So did anything happen of note in Yankeeland during the off season? Let’s see…

First there was Juan Soto. I think I knew it was coming while I was sitting on the couch shortly after the Yankees’ self-destruction in the final game of the World Series. As the Dodgers were celebrating on the Yankee Stadium infield, I told my wife (a passive Dodger fan who grew up in a Dodger household thirty minutes from Dodger Stadium) that I would never get over that loss. Twenty minutes later manager Aaron Boone would share that he’d told the team, “This stings, and it will always sting.” Twenty minutes after that — and after we had heard from one devastated Yankee after another — Juan Soto looked into the cameras and, presumably with suffering teammates standing within earshot, announced that he was a free agent available to all thirty teams.

The timing of an announcement that only told us what everyone already knew was worse than salt in the fresh wound. We know that baseball is a business, but it was telling that Soto couldn’t even respect the moment. It was akin to standing up at your grandmother’s funeral and asking when the will would be read. So even though I was disappointed when he signed with the Mets a few weeks later, I was neither surprised by his decision nor bothered that the Yankees had allowed themselves to be outbid. Is it petty that I can’t wait to hear the boos the first time he returns to the Stadium? Perhaps.

But then there was Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. It was a free agent haul reminiscent of 2008 when C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett arrived in the Bronx, and when reliever Devon Williams was added via trade, optimism was high. The Yankees suddenly had one of the best starting staffs in baseball, a dominant bullpen, a much improved defense, and perhaps a more balanced offense. They were the overwhelming favorites in the American League, and even though the Dodgers were playing with Monopoly money and creating a team that appears significantly better than their 2024 version, I still felt great about the Yankees’ chances at improving on last season’s result.

But then.

Gerrit Cole was scratched from a spring training start because he wasn’t feeling right, and I was mildly concerned. The team announced that he was flying north for tests, and I was more than a little nervous. After they got those test results back and that announced Cole was seeking other opinions, I knew the worst was coming. When everyone finally admitted that Cole would need Tommy John surgery and miss the 2025 season, the news came just a week or so after we heard that last year’s Rook of the Year, Luís Gil, would miss at least three months with an arm injury of his own, and just a week or so before we’d learn that Giancarlo Stanton, inexplicably, had tennis elbow in both elbows and would also begin the year on the injured list.

It was a lot.

The Yankees take the field in just a few hours, and even with all of the injuries, I’m still looking forward to the season. We’ll get to watch Aaron Judge again, we’ll finally get to see a full season of Jasson Domínguez, the star we’ve been wishing on for seven years now, and we’ll get to watch the continued development of Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. We’ll get to watch baseball. Oh, and like it or not, there will be beards.

Let’s go, Yankees!

[Image Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons]

Cole. Done for the season.

Yow.

The greatness of Rickey Henderson was undeniable, even if it took baseball people longer than you’d think to recognize that Rickey could do more than just run. The Man of Steal burst on the scene with the Oakland Athletics not just by stealing more bases than anyone had before him, but by stealing more bases than anyone had thought possible. He bent reality in the way that only the greatest players can, but because people are the way they are, his early achievements were viewed from a deficit perspective.

Critics complained that he was selfish, that stolen bases in the ninth inning with his team down by four only tarnished the record, or they claimed that he was incomplete player, never mind the fact that at just 23 years old when he stole a preposterous 130 bases in that 1982 season, Rickey also scored 119 runs and led the league with 116 walks. The year before he had won a Gold Glove.

His greatest years, however, were still ahead of him. After being traded to the Yankees prior to the 1985 season, he thrived on the biggest stage in the game, becoming the only player in our lifetime to score more runs (146) than games played (143) while stealing 80 bases and slashing .314/.419/.516 only to lose the MVP to teammate Don Mattingly. Rickey would eventually get his MVP five years later after his return to Oakland when he stole 65 bases while hitting 28 home runs with a staggering 1.016 OPS.

