About Last Night: The Yankees Were Smothered

About Last Night: The Yankees Were Smothered by the Red Sox 9-3

By Tim Kabel

June 17, 2024

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The Yankees were literally and figuratively run out of the ballpark by the Red Sox last night. They have now lost two games in a row. They lost the series against the Red Sox. They lost three out of their last four games. They still have 50 wins and are in first place in the American League East, but things can turn around quickly. They will be playing the Orioles in a three-game series beginning on Tuesday night. The Orioles are a hot team and are the Yankees’ main rival in the American League East at this point. Things could look a lot different for this team on Thursday night if the Yankees are not careful. Hopefully, this will not become a repeat of 2022.

Quick Stats – 

·       On Friday night, Caleb Ferguson struck out all 4 batters he faced. Last night, he gave up two runs in 1/3 of an inning and didn't strike out anybody. That’s baseball, Suzyn.

·       Boston’s David Hamilton stole 4 bases.  Hamilton was a burr under the Yankees’ saddle last night. Perhaps we could trade our Hamilton for theirs. 

·       The Red Sox stole 9 bases last night, which broke the franchise record set on September 29,1940. My friend Roger was at that game, I think. Did the Yankees have a catcher last night?

·       The last time the Yankees allowed 9 stolen bases in a game was on May 19, 1915.  Ty Cobb stole 3 of those bases. Perhaps Jose Trevino was wearing his actual platinum glove last night. After the game, Aaron Boone described the Red Sox as follows: “They were able to move around the bases a little bit.”  That's like saying that Mike Tyson could throw a punch.

·       The Yankees and the Orioles will enter play on Tuesday tied with 24 games in the loss column.

·       Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, and DJ LeMahieu were a combined 1-13 last night, before Rizzo left with an injury. So much for the resurgence.

·       On June 16, 1997, the Yankees played their first regular season game against the Mets. The Mets won the Game 6-0 behind the pitching of Dave Mlicki. 

The Big Story –

Brian Cashman cobbled together a bullpen out of castoffs and vagabonds. It is not exactly the cream of the crop. Well, it was fun while it lasted, but the magic is wearing off. If Ian Hamilton keeps this up, he won't even get a contract for $10. The Yankees need to address the bullpen because as they play tougher opponents, it will become more of an issue. It is one of a few areas they need to work on but, they really need to take care of the bullpen right away. Again, they don't need to get rid of everyone all at once. They can gradually make a few moves to improve it. There are relief pitchers out there who are known to more than their immediate families. Getting someone whom no one has ever heard of before is not always a good thing because there is usually a reason why no one has ever heard of them. People bounce around the league for a reason. If these pitchers were any good, their original teams would have kept them.

Player of the Game – 

Aaron Judge hit his league-leading 26th home run.

Notable Performances –

Tommy Kahnle pitched a clean inning. Last night, that was notable.

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Better to Forget – 

That this game ever happened. I would like to expunge it from the record books.

My Take –  

The Yankees have fifty wins, which is more than any other team in Baseball. They are in first place. Yet, they looked ordinary this weekend against the Red Sox and in the last game against the Royals. We have seen this before. Remember 2022?

In 2022, the Yankees were on a pace to set the franchise record for wins. They barely hung on to make the playoffs and were eliminated by the Astros yet again. When the wheels fell off in 2022, they really fell off. Aaron Boone had absolutely no answers. He was unable to adjust, adapt, or overcome. When it was time to stand up and do something, he sat down. As I have stated many times, I do not believe the Yankees will win a World Series as long as Aaron Boone is the manager. When the team is able to blow away the opposition, his managerial skills or lack thereof are not an issue. His flaws still exist, but when the Yankees bludgeon other teams into submission, no one notices them.

In the past two days, the Red Sox outclassed the Yankees. The Red Sox are not a great team, but their manager knows how to use the talent he has. He is able to adjust. He is able to make decisions. He knows how to develop and implement strategy. Aaron Boone doesn't know how to do any of these things. If he does, he has never demonstrated it.

This coming homestand against the Orioles and the Braves will be very important for the Yankees. I know it's still fairly early in the season. We have not even reached the All-Star break, but if the Yankees are manhandled by the Orioles, it will send a message to both teams. The Yankees need to be the team that delivers the message. They need to win the series against the Orioles in a convincing manner in order to show that they are genuine and serious contenders. If they are slapped around by the Orioles in the next three days, it will not be a good sign for the rest of the season.

Next Up – 

Tuesday, the Yankees will open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Cody Poteet (3-0, 2.14 ERA) will face Baltimore’s Albert Suarez, (3-0, 1.61 ERA).