The 1998 Yankees

The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever

By: Jack Curry

Narrated by: Jack Curry

Discover the inside story of the 1998 Yankees' unprecedented talent with this gripping account from a reporter who was there for the team's dominating 125 wins.​

The visiting clubhouse in San Diego was soggy, sweaty and sticky after the 1998 Yankees swept the Padres in four games and celebrated winning their 24th World Series title. The players raised bottles of Champagne, sprayed the bubbly on each other and reveled in a baseball season that might have been more memorable than any in history.

Jack Curry was part of that unforgettable scene as a reporter, navigating around the clubhouse to ask the same, pertinent question. After winning an unprecedented 125 games and pummeling teams along the way, were these Yankees, the Yankees of Jeter, Mariano, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie, O’Neill, Tino and so many other vital players, the best team ever?

“Right now, you would have to call them the best team ever,” said owner George Steinbrenner.

Twenty five years later, Curry revisits that season to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing and successful club. This book includes new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives, who revealed some behind-the-stories about the magical journey and who also discussed the depth of this historic squad.

“From the first man to the 25th man on the roster, I don’t think there’s a team that had more talent and a team whose players knew their roles as well as our players did,” said pitcher David Cone. “If you’re using that as a barometer for the best team of all-time, then I think you can call us the best team of all-time.”

During that wondrous season, Don Zimmer, a Yankee coach and a baseball lifer who began his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, told associates there would never be another team like the 1998 Yankees. Zimmer was right. Twenty five years later, Curry describes how and why that Yankee team could be the best ever.

"The 1998 Yankees were a perfectly constructed team. Jack Curry does an amazing job of telling the tales of that phenomenal group." —David Cone

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Jack Curry (P)2023 Grand Central Publishing

Critic reviews

“I feel that my 1998 team was the best of all-time. After a tough opening week, I managed a team that wasn’t going to be denied following a disappointing ending in 1997. It was enjoyable to revisit that season with Jack Curry. In these pages, Jack reminds everyone what made that team so special.”—Joe Torre, Hall of Famer and Yankees’ manager for four World Series titles

“With fresh, insightful interviews of all the key characters and keen-eyed reporting, Jack Curry, like the 1998 Yankees, delivers one win after another. His book accomplishes a rare double play by bringing new perspective about a well-chronicled team while also unearthing never-before-told stories from that historic season. Consider this the 126th victory of that championship campaign.”—Joel Sherman, New York Post baseball columnist and MLB Network insider

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect team, but I do think the 1998 Yankees were a perfectly constructed team. Everyone knew his role and excelled at it. We had confidence in each other’s abilities to perform. Jack Curry covered that team’s journey and he does an amazing job of telling the tales of that phenomenal group. It was a great team back then and this is a great book now.”—David Cone, Five-time World Series Champion

“Are the 1998 Yankees the best baseball team ever? The question itself invites debate. What is beyond debate is that the ’98 Yanks are on the short list of teams with a legitimate claim to that distinction. A claim for which Jack Curry, in colorful and telling details, makes a compelling case.”—Bob Costas, Hall of Fame Broadcaster

An engaging & fun read

This is a must-read for any baseball fan, not just the Yankee faithful. Jack Curry weaves enough statistics into a series of insightful stories about a team that ground its way to glory that he makes a compelling case for why the ‘98 Yankees may be the greatest baseball team of all time.

Great recap of the best season in mlb history

Wonderful trip down memory lane. Took me back to one of my most memorable seasons as a Yanks fan. Love the “peak behind the scenes” stories.

The wonderful story of a wonderous team...

This audiobook was as enjoyable as it was compelling and the author did a terrific job of reading his own work. Written intelligently and from an insider's perspective, Mr. Curry - a Yankee superfan - brings the listener face-to-face with a laser-focused team whose destiny would not be denied them.

The best team ever!!!

While this team was a masterpiece it was volatile with some players. But in the end no team has ever come close to what the ‘98 Yankees have accomplished.

While Jack Curry has a good writing of the book, the narration was stiff

Very good!

Jack Curry has been writing books on the Yankees for over two decades now. This is another must-read if you're a Yankee fan, but also, a fan of this sport’s history.

Another Curry Classic!

Fantastic listen. As always, Jack delivers! Fact filled and entertaining. Can't wait for his next Yankee classic.

Enjoyable but nothing great!

Enjoyed this book and tough to argue the 98 Yanks were an amazing team. Perhaps using the authors definition of examining performance of just a single season they are the greatest team ever but I’m still leaning to the 76 Reds. 8 All Stars, 4 HOF, and the greatest C and 2B of all time.