Game 1: 1998 Yankees 5, 1939 Yankees 0
(1998 Yankees lead, 1-0)

El Duque was masterful once more, holding the mighty bats of the 1939 Yankees to three scattered singles en route to a 5-0 win for the 1998 Yankees and a one game to none lead in the finals.

The game was much closer than the final score indicated. It was scoreless through five, with each team only having one hit, when the 1998 team broke through in the sixth. With two outs, Chuck Knoblauch walked, stole second, and scored on a hard line drive single to left by Derek Jeter.

The 1939 club threatened in the seventh. Hernandez walked Bill Dickey and Charlie Keller with two outs, but ended the rally by inducing Frankie Crosetti to ground out to Jeter.

The 1998 Yanks blew open the close game by scoring four times in the top of the ninth. Paul O'Neill doubled and Bernie Williams followed with an RBI single. After Tino Martinez was hit by a Red Ruffing pitch, Shane Spencer followed with his sixth home run of the tourney to blow the game open.

Game 2: 1998 Yankees 5, 1939 Yankees 4
(1998 Yankees lead, 2-0)

Daryl Strawberry came through in the clutch, stroking a monstrous two run blast to right field in the top of the ninth inning as the 1998 Yankees came from behind and took a surprising two games to none lead with a 5-4 win over the 1939 Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The game was back and forth all night. The 1998 Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the second off starter Bump Hadley on a Tino Martinez single, a Scott Brosius single, and a Jorge Posada groundout. The 1939 Yanks tied it up in the fourth on a Joe DiMaggio single and a Joe Gordon double.

The 1998 team again took a lead in the sixth. After Paul O'Neill doubled, Bernie Williams singled to make it 2-1. Martinez then singled to place runners at the corners. When Shane Spencer lifted a deep fly ball to Death Valley, Williams tagged and scored to make it 3-1.

But the 1939 Yankees, who had led their league in runs scored for four straight seasons, roared back in the bottom of the sixth. After another DiMaggio single, Joe Gordon blasted a two-run home run off starter David Wells to tie the game. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemeyer went out to settle a visibly upset Wells down, but whatever he said didn't work, as Bill Dickey followed with a first pitch home run to give the 1939 Yanks a 4-3 lead. At that point, Joe Torre brought in Ramiro Mendoza to stop the momentum. Mendoza pitched 2 2/3 innings of no-hit ball.

In the fateful ninth inning, after Brosius grounded out, Posada walked. Strawberry pinch hit for Mendoza, and lined a 1-1 fastball into the right field bleachers to give the 1998 Yanks the lead.

Mariano Rivera came in for the bottom of the ninth and retired Dickey, Babe Dahlgren and Charlie Keller for his sixth save of the tournament.

The series now shifts zero miles, but 59 years into the future at Yankee Stadium.

Game 3: 1939 Yankees 8, 1998 Yankees 1
(1998 Yankees lead, 2-1)

Red Rolfe had five hits as the 1939 Yankees rode a 13-hit attack right over Andy Pettite for an easy 8-1 win over the 1998 Yankees and cut the 1998 team's finals lead to two games to one.

After Tino Martinez gave the 1998 Yanks an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single, it stayed that score until the sixth when the old guys broke through. Rolfe and Joe DiMaggio singled, and Joe Gordon blasted a three run home run, his tournament-leading eighth, to give the 1939 Yanks a 3-1 lead.

In the eighth, they blew it open against the 1998 bullpen. Bill Dickey walked, and Babe Dahlgren and Frankie Crosetti singled to load the bases. After Joe Torre replaced Jeff Nelson with Mike Stanton, George Selkirk walked to drive in a run, and Rolfe singled to drive in two more. Rolfe also singled in a run in the ninth for his fifth hit of the night, all singles.

Atley Donald scattered six hits for the win.

Game 4: 1939 Yankees 13, 1998 Yankees 3
(Series tied, 2-2)

George Selkirk had four hits, inclduing a triple and home run, and drove in four runs as the 1939 Yankees evened the finals at two games each. They did it with a fantastic display of late inning offensive prowess in a convincing 13-3 win over the 1998 Yankees in game four.

After the 1939 Yanks took an early 2-0 lead on a Joe DiMaggio home run off starter David Cone, Tino Martinez hit a three run blast in the bottom of the first to make it a 3-2 game. Selkirk tied the game in the third by tripling and scoring on a Red Rolfe groundout.

The game stayed tied 3-3 until the top of the 8th when the 1939 Yanks broke it wide open by scoring seven times. Singles by Joe Gordon, Bill Dickey, and Babe Dahlgren gave the '39 Yanks the lead. After Charlie Keller walked to load the bases, Jeff Nelson came in to stop the rally, but all he did was pour gasoline on it. Frankie Crosetti and Tommy Henrich singled off Nelson to score three more runs. Graham Lloyd was brought in to face Selkirk, but Selkirk deposited his first pitch into the seats for a three run blast to blow the game wide open.

The 1939 Yanks added three more in the ninth on RBI hits by Henrich, Keller and Selkirk. Dahlgren also had four hits in the victory.

