When people think of Southern California they imagine sunshine that never stops with just enough of a breeze to cool the sunbathers and gently lift the blond hair of the smiling women you pass on the street.
Honestly, it’s like that a lot of the time, but not in June. Now is the time when various atmospheric conditions combine to create a marine layer that creeps in overnight like a blanket, tucking in the coastal cities and hiding the sun until mid-morning or even early afternoon. June Gloom. It’s dismal and depressing. The perfect analogy for what’s been going on with the New York Yankees.
Everything was wonderful before the calendar turned to June. They boasted one of the top offenses in baseball in May, leading everyone in home runs and perched near the top in many offensive categories, and Aaron Judge was the runaway winner of the American League Player of the Month. He slashed .342/.474/.882 while hitting 12 home runs with 25 RBIs in just 21 games. The common line of thinking was that he was even better than he was in 2022.
But on June 3rd he crashed into the fence at Dodger Stadium and the Yankee offense crashed along with him. Twenty days into this gloomiest of months, the Yankees currently rank dead last in batting average, on base percentage, and OPS. Dead. Last. Looking at the June numbers for the players expected to take up the slack in Judge’s absence, things look even gloomier…
| Player | June Statistics |
|---|---|
| Stanton | .122/.234/.293 2 HRs, 2 RBIs |
| Rizzo | .083/.185/.104 0 HRs, 4 RBIs |
| Donaldson* | .162/.256/.568 5 HRs, 7 RBIs |
| Torres | .204/.278/.429 3 HRs, 5 RBIs |
| Volpe | .167/.222/.310 3 RBIs, 2 SBs |
| Bader | Zero games played. |
* Josh Donaldson, inexplicably, has six home runs on the season and two singles. That’s it.
Ah, but there’s some good news. Harrison Bader returns from the injured list and will presumably start in center field against the Mariners tonight, and we’ll hear all about the added length he’ll bring the lineup. That’s obviously a good thing, but nothing will get better until the other guys listed above begin to do something. Anything.
Maybe tonight’s the night. We can hope, right?
You can't mention June Gloom without May Grey and even July can have plenty of overcast if you live near the coast ... can't sneak a piece of cheese past a 20 year SoCal veteran.
"It’s dismal and depressing."
Speak for yourself, I LOVED May and June, before the endless, oppressive heat set in for about 5 months
I WILL note that after I said nice things about the "adjustments" Volpe made, he proceeded to go 0-7 with 5 Ks in his next 2 games, so ...
Well, won't complain about the gift.
DOH!
Ratso!
I disagree with the booth ... Rizzo didn't run hard because he knew he'd MISSED it, not because he thought it was out.
[1] It’s an endless debate among my family. My wife and younger daughter love the overcast weather, but I’d prefer 80 degrees every day if I could have it.
80 degree weather?
Ahahahahahahahha, what I wouldn't give for 80 degree weather ...
The NEXT 10 days ...
https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/tx/wichita-falls
MasterBader!
BILLY GOES BYE-BYE!!!
McKinney!
I hope Cole enjoys this run support.
I suppose I'd prefer that Volpe struck out if the alternative is him hitting into double plays.
FRANK IS KILLING MY SOUL!
Rizzo has figured it out ... hit it to Hernandez
Josh Donaldson makes Tony Volpe look like Tony Gwynn
Great, now MLB.TV is flaking out on me.
Look, Tony ... your baserunning is the ONLY thing keeping you above water ... if you can't get a decent lead on this gangly bastard, what ARE you worth?
Bad play, Billy
Cole picks it up, nice!
And we are back.
RIZZY!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Hah ... my BOO broke Banter!
Donaldson really sucks.
I feel like his sucking is the veteran move to distract me from unleashing my wroth on the rookie.
RED ASS COLE!
Now that’s the Gerrit we want. And being a bit chirpy as well.
Huh ... Cole comes back out.
Short lease, please, Boone-y???
And flaking out again. Time to walk the terrorists.
WAY TO GO GERRIT!!!
YANKEES WIN!
I’ll take a “the other team not scoring.”
Volpe IS what his stats say he is ... it would be nice if the YES booth stopped ball-washing him.
Bauers GOES BOOM!
Bauers goes boom!
