MLB

After empty ’08, Yankees made all the right moves

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 1995, the Yankees spent last offseason ensuring they wouldn’t suffer the same fate in 2009.

They upgraded their offense by trading for Nick Swisher, who became the team’s everyday right fielder. They also signed switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira to replace the aging Jason Giambi at first base, as well as to hit in front of Alex Rodriguez in the No. 3 spot in the lineup.

In an effort to bolster their pitching staff in the wake of Mike Mussina’s retirement, the Yankees signed 2007 AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia, easily the best free agent pitcher available, along with arguably the second best, A..J Burnett. With Sabathia and Burnett now anchoring their rotation, the Yankees also re-signed Andy Pettitte to an incentive-laden one-year deal.

THE ROAD TO TITLE 27

But all of the Yankees moves in free agency took a backseat to Alex Rodriguez once spring training began. Within a month, Sports Illustrated reported A-Rod had taken performance enhancing drugs, he admitted doing so in a nationally televised press conference, and underwent surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip that kept him out until May.

After all of the drama — for different reasons — that headlined their offseason, the Yankees went out and made sure they ended their one-year playoff hiatus.

Then they won their 27th world championship.

APRIL

without Alex Rodriguez and with a slumping Mark Teixeira, the Yankees didn’t get off to the start they hoped for in 2009 — including being swept by the Red Sox in Fenway in their first series of the season. But despite going 12-10 in the opening month, the Yankees finish April two games out.

Record going into month: 0-0
Record during month: 12-10
Player of the month: After people wondered whether he would be on the team after the Bombers signed Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher proved his worth in the season’s opening month. He finished April hitting .312 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
Play of the month: On the day the new Yankee Stadium hosted its first regular season game, Jorge Posada became an answer to a trivia question when he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the ballpark’s first home run.

MAY

The return of A-Rod and the awakening of Mark Teixeira allowed the Yankees to enjoy a resurgence in May, including a nine-game winning streak from May 13-21. The two sluggers combined for 20 home runs in the month, and the Bombers ended the month a half-game ahead of Boston.

Record going into month: 12-10, 3rd
Record during month: 17-11
Player of the month: There were plenty of concerns about Mark Teixeira after the first baseman hit .200 with three homers and 10 RBIs in April. His response to those worries was to hit .330 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in May.
Play of the month: What a way to make an introduction: Alex Rodriguez, on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat of the season, hits a three-run home run off of Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie in the Yankees’ 4-0 win on May 8.

JUNE

The Yankees offense had its worst month of the year in June, but thanks to the best month from its pitching staff, the Bombers were able to finish above .500 for the month and within 2.5 games of the Red Sox. Their six-game winning streak to end the month was a sign of things to come.

Record going into month: 29-21, 1st
Record during month: 15-11
Player of the month: A.J. Burnett struggled through his first two months in pinstripes, but the right-hander put it together in June. He went 3-2 with a 2.10 ERA in his five starts, striking out 35 and walking 16.
Play of the month: The Yankees were set to lose the first Subway Series game in the new Yankee Stadium on June 12 when Alex Rodriguez hit a pop-up to Luis Castillo with two outs and two on in the bottom of the ninth inning. But Castillo inexplicably dropped it, allowing Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira to come around to score and give the Bombers an improbable 9-8 win.

JULY

After having double-digit losses in each of the season’s first three months, July marked the beginning of the Yankees’ surge to the AL East title, as the Bombers went 18-9. An eight-game winning streak from July 17-24 allowed the Yankees to go from three games behind the Red Sox to 2.5 games ahead — where they would stay for the rest of the season.

Record going into month: 44-32, 2nd
Record during month: 18-9
Player of the month: It’s hard to be much better than Mariano Rivera was in July. The future Hall of Famer had 10 saves in 12 appearances, and didn’t allow a run in 11` innings.
Play of the month: Jorge Posada’s RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning on July 4 gave the Yankees a thrilling 6-5 win on Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium.

AUGUST

When the Red Sox entered Yankee Stadium for a four-game series August 6, the Yankees held a 2.5 game lead over their rivals and lost all eight games between the two teams. The Yankees went on to sweep Boston, blowing open the AL East race and propelling them to a 21-7 record in August.

Record going into month: 62-41, 1st
Record during month: 21-7
Player of the month: In a month when the Yankees put the AL East out of reach, CC Sabathia was at his dominating best. The big left-hander went 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA, striking out 49 and walking six in 44.1 innings.
Play of the month: Alex Rodriguez’s home run in the bottom of the 15th inning against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 7 helped the Yankees to a sweep of their arch rivals, and ended any hopes Boston had of winning the AL East.

SEPTEMBER

After entering the month with a 6.5 game lead, the Yankees cruised to their first division title in the new Yankee Stadium. Along the way, Derek Jeter made some more history, passing Lou Gehrig to become the Yankees’ all-time hits leader.

Record going into month: 83-48, 1st
Record during month: 19-9
Player of the month: Despite missing the first month of the season, Alex Rodriguez’s huge September ensured he reached 30 homers and 100 RBI for the 12th straight season. Rodriguez hit .344 in seven homers and 30 RBI over the season’s final month.
Play of the month: With his prototypical “Jeterian” swing, Derek Jeter’s single to right field gave him 2,722 hits as a Yankee. That allowed him to pass Lou Gehrig and become the franchise’s all-time hits leader.

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Entering the playoffs, past postseason failures riddled the pasts of Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia. But the highest-paid player and pitcher in baseball, respectively, have been dominant in the playoffs, leading the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time since 2003.

Starting November, the wait for the 27th world championship ended. Thanks to six RBIs from Hideki Matsui in Game 6, the Yankees defeated the Phillies and captured yet another title. While Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada all claimed their “one for the thumb,” for Rodriguez, his long, winding road to a championship has finally come to an end.

Record going into OCTOBER: 102-57, 1st
Record during OCTOBER: 1-2
Player of OCTOBER: After years of being ridiculed for failing to come up big when it counted, Alex Rodriguez was huge for the Yankees this postseason. A-Rod went 14-for-32 against the Twins and Angels with five home runs and 12 RBIs.
Play of OCTOBER: The Yankees trailed the Angels, 3-2, in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Then Rodriguez led off with a deep home run to center to tie the game. The Yankees went on to win the game with a run in the bottom of the 13th inning.
Player of NOVEMBER: Who else could it be but the World Series MVP? Hideki Matsui’s six RBIs in Game 6 gave the Yankees a 27th world championship. He may have played his last game in pinstripes (he’s a free agent), but if it was, it was a storybook ending to his Yankee career.
Play of NOVEMBER: Johnny Damon’s quick thinking in the ninth inning of Game 4 won’t be forgotten anytime soon. With a shift on against Mark Teixeira, Damon stole second on the first pitch from Brad Lidge. When the Phillies left third uncovered, Damon was able to swipe third, as well — stealing two bases on the same play.

tbontemps@nypost.com