The 114-48 New York Yankees: Where are they now?

The 1998 New York Yankees are widely considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time. They set a new franchise record with 114 wins, losing just 48 games during the regular season.

New York also set an American League record with those 114 victories, though that mark would stand for just three seasons. Yet, while the Seattle Mariners won 116 games in 2001, the Yankees also won the World Series – a claim the Mariners can’t make.

Just a few months away from the 25th anniversary season of that Yankees campaign, we’re taking a look at where some of the key members of that supreme squad are these days.

#10 Chuck Knoblauch

Chuck Knoblauch #12 of the New York Yankees hits a pitch during game 5 of the 2001 World Series

Chuck Knoblauch was traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Yankees prior to the 1998 season.

A four-time All-Star with the Twins, Knoblauch had a great first season in New York. He hit a career-high 17 home runs in 1998 and formed a great middle infield partnership with Derek Jeter. It didn’t go well after that first season, with Knoblauch most notably developing the “yips” and being unable to throw to first base. By 2002, at just 34 years old, he was out of baseball.

Now: Knoblauch was charged with assault in 2010 (against his common law wife) and in 2014 (against a relative). Knoblauch currently lives in his native Texas and is involved with youth baseball in Houston.

#9 Tino Martinez

Former New York Yankees player Tino Martinez runs out to throw out the cermonial first pitch against the Detroit Tigers

A member of four different big league teams, Tino Martinez is best remembered for his time with the Yankees. He led the 1998 Yankees with 123 RBI. A solid hitter and defensive first baseman, Martinez had a flair for getting clutch big hits.

In Game One of the 1998 World Series, Martinez broke open a tie game with a grand slam home run, setting the stage for the four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres that was to come. Supplanted by Jason Giambi prior to the 2002 season, Martinez went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays before returning to New York for his final season in 2005.

Now: After he retired, he remained with the Yankees as an instructor and also broadcast Yankee games on television. He also worked as a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins in 2013. He currently works in commercial real estate in his native Tampa, Florida.

#8 David Wells

Former New York Yankees Johnny Damon (L) and David Wells a laugh during the teams Old Timers Day

A journeyman who pitched for nine teams in a 21-year big league career, David Wells is most remembered for his time with the Yankees. He pitched a perfect game at Yankee Stadium early in the 1998 campaign and lost just four times that season. A year earlier, in his first season with the Yankees, he wore an authentic 1934 Babe Ruth hat during a game.

Known by his nickname “Boomer”, Wells pitched two different short stints with New York before retiring as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007.

Now: Wells is known for his big personality as much as his big frame. He has worked in television covering baseball for TBS and Fox Sports, as well as the Yankees’ own YES Network. He has also coached high school baseball at his alma mater, Point Loma High School, in San Diego. Otherwise, he remains busy on “other projects."

#7 Paul O’Neill

Former New York Yankee Paul O'Neill poses for a photograph with his unveiled number

Though he spent the first half of his big league career with the Cincinnati Reds, Paul O’Neill is known, first and foremost, as a Yankee. He was traded to New York after the 1992 season and never really left the Bronx.

Remembered as “the heart and soul” of the Yankees late 90s dynasty, O’Neill had the second-most RBIs on the team in 1998 with 116. Dubbed a “warrior” by former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, he played Game 4 of the 1999 World Series just hours after his father died.

Now: After retiring in 2001, O’Neill had his number retired by the Yankees and has worked as an analyst and commentator for Yankees games on the team’s YES Network. When not with the team, he lives in Ohio with his wife, Nevalee.

#6 David Cone

Former New York Yankees pitcher David Cone throws out the ceremonial first pitch

David Cone spent the bulk of his 18-year big league career playing in New York, though he pitched more for the Mets than the Yankees. However, it is with the Yankees where most of the premier moments of his career took place – including winning the third of his five World Series rings in 1998. Cone was the sole 20-game winner on the Yankees’ 1998 staff, going 20-7 while also winning the clinching game of that season’s ALDS against the Texas Rangers.

The next season, Cone pitched a perfect game on “Yogi Berra Day” at Yankee Stadium. He pitched just six seasons with the Yankees, but is remembered as fondly in the Bronx as he is by New York Mets fans.

Now: Cone retired with the Mets in 2003. He has spent the bulk of his time on television covering baseball games for both the Yankees’ YES Network, as well as ESPN. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he currently lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, after selling a New York City condo in the spring of 2022.

#5 Jorge Posada

Jorge Posada #20 of the New York Yankees hits a 2-run single

Jorge Posada is known as one of the most beloved Yankees of his era. A five-time All-Star and four-time World Series champion, Posada spent his entire 17-season major league career with the Yankees.

