The 2001 New York Yankees were primed for a four-peat. It was the last hurrah for most of the core squad which had contributed to three consecutive titles and four in five seasons. One fluky inning prevented the Yankees from defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks and becoming the first team to four-peat since the 1949-53 club reeled off five straight titles.
One player who contributed to the title run of 1996-00 but wasn’t on the 2001 squad was a reliever and right-handed setup man, Jeff Nelson. One could argue that Nelson, who left for more green by returning to the Seattle Mariners, was one of the main bridges to closer Mariano Rivera.