On Wednesday, the New York Yankees suffered a crushing defeat to the Cleveland Guardians. Starter Luis Gil departed the game due to lower back pain, and the team used every pitcher in the bullpen. They were tied at 3 going into the 12th inning and lost 9-5. Despite numerous opportunities to win the game, the offence went scoreless from the fourth to the twelfth innings. Following the longest game of the season, Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed the offence on ESPN.
“Obviously, with their pen, they can roll out a few really good arms,” Boone told me. “But we’ve had a few games where we’ve struggled offensively. For quite some time, the offence has been in excellent shape. But we’ve been struggling in those positions for a few games now. … It’s just a slow stretch, and we need to get going offensively.”
Aaron Judge homered and drove in three runs, while Juan Soto added a single shot of his own. Aside from those two stars, the Yankees managed just five hits in 31 at-bats, resulting in a.161 batting average. Anthony Volpe collected two of the hits and the lone other RBI. The bullpen recovered after a horrific series against the Tigers, but ran out of steam in the 12th.
The Yankees only have Soto for this year, and while they want to keep him, they must strive for a World Series championship while they have him. What needs to change on both sides of the ball for them to win their 27th championship?
The Yankees need to improve to win the World Series.
Aaron Judge (99), New York Yankees centre fielder, knocks a two-run double against the Cleveland Guardians in the twelfth inning at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees have a huge opportunity to make a run in the American League. They have a comparable record as the Orioles and Guardians, and the Astros are not far behind. The four teams will compete for the pennant, with the defending champion Texas Rangers slated to miss the playoffs.
While New York is 20 games above.500 and has a good chance of winning the division, they have weaknesses on their squad. Clay Holmes has the league’s most blown saves (10). Although he performed admirably against the Guardians, Holmes recently blew a save against the Tigers and must improve to maintain his position in the playoffs.
The offence has struggled since mid-June. Volpe and Alex Verdugo have performed particularly poorly at the plate. Volpe has a.219 batting average and an OPS of.610 since the series against the Red Sox ended on June 16. During the same period, Verdugo is hitting.196 with an OPS of.543. These are the two guys who will determine the Yankees’ playoff success.
Meanwhile, Judge aims to break his own American League record of 62 home runs in a season. His first-inning home run on Tuesday was his 45th of the season, the most in the majors. That is four home runs off his pace in 2022, but he can still make a historic run back into the 60s.
Juan Soto has been just what the Yankees needed. After a dismal 2023 season, they needed a second hitter to keep Judge in the lineup. Soto is an MVP candidate and is only one home run away from breaking his personal best.