How good was he? Without question, he was the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time. Bill James, the godfather of statistical analysis, once said that Rickey was so good that if you could split him into two players, you’d still have two Hall of Famers. (Here’s a discussion about that.)  To that point, if we disregard his slugging numbers and his 3,055 career hits and focus on the true through-line of his career, the stolen base, the numbers are mind boggling.

• His 1,406 career stolen bases is just one steal shy of being a full 50% better than Lou Brock’s second place total of 938. For perspective on that, the top four active stolen base leaders (Starling Marte, José Altuve, Trea Turner, and José Ramírez) have a total of 1,480 steals.
• During the twelve-year stretch from 1980-1991, Henderson led baseball in steals eleven times.
• Seven years after the end of that run, in 1998, Rickey again led baseball with 66 stolen bases for the San Diego Padres at the age of 39.

The statistics eventually become mind-numbing, but the true measure of any legend lies in the mythology that grows up around them. Did Rickey really frame his first million dollar check rather than cash it? (Yes, but still got the money.) Did he really tell Jon Olerud that he had once had a teammate who also wore his helmet in the field, forgetting that the former teammate was actually Jon Olerud? (No, but it’s a good story.)

Everyone in Rickey’s orbit had a good story to tell, even me. I collected baseball cards growing up, and when the hobby exploded in the 1980s, I began going to card shows, not just to grow my collection but to collect autographs. Rickey Henderson was a guest at a card convention in the spring of 1986 during his second year with the Yankees, so I drove down to the freeway so I could pay ten or twenty dollars for the autograph of one my favorite players.

Most of the players who appeared at events like this simply churned out one signature after another, earning their appearance fee by mindlessly repeating autographs on balls, bats, and photos for an hour or two. They were often bored or disinterested, sometimes surly and dismissive. Rickey was none of these things. He had far too much energy to be trapped in a folding chair behind a plastic table, and his eyes darted around the room, taking in everything, but connecting with no one.

When I finally made my way to the front of the line, Rickey’s eyes stopped on mine. We were in Orange County in the mid ’80s. If the world outside that hotel was predominantly white, that said nothing about the demographics of the hall we were in that afternoon. It’s likely that Rickey and I were the only two Black people in the room, and Rickey’s darting eyes were keenly aware of that. He took one look at me, extended his hand and said — and I will never forget this — “What’s happenin, soul brother?”

I was sixteen years old, filled with the typical insecurities of adolescence, but because I had spent my life growing up in places like Naperville, Illinois, and Irvine, California, I had never been comfortable in my own skin simply because that skin wasn’t the same color as the kids at school or the people in my neighborhoods. I was different, and it would be years before that discomfort would go away.

Rickey could never have known any of this, but he saw me. I didn’t quite know what to make of it in that moment, but it’s something that’s stayed with me in the three decades since. When I heard the news that Rickey had passed, appropriately dying the same year his Oakland A’s did, I eventually thought about the afternoon in Oakland when two friends and I sat in the right field bleachers and watched Rickey grab his 939th stolen base, but my first reaction was to think back to that day at the card show when a legend reached out and connected with me.

Well, the Yanks were sloppy all season and it came back to bite them in agonizing, burn-in-your-brain-forever misery last night.

Surely, this was a Yankee series created by the fantasies of all true Yankee-haters. But our Bombers found cruel and unusual ways to lose this thing. You could call them chokers, but they’ve been sloppy like this all year. They weren’t in Game 6 or Game 7—their mistakes cost them them that chance. We’re left with 4 loses that could have all gone the other way, particularly Game 1 and Game 5.

Yup, nothing but pain and disgust for us Yankee fans.

Dag.

Congrats the Dodgers.

Could be the last game of the year, period. But at least the Yanks have lived to see another day, even if it is tonight.

I couldn’t believe Volpe’s base running gaffe last night. I bellowed and moaned and threw myself off the couch in despair. And then he goes and hits that homer, turns a single into a (lucky) double, steals third, and then beats a throw home on a grounder to second. I’d say a good way to make up for that mistake. Happy for the kid.

