Mariano Duncan
A versatile infielder whose infectious clubhouse phrase 'We play today, we win today' became the battle cry for the 1996 World Champion New York Yankees.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Dominican baseball player·Birthday: March 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mariano Duncan’s twelve-year major league journey was one of adaptability and timely hits. The Dominican shortstop turned second baseman was a solid glove and a reliable bat who found a home with several clubs, earning an All-Star nod with the Phillies in 1994. But his legacy was cemented during two seasons in pinstripes. In 1996, as a valuable utility man for the New York Yankees, his mantra—'We play today, we win today. Das it'—perfectly captured the team’s focused, day-by-day grind under Joe Torre. That season culminated in a World Series title, with Duncan contributing key hits throughout the postseason. He added a second ring as a role player with the 2001 Yankees. After his playing days, he stayed close to the game, coaching for the Dodgers and later managing in new professional leagues, including the Mumbai Cobras.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mariano was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mariano Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Mariano's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two World Series championships as a player with the New York Yankees in 1996 and (as a reserve) in 2001.
- Was named a National League All-Star in 1994 while with the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Coined the famous Yankees motto 'We play today, we win today' during the 1996 championship season.
Did You Know?
He played for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for one season in 1998.
He served as the first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers under manager Joe Torre.
He was named the inaugural manager of the Mumbai Cobras in Baseball United in 2023.
“We play today, we win today. Das it.”
