The Yankees trailed the Red Sox by a run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday night, but there was initially no reason to believe that they had, as Michael Kay is fond of saying, a rally in their bones. Things looked worse after D.J. LeMahieu grounded out meekly to second to open the inning, but then Aaron Judge walked and Gleyber Torres drove him home with a rocketed double down the line, and suddenly the game was tied at four. There was hope.
Gio Urshella whiffed for the second out, but after the Red Sox issued an intentional pass to Gary Sánchez, Rougned Odor came to the plate with a chance to end the game with a base hit. Torres managed to increase the pressure by stealing third base during the at bat, and when Boston closer Matt Barnes wasn’t able to bend a full-count curveball into the strike zone, Odor flipped his bat down onto the plate and turned towards first, delivering what should’ve been a bases loaded opportunity for Clint Frazier.
But home plate umpire Gabe Morales called the pitch a strike and the inning was over.
To be clear, this wasn’t a ball on the edge of the plate that could’ve gone either way. Barnes’s curveball had started wide and had never sniffed the strike zone, a fact clear to both the naked eye and the robotic. It was widely reported that the ball had been 4.55 inches off the plate. Had Odor swung and missed he’d have been chastised for chasing ball four.
Frustrations from a week of futility spilled over immediately as the Yankee dugout erupted. If ever there was a time for a manager to get himself ejected this was the moment, but somehow Aaron Boone remained calm as all those around him lost their heads, most notably third base coach Phil Nevin. That called third strike had not only thwarted a potential game-winning rally, it had offered proof of what was already clear to see. Xander Bogaerts’s two-run double in the top of the tenth stands as the game winner, but that’s like saying Oedipus wasn’t truly ruined until he gouged out his eyes. The fates had conspired against these Yankees.
But if you’ve paying attention, you know that’s a foolish way of looking at things. If the Yankees had become the juggernauts the world expected they’d be and were enjoying a seven-game division lead, they could be excused for dwelling on the misfortune of an umpire’s mistake. It would be understandable that they’d tie the outcome of a game to the temporary myopia of Gabe Morales. But you and I know the truth.
This Yankee offense is historically bad, and it no longer matters whether it’s a team-wide slump, an injury-induced malaise, or something as simple as a coin landing heads 54 times in a row.
Here’s Exhibit A — the historical production of the expected lineup, with the slash lines (AVG/OBA/SLG) from each hitter’s best season, his average season, and (aside from Judge) the trainwreck of 2021. Take a look if you dare.
| Player | Best | Average | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sánchez | ’17: 278/345/531 | 234/321/493 | 210/331/384 |
| Voit | ’20: 277/338/610 | 269/360/514 | 182/280/250 |
| LeMahieu | ’20: 364/421/590 | 302/356/425 | 253/335/321 |
| Urshella | ’19: 314/355/534 | 272/321/430 | 269/314/420 |
| Torres | ’19: 278/337/535 | 271/342/475 | 272/351/364 |
| Frazier | ’20: 267/394/511 | 241/325/440 | 185/305/318 |
| Hicks | ’18: 248/366/467 | 233/330/399 | 194/294/333 |
| Judge | ’17: 284/422/627 | 275/391/556 | 295/398/540 |
| Stanton | ’17: 281/376/631 | 267/358/543 | 252/326/465 |
It wouldn’t have been reasonable to expect or even hope for all nine players to stay healthy and produce like the far left column in 2021 (that team would win 125-130 games), but I’m sure Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone were counting on the middle column or better. As it turns out, they haven’t gotten close to that. Take a closer look…
- Not a single player is anywhere close to his career best. In fact, here’s the average differential: -48/-47/-182.
- Five different players (Sánchez, Voit, LeMahieu, Torres, and Frazier) are slugging more than one hundred points south of their career averages.
- Two of those players, Luke Voit and D.J. LeMaheiu, somehow have slugging percentages that are lower than their on base percentages.