Hoping for more good things tonight.

Never mind oblivion:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

And the hits just kept coming in Game Three. More mistakes, all born of desperation, all too painful to recount here.

Now the Yanks are down 3-0 in this series of sadness.

Nothing to lose now. Go git ’em, boys.

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Well, that sucked. Did it suck as much as Game 1? No, but it sucked all the same.

They’ve been down 2-0 before. Tonight in the Bronx will have us root-root-rooting for the home team.

Never mind the writing on the wall:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Game One was a kick to the crotch loss if there ever was one; much will be forgiven if they manage to swipe a win today and leave L.A. with a split.

Lots to be pissed about but today is a new day.

Never mind the moaning’:

Let’s Go Yank-eees!

Yanks-Dodgers.

Hell, yes.

Yanks arrive in Cleveland up 2-0.

Wonder how they’ll leave town?

Never mind the memory of those little bugs:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Alas, here we are again. The Yanks fighting for a pennant. Cleveland looking to get to the Whirled Serious and bring home their first title since 1948.

Never mind nuthin:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

I wouldn’t be a Yankee fan were it not for the Kansas City Royals.

In the summer of 1977 when I was almost eight years old, my family drove from Detroit to New York City for a vacation in the Big Apple. We saw dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History, walked in Central Park, and went to the top of the Empire State Building. All the stuff. But the highlight of the trip came on the day when my parents let me choose what to do. I was a huge baseball fan, so I asked them to take me to a baseball game.

The Yankees were playing the Royals that day. Catfish Hunter got the start, and Chris Chambliss hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead that turned into a win when Sparky Lyle finished things up in the ninth. I hadn’t yet forged any bonds with the Tigers, so the die was cast that afternoon. I’d be a Yankee fan for life.

This matchup with the Royals in the ALDS is bringing up all kinds of memories, and not just my own. The game-winning home run that I witnessed wasn’t the first time Chambliss had broken Kansas City hearts. Just the year before he had led off the bottom of the ninth with the game tied in the decisive fifth game of the American League Championship Series and struck one of the most memorable home runs in Yankee history, sending the Bronx into bedlam — actual bedlam — and sending the Yankees to the World Series.

That playoff loss was the first of three straight the Royals suffered at the hands of the Yankees, one of which famously left Kansas City shortstop Freddie Patek crying in the dugout.

But revenge for the Royals would eventually come when they served me the first heartbreak of my Yankee life. After dropping the first two games of the 1980 ALCS, the Yankees took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh at Yankee Stadium. Tommy John got the first two outs, but after he yielded a double to Willie Wilson, John was lifted for Rich Gossage, hopefully for a seven-out save. But Gossage give up a single to U.L. Washington and then this happened.

As if that weren’t enough, then we had the Pine Tar Game three years later. All of this contributed to what was, for a time, the greatest rivalry in baseball. You don’t think so? Ask George Brett. Still don’t think so? Watch this absolutely insane clip from Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS.

This week’s matchup with the Royals might not include all this drama, but then again it might. Buckle up, everyone, and Let’s Go, Yankees!

I really don’t care that the Orioles celebrated their playoff clinching in the Bronx, and I only marginally care that Gleyber Torres continues to remind me of perhaps my favorite Aaron Boone quote of all time. (Name that quote in the comments for extra credit.)

Here’s the one thing I truly care about — the Yankees will clinch tonight. Book it!

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]

With just nineteen games left to play, the American League East, inexplicably, is still completely up for grabs as the Yankees and the Orioles are locked in the most polite game of musical chairs you’ve ever seen, with each team standing back and doing its best to usher the other into the lone chair remaining. There’s been some good news recently from the Yankees, with the return of Luís Gil and Clarke Schmidt from the injured list and the return to form of Gerrit Cole, but with each step forward comes a step back. Aaron Judge has been wearing a Kryptonite necklace for the past two weeks, Clay Holmes has finally lost his closer job, and Alex Verdugo is still playing left field instead of Jasson Domínguez.

