The New York Yankees are feeling the pressure of the American League East. They are 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Boston Red Sox are chasing them with just a 3.0-game difference. Plus, their offensive struggles have offered little breathing space, but Aaron Boone is not ready to hit the panic button just yet. With the postseason race intensifying, the manager has a simple message for the worried fans.
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“It’s been playoffs every day, it feels like, you know, these games,” Boone said, as per SNY Yankees on X, after the 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners in the rubber game on Thursday. “So, you know, I got people on the street saying, ‘Hey, it’ll turn around.’ And I’m like, ‘We’re doing all right.’”
The Yankees are currently on a 68-53 record, and have gone 14-11 since the All-Star break. And with just 41 games remaining in the regular season, they are not in the most comfortable spot right now. That’s why after going 5-4 in their recent homestand, Boone said, “We’re just grinding through it right now.”
One of their biggest issues has been the offense. That brings us to Aaron Judge and his absence. The Yankees captain has been suffering from a stress fracture in his first right rib, and that has sidelined him since June. The Pinstripes had a batting average of .243 the last time Judge was in the lineup.
And now?
They are 28th in the league with a .231 AVG, but that’s not entirely on Judge alone. Key hitters like Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton have been missing from action for some time. Meanwhile, the people most fans expected to step up couldn’t.
Take Jazz Chisholm Jr. for example. He is batting at .216 with a career-worst .687 OPS since his rookie year. Ben Rice was one of the brightest spots in New York’s offense, but according to SNY, he has a slash line of .172/.274/.323 and was struck out 34 times during his last 93 at-bats.
The Yankees also brought some reinforcements at the trade deadline. Additionally, George Lombard Jr. has been commendable ever since. Luis Garcia Jr. is also okay with 4 extra-base hits from 8 games.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ entire slash line has been one of the worst in MLB in the last 25 games, and their lineup has the fifth-highest strikeouts (242) in that span.
But when the reporters asked Aaron Boone about the pressure from chasing the Rays or having Boston almost breathing down their necks, he offered a different perspective.
“Honestly, I really haven’t even looked ahead like that… Now it’s just kinda on to Toronto,” the manager said, signaling their next road series against the Blue Jays.
The MLB team from Canada is 10.0 games behind the Yankees. So they would want to capitalize on the series. And their next trip will to Baltimore, who are sitting 5th in the same division.
But Boone said he doesn’t want to put pressure on himself or the team by thinking about a 10-game or 8-game win streak. They just want to play well. Hopefully, with the internal reinforcements, the Bronx Bombers will have a better shot in October than the last few years.