Game 5: 1939 Yankees 8, 1998 Yankees 5
(1939 Yankees lead, 3-2)

Joe DiMaggio hit two home runs, including a dramatic three run home run in the top of the ninth inning as the 1939 Yankees claimed their third straight road victory and moved one win away from the All-Time Tournament Championship with an 8-5 win over the 1998 Yankees in game five.

The game was a magnificent seesaw battle all night, with neither starter particularly effective. DiMaggio opened the scoring for the 1939 team with a solo shot in the first, but Paul O'Neill answered with his own solo blast in the bottom of the frame. The 1939 Yankees took the lead back with two in the second on a Tommy Henrich RBI double. In the fourth, Shane Spencer hit his seventh home run to make it a one-run game, and one inning later, Jorge Posada tied it with another solo shot.

The game stayed tied 3-3 until the eighth. After Joe Gordon walked, Bill Dickey gave the 1939 Yanks a 5-3 lead with a two-run homer. Jeff Nelson came in and got out of the inning, and the 1998 Yanks responded with their own long ball. Derek Jeter singled, and after Paul O'Neill flied out, Bernie Williams homered to tie the game once more.

But in the ninth, Tommy Henrich walked, and after George Selkirk popped out on a bunt attempt, Red Rolfe singled. DiMaggio then followed with his game-winner.

After losing the first two at home, the 1939 Yanks have won three in a row to place them one game away from the championship. The series now moves back 59 years for game six and, if necessary, game seven.

Game 6: 1998 Yankees 8, 1939 Yankees 3
(Series tied, 3-3)

Shane Spencer isn't done writing his storybook season yet, and as a result, the All-Time Champion will be determined in a single, winner-take-all game seven.

With the 1939 Yankees on the brink of victory, Spencer had three hits, including a pair of home runs, his tournament-leading eighth and ninth, as the 1998 Yankees defeated the 1939 Yankees 8-3 in game six to tie the series.

With their backs against the wall, the 1998 team acted quickly, scoring four times in the first off starter Bump Hadley. Chuck Knoblauch doubled, and Paul O'Neill doubled him in two batters later. After Bernie Williams doubled to score O'Neill, Spencer hit the first of his home runs to make it an early 4-0 lead.

David Wells was brilliant early on, shutting down the 1939 Yankees on only two hits through the first six innings. In the seventh, his teammates made it a 5-0 game on a Jorge Posada RBI single.

The 1998 team blew the game open in the 8th. Derek Jeter singled, O'Neill doubled, and when Marv Bruer came in to pitch, Williams greeted him with an RBI single. After Tino Martinez grounded into a double play, Spencer hit his second home run to make it 8-0.

The 1939 Yanks scored three times in the ninth on a Tommy Henrich home run, but Wells settled down to finish them off on only 97 pitches.

Game seven will decide it all.

Game 7: 1998 Yankees 5, 1939 Yankees 4 (F-10)
(1998 Yankees win tournament, 4-3)

In a fitting end to a magnificent tournament, Tino Martinez drove in all five runs as the 1998 Yankees earned the title of All-Time Champion with a 5-4 win over the 1939 Yankees in a dramatic extra inning game seven.

Back to back home runs by Babe Dahlgren and Charlie Keller off Andy Pettite in the third inning gave the 1939 Yanks a 2-0 lead. They loaded the bases in the bottom of the third on singles by George Selkirk and Joe DiMaggio and a walk to Joe Gordon, but Pettite bore down after a mound visit and got Bill Dickey on a comebacker to end the threat.

On the other side, Atley Donald was cruising until the sixth, only having allowed one hit. But Chuck Koblauch singled to lead off the inning, and Derek Jeter walked. After Paul O'Neill flied out, Bernie Williams walked to load the bases. Martinez then drove in all three runners and gave his team a 3-2 lead with a line shot double down the right field line.

The game stayed 3-2 until the bottom of the eighth. With Mariano Rivera warming up in the bullpen, Joe Torre left Pettite in to pitch to one too many batters. Bill Dickey homered off Pettite to tie the game, and Rivera then came in to get the last out of the eighth. Both teams had scoreless ninths to move the game into extra frames.

In the top of the tenth, Jeter led off with a walk. O'Neill then laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, his first since 1992, to move Jeter to second. Bernie Williams then singled to shallow center, but not enough to allow Jeter to score. Joe McCarthy then brought in Lefty Gomez to face Martinez, who answered with another double to score two runs and give the 1998 Yanks a 5-3 lead.

But the 1939 Yanks weren't going to go down quietly. Facing Rivera, Tommy Henrich lined out to start the inning, but Selkirk and Red Rolfe singled to put runners at the corners. DiMaggio fought off five straight full count Rivera cut fastballs before slicing a sharp liner up the middle. But Jeter made a diving stop and flipped to Knoblauch for the force as Selkirk scored. Gordon, representing the tournament-winning run at the plate, then flied to Williams in shallow center to end the game, the series, and the tournament.

Final Notes

The 1998 Yankees defeated teams from the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 70s to take the all-time crown and prove that their 125 wins and four championships in five years were no fluke.

After the game, Shane Spencer was named the tournament MVP. He hit .386 for the tournament with nine home runs in 21 games, a strong reflection of his amazing September cup of coffee when he hit .373 with 10 homers in 27 games.

The 1998 New York Yankees, All-Time Champions.