Ahem, rbj, I think that's MY line!
;)
Sorry
Billy!
WILD BILL MCKINNEY!
What's up, gang. Happy Summer solstice. Good start tonight. I miss the upper deck homers at the other Stadium.
I do love the grainy, glitchy Amazon feed. Now only if it was in black and white.
Howdy Ara ... I'm around at least!
Two on no outs and this was predictable.
I've been keeping half an eye on the last week of games. I was pleasantly shocked that they won last night and the game was already OVER when I turned it on at 9:30.
Pulling burrito at the right time? Inconceivable.
Volpe just missed a homer earlier. Keep working hard, kid.
Hey, walking the terrorists worked. In the rain no less.
[45] Work harder at swinging at strikes and putting the barrel on the ball and getting on base.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand now Weird Willie is limping.
Ugh ... Donaldson.
Phew, a win.
Well, they pounded out all of 5 hits, but we got a WIN, so I can't complain (although maybe I just did).
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner says he’s ‘a little confused’ by fans’ anger with team’s early struggles
https://us.yahoo.com/news/yankees-owner-hal-steinbrenner-says-234000400.html
Evening
Uh oh ... ze bad German
Bloody hell.
4-0 heading to the bottom of the 1st ... hey ... good thing we've got the series in the bag!
Strewth ... back to back disasters for ze German.
Jebus ... WTF? was that???
The birds are out with their boos
Can anyone watching explain to me how a runner scored from first on a ground ball to third???
Did the ground ball ricochet off of Donaldson and into the stands?
Groundball to Donaldson .. he booted it taking out of the glove ... runner rounded 2nd to 3rd ... Josh picked it up and threw to 3rd ... ze German biffed the catch and the ball got beyond him ... runner scored.
Jeez.
So I assume the review is just because the umpires have never seen anything like this before. Makes sense.
8-0 in the third. Is Germán being punished or are we?
It can be TWO THINGS!
We couldn't score 8 runs if we got 27 innings ... might as well hang it on German.
CLOWN SHOW!!!!
Good thing we've got Boone-y and Cashman locked up!
Just got back from a nice steak dinner. Parents’ 65th.
What fresh hell is this?
Just got in...
TEN to nothing?
ZERO Hits??
3 Errors???
TO SEATTLE!!!!!!!
Have we reached a new low?
P.S. Have you read the link in [52]?
Don't panic!!! Steinbrenner says we are OK!!!!!!!
(although he is a little confused)
I got MLB.tv this year to watch Volpe and this team and ... I think it's time to take a break of a couple of months.
Maybe come back in late September and survey the wreckage.
Oh joy, Ruocco and Flash.
And more bad defense.
Yay, a run
Sigh
And bad baserunning.
Good outing by Clark
Need to put the Yankees offense on milk cartons.
Ha, picked off.
Now ... I feel bad for you, rbj.
Here by yourself.
:(
Since I'm in Texas and blacked out ... I'm watching the Reds.
You should switch games and check them out ... they're fun!
EDLC is the rookie the Yankees think they have in Volpe (but don't) ... he just hit for the first Reds cycle since Eric Davis ... and Votto has 2 homers tonight as well!
Walking the terrorists kind of worked, both teams scored.
Another embarrassment of offensive riches I see.
I can't get upset about these losses. The offense fucking sucks.
Braves 10
Reds 11
I remember when baseball was fun.
Ballgame. Sigh.
@79 - VERY funny!
Another Offensive tsunami.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge reveals he has torn ligament in toe, says he’s still in pain.
“I’m not giving you any timeline,” Judge told reporters at the Stadium. “There’s no need. I’ve just got to get better and then I’ll be out there.”
Wasted opportunity.
Billy! Well there’s today’s run.
There should be a daily running bet ... will the Yankees have more hits ... or strikeouts?
Just read that Judge's injury may be season ending.
Phew!
So why not operate and maybe have him back for September?
Ugh
Well, today 4 hits was enough. Cole tomorrow.
One run actually stood up.
Game over.
Kay is in London doing the Cardinals Cubs game for some reason, along with A-Rod.
Where is everybody?
I’m here. I guess everyone else is out looking for the offense.
There it is! A lead.
An actual rally! Runs without a HR! Pinch me.
