The Yankee Way: Playing, Coaching, and My Life in Baseball

In his beloved memoir, legendary baseball player, New York Yankee, and New York City sports figure, Willie Randolph tells the story of his life spent playing and coaching for the most storied professional sports team in the world, detailing his career on and off the field with some of baseball history’s biggest stars and his years of coaching on the most memorable Yankees teams in recent memory.

For almost thirty years, Willie Randolph, the All-Star second baseman, World Series champion, and manager was a part of Yankee lore and mythology, whether playing with the legends Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson and witnessing the infamous Bronx Zoo at its rowdiest, or coaching as the Core Four—Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada—rose to fame and ushered in a new era of Yankee dominance.

In The Yankee Way, Willie Randolph shares stories from his life in pinstripes, opening up about the team that raised him and the city that molded him. With unparalleled perspective into three generations of team history, the former Yankee captain offers fresh, firsthand insight into some of the greatest players to ever play the game and the greatest teams ever to call the Bronx their home. From Don Mattingly to Bernie Williams, Goose Gossage to Mariano Rivera, and Billy Martin to Joe Torre, Randolph presents a view of baseball history from the inside, describing how teams became dynasties and managers became legends?all in the shadow of the man who brought them together, the Boss, George Steinbrenner.

A quintessential New Yorker, he shares memories of a rise that could only happen in the Big Apple—from the projects of East New York to the house that Ruth built, discussing his triumphs and struggles on and off the field along the way.

Willie Randolph spent thirteen years as a second baseman with the New York Yankees, from 1976 to 1988, during which he served as cocaptain from 1986 to 1988, was selected for six All-Star teams, and won two World Series Championships. Randolph went on to coach the Yankees for eleven seasons, leading the team to four World Championships. In 2005, Randolph joined the Mets, becoming the first African American manager in New York City baseball history. He lives in New Jersey.