So what will these next nineteen games bring? Pull up a chair, and let’s find out.

Whatever happens over the next five weeks and hopefully more, please take a minute to appreciate something we might never see again, or, more optimistically, something we’ll be watching for the next ten years. There’s been nothing in my lifetime quite like the combination of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, two otherworldly talents hitting back to back in the order. I once wondered what it would’ve been like to watch Ruth and Gehrig every day, and now I know. It’s pretty, pretty, pretty good.

[Photo Credit: WikimediaCommons]

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Okay, hear me out.

What if these are the glory days, the good old days, and the beginning of a golden era all happening right before our eyes? What if in December when Juan Soto signs a mega deal to stay in the Bronx he says something like, “Winning the World Series was great, and I can’t wait to win a few more, but it was during that run in early August when I realized that I never wanted to play anywhere else, that I wanted to listen to the Bleacher Creatures chanting my name for the next fifteen years, that I wanted all of my at bats to come with Aaron Judge standing in the on deck circle. This is home for me.”

With the June swoon seemingly behind them, things are looking up for the New York Yankees. Sure, there are still huge concerns about Clay Holmes and Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes, but there are encouraging signs elsewhere. Anthony Volpe seems to have found another serving of chicken parm, as evidenced by his 1.026 OPS since the all-star break; Austin Wells looks more and more like the best catcher on the roster, slashing at .340/.444/.520 during that same stretch; and even though his Yankee stats are dramatically skewed by two games, Jazz Chisholm has a nice .300/.364/.700 line since he arrived.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge. The run that he’s on isn’t just about the last three months, it stretches through the last three seasons. During that time he’s slashed at .302/.429/.670 and averaged 47 home runs and 103 RBIs (with 49 games left to play this season). Aaron Judge isn’t hot, he’s just Aaron Judge. This is who he is.

So maybe we’re through the hard part. Maybe.

Let’s go, Yankees!

Saturday afternoon’s debacle was the 100th game of the season for the Yankees, and they now sit at 59-41, but that obviously doesn’t tell the whole story of this seesaw season. So let’s take a deeper look by the numbers.

1
The leadoff spot in the order has been a problem for the Yankees for quite a while now. Brett Gardner held the job for years, DJ LeMahieu was great in 2020 and 2021, but this year has been a struggle, with five different players hitting at the top of the order, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo, LeMahieu, and finally Ben Rice. Anthony Volpe seems to have the tools to do the job for the next ten years, but right now the Yankees are struggling to find someone to hit in the coziest spot in all of baseball.

2
The Yankees are two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in 2nd place in the American League East.

3
We’ve only seen three wins from Gerrit Cole, but in his last two starts he’s thrown 12 innings, allowed 11 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs while striking out 15 in wins over the Orioles and Rays. He seems like the the Gerrit Cole we remember.

4
Here’s the most perplexing statistic about the team that’s scored more runs than any team in baseball. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge lead the major leagues in on base percentage by a long shot, but the spot behind them has been absolutely anemic. No team’s cleanup hitters have been worse than whichever player Aaron Boone pencils into that slot.

5
The Yankees are averaging (just a touch under) five runs per game — actually 4.95, which is among the best in the game. No team, in fact, has scored more than their 495 total runs.

6
Carlos Rodón’s last six starts have been awful. He’s 0-5 with an ERA of 9.67, and he’s allowed 55 baserunners (including 9 home runs) in just 27 innings. Batters are slashing .336/.410/.656 over that stretch. If I hadn’t watched all this, I wouldn’t believe it.

7
There have been seven different starting pitchers — Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Luís Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Gerrit Cole, and Cody Poteet.

8
When Oswaldo Cabrera finished a blowout game on the mound, it was the eighth position that he’s played as a Yankee, all positions but cacher and designated hitter.

9
Carlos Rodón has nine wins; Nestor Cortés has nine losses.

10
Ben Rice has ten extra base hits — four doubles and six home runs — and his three home run game earlier this month was one of the highlights of the season.

