Sinking Ship: What Sank the Yanks?

08/17/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Yankees Swept by Braves in Shutout (2-0), Lose 5th Straight to Drop Below .500 for 1st Time in 2023

We were keeping a daily tracker on Aaron Judge’s pace for home-run history around this time last year. New York was leading the AL East, and the Yankees — as always — had sky-high postseason expectations. Those World Series aspirations were no different to start 2023. They brought back Judge on a 9-year, $360 million deal, added pitching help and had promising young players to boot. Fast forward to this summer, and the Yankees are a disaster.

After a 2-0 shutout against the Braves last night, where Charlie Morton tossed 10 Ks and delivered the knockout punch, New York is below .500 for the first time all season. It was their fifth straight loss, their second straight shutout loss, and likely the end of any remaining postseason hopes. They went 2-7 in their nine-game road trip, and the Red Sox are waiting tonight in the Bronx. Get ready for Boo York. The ship is sinking.

What Sank the Yanks?

In short, injuries. New York was 11 games above .500 at the end of May, but Judge — and a few others — missed significant time over the last two months. Even without Judge, the monolithic Yankee empire shouldn’t have crumbled like this. Manager Aaron Boone has been tossed more than dough at a Bronx pizzeria (six ejections to be exact). They’re in complete disarray, and their division is the toughest in baseball. New York is dead last in the AL East. They’re ten games back of the final Wild Card with 41 games to play.

AL East Standings

Orioles (74-47)

Rays (73-50)

Blue Jays (67-55)

Red Sox (63-57)

Yankees (60-61)

If the Yankees Finish Below .500?…

That would be downright historical. Some of you reading this weren’t born the last time the Yankees finished a season below .500. That’s how rare it is to see baseball’s most iconic franchise fail. The last time New York finished a season below .500 was 1992 (76-86). And the last time they were below .500 this late in a season was 1995. They’ve failed to miss the playoffs just four times since then, appearing in the postseason 24 out of 28 campaigns.

Captain of the Ship: Who’s Next?

Buck Showalter revitalized the Yankees from 1992-1995 after a forgetful decade in the 80s, but it was Joe Torre who delivered four World Series titles in the next five years (1996-2000). Torre went from 1996-2007 without ever missing the playoffs. Then came Joe Girardi (2008-2017) to bring the Pinstripes back to glory in 2009. But in Boone’s last five years, the Yankees have reached the playoffs all five seasons and never made it to the Fall Classic. Now, they’re on the edge of the wrong side of history. Boone has six weeks to save the ship, or they’ll be a new captain in the Bronx.

Yahoo! Sports: Yankees Haven’t Been Below .500 This Late in a Season in 3 Decades