Years of playing on the same team have established a unique bond between Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter, who went into Wednesday's Game 6 of the World Series one win away from the Yankees' first championship since 2000.

The first three joined the organization in 1990, Jeter two years later, and they first coincided in the minors in 1994. Except for a three-year stint when Pettitte pitched for the Houston Astros, 2004-06, they have spent the last decade and a half on the same diamond, developing a trust that is reflected in their play.

"Andy and Mariano, when they're on the mound, they can signal something, and that means a pitch or a location or something like that," Posada explained. "With Derek, we can put on a big play without doing anything. You understand what he's trying to do and the situation that dictates certain things."

Utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr., a 12-year veteran who joined the team in late July, says seeing the longtime Yankees on an everyday basis has confirmed his impression of them as players who prepare diligently and don't hope to win but expect to.

Part of what sets them apart is an insatiable desire to win. Jeter, Rivera and Pettitte were mainstays of the clubs that won the 1996, '98, '99 and 2000 World Series. Posada played briefly for the '96 team, shared the catching job with current manager Joe Girardi in '98 and became a regular at the beginning of the three-year run.

"They may have four (titles), they want five. They get their fifth, they want six," Hairston said. "When you have Yogi Berra in the clubhouse flashing his 10 rings, it keeps everybody else here hungry."

Berra, not coincidentally, was part of the triumvirate of Yankees legends — along with Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford— who were the last teammates to win five World Series together, in 1953, '56, '58, '61 and '62.

Posada, 38, said he appreciates how rare it is for teammates to stay together such a long time these days, and he points out that even after Pettitte left to play for his hometown team, he returned for a run at another title.

"It doesn't happen in baseball. It's a lot of fun," Posada said of a team retaining such a star-studded core. "They're like my brothers. I understand them. I got to know them real well. I know what they feel. I know when they're hurting. I know when they're doing good."

Pettitte, who holds the career record for postseason wins with 17, is participating in his eighth World Series. Jeter and Rivera, the all-time leader in postseason saves with 39, are in their seventh Fall Classic; Posada in his sixth.

Girardi said the value of such experience filters down to their teammates.

"They understand the moment; they know how to handle the moment," Girardi said. "They've been through it and can share their experiences. …. They know that they're not going to be fazed by the situation because they've been through it. We like having that."

Enlarge By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Shortstop Derek Jeter, forcing out the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz in Game 5, has played for the Yankees since 1995.