11
Clarke Schmidt only had 11 starts before an injury sidelined him for a few weeks, but he was good while he was out there. His return, hopefully next month, would be a nice boost for a rotation that’s been struggling.

12
Even though there’s been a lot of concern about the Yankees’ inability to throw out opposing base stealers, they actually rank 12th in opponent steals per game.

13
The Yankees have hit 13 triples, which is sixth in the American League.

14
Aaron Judge has grounded into 14 double plays, most in baseball.

15
Marcus Stroman arrived with the reputation of being a ground ball pitcher, but he’s struggled with the long ball this season, coughing up 15 home runs and headed for what will easily be the highest home run percentage (3.4%) of his career.

16
Trent Grisham has walked 16 times.

17
Marcus Stroman has been good, probably about as good as most were hoping. How could? His ERA+ of 117 tells us that he’s been 17% better than league average, which isn’t bad for a fourth or fifth starter.

18
The Yankees are currently 18 games over .500 — which means they’d finish 90-72 if they go .500 the rest of the way.

19
Luís Gil has been the surprise of the season for the Yankees. He didn’t project to be in the rotation, but he’s made 19 starts, and about fifteen of them have been brilliant. He had three straight bad starts from June 20-July 2, but in his last two starts he’s looked like the world beater that he was in April and May.

20
Carlos Rodón has twenty starts and has given up twenty home runs.

21
Clay Holmes has 21 saves and went to the All-Star Game, but it’s the blown saves that we remember. If the Yankees have plans for October, they’ll need to upgrade the bullpen.

22
Gleyber Torres strikes out 22% of the time (22.4%), which slightly below league average.

23
Gleyber Torres has 23 extra base hits — 15 doubles and 8 home runs. In his first few seasons it looked like Gleyber was on his way to the Hall of Fame, but this appears to be who he is now.

24
Aaron Judge leads the team with 24 doubles.

25
Austin Wells has scored 25 runs. He’s not Mike Piazza, but he’s beginning to look more and more like the catcher of the future.

26
The Yankees have used 26 actual pitchers this season, plus two position players.

27
José Treviño has 27 RBIs.

28
Giancarlo had 28 extra base hits (18 home runs and 10 doubles) before his current injury. His bat has been missed, even if his baserunning hasn’t.

29
Anthony Volpe has walked 29 times.

30
Jahmai Jones has appeared in 30 games.

31
Gerrit Cole has allowed 31 hits.

32
Giancarlo Stanton has a strikeout rate of exactly 32%, which is the highest on the team.

33
The Yankees have hit 33 sacrifice flies, which is second best in the league.

34
Aaron Judge is the most fearsome hitter on the planet, but his 34 home runs tell only part of the story.

35
Reliever Jake Cousins leads the team with a strikeout rate of 35.2%.

36
The organization continues to build its reputation for finding and fixing relievers. This year’s success story is Luke Weaver. He’s appeared in 36 games and posted a 2.47 ERA.

37
The Yankees have played 37 games against the American League East, compiling a disappointing record of 17-20.

38
The Yankees have stolen only 38 bases this season. Only the San Francisco Giants are worse, with 31.

39
LeMahieu’s OPS+ is 39, which is preposterously low. This means he’s a staggering sixty-one percent below league average. His slash numbers are somehow even uglier. Since he has fifteen walks but just three doubles, he somehow entered Saturday’s game with a lower slugging percentage (.207) than on base percentage (.275), which is hard to do. I’d guess there are at least five players in the Yankee system right now who could play third base and top these numbers. It’s time to stop running him out there.

