Our second MLB Monday miniseries has arrived at the career of New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio: The 1936 season is perhaps the most significant in the history of the Bronx Bombers. It renewed the team’s strength and helped launch a new dynasty that would last until 1953, really. The Yankees would win 12 World Series in an 18-year span, which is absolutely crazy when you think about it. Get ready for a lot of “New York” and pinstripes for the next four months in this space. It is what it is.

1936 World Series MVP: Lou Gehrig, 1B, New York (AL)

While DiMaggio hit .346 in his first World Series, it was really Lou Gehrig who paced the Yankees offense in this six-game Series win over the New York Giants—one of two crosstown rivalries fans got to witness for many seasons. The Iron Horse hit two home runs and drove in 7 runs with an .976 OPS against the Giants. The Yanks outscored their opponents, 39-23, so the pitching wasn’t stellar. Gehrig was by far the standout for the AL champs in this Fall Classic, so we just are naming him the MVP outright.

This is his third World Series MVP trophy from us (1928, 1932), the most ever (so far). Starting pitcher Lefty Gomez went 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA in the matchup, as his lineup bolstered him to an 18-4 win in Game 2 and a 13-5 victory in Game 6. That’s the kind of moment this was for the Yankees as they re-established their primacy among the MLB teams at the time.

1936 AL MOTY: Joe McCarthy, New York

The Yankees finished 19.5 games ahead of the defending champion Detroit Tigers, and no manager in the junior circuit put together much of an achievement here: the highest PPP mark was just plus-2, achieved by multiple skippers. New York Manager Joe McCarthy (net-0 PPP) wins this award by default, mostly for not screwing it up. But it counts, so there’s that: This is his fifth MOTY award combined, his second with the Yankees after three prior with the Chicago Cubs.

1936 NL MOTY: Frankie Frisch, St. Louis

When a manager posts a plus-10 PPP mark, it’s pretty much automatic that they will win this award. Such is the case for St. Louis Cardinals Manager Frankie Frisch, despite his team’s second-place finish, five games behind the Giants. St. Louis should have won just 77 games for a fourth-place finish, but Frisch had other designs. It’s not too often we see a PPP number like that. This is Frisch’s second nod from us in the last three seasons. We’re still shocked to see a PPP in double digits, so we’re speechless, really.