The Yankees win! Kept the Rangers to 7 runs over three games.
Boy, wouldn't it be nice to have a fast young outfielder who could post numbers like: .288, .379, .597, .977?
https://us.yahoo.com/news/collins-time-see-florial-190700578.html
[105] Thanks for posting this. Man, I'd really love to see Florial in the outfield. As the article states, Bauers and McKinney have been nice additions, but I don't think there's any chance that they develop beyond who they are right now. Florial seems like he could become a star. Which, you know, would be nice.
Ugh late night games.
Hey ... it's Tyler Wade!
2 hits in a row? A run scored? What a concept.
Wow ... 40 stolen bases ... wish the Yankees had someone like that.
A stolen base too far!
Oh, FranK
Triples, stolen bases, bombs! Break up the As.
Ah, I see Donaldson has his hit for the week.
Yup. Homer and then hibernate for several weeks.
[107] At least this Yankees offense makes for quick games.
Pathetic
That’s worth about 2.5 losses.
Outscored by the Oakland A’s?
The Boss would have fired everyone.
Honestly don't understand how Cashman and Boone still have jobs..putting out this lineup is a disgrace, and Boone's clown 'I like the compete' act after they score one run aganist OAKLAND is just pathetic..
[120] Rizzo is our "slugger" ... with a .796 OPS
[120] But ... seriously, they both have jobs because "good enough" is good enough for Hal.
A fish rots from the head ...
Anybody out there?
Or shall I raging against the fading of the light by myself?
[121] 5-9 a Gobi Desert of awfulness..
[122] True! Bean counter, maybe time for them to sell? I'll get some local investors together here and make a bid.
[124] Hi OK!
[123] Late morning here! Hot as heck, game on in the background feeling summery..
Ahahahahahahaha ... hot as heck?
It was 112 here today!
But ... glad you're around ... not too many of us left ... even Nostra hasn't been around this year very much.
[124] This offense isn't like watching paint dry ... it's like watching paint curdle.
Oh, FranK!
Siiiiiiiigh.
Dear Jebus, but Donaldson's useless.
[127] Not that hot! But crazy humid...
[128] If the team plays better, people will return? I certainly haven't been following too closely this season..
[129] Are there any regular beat reporters who challenge Cashman about this lineup? Most the Yankee folks I follow on Twitter kill Cash & Booney regularly.
Honestly ... killing Cash and Boone-y is just punching flunkies.
George Steinbrenner WOULD sign Ohtani this offseason ... Hal?
Won't.
[133] True, but they're still awful. Cashman past his prime, Boone always been a zero!
Man, Ohtani in NYS hits 50 taters easy..
FRANKENSTANTON!
CRACK!
And look ... it's Donaldson again.
Hello to all.
[139] Hi ya, Ara! Just in time to help us pile on Donaldson? His ABs are just pyu-pyu-putrid...
[135] I wonder if Cashman is like Beane ... they've both made a comfortable deal with the devil.
Donaldson is a blight on this team. Cut him yesterday. German has quite a grip on his curveball tonight. Dag.
Rejoice!
Gettin' Higgy wit it!
Our catchers STILL suck (at the plate).
Tony!
THAT'S the way Volpe was playing when he was hot at the start of the year (when he was moved the 1st spot in the order)!
Really feel bad for Oakland fans, two middle fingers to MLB for allowing them to leave.
Stealing 3rd with 0 outs? Not smart.
Yankees *really* need to start going studs first into bases (if the A's are going to be bitches and blocking them).
[149] With *this* offense?
Strong disagree.
[148] I believe (the city of) Oakland could not get it together to get the team a new stadium. That's why they're leaving.
FRANKY!
[152] Bollocks.
They refused to build a billionaire a stadium and development park.
And that billionaire threw a hissy, cut services, raised prices and stopped GAF.
I don't blame the city of Oakland or the fans AT. ALL.
Attached boy, Josh!
Playing Donaldson instead of DJ is a big mistake. I was happy when Donaldson was on the IL.
[151] Baseball says NEVER make the fist or last out going to 3rd base.
With the new rules on pitchers throwing to bases, some of that is changed.
Rickey always said stealing 3rd was easier than 2nd, especially with a RHB in the box.
