0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
t’s crisis time for the Yankees. They are a losing team this late in a season for the first time in almost three decades. To get to 89 wins, the projected number for the third AL wild card, New York would have to finish 29–12.As difficult as that sounds, consider its current downward trajectory. The Yankees have won one of their last 13 series over the past two months, entering a weekend series against the Red Sox. Take it back further: In their past 208 games, including the postseason, the Yankees are 101–107. They have hit .232 in that span. Only the A’s and Pirates have been worse.This is not about a patch of bad luck or a bad month. The Yankees have been in a slow descent toward this mediocrity. How in the world did New York become a last-place team with a losing record? Let us count the ways.1. Aaron Judge’s toeOnce Judge ran into the right field fence at Dodger Stadium, the Yankees’ season went sideways. Without Judge over the next 42 games, the Yankees went 19–23. They were the worst-hitting team in baseball, while Judge was on the IL (.220). They simply did not have enough of a supporting cast around one of the most important players in the game. They especially need a left-handed impact bat when he is in the lineup. 2. The ALCS warning signsThe Yankees hit .162 and whiffed 50 times in a four-game sweep by the Astros. Houston exposed their weakness against spin. MLB pitchers threw 30.8% breaking pitches in the regular season. That number increased to 34.4% in the postseason. The Astros threw a whopping 42.9% breaking pitches in that sweep. New York batted .154 against them. This year the Yankees are hitting .196 against spin. Only the Pirates are worse.3. The new rulesThe game changed. New York didn’t. It still relies on older players, taking pitches, walks and homers. Only the Mariners take more pitches in the strike zone than the Yankees. New York hits .238 with runners in scoring position. Only the Padres and A’s are worse. They are drawn to high-strikeout, high-launch, low-average players such as Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney and Franchy Cordero.
Must be their hitting coach Can’t believe Boone still has a job.
