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How the New York Yankees Got Their Name The ball club that would eventually become the hallowed New York Yankees began life, strangely enough, in Baltimore Maryland as the Orioles. One of the first teams in the upstart American League, the Orioles were created in 190 as a result of league owner Bancroft “Ban” Johnson’s inability to establish a team in New York City. Kept out by the politically well-connected National League’s unwillingness to tolerate a competitor to their high-profile New York Giants, he settled for Baltimore. After two seasons there, though, the National League reversed course and decided to allow Johnson’s American League to bring a franchise to NYC. In 1903 the Orioles packed up and relocated to New York City. Just prior to that year’s baseball season, construction finished on a brand new ballpark for the team. It was built in an expansive empty lot at 165th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. The location is notable not only for being just a few blocks from the Giant’s Polo Grounds stadium but also for being one of the highest points of elevation on the island of Manhattan. Though originally christened with the uncreative moniker “American League Park,” its towering height almost immediately earned it the nicknames “Hilltop Park,” and “The Hilltop.” This nickname extended to the team, as well, which became known as the New York Highlanders. Alternately, the team was also sometimes referred to as the “Americans,” both by the public and the press, due to their affiliation with the American League. The name Yankees (a common slang term for Americans) grew out of this practice. The team was first informally called the Yankees or “Yanks” in 1904. It was gradually adopted as the second most popular name for the team (after the Highlanders) by the newspapers, mostly because it was shorter and simpler to put into type than “Americans.” The team moved from their home at “Hilltop Park” to the Polo Grounds to take over there for the Giants in 1913. After that, the Highlanders no longer seemed like an appropriate name and the team officially became the New York Yankees. |
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