The New York Yankees are considered by many to be the greatest baseball team in history. Looking at their achievements however, that may be an understatement. They may be the greatest team in North American sports history.

Although the team was founded in 1901, they didn't take the name "New York Yankees" until 1913. After the name change, it didn't take them long to achieve success. Just ten years later, they had already won three American League pennants and a World Series title. By the end of the 1920’s, they won three more American League pennants and two more World Series titles.

The franchise continued to experience great success throughout the next two decades. But their run from 1949 to 1964 is perhaps the greatest show of dominance by any team ever. In those sixteen seasons, they won fourteen American League pennants and nine World Series titles. Only two baseball teams have that many pennant wins in their entire history. Only the St. Louis Cardinals have as many total World Series wins as the Yankees had in that sixteen year stretch.

Since 1964, the Yankees have continued to win a lot, though not nearly at that pace. They have won an additional ten American League pennants and six World Series titles. Their franchise winning percentage of 0.567 is easily the highest of any active team. They have more World Series titles than any other three teams in baseball history.

So, it is probably beyond doubt that the Yankees are the greatest baseball team ever, but their greatness transcends that description. The NHL's Montreal Canadians are the only other team in North American sports history to have more than 30 appearances in their championship and more than 20 championships. The Yankees still hold both records. With their history of success, the honor of being "The Greatest" might be theirs for a long time to come.