It wasn't even close, which meant Volpe read it correctly.
He STILL should have gone studs first.
TONY! with the hustle double!
THAT'S why you push the advantage with this offense ... it's PERFECTLY equipped to waste a baserunner on 3rd with NOBODY out.
Let alone one on second.
[154] Not to be augmentative but:
... does a team generate a lot of money for the city? Many jobs?
... aren't many owners super rich?
... Yankee stadium saved about 1/2 the cost of the stadium between financing and tax breaks.
The Las Vegas metro area had just slightly more than HALF the metro area of Oakland. The team must have wanted to leave pretty badly.
Whoo-hoo! One too many ripped foul in the last few innings.
The OWNER wanted to leave to get a sweetheart deal, because Oakland wouldn't roll over.
Perhaps a little reading?
https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2023/6/21/23767113/oakland-as-leaving-for-vegas-john-fisher-reverse-boycott
Meanwhile ... ze German looking good through 6.
[167]
Perhaps no working owner in sports today exemplifies this better than John Fisher, the stony 62-year-old majority owner of the team still technically known as the Oakland Athletics. For the last several months, Fisher, who does not grant interviews, has been perpetrating against A’s fans the strangest and most nakedly cynical relocation campaign perhaps ever undertaken in the history of professional sports.
[169] Got it.
A productive out for Donaldson!!!
Sigh.
So far so good.
6 TO GO!
FIST PUMP!
Just back, is DG about to do something very historic….????
That WOULD likely be the story of the season ... sadly
Remember when Mussina was ONE strike away from a perfect game? I cried a little when he lost it.
A quick inning is ... good?
Holy cow, Cult. That article was all news to me. Madness. Why would I ever pay attention to Oakland and the a's. Lol...
It is basically the plot to Major League from 1989.
[177] Yes ... Moose is one of my favorite Yankees that I have seen.
It is basically the plot to Major League from 1989.
Yeah, it's pretty straight up ludicrous.
But hey, late-stage capitalism in the year 2023, right?
OYF, I remember that Mussina game!!!
Incredible, this could be history….
5!!!
3 ball counts. Tense!
3!!!!!!! TO GO!
The Mussina game was a crusher!
I watched the end of the Mussina game in a bar in Las Vegas with my six-month-old baby in my arms. I figured they couldn’t really tell me to leave, and they didn’t.
Stop getting on base!!
[187] Considering the smoking regulations in Vegas ... that's a little terrifying.
;)
ARGH ... Mussina has been referenced.
[188] Ooooops ... batters not helping.
Donaldson with a HIT ... maybe this night IS magical!
Donaldson doesn’t get hits when they’re needed, gets hits when everyone just wants to get to the bottom of the ninth.
Ok. I had to deal with a sick dog all day. Ate something from a trash can. Had to take the terrorists out a little while ago.
hmm.
HERE WE GO!!!
"Ate something from a trash can"
May I suggest you DON'T do that?
Is that Britney Spears surely not a coincidence…
[192] I'm getting a very T.S. Eliot's "Gerontion" vibe from that ...
One down.
TWO!!
Two down!
PERFECTO@!!!!!!!!
Amazing!!!!!!
Yes!!!
Three!
Every Yankee perfect game resulted in a WS victtory.
Hell yeah! Cheers y'all! What a great night!
FUCK YEAH!!!
Holy crap ... I *didn't* expect my evening turning out like **this**!!!
The last out was hit hard, and I thought it as a hit! Thank God it was right to Donaldson.
WE JUST WATCHED A PERFECT GAME ... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Cashman, Boone-y and Donaldson can all go sit in the corner ... tonight?
I'm HAPPY!
24 perfect games in MLB history and I’ve watched the Yankees throw THREE of them??? And that close one from Mussina..!
[208] I'm NOT going to lie ... the last couple of innings, while balls *kept* getting hit to Donaldson?
I kept thinking ... ze German is going to lose his perfecto on a Donaldson error, isn't he?
So ... phew.
German and Higashioka taking a photo together, beautiful!
And ... good for Higgy, too!
[212] Just saw that!
Sweet ... Rizzo saved him the ball!
Big hugs!
Good night all, glad you were here to share this with!
HUGS!