- Of the 27 comparable statistics (nine players x BA/OBP/SLG), only two players are exceeding one of the slash numbers from their career best season: Gleyber Torres’s on base percentage (.351|.337) and Aaron Judge’s batting average (.295|.284).
And so even if you want to blame Sunday night’s loss on an umpire’s interpretation of a single pitch thrown in the bottom of the ninth inning, the much larger concern is that during a seven-game homestand against the Rays and the Red Sox, the Yankees went 2-5 while scoring just 22 runs. But really, even that is a minor concern. Here are some things the Bronx Bombers should really be worried about:
- Only four teams in baseball have scored fewer runs than the Yankees.
- Only five teams have a lower slugging percentage.
- No team has hit fewer doubles.
- No team has hit into more double plays.
- No team has made more outs on the bases.
- No team has seen more runners thrown out at the plate.
- No team has taken fewer extra bases.
Since April we’ve been hearing that these things will turn around, that players will begin to hit like what we see on the backs of their baseball cards, but we’re sixty games into the season. In the old days managers were often criticized for sitting on their hands and waiting for a three-run homer, but this team is waiting for so much more than that.
What if it never happens?
If it never happens...
It means the Yankees front office will have achieved its quiet goals in staying below the luxury tax threshold and being the iron fist that (mis)guides the clubhouse to a mediocre season as the price for achieving that objective. Cashman will not be held accountable for an action they knew was a huge risk from the start, nor for the poorly forcasted decisions that led to this season, yet he and the rest of the organization will continue to spin it all as just bad breaks or a team that simply underachieved.
Boone should not escape culpability, if there is any sort of accountability to be had (seems like a hard "NO") because his actions are complicit with the philosophy of and directives from Cashman and the front office, which seems to jibe with Hal's lack of action, reaction or even a hint of interest. But he will be sacrificed in light of the poor outcome in order to preserve what has clearly become status quo.
How else is the average observer supposed to react without inside information on the pulse of the club? It makes no sense to act defensive or to have certain media members shut down fans who posit those questions openly when the club itself refuses to stray from a prepared script. There seems to be an agenda afoot, and the activity and information coming from the coaching and front office appear to be disingenuous at best. Given that, I would speculate, which you know I hate to do >;) that the theme for 2021 is "stick to the plan and whatever happens, happens".
The results will not matter in comparison to the bottom line: stay under the cap and hope we get lucky! Once the danger of a tit-for-tat penalty tax on spending, loss of picks and the international FA spending pool (designed to keep teams like the Yanks on a level playing field with other mediocre organizations) is no longer a threat, THEN you'll see wholesale changes in the clubhouse.
...But Of Course, I Could Be Wrong...
Oh, but how the truth hurts. It hurts!
I like Aaron Boone. I was happy when he was hired, and I've been a supporter throughout his tenure. This is mainly because the most visible part of a manager's or head coach's job is his or her interaction with the media, and Boone excels at that.
He was hired during a time when teams were beginning to view field managers as extensions of the front office. It made sense to me. If an organization has an operating philosophy, the manager should be on board with that, right? If the general manager builds a team designed to steal bases, why would you want a field manager who is averse to risk-taking on the base paths?
And there's plenty of evidence that Boone is on board with the organization's analytical tendencies.
A few weeks ago when asked about a horrific stretch when Judge struck out eight times in two games, Boone's response was that Judge had been getting some good swings. He then turned the question back around on the reporter and asked if it would be better if he had rolled over on a few pitches and grounded out to short? Basically, an out is an out.
Last week when he was asked about the Yankees' commanding team lead in grounding into double plays, he again showed no concern as he explained that good teams always hit into a lot of double plays because they get guys on base and hit the ball hard.
