on May 10, 1973. In the subsequent 52 years, they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals four times, and the NBA Finals twice. The Knicks have won two championships in their 79-year history.
49 — The Brooklyn Nets have a strange, twisted history starting in the old ABA (American Basketball Association) as the New York Nets in 1967-68. Prior to the ABA/NBA merger in 1976, the Nets won two ABA Championships. Since they joined the NBA, they moved to New Jersey and then Brooklyn, advancing to the NBA Finals twice. The Nets have never won the NBA championship in their 49-year NBA history.
42 — The New York Islanders won their 4th consecutive Stanley Cup on May 17, 1983. That win gave them an astounding 4 cups in their first 11 years of existence. The following year, they went back to the Stanley Cup finals but haven’t been back since. They have made the Eastern Conference Finals once, and the NHL semi-finals during the Covid-season. All in all, the Islanders have won 4 Stanley Cups in 52 years.
39 — The New York Mets won the World Series on October 17, 1986. In the last 39 years, they have made it to NLCS four times and back to the World Series twice. All told, the Mets have 2 World Series championships in their 64 years.
31 — The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup on June 14, 1994. In the 31 years since they snapped their famous 54-year drought, they have made it back to the finals once, and the Eastern Conference Finals five additional times. The Rangers enter their centennial season having won 4 Stanley Cups in their 99-year history.
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22 — The New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup on June 2, 2003. They’ve made it back to the Stanley Cup finals once in the last 22 years. The Devils have won 3 Stanley Cups in their 43-year history.
16 — The New York Yankees won the World Series on November 4, 2009. In the last 16 years, they’ve played in one World Series and reached the ALCS five other times. The Yankees have won more championship than any franchise in the four major sports, 27 in 122 years.
13 — The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 on February 5, 2012. In the last 13 years, they’ve won a single playoff game. The Giants have won 8 world championships (4 Super Bowls, 4 NFL Championships) in their 100-year history.
1 — The New York Liberty won their first WNBA Championship on October 20, 2024. The Liberty started the 2025 season with 9 straight wins, but injuries and inconsistent play ended their title defense in the first round of the playoffs. The Liberty have won 1 championship in 29 years.
“SRNY By The Numbers” is a periodic feature that highlights all 10 New York metropolitan sports teams and requires a primary school knowledge of math.