40
Closer Clay Holmes leads the team with 40 appearances.

41
The Yankees have 41 losses this season.

42
Yankee fans were spoiled by Mariano Rivera, and we knew it.

43
Ian Hamilton has a ground ball rate of 43%. (Well, actually 43.8%, but we aren’t rounding.)

44
DJ LeMahieu has a wRC+ of 44, which is 56% lower than league average. This is the worst on the team.

45
Forty-five different players have appeared in pinstripes this season.

46
The Yankees have played 46 games at home, compiling a 26-20 record.

47
Oswaldo Cabrera has struck out 47 times.

48
Number 48 on the roster, Anthony Rizzo, was a drag on the lineup when he was healthy. Ben Rice isn’t exactly Don Mattingly, but I don’t think he’s Kevin Maas, either. It would be disappointing to see Rizzo back in the lineup this season.

49
On June 12 the Yankees finished the day at 49-21. They’ve won ten games  in the five weeks since then.

50
Oswaldo Cabrera has made 50 put outs at third base.

51
Oswaldo Cabrera has 51 base hits.

52
Trent Grisham has appeared in 52 games, which is far more than expected. He’s been solid in center field, but hasn’t produced much at the plate. (.188/.292/.376)

53
Oswaldo Cabrera has started 53 games at third base.

54
The Yankees have played 54 games on the road, compiling a 33-21 record.

55
Judge has cooled off recently, but he’s still on pace to hit 55 home runs this season.

56
Gleyber Torres has 56 singles.

57
Aaron Judge has played 57 innings in right field.

58
Luke Weaver has 58 strikeouts.

59
As Aaron Boone is fond of saying, the wins in April and May count just as much as the ones in August and September. He’s not wrong.

60
Sixty percent (60.7) of Aaron Judge’s balls put in play have had an exit velocity of 95MPH or higher.

61
Anthony Rizzo has 61 assists.

62
Yankee pitchers have hit 62 batters, most in baseball.

63
Nestor Cortés has given up 63 earned runs, already the most of any season in his career.

64
Luke Weaver and Michael Tonkin, two of the hardest workers in the bullpen, have combined for 64 appearances.

65
Game 65 was once of the best games of the season. The Yankees and Dodgers were scoreless all night until Teoscar Hernández doubled in two runs in the eleventh. Aaron Judge drove in a run in the bottom half, but the Dodgers held on for a 2-1 win.

66
Juan Soto has 66 RBIs, ninth most in baseball.

67
Clarke Schmidt has 67 strikeouts.

68
Aaron Judge has 68 unintentional walks.

69
Jose Treviño has 69 total bases.

70
Juan Soto has struck out 70 times, while walking 80 times. If this trend continues, it would be the fifth straight season with more walks the strikeouts, an impressive feat in this day and age.

71
In Game 71, the Yankees suffered a walkoff loss to the Royals. It seemed like nothing at the time, but it marked the end of a brilliant start and the beginning of a five-week malaise.

72
In Game 72, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 8-1 in Fenway Park. Alex Verdugo went 3 for 5 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. It was clear in that moment that the Red Sox had made a huge mistake in trading him, as Verdugo was a key part of the best offense in baseball. And then Verdugo completely disappeared.

73
Aaron Judge has played 73 games in the outfield, 4 in left, 63 in center, and 7 in right.

74
Aaron Judge has walked 74 times this season, second best in baseball.

75
The Yankees have spent 75 days in first place.

76
The Yankees have played 76 games against right-handed starters, going 48-28 in those games.

77
Anthony Rizzo’s OPS+ of 77 is by far the lowest since his short rookie season of 2011.

78
Marcus Stroman has 78 strikeouts.

79
Juan Soto has an OPS+ of 179, which means he’s 79 percent better than league average. Aside from the Covid-shortened 2020 season, this is the best season of his career.

80
Juan Soto leads all of baseball with 80 walks.

81
Marcus Stroman has stranded exactly 81% of the baserunners he’s allowed.

82
Anthony Rizzo has a wRC+ of 82 according to Fangraphs, which is much lower than Ben Rice (118) and lower than all but two Yankees with significant at bats (Oswaldo Cabrera, 79, and DJ LeMahieu 44).