I'm not calling for Boone to be fired, but I think that for any organization to make progress -- whether we're talking about a baseball team or a school or a hardware store -- there has to be diversity of thought. There must be someone in the room who can bring up another perspective. In this case, maybe someone on staff who says, "You know, it sure would be great to have a left-handed power hitter" or "Maybe it's time to sell high on Luke Voit" or "I know we scheduled a day off for Judge today, but he hit four lasers yesterday and there's lefty on the mound." Maybe there is someone like that in the front office or on the coaching staff, but I see no evidence of that.
The Jeter Yankees were always criticized for being too corporate and too unfeeling, but those teams were like the '70s A's compared to what we have now. Something has to change, but it seems obvious that nothing will.
An out is an out, but then this is assuming that there could only be two possible outcomes in that circumstances; a strikeout or a ground-out. I certainly agree there should be a diversity in thinking, but that should extend to the players as well; why take the bat out of a good hitter's hands by telling him there's only one way to hit the ball? What are they doing this for if not to score runs? If it takes five at-bats or one, a run is a run under any circumstance, it doesn't work as a monolithic system throughout the season plus post-season; if it does, the Yankees have not yet figured it out.
At this point, they have to crawl before walking and they have to learn to get base hits and score runs again, long before they worry about how many home runs they can hit and how fast they leave the bat. But yep, nothing will change; what's the point? Any new coach or manager is only going to be someone willing to implement Cashman's game plan, win or lose.
[4] Also, there's this. Adherence to a system essentially absolves you from guilt. Brian Cashman has allowed me to enjoy five World Series championships, so his sainthood his assured in my book. But if Cashman and Boone believe completely in the analytics, then there's no reason to tinker and they're free from blame. Numbers, after all, don't lie. These are all great hitters, regardless of what they might be producing right now. I mean, are they going to send Sánchez to Scranton? Are they going to bench LeMahieu? Is Boone going to channel Billy Martin and pull the lineup out of hat one night? No, no, and no.
[5] Are they really adhering to their interpretation of the analytics because doing so absolves them from blame? Wowzers, if that's true then I have even less respect for them than I ever would have, not that it matters. If it were for a more empirical or intrepid reason, then I would be more inclined to believe the current situation is just a passing phase. We've seen the championship years where they got off to a rough start and then went on tears at the right moment, but we've never seen a Yankee team play this badly since the early 90s; on both sides of the ball they are wanting. What reasons or points (it has to be more than one) could indicate why they are not playing up either to their batting or fielding metrics?
I think it's similar to the reason managers love to have bullpens in which all the roles are clearly defined. If everyone knows that Greene has the seventh and Britton the eighth and Chapman the ninth, there aren't any decisions to make. If it goes bad, the manager is never to blame. A more progressive manager would sometimes think the closer would be more valuable earlier in the game -- maybe the 2-3-4 hitters are due in the eighth.
So I don't think they're making decisions simply to avoid criticism, I think they're so invested in their beliefs that they've separated themselves from the results. They're clockwinders. Obviously I have no information to support this theory aside from snippets in press conferences, but I have the feeling that this is the team they wanted to have out there, aside from the injuries to Hicks and Voit. (The pitching is another story.)
Thanks for the new thread. I think they'll turn things around. Go Yankees!
[5] Hold up, sainthood for Cashman? He hasn't delivered a championship in well over a decade. Name a player or manager who would be allowed that kind of leeway?
Not that I have a better option. Just sayin'...he lost the magic a long, long time ago.
Great stuff Hank and Chyll. I'm in the 'fire Boone' camp myself, he doesn't seem to add anything really.
Ruocco and Cone are a nice listen, hope they do more games together.
Meredith was a volleyball player! Makes sense at that height.
Old friend Michael Pineda! Seems he's very comfortable with his 'Covid spare tire'.. (Note: I too have started carrying one..)
[7] Ah, then we are seeing the same thing. I'm not crazy then... well anyway...
