The New York Yankees in 2008 were not the same team they were during the late nineties, going 89-73 and not making the playoffs. The Yankees felt like they had something to prove, ambitious to become World Champions for the 27th time.

To become World Champions, they needed good players. The Yankees traded for White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher. Swisher was a good guy to have in your clubhouse and was a very consistent player. During his four seasons as a Yankee he only missed 50 games and averaged 20 home runs or more per season. The Yankees then set their focus on pitching, signing free agent CC Sabathia for seven years, $161 million. In 2008 Sabathia went 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA, A.J. Burnett also was signed by the yankees to a four year, $82.5 million. 

Signifying the new beginning, a new stadium was built for the Yankees. The last game of the 2008 season was the last game played at the old Yankee stadium which had been home to the Yankees for eighty six years, the new stadium closely resembled the old stadium’s original 1923 design. The new stadium hosted its first game on April 3, 2009 in a exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs then its first regular season game on April 16, 2009 against the Cleveland Indians (Cleveland Guardians as of 2021)

The Yankees finished out the season 103-59. As the playoffs began, the dream of number 27 was becoming real. The Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the AL division series on October 7, 2009. The Yankees then defeated the Los Angeles Angels in 6 games to clinch their 40th AL pennant on October 25. After nearly a decade, the New York Yankees were back in the World Series and they had tough competition. The Yankees would be facing the defending champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. In 6 games the Yankees would defeat the Phillies to claim their 27th World Championship.