Jul 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo (24) watches from the dugout during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
BRONX, NY — Just when the Yankees thought they had hit rock bottom, the Mets threw them a shovel and told them to keep digging.
Wednesday night saw the Bronx Bombers’ crosstown rivals complete just their second-ever Subway Series season sweep with a 12-3 drubbing that featured ace Gerrit Cole getting tagged for six runs and three home runs and an eighth inning in which the Mets scored six runs.
It continues an alarming slide for a Yankees club that was the best team in Major League Baseball with a 49-21 record on June 13. In the 34 games since then, they are 11-23. Only the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox have a worse record than the Yankees during that stretch.
“Nobody has higher expectations than us in that friggin’ room,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re pissed off. We need to play better and this has gone on long enough. It’s very frustrating to go through but I also know that we’re competing our asses off. We need to make sure that we continue to walk in with the right level of edge and willingness to compete because no one is going to pull us out of this but us.”
Everything seems out of sorts in the Bronx. The pitching has been unreliable with Cole being the latest disappointment and the offense is non-existent outside Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Yet despite being one of the worst teams in the majors for over a month, the Yankees still just trail the Baltimore Orioles by 1.5 games for the top spot in the American League East.
The Orioles will not hang around for long, though, thus allowing the Yankees to wade through one of their worst stretches this decade. The Yankees’ issues need fixing and they need it now.
“We have to play better, OK? We have it right in front of us,” Boone said. “We’re a really good team that has played s—ty of late. We need to be better. I’m not going to define stretch, this or that. We have to win and we’re right there. We’re watching other teams struggle around us. We know we have to be better. We’re pissed off in there. We have a lot of pride in there. We have a lot of expectations in there. So stretch, slump, recent, I don’t give a s—t. It’s we have to play better the rest of the way.”
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