[10] I'm in the "what difference would it make" tank, though I do believe that under different circumstances had he been allowed to grow into the job (ie coached for a while at some level like, umm, Phil Nevin has), carrying the knowledge of the game he already has, he would have had a lot more credibility than he appears to have now.
When Pineda's done with baseball, he can move right into professional wrestling or perhaps a stint as a Bond villain.
This is your 2021 Yankees. Bases loaded with one out and they score on a walk and a wild pitch. I've seen this movie before...this year...several times.
[14] "Oddball" with his laser cannon arm and sticky fingers...
[16] Ha! I was trying to think of good monikers but my tank must be low today.
Mahogany Agony?
I have to say, while I can criticize it, I have no problem with the composition of this team.
What is that fancy word that says the simplest answer is the right one?
The simple answer is Offense wise, this team has sucked in a historic, near statistically impossible way.
In terms of OPS, we have THIRTEEN (13!!!!! ) PLAYERS underperforming!
Cashman and Boone have little real impact on what's going on.
To summarize Hanks numbers, just look at the last
column, which is the difference in a player's average
OPS year, compared to this year's OPS.
From worst to first
Avg / 2021 / Diff
Voit........... 874 / 530 / -344
Andujar........ 779 / 588 / -191
Gardner........ 739 / 558 / -181
Ford........... 731 / 561 / -170
Frazier........ 765 / 623 / -142
LeMahieu....... 781 / 656 / -125
Odor........... 724 / 608 / -116
Stanton........ 901 / 791 / -110
Torres......... 817 / 715 / -102
Hicks.......... 729 / 627 / -102
Sánchez........ 814 / 715 / -99
Urshella....... 751 / 734 / -17
Judge.......... 947 / 938 / -9
However.......... !!!!!
Higgy is +80! and Wade is +50!
It's amazing that this Yankees team is above .500.
This is easily the best broadcast team, IMHO.
This YES traffic light gimmick on outfielder's arms just serves to continually remind us how bad the Yanks are at scoring runners from 3rd.
"The Yankees have the bases loaded with one out and Stanton coming up."
Time for a trip to the restroom.
"GIDP" should be on Stanton's grave stone.
CAN-DO-Jar!
It's all good and well to beat up on the Twinkies, but this game means nothing.
[24] I think this team is at the point where EVERY game means something, especially when something remotely positive happens. Yes, Gary and Miggy hit those homers off a kid making his major league debut, but -- especially for Sánchez -- the more positive memories they can bank the better.
You all see that the Yankees are 88-35 against the twins the last 25 years? How is that possible, the Twins have had some pretty good teams in that span..
[26] Yeah, but so have the Yanks. In that span they’ve only missed the playoffs once and have been above .500 throughout. I would guess the losses to the Twins came mostly in “down” years.
Wowzers! Quite the BOMB from Stanton.
[28] He really smashes the ball (when he plays..)
Is the Twins manager punishing his pitcher for some reason? Leaving him out there to get bombed like this..
[25] Well, if they can consistently repeat this against good teams, especially the good teams in their division, I'll get excited. Otherwise, they are just beating up on also rans.
Powder blue uniforms for the Twinkies? Yeah, the baseball gods should punish them.
Do not regulate the shift. Let managers employ tactics against it. And hit against the shift. A hit is a good as a walk, right?
Go Lil' G! 3 hits!
Nothing like the Twinkies to cure a slumping offense.
Missed the game, Stanton is heating up again after his injury?
Yup.
Glad I am not watching this live.
Chapman getting lit up for the first time this year makes for a sticky situation.
Well that stinks. Go to sleep with a sweep in hand and ugh. Weird to have a Friday off.
Not a good start
So I guess Severino is back on the IL. Maybe now Cashman will finally get off his arse and bring in more help, like more hitting and starting pitching please.
Could this team maybe hit home runs with men on base?
Can the Yankees speak out of Philly and leave Taillon behind?
Le Machine!
Such a frustrating team to watch. Miggy, Gleyber and Judge with terrible at bats in the ninth. No patience whatsoever.
