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The New York Yankees have only gone and done it again. After a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays last night, expectations were low going into tonight’s leg. Somehow, the Yankees found a way to disappoint even more.
It wasn’t as embarrassing as last night, but the 2-1 outcome was truly a hard watch. Trailing only to Yandy Diaz’s third inning two-run single, the Yankees' toothless offense made that slender deficit seem insurmountable.
Aaron Judge’s personal best-tying 52nd home run of the season reduced the deficit in the final inning, but that was all.
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"FINAL: Rays 2, Yankees 1." - New York Yankees
The result drops the Yankees to 15-26 since the All-Star break, including a 10-19 record in August. Their lead at the top of the American League East is melting faster than icebergs in the Arctic.
They led by around 15 games in July. They then led by 10 games last month. Now, that advantage is down to only four games for the first time since May 11.
The pressure keeps mounting on the Yankees' top brass and manager Aaron Boone. The skipper has been vehemently criticized in recent weeks for questionable tactics.
Tonight’s loss didn’t do Boone any favors. His position at the club now seems to be in serious jeopardy.
Another Aaron Judge home run, another New York Yankees defeat
Aaron Judge homers and the New York Yankees lose - a typical description of a Yankees game since the All-Star break. Judge matched his career-best tally of 52 homers today, a mark he reached during his rookie 2017 season.
"Aaron Judge ties his career high in home runs with his 52nd of the season. 2-1 Rays" - Talkin' Yanks
With five weeks of regular season action remaining, he is now nine homers shy of Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs in a season. Judge is well on course to claim that record. He is projected to finish with 63 homers at his current rate.
In stark contrast, the Yankees are on the verge of one of the biggest collapses in MLB history. Where did it all go wrong for them?
They have been unlucky with injuries, sure, but that alone doesn't justify such a disaster. How can a team go from challenging the 2001 Seattle Mariners' single-season win record to being the worst team in the division? It is simply unfathomable.
The question now is, can the New York Yankees turn it around from here? There's not a lot of hope. They are probably going to hold on to their AL East lead, just barely, but a World Series challenge? It seems like a pipedream now.