83
Tommy Kahnle has faced 83 batters in his 23 appearances.

84
Alex Verdugo has 84 hits. But not many of them have been recently.

85
Alex Verdugo has an OPS+ of 85, and his abysmal stretch over the past five weeks has been a big reason why the Yankees have struggled during that same period. He peaked when he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw upon his return to Fenway Park, and he’s been statistically the worst hitter in baseball since. He’s probably also cost himself tens of millions of dollars.

86
Aaron Judge leads all of baseball with 86 RBIs.

87
Ben Rice has 87 at bats, roughly 87 more than expected.

88
Gerrit Cole has recorded 88 outs.

89
Probably the most significant under-the-radar injury the Yankees have suffered this season was to #89 Jasson Dominguez. Were it not for his oblique injury, he’d likely be DHing in the Bronx right now during Giancarlo Stanton’s absence.

90
Giancarlo Stanton has struck out 90 times.

91
Ian Hamilton has an ERA+ of 91, nine percent below league average.

92
Juan Soto has played 92 games in the outfield, 89 in right and 3 in left.

93
Fangraphs currently projects the Yankees to win 93 games. (Actually 93.6)

94
The Yankees have hit into 94 double plays, the most in baseball.

95
Anthony Volpe has struck out 95 times, more than anyone but Judge. This is obviously a problem.

96
The average exit velocity of the balls put in play by Aaron Judge is 96MPH. (96.2)

97
According to Fangraphs, the Yankees have a 97% chance to make the playoffs. (Actually 97.9%)

98
Game 98 was the worst loss of the season for the Yankees. They had appeared to right the ship and were a pitch away from sweeping the Orioles and moving into first place heading into the all-star break. But Anthony Volpe bobbled a routine ground ball to allow one run, and then Alex Verdugo misplayed a routine fly ball into a two-run, game-winning double. It was a devastating loss in the final game of the first half.

99
No matter what happens, there’s still Aaron Judge, #99.

100
One hundred games down, just 62 (and hopefully a dozen or so more) to go. Let’s go, Yankees!

With apologies to Elizabeth Barret Browning, I offer a sonnet to sum up where we are right now…

How do I worry? Let me count the ways.
I worry to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, with losses every night,
To Sox and O’s and then to Jays and Rays.
I worry to the level that every game
Is life or death, revelation in plain sight.
I worry truly, hoping I’m not right.
I worry darkly, with each runner left on base.
I worry with the scars of twenty-two,
That fiery start mere ashes in my mouth.
I worry with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost heroes. I worry they’ve gone south,
And lost their way; and, beneath the boos,
I shall but worry deeper after death.

On June 13 the Yankees led the Royals 3-2 in Kansas City with two outs in the ninth inning and closer Clay Holmes on the mound. With two strikes on the batter, Holmes appeared poised to secure the save, and the Yankees appeared poised to sweep the series and earn their 50th win. But Kyle Isbel singled, and three pitches later Maikel Garcia doubled in the tying and winning runs. It was disappointing, but all it really meant was that the Yankees were 49-22 instead of 50-21. It didn’t matter at all, because they were still the best team in baseball.

Since then? Not so much. How bad have these Yankees been? Since that afternoon, they’ve posted a 7-17 record and lost seven of eight series. (They split a four-game set with the Blue Jays.)

Aside from the feel-good story of Ben Rice, there have been no bright spots. The starting rotation has been in a shambles, players who were exceeding expectations have regressed to the mean or even below, and even the mighty Aaron Judge has disappeared, going eight games and counting without an extra base hit or an RBI.

If there’s anything close to a silver lining, it’s this. The Baltimore Orioles haven’t taken advantage. During this same four-week stretch the O’s are only 12-13, going from 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the A.L. East to only two games ahead, which means that even after all of this time wandering in the wilderness, the Yankees could actually emerge from this weekend’s three-game series in Baltimore alone in first place.

It’s not impossible. Is it?

Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons, public domain.

Let me give you something good to think about.

We’ve never seen a player like Aaron Judge. Never.

Buckle up! Here’s hoping our man is on his game!