Sigh.
I guess the analytics dept didn't want Boone walking the batter to setup the force / double play? Or was Boone just too tired having to think for 10 innings in a non-DH game?
Yeah, I don’t get that either. You hold up four fingers in that situation.
Odor is batting 3rd in Boone's line-up tonight. Usually your best hitter bats 3rd.
I'm going to bed.
Aw crap, MLBN is using the Phillies feed. Have to switch to my phone.
Hurray. Another 4-0 deficit. It's fun watching a team score multiple runs with 2 outs.
Not worth my phone's charge
[49]. Actually your best hitter bats 2nd these days. Imagine how many more plate appearances Barry Bonds would have if he had batted second (Probably 20-25 each season). If you have 2 good hitters then you can decide based on other reasons.
Today would be a lovely day to fire Aaron Boone.
[54] Seems his and Cashman’s Midas Touch has suddenly turned into Beelzebub’s…
It’ll be interesting to see how the scales balance out with this team as the crackdown on tacky substances takes hold across the league.
How about a win today?
Not encouraging.
Not too bad.
Kraken isn’t completely dead.
Damn, Sevy out six weeks.
Welcome to the bigs, Gittens. And you should get that ball back.
Sigh. This team is playing like little leaguers. And not particularly good little leaguers.
[62] The Bad News Bombers? The Bronx Bummers?
Should’ve scored more than one.
Sigh. Even Cole seems homer happy
Wow, yelling at your teammate?
Hissy fit, indeed. What a clown. And yet he's killin' the Yankees.
Kraken!
Um, yeah, warm up on the field.
So I looked in the line-up. Dang, no Gary tonight. Oh, Cole's pitching.
Then, BOOM!
All is well.
Bo Bichette was in the Yank farm system for a little while, correct?
Another Cashman success story.
Bo Bichette has always been with the jays organization. Maybe another big slugger's son?
Leave it to Gary.
[72] OK. Thanks. I think I know who I was thinking about, but I can't remember his name. Ha.
Can we get Sanchez a new glove?
Exhale.
Heh, baseball gods demanded Stripling lose for being such a dick on the field.
Hmm, Yankees sent Ford to the Rays for $100K. Must mean Voit will be back soon.
Hey, the Blue Jays can do bad baserunning too.
Looked safe to me. Oh, well. TRIPLE PLAY!!!! YES! I missed the one a few weeks ago. : )
Triple play!
Gift run!
JFC! Put a tent on this circus!
Gio!
Wade is no Cano. Oi!
Pinch hitting for Gleyber is an ominous sign.
Le sigh.
Missile!
Gittens?
Bunts, opposite field hits, hits with runners in scoring position with two outs. Who is this team?
[74] you’re thinking of Dante Bichette Jr., the older brother of Bo. Who knows where he is now, but yeah another “just missed”…. Would have fit this current team’s profile like a glove if he was anything like DB Sr….
Hooray, full capacity.
Damn, promising start, too.
Ah yes, the Sonny Gray trade. Grumble grumble grumble.
Le Machine!!
Short outing for Taillon. But not bad.
Odor!
Grrr.
[91] That's IT! Thanks Chyll.
[91] I see what you did there. LOL
Babe Kemp?
Uh oh. Splinter?
That was weird and sounds awful. (Stop rubbing your eye, Gio!)
Gio back on the field is good news.
Crud
Nice, Gio
That went bad in a hurry.
Guess I better hit the hay.
I decided to stay for one more at bat.
Nice work by Nestor.
Took a nap, wake up to a win.
Noice.
Watching the last 3 innings on archive. Good stuff.
Huh, Judge in center.
A lead! And a not baserunning blunder leading to an out.
Are we going to see a decline in pitching with these substance checks?
Phew!
Um?
HOLY SHITE! TRIP
Triple play!
Oh, a duplicate comment.