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1998 Year in Review

CNN Top Stories
 

The greatest team ever?

It started out with a whimper, but ended with a bang. The New York Yankees lost their first three games, causing many to wonder if they had foolishly bought themselves trouble with their bloated payroll (second-highest in the major leagues at $63,640,567). But New York went 17-3 the rest of April and almost never let up, finishing with an American League-record 114 regular-season wins. David Wells pitched the majors' 13th perfect game, on May 17 against Minnesota. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's high-stepped into the starting rotation after his dramatic defection from Cuba. And Scott Brosius, a journeyman third baseman, made like Graig Nettles with an MVP performance in a World Series sweep of the San Diego Padres, as the Yankees wound up with an astonishing 125-50 record.

Photos by David Seelig/Allsport, Kevork Djansezian/AP, Chuck Solomon

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