One of the most feared hitting catchers of the 1990s and 2000s, the switch-hitting Posada won five Silver Slugger Awards, in addition to catching some of New York’s all-time best starting pitching staffs.

Now: After his playing days were over in 2011, Posada remained with the Yankees as a guest instructor. Later, Posada became a special advisor for the Miami Marlins after his friend Derek Jeter was part of a group that bought the team. He also founded the Jorge Posada Foundation, devoted to researching a birth defect called Craniosynostosis, where the development of the skull occurs too early and can affect the development of the brain. Posada’s son, Jorge Jr., was born with the condition.

#4 Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte #46 of the New York Yankees throws a pitch

The de facto staff ace of the 1998 Yankees, Andy Pettitte still ranks as MLB’s all-time postseason wins leader with 19 playoff victories. He won five World Series during three separate stints with New York, having also pitched for the Houston Astros.

One of the “Core Four” Yankees – along with Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter – he was a key contributor to New York winning four World Series titles in five years. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2001 ALCS MVP, and won a league-high 21 games in 1996 – just his second big-league season. His number 46 has been retired by the Yankees.

Now: Pettitte lives in Houston and is raising his family. His eldest son Josh was drafted by the Yankees, but was forced to retire due to injury. His second oldest, Jared, currently plays in the Miami Marlins organization.

#3 Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams #51 of the New York Yankees takes a swing

A life-long Yankee, Bernie Williams played his entire 16-year career in the Bronx. His emergence allowed the team to trade then-center fielder Roberto Kelly to Cincinnati for Paul O’Neill. A slick-fielding, switch-hitting outfielder for New York, he won the AL batting title with a .339 average. He became the first MLB player to win a batting title, Gold Glove Award and World Series ring in the same year.

Known as a clutch hitter who came up big in the postseason, Williams won four Gold Gloves in his career and the same number of World Series titles.

Now: He retired after the 2006 season, and his number was retired by the Yankees. Nowadays, Williams, who was known for playing Spanish guitar in the Yankees locker room, remains heavily involved in music. He has released multiple jazz albums and continues to advocate for federal funding of music and arts programs in American schools.

#2 Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

For millions of baseball fans, hearing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” means one thing: Mariano Rivera is coming to the mound. Arguably the most dominant closer in the history of the game, Rivera pitched his entire 19-year career for the Yankees. His 652 career saves ranks him No. 1 in MLB, and he threw the final pitch in several of his five World Series championship seasons with New York. A 13-time All-Star, he was the last MLB player to wear No. 42 outside of Jackie Robinson Day, having been allowed to retain the number until his retirement in 2013.

Rivera took over the Yankees closer role in 1997 after previous closer Wetteland signed with the Texas Rangers. In the 1998 postseason, Rivera pitched 13 1/3 scoreless innings and notched six saves – including three in the World Series.

Now: Rivera delivered his final major-league pitch in 2013. His number 42, retired in all of baseball since 1997, was officially retired by the Yankees that season. In 2019, he became the first-ever player to be unanimously inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. He currently lives in Westchester, New York, with his longtime wife Clara. They raised three sons. He has remained active in various philanthropic efforts. In the summer of 2022, he accepted the role as co-president of the United International Baseball League, that seeks to develop the game in India, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

#1 Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees hits a RBI single

Known as “Captain Clutch,” “Mr. November,” or simply “The Captain,” Derek Jeter is among the Pantheon of Yankee lifetime greats. One of the very few to don the Yankee uniform worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, Jeter holds a special place among those that follow the Bronx Bombers.

During a 20-year career spent entirely in New York, Jeter became the face of the Yankees in a way few ever could. He combined impeccable style and professionalism with a gritty determination and refusal to lose. Consistently among the AL leaders in several offensive categories, he was a reliable contributor to the Yankees successes for two decades. He holds several postseason records and hit .321 in his six World Series appearances with the Yankees and has five championships to his name. In the 1998 Fall Classic, he batted .353.

His good looks, style and mannerisms helped make him one of the most heavily marketed athletes of his generation. He transcended sports, became a mainstay in pop culture, and endorsed many products as a celebrity spokesman.

Now: Jeter had his number retired by the Yankees with a month left to play in his final season of 2014. He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame with 99.75 percent of the vote in 2020. He remained in baseball after his playing days were over, serving as the CEO and part owner of the Miami Marlins from 2017 until 2022. His latest venture is Arena Club, a trading platform for sports collectibles that seeks to be a bridge between physical trading cards and the digital world.