No team’s history compares with the New York Yankees’, but most of the great legends of the past have been position players. They’re the Bronx Bombers, after all, which isn’t the kind of name you give to a pitching-forward franchise. With apologies to Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, and Andy Pettitte, they’ve never had a long-term starting pitcher equivalent of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. There’s no Walter Johnson or Bob Gibson in Yankee lore. Their all-time pitching WAR leader is Mariano Rivera with 56.3. This is the lowest WAR leader of any of the original eight American League clubs.
Strikeouts, single-season: 1978 Ron Guidry – 248
