How have the Yankees historically fared in April?
The Yankees have gotten off to a slow start. But doesn’t it feel as if they always do? In fact, the last time they won the World Series in 2009 they finished April with a 12-10 record. They went on to win 103 games and the championship. So while there are a lot of less than desirable aspects of the team’s game so far, it might not be necessary to hit the panic button — yet.
Overall
Here is how the Yankees have fared in March and April since the “Baby Bombers” started in earnest in 2017:
Season
March + April Record (Win Percentage)
Final Record (Win Percentage)
2021
5-7 (.417)
TBD
2020
N/A
33-27 (.550)
2019
17-12 (.586)
103-59 (.636)
2018
18-10 (.643)
100-62 (.617)
2017
15-8 (.652)
91-71 (.562)
They actually have had pretty decent starts. In every year except 2019, they outperformed their final win percentage. But that is including all games up through the end of April — how about their records through their first 12 games?
Season
First 12 Games Record (Win Percentage)
2021
5-7 (.417)
2020
9-3 (.750)
2019
5-7 (.417)
2018
6-6 (.500)
2017
8-4 (.667)
They won 100 and 103 games in 2018 and 2019, respectively. And yet the first couple of weeks they were barely treading .500. And while they started great last year, they tanked a month later.
Offense
Let’s take a look specifically at some offensive stats, as that has been the main issue thus far:
Season
March + April AVG (Final AVG) March + April wOBA (Final wOBA) March + April wRC+ (Final wRC+)
2021
.228 (TBD) .307 (TBD) 95 (TBD)
2020
N/A
N/A
N/A
2019 .259 (.267)
.334 (.346)
107 (116)
2018
.254 (.249)
.342 (.335)
116 (112)
2017
.266 (.262)
.345 (.336)
116 (109)
As you can see, the offense was slightly better in 2017 and 2018 in the opening month when compared to the entire season. In 2019 it was slightly worse.
Starting Pitching
How about the starting pitching?
Season
March + April ERA (Final ERA) March + April K/9 (Final K/9) March + April BB/9 (Final BB/9) March + April HR/9 (Final HR/9)
2021
3.33 (TBD) 11.33 (TBD) 2.25 (TBD) 1.42 (TBD)
2020
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
2019 3.50 (4.51) 8.92 (9.07) 2.77 (2.78)
1.24 (1.76)
2018
3.77 (4.05) 8.31 (9.20) 3.24 (2.79) 0.94 (1.15)
2017
3.75 (3.98)
8.91 (8.97)
2.57 (2.76)
1.25 (1.39)
Similar to the offense, the starting pitching seems to start a little stronger when compared to the full season numbers. I’m sure we’ll come around as the weather gets warmer. Of course, the Yankees’ start in 2021 is not ideal, but hopefully things will get closer to the mean throughout a full 162-game season.