New York formerly had baseball’s best record, but has since fallen from prominence.
The New York Yankees have had a difficult summer, as they dropped another series on Friday, 5-4, to the Tampa Bay Rays. After the game, Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and others discussed why the team has turned a sour corner and what may be done to reverse it and return to winning ways.
On June 14, New York had the greatest record in baseball at 50-22, but since then, their record has been 6-17, the poorest in the majors during that time span.
Because of that spill, the Yankees’ three and a half-game lead in the American League East has evaporated, and they are currently two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in first place. Judge stated that lost opportunities are what is killing the Yankees, according to MLB.com.
“Missing opportunities, that’s what I think it comes down to,” remarked the judge. “The boys fought hard till the very end. We had challenging at-bats all the way down the stretch and just couldn’t pull out the win.”
Judge gives insight into how the Yankees’ locker room is during slump
Part of the Yankees’ approach is coping with the past and only controlling what they can, which is their upcoming series against the Orioles, who, as previously said, lead the AL East. Judge stated that no one in the ball club is “happy” with New York’s current situation, but they must look ahead to the immediate future.
“Nobody likes losing,” Judge added. “Nobody is pleased about it. We simply need to keep turning up and doing our thing. The Yankees are a couple of games back of first place. We’re about to play a first-place squad right now. “We have to take these good at-bats to Baltimore.”
This season, Judge has been outstanding, leading the majors in home runs with 32, 83 runs batted in, and a.302 batting average.
Yankees will now “play with that chip on our shoulder”
Whenever the Yankees experience a losing slump like their current one, fans often react with a sense of impending doom, fearing the team will fall apart. Being part of such a historic organization undoubtedly comes with immense pressure. Jose Trevino acknowledged this, stating the team will now “play with that chip on our shoulder.”
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” Trevino remarked after Thursday’s game. “If anything, people want to see this. We’re the Yankees. People don’t care. If we win, [it’s], yeah, we should have won. If we lose, they like that. I think we will get back to where we were, and play with that chip on our shoulder.”
Nestor Cortes Jr. started Thursday’s game but struggled, giving up five earned runs, allowing seven hits, walking two, and striking out four batters. It’s well-known that he has performed worse on the road this season, with an 0-5 record and a 6.04 ERA, compared to much better stats at home, which confounds Cortes.
“I know it’s there,” Cortes said. “I haven’t had success on the road this year, but I don’t think much of it when I’m out there. I’m just trying to locate pitches, command pitches.”
New York manager Aaron Boone on the hot seat again?
When the Yankees go through a skid like this, the blame often falls on manager Aaron Boone, who has held the position since 2018. However, New York general manager Brian Cashman has expressed his support for Boone, emphasizing his strong connection with the players and the team’s early-season success, according to The New York Post.
“Obviously he works extremely hard,” Cashman said about Boone. “He’s very well-connected with these guys. He’s charged every day with pushing the right buttons the best he can with what he’s got. I think he’s navigating that as well as he possibly can.”
Cashman added, “It was a tidal wave of success here for the first two months and then, as we closed out June and entered July, we’ve hit a really rough patch for an extended period of time. Ultimately it all comes together with what our current record is, but we gotta be playing better than we currently are right now as an entire unit.”
Boone says the Yankees’ struggles start with him
When it comes to Boone, there is no doubt that he has been disappointed with the outcomes because, while the Yankees have been solid every season, it has not translated into playoff success. If there is one quality Boone possesses that is admirable, it is his willingness to accept responsibility in situations where he believes the problems “start” with him.
“It starts with me,” Boone told The New York Post. “I filter in through the coaches, and it’s all about getting these men as prepared as possible while also setting a tone with how we carry ourselves. However, as coaches, it is our responsibility to place our athletes in the best possible position to succeed.
“We got to continue to try to do that to the best of our ability and trust that the ball’s going to start to bounce our way a little bit and we can get it rolling here,” Boone exclaimed. “It starts on that bump and we gotta keep at it.”
Yankees still have one of the better records in baseball
Despite the Yankees’ recent struggles, there is still plenty of reason for optimism. They currently hold one of the better records in baseball, so even though the past few weeks have been “brutal,” as Boone described, there is ample time for a comeback. The upcoming All-Star break could be a crucial opportunity for the team to reset and refocus on what was working earlier in the season.
“Acknowledging the last three, four weeks have been brutal — we know we’re better than that, and everyone’s a little bit frustrated,” Boone said during the series against the Rays. “But the other reality of the situation is we’ve put ourselves in a good spot here however many games into it. We’ve set ourselves up to achieve all our hopes and dreams in the season.”
“We know we got to turn it around,” Boone continued. “We know we got to play better. But certainly acknowledge what we’re going through, but also keep that big picture in mind. We gotta play better and finish off innings, finish off games and hopefully get this thing turned around.”
At any rate, the Yankees are still 56-39, placing them second in the AL East, just two games behind the Orioles. With Aaron Judge aiming to capitalize on missed opportunities, the upcoming series against Baltimore starting Friday night could be a pivotal moment to turn their season around.
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